Rivas

 So the other day, another person came in to the print shop. I hadn't seen this person since about 2006/2007, when she was stationed at Lakenheath, and briefly came to my location on TDY orders. That was over 15 years ago, but similar to Davann, it took me a moment to recognize Jaime. She was speaking with my boss regarding a chalk-holder that she could use at home, since she had a chalk board that she used to plan her meals on for the entire week. She said it was the only bit of sanity that kept her kids from constantly asking what was for dinner.

Jaime was at Kunsan originally from 2004 - 2005, and was part of the flying community there. She understood that fighter pilots are the de facto "golden children" of the Air Force, and they pretty much get away with murder...and in some cases sexual assault, but that's a different post altogether. She knew that these dick-swinging jet jockeys love to drink hard and party hard, as a means of blowing off steam from flying around and almost getting their asses blown off. She took that approach, instead of the Dudley Do-Right, little Miss Polly Pureheart mentality that invaded Kunsan in the early 2000's, ruining an otherwise good assignment. She didn't recognize me at first either.

"Weren't you at Osan?" I asked her. "Kunsan" she replied, and that's when I confirmed who she was. We started talking, and began to bring back old memories. I told her how I came here straight from Kunsan, and except for my last assignment at Geilenkirchen, I've been here the entire time. She said that she's heard that the powers that be had really clamped down on that assignment, assuring me that it wasn't all just in my head. I originally told her how I still have a beef with the base commander who was there at the time, and how Big Air Force killed the Wolf Pack on his watch, which prompted that reply from her. We both acknowledged that there's no way in today's politically correct Air Force that anyone could get away with the ribald drinking and debauchery that used to go on there. She wrapped it up by acknowledging that so much time has passed, yet it all seemed just like yesterday.

As for 2006, I bumped into her at the old Ramstein BX. She was with someone, and we recognized one another instantly. I would've given her a hug then, as a fellow Kunsan survivor to another, but it seemed out of place and possibly awkward. I had completely forgotten about this until just now.

Ramstein has a way of happening to me. I've bumped into so many different people from the different places that I've been to in the military, as they are all coming to get stationed here, or are just here passing through. It's become less and less as more people I know have separated, retired, or have passed on (Randy), but it's interesting that I've encountered another person from my time in Korea. 

In the end, it will all be forgotten, like it never happened to begin with, and that's perhaps the greatest tragedy of it all.