MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFPN) -- November marked my first year here, my first duty station in the Air Force.
Over the span of a lifetime one year is not a long time. But a guy can learn a lot from his experiences in one year.
In my opinion, it’s impossible to project or predict an Airman’s future in the Air Force -- whether it be 12 months or 12 years. So it’s not even worth trying. You just have to ride that wave until it breaks on the shore of your separation date.
A large portion of the early months at an Airman’s first duty station is in the hands of the Airman’s leaders. They are the wind that guides your first-year wave (I say that with tongue firmly in cheek).
I have, however, come to the conclusion that an Airman can gently guide the breaks in that first-year wave.
When arriving on station, adjusting to new surroundings, getting settled in and taking care of personal affairs are the pantheon of most priority lists.
Leaders and other professional counterparts have an impact on your adjustment, but it’s up to you to see your adjustment opportunities through.
For some people, meeting people and gaining contacts are the most important parts of adjusting to new surroundings but can also be the most difficult. We’ve heard it a thousand times and I’m sure by the one thousand and first time it begins to sound like a cliché -- especially coming from a peer -- but squadron, dorm and or office functions are an intricate part of assimilating to a new base. These gatherings can simplify your settling process.
The city of Minot is also filled with people always willing to extend a smile and a shake toward any newcomer.
Minot has other factors that may take time to get used to, such as weather and isolation. Bad weather comes and goes. Winter and snow are inevitable on much of the planet. Isolation can be overcome with a drive in any direction. Cities such as Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks and Bismarck, N.D.; and Rapid City, Pierre and Sioux Falls, S.D. are less than an afternoon drive away.
The daily grind of an Airman’s job usually falls into place last or sometimes not at all.
Deployments, temporary duty travel and changes of station are ever constant and the duties of those in a transition phase tend to fall low on the priority list -- throwing a monkey wrench into an Airman’s daily life.
These changes are to be expected, even when the atmosphere is at its most calm. This is when the Air Force’s second core value rears its head and your first year wave starts to get choppy. But these times tend to come and go just as weather does. These are also the times when Airmen really become better at their job as buckets of knowledge rain down upon them.
No two waves, like our familiar North Dakota snowflakes, are alike. The process of adjusting to a new or first duty station is different for everyone. What I’ve taken from my first year here is that life gets exponentially easier as the days go by.
Difficult times still roll through just as the good times do. Sometimes you’re flush and sometimes you’re bust. When you’re up, it’s never as good as it seems, and when you’re down, you never think you’ll be up again, but life goes on.
My process did not take me an entire year but I can honestly say that after a year I am confident in my abilities to complete my mission and am comfortable with any winds of change that may alter my future waves.