Life Creates the Best Stories by Linda S. Glaz

I’ve always told folks I’ve had so many life experiences that I have a lot to write about. A friend asked me what happened in the Air Force that would make a good story. There are so MANY things. Where would I begin?

I’ll tell you just one and you see if somewhere in your mind you can’t see a story slowly developing.

I was lucky enough, and yes, that was pure sarcasm, to be the dorm chief of my flight. That meant any and all problems from the other WAF landed in my lap.

Now, we had inherited the old condemned men’s barracks which had supposedly been refurbished for us. I honestly didn’t see anything remotely related to refurbishing. It must have been something beforehand, that’s all I can say.

The very first day of boot camp, a young lady who I’ll call Airman Doe, rushed up to me in the evening with a mound of shampoo in her hair. Her fingers were digging for gold.

“Sharon, what on earth are you doing?”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she danced foot to foot. “Airman Mapes! Airman Mapes! You’ve just gotta come see the handy little shampooer they put in the bathroom just for us girls!”

Yup!

Urinal…I didn’t really know what to say as my mouth unhinged.

After talking with her more that evening, trying to explain some of the intricacies of a barracks, I learned she had also brought one black and one red cocktail dress with her for “all the parties they said we’d have. I guess the jokes on me, Airman Mapes.”

Sharon was one of the best airman I worked with. She cared about others and didn’t take offense at a single thing in her life. She thought the recruiter had played a real fine joke on her.

I know she’ll find her way onto a page one day, and who knows, she might even take the urinal with her.