by Richard M. Berthold
Daily Lobo Columnist
Given what I went through last fall and how many times I was labeled a traitor or un-American or - worst - a liberal, there is a wonderful sense of irony in the fact that I was chosen to participate in the Air Force's Distinguished Educators program last July. This involved spending several days at Randolph Air Force Base, the center for pilot training, and visiting Lackland Air Force Base, where basic training takes place.
Perhaps surprisingly to those who do not know me, I am very attracted to the military; the order, discipline and hierarchy are immensely appealing to me. Since I am rarely invited to spend time on military reservations, the visit to Randolph and Lackland was particularly enjoyable (well, apart from the fact the bases are located in Texas). Air Force hospitality was a knock-out, and the quarters I was assigned easily beat any hotel I have ever stayed in. Unlike the University, the Air Force treated us as adults, and - heaven forbid - we actually drank alcohol on many occasions and some of us even smoked cigarettes.
Randolph is a beautiful base, built back in the 30s, and it has such a WWII feel about it that when out running, especially among the officers' housing, I kept expecting the Japanese to bomb the place. At one of our dinners at the officers' club an Air Force band played swing music all evening, and I really got the feeling I was shipping out to the Pacific the next day. And incidentally, the sight of an old man with a ponytail and a Palestinian flag tattooed on his arm jogging about the base apparently excited no interest whatsoever.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The pilot training and all the cool toys that go with it was very interesting, but most fascinating to someone who has not been in the military was observing the basic training undertaken by the recruits and cadets at Lackland. Yes, it is the Air Force (I could pass the physical training requirements) and the military now groans under a certain amount of political correctness (e.g., "confidence" instead of "obstacle" course), but it is still the shout-in-your-face, rip-up-your-bunk sort of thing you've seen in all those WWII movies. And the reasons for this remain the same: if you can't perform simple tasks with someone in your face, what the hell are you going to do when the real pressure is on?
Particularly fun was watching cadets eat a full lunch in less than eight minutes and then spending an hour and a half at our lunch with some specially chosen cadets and watching the looks of ecstasy as they consumed the desserts they normally did not receive. I also found it delightful to watch young women ordering men around and being instantly obeyed whenever a command was issued. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes, but at Lackland I observed men and women training together with no apparent regard for gender differences.
I was tremendously impressed by the cadets I saw. These young men and women appeared responsible, disciplined and able to work together to solve problems. They had their shit together to a degree I do not normally associate with 19 and 20 year olds (including myself at that age).
The point of the Air Force Distinguished Educators program, of course, is to drum up university support for their ROTC programs, and in my case they were preaching to the choir. I want an officer corps that has roots in the University and a liberal education rather than some isolated Junker - like professional elite, and I supported ROTC at the university even during the Vietnam days, when my friends wanted the "baby-killers" off the campus. The true baby-killers were and are in Washington, not among our officer-candidates.
And if you don't mind wearing a uniform for a few years, it sure is an easy way to get your education paid for, especially in the case of the Air Force. Since virtually the entire apparatus of the Air Force is simply support for the tiny handful who actually fly the planes and take the risks, it is more like a job than anything else. There are exceptions, but airmen rarely have to hump packs and weapons across inhospitable real estate filled with people trying to blow their heads off. Incidentally, UNM AFROTC has one of the highest ratios of female to male cadets in the country.
Have I sold out, writing promos for the military? No. Contrary to the uninformed opinions of sundry legislative and talk show airheads, I have always supported our fighting personnel. In 1969 I did my legal damnedest to avoid serving in a war I considered stupid and tragic, but so did the current president of the United States. And just because I think Rumsfeld and some of his generals are jackasses does not mean I will not salute any man or woman wearing a uniform for my country.
