The twins, the base, the plane

Mama and I drove to Wichita Thursday afternoon. I took a half day of vacation so we could get to Brittany before the twins had to be put to bed. We ended up getting there about dinner time, so Mama and I got to help with that. The girls warmed up to Mama a lot more quickly than to me this time, but by the time the evening was spent, Sophia was on my lap while Zoe monopolized Mama. They were in bed a little later than normal because Brittany was keeping them up so they could see their daddy. Andrew has been working very long hours over the past month planning the ceremony we would get to participate in the following day. He got home a little after 9 pm. The girls played a few minutes more but went to bed shortly afterward. I was thankful for the extra time. Andrew was exhausted Mama and I were pretty tired also. We did not get to visit for long before we all went to bed. Friday was the big day.


Andrew a was gone before any of us got up. That is saying something because I was up at 5:45. That morning we were going to have breakfast with the squadron. The intent was to have the squad, the families and those civilians connected to the arriving aircraft together as they live streamed the jet taking off from the assembly facility in Washington State. There were very loud cheers when that happened about 10 am. Their first bird was on the way. They have been waiting for this delivery for over a year. Five or six promised delivery dates had come and gone so when the KC-46A was airborne, it was a momentous occasion. Mama and I were there to share it. Even if that was all we got to do, I would have been glad we had made the trip to share that with Brittany and Andrew. The area where we had breakfast with the squad was not large, so it was packed. The twins were only two out of the twenty or so little ones there. Mama and I got to put faces with names of individuals Brittany had mentioned. They got to connect us with her and Andrew as well. We got a real sense of family. Of duty. Of service. Of commitment.


We left for home after spending about two hours with the squad and their families. When we left the building, it was snowing hard. No one had forecast the snow, so everyone was caught a little off guard. But the meteorologists on base let everyone know that the snow would be short lived. It did give us a slippery ride back to the house. The outside temperature was 24°, which allowed the snow to accumulate on the roads, get pressed to ice and give those who were driving in it more than a little apprehension. I was not driving. Brittany was driving so that we could drive directly onto the base without having to get a pass for the day. That process would have been lengthy due to the huge influx of visitors for the upcoming ceremony. I was in the back seat of the Sequoia. To get into the backseat I had to enter through the lift gate on the back of the vehicle. With the two large car seats in the middle seats of the Sequoia, I could not get in or out any other way. After the first couple times of rushing to get the babies out of the vehicle – leaving me waiting – Mama and Brittany started letting me out first. It was fun to be in that position because the girls and I were facing each other. We sang. We played. We did animal sounds. They tried to copy my facial expressions. I had a blast with them.


The formal ceremony was in the afternoon. The plane was expected to arrive at the base between 2 and 3 pm and the ceremony was centered around that. Mama, Brittany and I were there by 1 pm fearing that if we did not get there early, there would not be any parking near the hanger where the reception was being held. We did not want Mama to have to walk too far. The plane landed at 2:25. Those who were there to watch the live stream and hear the radio chatter between the plane and the tower were relieved to have the plane finally there, excited by the prospect of commissioning the plane, and proud of the work they had done to make all this happen. At 3 pm, the ceremony started. All rose and saluted the flag as the National anthem was played. It was an unusually patriotic venue. It was wonderful to see the love of country on such open display. Senators, generals and the Secretary of the Air Force spoke in turn. Some speeches were actually good.


As the ceremony concluded, keys were symbolically handed to the base commander, and the hanger doors were rolled up. The plane was sitting just outside the hanger. It is a huge plane. In the picture it is flanked by two of the older refuelers. It was a great moment to share with those to whom it was so important. If we had not been there to witness the event, we probably would not have known it ever happened. There was nothing on any new outlets about it. Maybe that was part of the plan.

That night, Brittany and Andrew went back to the base for a special dinner. Brittany got to walk through the plane with Andrew as her guide. Mama and I kept the girls. It was a win-win.