Pease Airforce Base was the headquarters of the 509th Bomb Wing. The 8th Airforce J-GSOC whose first mission was to drop the First Atomic Bomb. On August 6th, 1945 The Boeing B29 Superfortress, "Enola Gay" dropped the first Atomic weapon on the Japanese city of Hiroshima screaming in the Nuclear Age. The Enola Gay was parked outside the main gate of the base, on display for everyone in New Hampshire to view and ponder what lays behind the gates of that Base.
A few months after His misadventures in Central America The Staff Sargent found a set of orders sitting on his desk at the MEPS, Military Entrance Processing Station in Butte Montana. This had been His duty station since His release from the Hospital at Sheppard. Because of His experience and training it was His responsibility to screen possible Airman and new recruits for similar positions in Military Intelligence. His quota had not been met as He found Himself discouraging most of the candidates that crossed his floor. The Station Head Shrinker said something about PTSD affecting His ability to communicate unbias points of view. In other words, His Filter had been removed.
The Orders required him to report at the OSI, Office Of Special Investigations, on Pease at the end of the upcoming week. He was being assigned to the 509th Combat Engineers as an Investigator. The Staff Sargent took the letter and reported to his supervision Chief. The Chief already knew what was happening and shook his hand to congratulate Him. "I know you." The Chief said, "You don't belong behind a desk."
The Staff Sargent had a few days to himself so He put on some civilian garb, crawled behind the wheel of his car and began the drive to Havre. That was a long drive, about 6 hours, but he eventually found himself driving down the gravel road to the Drive Way in front of the Bel Aire and Winston. The Old Man met him in the front yard of Winston, slapped him on the shoulder and said, "Good to see you Boy. You're moving on soon." The Old Man again knew without being told. He was always like that.
The Boy was moving on soon. There was the sense of no return in the air, and He felt it. The very next day He was on a bus traveling East towards Portsmouth New Hampshire on His way to Pease Air Force Base which would prove to be His last military post. The Old Man warned him a few years before, The Dad knew nothing was permanent, The Grandma expected he would be on a new journey, and he remembered an encounter in the Honduran jungle with an other old man that resembled The Dad somehow telling him, "I know you, you do not belong with these people. Leave them before they destroy you." Then The old man in the jungle pulled his hat down and went back to sleep.
Then Boy remembered what The Old Man said, "When someone you don't know gives you advice, take it."
He knew things would end soon. The trip on the bus was 3 days of straight Grey Hound nonsense. There were no layovers, there was no getting off the bus, only straight driving and uncomfortable sitting. He was not built to sit in these seats for an extended period of time. Penance was being paid. The only luggage was a duffle bag stowed in the lower bus compartment, and his Bass guitar that He refused to part with. It was a gift from The Dad for graduating from High School years before. One of the first Ibanez Roadster Basses, the serial number his birthdate and graduation date combined. A guitar special made for him by the Ibanez company. After all he was a Jazz bassist with a certain amount of experience.
3 days latter he emerged from that bus sweaty, stinky, and a tad pissed. He was met at the bus garage by one of the officers in his new command. After being driven straight to the NCO temporary barracks and checking in He was ordered to get cleaned up, shave and report to the commander no later than 1500 hours. He took a long waited for shower and found an iron in the room's closet. He ironed his uniform and got dressed with an hour to spare. He made his way to the base commander and reported as ordered. Then he was ordered to report to the OSI office at the top of the hill, and he did. Captain Knapp, now Major Knapp was waiting for him there which seemed so outlandish that they both laughed as He learned that this was a new base and possibly the last base for both. Knapp was retiring soon, and the Staff Sargent would quietly disengage, a term for Airman that quietly re-enter civilian life.
The Staff Sargent was given an entry packet to take to his new office at the 509th Civil Engineering Squadron headquarters. He was to report to the 509 Combat Engineers in the morning and report to Chief Master Sargent Brod for assignment. He was left to his own devices until the morning. The Staff Sargent went back to his room, crawled into bed and went to sleep. The morning would come much to early.
In the morning He was standing in front of The Chief's desk handing him the packet He received the past evening. Chief Brod was looking over it's contents with a puzzled look. He looked up from his desk, "How is it possible that you have a higher clearance than any other members of this team, including me?" The Staff Sargent had no answer and stayed silent.
The truth was Chief Brod had no idea who or what he had just added to the 509th Engineers. The orders read like something out of a bad sci fi novel. This Staff Sargent was some kind of Monster killer, or UAP commander, He hadn't made up his mind yet. Then the phone rang on his desk and he answered with his normal, "Brod." He was making the usual, "Huh Huh, and yep, then a Yes sir." then hung up the phone.
The Chief looked at the Staff Sargent and said, "You've got your first assignment. You're to report to barracks 13 and give this note to the desk sergeant. You are to sit in the room assigned and write on this pad all impressions you receive about the room next door. Write all information you deem important, leave nothing out. Do not share this info with anyone. Do not sleep. There will be coffee available. In the morning you will report to OSI and give them this note book and wait for debrief." He handed the Staff Sargent a small legal pad and pen. "Dismissed."
The Staff Sargent did an about face and walked out the door of the 509th headquarters to a waiting blue sedan that drove him to Barracks 13. The Staff Sargent reported to the desk Sergeant and handed her the note from Chief Brod. She read the note, gave Him a key, and led Him to a room on the second floor of the Barracks, "There's a phone in the room, a refrigerator filled with food, and plenty of coffee. If you need me I'll be at the front desk until I come to retrieve you in the morning. The Chief say's you should stay until then. The next door occupants will arrive shortly. Thanks." She left Him at the room.
The Staff Sargent unlocked the door, walked in and locked himself inside. He sat against a wall that was shared by the next door room and began taking notes. First there was silence, then the neighbors came home and things got interesting. He wrote everything. All comments, all smells, all impressions. At one point he could hear a fight break out between two airman. It lasted a couple minutes, there was some cursing, a few thuds, then quiet. He could smell the aroma of old shoes and sage. He recorded all. There was allot of traffic. Some sounded like and exchange. A party, another fight, girls. The Sun began coming up and everything got quiet again. The Staff Sargent waited.
At 08:00 there was a knocking at the door. The Desk Sergeant was at the door, "Are you ready?"
The Staff Sargent replied in the affirmative and she took him to a blue sedan and drove him to OSI at the top of the hill and left him. He reported to the front desk and waited. A Captain arrived and took him to a separate room to debrief. The Staff Sargent handed the Captain the pad and pen, "This is all." He left the room, walked to the entry desk and was given keys to a blue sedan parked in the lot, "This is yours to use until it's not." The Desk Sargent said. He nodded and got in the car and went back to his own room to get cleaned up, shave, get some sleep.
The next morning he woke up to a small TV playing in the room. The ABC news was on talking about the state of the union and other mindless news of the day. He made some coffee then reported for duty. He was wearing operational greens. Chief Brod had breakfast waiting for him, "Sit down Sargent. I've got news. Your notes are actionable, the two occupants in the room you surveilled have been arrested and will stand for two separate hearings, and if determined to be suspicious will stand for courts martial on the suspicion of selling drugs to government employees on a government facility. Do you understand?"
The Staff Sargent knew what the Chief was telling him, "Yes sir."
"Sargent?" The Chief asked.
"Sir."
"You realize your affiliation with the US Airforce officially ended when you arrived here?"
"Sir?"
"You are now working for the DOD, Department Of Defense. Do Not speak of it, understand?"
"Yes Sir." Is the only correct reply the Staff Sargent could make. He knew that of course.
Often when circumstances are right and the Universe has a need you will find yourself in all sorts of strange places.
Peace and Balance,
John
