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Recruiters often go above and beyond

  • Published
  • By Col. Stan Chase
  • Air Force Recruiting Service Vice Commander
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  This is a story about Kathy and her dad. Kathy is a proud Air Force brat, somewhere in her mid 50s. Her dad served for a long time as a maintenance flight chief. I never knew him, but I know he was at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and also did a stint in Morocco working on spy planes. Kathy brags about him to kids, grandkids and basically anyone who will listen.

But Kathy's dad was getting old, fast approaching 79, and his health was rapidly failing. When she visited him in his hospice room in Boise, Idaho, it was difficult to tell just how aware he was, whether he knew who was present and what was going on around him. Time was simply running short.

During a visit to see her father a few weeks ago, Kathy had one of those moments where she just had to get away from it all, just for a few minutes, just to get her wits back. It was painfully difficult to watch him going downhill so quickly. So she went for a walk, tears streaming down her face. As she wandered the streets of Boise, after awhile in the unfamiliar terrain she came upon a familiar sign that read "United States Air Force."

Those four words had long been a haven for Kathy, a symbol of pride and a place of comfort and safety. Now she found herself in front of a recruiting center. She went inside. She had no agenda. She just needed a place to sit for a while before returning to her dad's side.

She doesn't remember exactly what she said to the two recruiters who warmly greeted her in the office, but I suspect she was able to communicate better than she thinks. She told them briefly about her dad, his time in the Air Force, and how much the Air Force had meant to her and her family. Kathy didn't stay long, but she thanked the recruiters for putting up with an "old fool."

Struck by her sincerity and warmth, the two sergeants couldn't let her leave empty handed. So they sent her away with a handful of Air Force pens and pencils to give to the hospice workers caring for her dad, as well as two small Air Force posters that she might enjoy.

Kathy returned to her father's bedside and she told him of her walk to the recruiting station, and about the two Airmen she had met and how kind they had been. Then, beaming, she held up the two posters and said, "Look, dad! See, I really saw them! You'd have been proud of them. They might even meet your standards."

And then a small miracle happened. For just a flash, Kathy's dad seemed to gather himself as he focused his eyes squarely on the posters. Then he gave a hint of a smile. It was truly a magical moment for a man and his daughter connecting for one last time.

Kathy's dad passed away peacefully a couple of weeks later.

Kathy is eternally grateful to the two recruiters in the little mall in Boise who helped her more than they will ever know. These two Airmen showed us all why we do what we do, and the nature of the people who serve in the Air Force. It is my honor to serve with them, carrying on the great traditions that men like Kathy's dad have passed to us.

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