24 June 2016 – Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Holy shit, I’m here! Sabrina thought as she took in the sight of the mountain range to the west. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“Pike’s Peak …” her dad muttered.

“A lot different than Prescott Ridge and Mount Lizzy, huh?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, “but those hills in Enfield will always be home for me. Doesn’t make these any less impressive, though.”

“Yeah.”

“If you two are finished gawking, I believe we should move off the tarmac.”

“Yes, Mom,” Sabrina said with a smile. She hugged her mother. The next few days would be the last time Sabrina saw her parents for months, so she had to load up on the hugs.

“Good luck, Sabrina, and happy birthday!” offered Doug Vrubel, their pilot, as he descended the plane’s stairs. “Give ‘em hell!” The 1994 USAFA graduate reached out to shake hands.

“Thanks, Mr. V! Go Falcons!”

Sabrina walked into the FBO with her parents. Her father went outside to check their rental car with the agent.

“Ready to go, Princess?” Jeff asked when he came back inside.

“All set, Dad.”

“Let’s get the SUV loaded.”

“I’m bummed I won’t get to visit with Uncle Chris’ family or the Schultheises.”

“I don’t know why. You’d really want to miss getting yelled at for your first few days at the academy?”

Sabrina gave her father the look all women give when displeased with someone male. She then looked over at her mother and they rolled their eyes in unison.

“I think I’ll be getting yelled at all year, Dad.”

“Just remember that it’s all a mind game, Sabrina. Yeah, you can handle the coursework and the physical stuff, but what they want to see is how you act under stress.”

“Yeah. You weren’t kidding about the altitude, either …” Sabrina rubbed at her forehead.

“Nope. Take it easy for our first day here, and we’ll try a slow run tomorrow.”

“Sounds good!”

“You’re not gonna wear all of your ‘USAFA Parent’ gear today, Dad? I think you and Mom spent enough at the USAFA store yesterday to offset what the Air Force is gonna spend training me!”

“Given the fact that your mom and I are gonna be at the drop-off area with you, I think it’ll be obvious we’re USAFA parents. And we have the same amount of U-Chicago and Wake Forest stuff at home. We didn’t want you to feel slighted.” Jeff looked down at Sabrina tying her Air Force combat boots. “You decided to wear them, then?”

“It’ll be easier stuffing my running shoes in my bag than carrying these things around. Now that they’re broken in, these things are like sneakers, anyway.” Sabrina looked up. Both parents smiled at her like dorks. “What’s with you two?”

“We are so proud of you, Sabrina,” her mother said with a sniffle.

“Don’t you two start crying! I’m not gonna make it through the day if you start now!” She blinked her tears away. ‘Goddamn, I’m gonna miss them … Thank God I’m reporting early …’

Even with an early report time, there was plenty of hurry-up-and-wait. Sabrina waited in line for her info packet inside Doolittle Hall, then outside in a large tent waiting for the call to line up. That call finally came.

“Well … this is it, Princess. We’ll sign up for that Web Association thing. Reach for the stars.” Her father’s eyes were red and swollen with unshed tears. Hers weren’t much better.

“Thanks for everything, Dad.”

Jeff hugged her tight. “Remember, Princess,” he whispered, “there’s a certain amount of shit you’ll have to swallow here, but don’t let them take your self-respect from you, no matter what. I love you.”

Sabrina clung to her mother next.

“As I said to your father years ago, Sabrina: kick ass. I love you, my daughter.”

Sabrina wiped tears from her face before walking to the appointees-only line. A sign hanging from the ceiling touched off more butterflies: ‘The journey begins here.’

‘Deep breath, Sabrina. Remember, be bold.’

Single file, her group marched out to the waiting bus. Eyes front. No talking. The first person go to the back of the bus, take the first seat to your left and fill them left to right, back to front.

‘My guess is I won’t hear ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ for months … What were those names he said again? Shit, I’m never going to remember everything! Pay attention, Sabrina! ‘Yes, sir or ma’am,’ ‘no, sir or ma’am …’ I can remember that. And remember to sound off like I’ve got a pair …’

The yelling started in earnest when her group filed off the bus. The whistles were a nice touch, as were the berets and mirrored sunglasses. Sabrina stepped onto the blue footprints and went to the position of attention. They released the hounds when everyone had lined up. A blonde cadre member came up to her – well within her personal space – and inspected her.

“Prior service?”

“No, ma’am!”

“What are your seven basic responses?” Sabrina repeated them in the correct order. The second class moved down the line. Easier targets waited elsewhere.

“Pick up your bag with your left hand and turn to your right!” was the command. “Move out and follow this cadre member! Single file! FASTER! NO RUNNING!”

‘Which is it?’ she wondered. Suck it up, Sabrina. Nothing’s gonna be good enough for them for a long time …

Class cover, canteen, and web belt. Haircuts for the guys, Bun 101 for the ladies, shots for everyone. Initial uniforms: shapeless, formless Airman Battle Uniforms – sage green and slate gray tiger stripes. That’s when it became real. Someone at another desk handed her the name tapes for her ABUs: ‘KNOX 20.’ Her last name and class year.

Classes on everything SMACKs (Soldier Minus Ability, Coordination, and Knowledge) need to un-learn from civilian life: how to make your bed, how to fold your clothes, how to arrange your closet. Where your books go, your boots, your bookbag.

I have to run on the marble tiles only? The Terrazzo is huge! How am I gonna cross this place in time for anything?

“Hey.” A petite brunette said in a whisper to Sabrina once in their assigned room, extending her hand, “I’m Amanda Parnell. Mandy.”

“Sabrina Knox.” That was all the conversation they dared have yet, having been reminded over and over not to speak unless spoken to.

They put the room into some semblance of order. There would be more time later to make sure it was up to ‘SAMI,’ or Saturday AM Inspection standards.

“You two should have been in the hallway ten seconds ago!” their element leader, Cadet Second Class Juana Miller barked from the doorway, which made them snap to attention. “Outside!”

Cadre lined the basics up for dinner. Sabrina’s squadron marched – poorly – to Mitchell Hall, the academy’s dining hall. Once the other classes returned, all four thousand-plus cadets would eat breakfast and lunch here every day, and all at once. Sabrina gave props to the staff here for handling that day after day. C2C Miller told them how basic cadets were supposed to eat: at attention, making various statements as they passed food, passing it in a certain way. With the number of corrections C2C Miller had to make, Sabrina and her classmates didn’t eat much.

Back at Vandenberg Hall after dinner, their squadron training session was a meet-and-greet to allow the new basic cadets to meet one another and their cadre. Of course, they were expected to memorize the other basic cadets’ names and hometowns by the following day. The cadre’s names and hometowns would be added the next night. Then there was memorizing Contrails, the student handbook. And so on, and so on.

In her room, finally allowed to sit down and speak freely, Sabrina pulled a pack of index cards from her backpack. She wrote down info on each cadet on separate cards, transcribing it from the list she wrote earlier. Soon she had forty cards filled out. She shuffled them up and started quizzing herself.

“I’m going to have a panic attack already …” she heard Mandy mutter to herself.

“What’s wrong?” Sabrina asked, turning in her chair to face her roommate.

“It’s this list,” Mandy sighed while motioning to the paper on her desk.

“Is that how you memorized stuff back home?”

“No, I’d make up flashcards …” Mandy trailed off as Sabrina held up her pack of cards. “Well, shit …”

“Have you read through your list? You want to quiz me on these and I’ll do the same for you after?”

Mandy smiled and shook her head. “You’ve already got this place figured out, don’t you?”

“Oh, hell no, girl! You’ll bail my butt out at some point, I’m sure. Teamwork makes the dream work after all! Come on, turn your chair around.”

Mandy marveled at how much Sabrina already had memorized. She was even more surprised at how much she already remembered herself. The two new basics were on their fourth or fifth trip through the cards when a voice spoke to them from their doorway.

“What are you two doing?”

Sabrina and Mandy shot to their feet. They were not yet clear on military etiquette, but both figured it couldn’t hurt.

“Ma’am, may I make a statement?” Mandy sang out to their element leader.

“Go ahead, Basic.”

“Ma’am, Basic Cadet Knox is helping me learn our fellow basics’ names using flashcards she made. She’s got everyone’s info just about memorized. I’m getting there.”

“Ma’am, may I make a statement?” Sabrina asked.

“What?”

“We’re helping each other, ma’am,” Sabrina pointed out. “A ‘battle buddy’ is a concept my father introduced me to long ago.”

Juana Mueller raised an eyebrow. “He was in the service then, Knox?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“When and what branch?”

“Ma’am, he was an Army paratrooper during Panama and the Gulf War, and a Ranger medic in Afghanistan ten years ago.”

C2C Miller stared at them in silence. “You two are the first roommates I’ve seen helping each other out so far. The squadron’s performance was horrible today, and that performance reflects on me and the rest of the cadre. You will hear it again in the morning but figure it out like you figured out how to study. As you were.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They returned to studying. An hour later they both felt they’d memorized the info.

“How do you want to finish setting up the room? Each of us setting up our areas ourselves first then checking each other, or setting up the room as a team?”

“Why don’t we try it separately this time? We can see how doing it as a team works later.”

“Sure.”

“Mandy, where is Ravenwood, Missouri?” Sabrina quietly asked over her shoulder. Getting the sheets right on her rack wasn’t easy.

“About two hours northwest of Kansas City. How about Lancaster, Mass?” They kept their voices low, so they didn’t attract attention.

“North-central part of the state about an hour west of Boston.”

“You’re probably a damn Patriots fan, too!”

“You’re just jealous that our quarterback is the Greatest of All Time! I’m a Red Sox and Bruins fan, also.”

“Meh,” Mandy shrugged. “I’ve never been a big baseball or hockey fan. How are you doing over there?”

“Just about ready, you?”

“Yeah. Let’s see what you’ve got.” She crossed the room. “Looks sharp! Hey, I’ve got an idea that’ll help us fold our t-shirts for inspections.” Mandy explained.

“That sounds like it should work. We just need some cardboard and one of those paper cutter guillotines to make that guide you described.”

“What are you going to study, Sabrina?” Mandy asked next as they arranged their closets.

“I’ve got my eye on Astronautical Engineering like my older brother.”

“Is he here?”

“No, Alex is a sophomore at the University of Chicago this year.”

“Are you two the only kids in your family?”

“No, there’s three of us. Our brother Ryan goes to Wake Forest. He’s Alex’s fraternal twin, so he’s a sophomore this year, too. How about you? Any brothers or sisters?”

“There’s five of us: three boys, two girls. I’m kid number four, and my sister is the baby of the family. The boys and Sarah are all home helping Mom and Dad with the farm.”

“But you wanted something different?”

“Yeah … I loved growing up on the farm, even though the routine can be tough. When I turned twelve, though, I started wanting more.”

“What are you going to study?”

“Probably physics. I blew through the physics class at my high school and loved it. I took two others at the college a few towns over and did well in those, too. What do your folks do?”

“Mom’s a karate instructor, though she was a high school English teacher until my freshman year. Dad’s in charge of a division of my Uncle Sean’s ambulance service. He’s one of the vice presidents of the company now and has been working there over twenty years.”

“Karate? Is your mom a black belt?”

“Yeah.”

“Really? That’s cool!”

“Uh huh …” Sabrina responded with a frown. “Until she needed it to correct our attitudes. Then it was ‘get into your gi and meet me on the mat!’”

Mandy goggled. “She hit you to improve your attitude? I thought that kinda thing was just a joke? You know: ‘the beatings will continue until morale improves?’”

“Well, it was more to get us to focus so we could calm down and talk about whatever the problem was. Even though I earned my black belt before I came here, it still worked on me every time.”

“You’re a black belt, too?”

“Yep, second dan. Mom’s sixth, Dad’s third, and my brother Alex is first.”

“What about your other brother?”

“Ryan stopped caring about karate when he hit puberty. Mom and Dad used to just send him to his room to calm down. Anyway, did you look up what to expect before you reported in?”

“I did,” she admitted. “I debated whether or not I wanted to, because it’s not like reading a bunch of text on a screen can really prepare us for what’s coming.”

“True. We get three weeks here learning marching, military courtesy, and things like that before they take us out to Jacks Valley, right?”

“Right, so we need to get as much sleep as we can here.”

“I doubt it’ll be hard to fall asleep now that we’re here, but I wonder how long they’ll let us sleep.”

“Not long enough, I’m sure.” Mandy looked over at a strange metal device on the wall by their sink. “I can’t figure out what that thing is, can you?”

“I’m sure they’ll tell us.”

“We’ll start quizzing each other again when we wake up,” Sabrina said as she returned her desk to inspection readiness.

“Good idea.” Mandy frowned while looking at her bed. “We spend how long getting our bunks ready and then we have to sleep in them? How long’s it going to take in the morning to get them back to how they are?”

“It shouldn’t be bad tomorrow, but I’m not sure how often our sheets get washed. If it’s too long between washings, they’ll get stretched out and we won’t be able to smooth them out like that.” Sabrina thought for a moment. “You know, I remember reading something on that service academy discussion board site about how lots of four-degrees sleep on top of their made-up bunks using just a blanket. Some even sleep on the floor, but I’m not sure I’m willing to go that far.”

“Yeah, me neither, especially not after a really busy day here. Did that site have any suggestions?”

“Mainly whatever works for the individual, but I’m thinking about a poncho liner. No fuzz to worry about and super warm.” She shrugged. “We’ll have to see.”

The two chatted until lights-out, talking about their families and randomly asking for information about their fellow basics. Sabrina crawled into her bunk and reviewed the hectic day in her mind. As excited as she was to finally be at the academy, the thought of being miles from her family kept her from falling asleep right away.

Sabrina suspected nights here at the academy would be too short all year. The anticipation of reveille or whatever was to come the first few mornings would probably leave many in her flight exhausted from a restless sleep – herself included.

Doolie Day Out: the one day between First and Second Beast when basics are allowed off-campus after meeting their sponsors. Instead of ABUs, the basics wear their blue uniforms for the first time also.

Even with the thousand-plus cadets of the Class of 2020 milling around the small parking lot of the field house, the place still looked huge. They separated the basics alphabetically by last name, not flight, to make pick-up more efficient.

“Basic Cadet Knox, come with me for a moment,” Juana Mueller muttered to Sabrina.

“Ma’am, I don’t understand.”

“You’ll understand soon. Your sponsor family’s situation is unique, so the AOC wants to explain the situation first.”

Sabrina’s Air Officer Commanding – AOC – was the commissioned Air Force officer overseeing Alpha Squadron this summer, as well as First Squadron during the academic year.

“Yes, ma’am.”

C2C Mueller led Sabrina to Major Avondale. There they fired off salutes.

“Cadet Mueller, thank you. I’ll make sure Basic Cadet Knox gets to where she needs to be.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mueller replied, saluted again, and spun about before marching away.

“At ease, Knox. Basic, your sponsoring family is rejoining the sponsor program after three years. I am not privy to all the details, but their first experience sponsoring a USAFA cadet was not a good one. I have heard rumors – unsubstantiated, mind you – the cadet in question was rude and damn close to inappropriate, and they pulled themselves from the program. Even with how well I know them they have never spoken about it. That cadet is no longer a cadet. In fact, he was dismissed from the academy before Recognition.

“I’ve seen your admissions file. The sponsor selection committee believes you are the right cadet to pair with this family and give them a positive experience being sponsors. Having read your letters of recommendation, I agree. If you step out of line, however, it will be open season on harassing you until you quit or are dismissed also. Do I have your attention?”

“YES, MA’AM!”

Susan Avondale smiled. “Good. Basic Cadet Knox, despite what I just said I doubt you will have any issues with the Gallardos. Both Joe and Helen were active-duty Air Force. Joe was a Security Forces officer, a captain, and Helen made major before she got out. Helen was my first commanding officer and is a USAFA grad herself. They are two of the nicest people you will ever meet, and their two little girls are precious. Follow me and I’ll introduce you.”

Sabrina fell in behind Major Avondale. The AOC led her over to the Gallardo family. They turned as Major Avondale approached, and smiled at their friend. The parents – Joe and Helen – extended their hands to greet the new arrivals, while their girls stood by and watched. Major Avondale said goodbye at this point. Sabrina saluted the major before she left. Not knowing how to act around the former officers, Sabrina remained at attention.

“At ease, Sabrina,” Helen said with a smile. “We’re your sponsor family, not cadre. Our job is to help you relax, not get you so wound up that you can’t.” The woman stepped in for a hug. Sabrina hadn’t realized how much she missed that simple gesture. “I’m Helen Gallardo. This is my husband, Joe.” Joe hugged her also. “That’s what we want you to call us too, okay? Helen and Joe. We are not ‘Mister and Missus Gallardo,’ those are Joe’s parents. And we’re definitely not ‘Captain’ or ‘Major!’”

“Yes, ma’am. Helen.”

Helen smiled again before turning back to her daughters. “Girls, come meet Sabrina.”

Sabrina got down on one knee as the girls approached so she wouldn’t tower over them. Like their parents, the girls had dark brown hair and expressive brown eyes.

“Sabrina, these are our daughters, Felicity and Mia. Felicity is nine, Mia just turned seven. Girls, this is Sabrina Knox.”

Sabrina smiled at the girls. Felicity smiled shyly while Mia beamed back.

“Wow, you’re pretty!” Mia chirped, drawing a smile from Sabrina.

“Direct …” Sabrina chuckled as she shook Mia’s hand.

“Always …” Joe replied with a snort.

“It’s nice to meet both of you. What do you girls like to do?”

“We like to snowboard,” Mia replied in a rush. “Well, I like to snowboard – Felicity likes to ski – and I like to run, and play soccer, and play with our dog …”

“And talk …” Felicity cut in. Mia frowned at her sister for interrupting.

“Girls, we should go,” Joe said to his daughters before turning to Sabrina. “We don’t live far from here, but we have to have you back by 1900.”

‘Not far from here’ was thirty minutes away in a Colorado Springs subdivision at the base of Blodgett’s Peak.

“Wow,” Sabrina said from the back seat, staring through the windshield as they pulled into the Gallardo’s driveway. “You have that view in your back yard? That rivals the view from the Cadet Area!”

“Pretty awesome, huh?” Mia asked from the back seat.

Once inside the house, Sabrina let out a deep sigh as she settled on the couch.

“I remember that feeling from back when I was on my own Doolie Day Out,” Helen laughed. She held out a cordless phone and an index card. “Call your folks, Sabrina. I know they’ll want to hear from you. On the card are our address here and the numbers for our cell phones. We’re going to be your assigned sponsors while you’re at the academy, so I’m sure they’ll want that information also.”

Sabrina raised an eyebrow in surprise. Helen shook the phone in a gentle ‘take the phone and make the call, already’ gesture. Sabrina took both with a look of thanks before dialing a number. Helen left the room to give her some privacy.

“Mom? Mom, it’s me …” Sabrina said in Japanese with a shaky voice. She started to sniffle. “I’m okay … No, really, I’m okay. This place is a little intense … No, I knew it would be … Mandy, she’s from northwestern Missouri … Other than thinking Tom Brady and the Pats are devils, she’s nice … Are you guys still coming out for Parents’ Weekend? … And A-Day? Are you sure? That’s a lot of traveling, and we’ll get maybe two or three hours together on A-Day … No, I do, it’s just that, well, you’re not gonna get any frequent flyer miles …” Here Sabrina rolled her eyes at her mother’s response. “Okay, I’m looking forward to seeing you after BCT is over, then … They’re home? Yeah, I’d like to talk to them both …”

She spent another five minutes on the phone talking to both Alex and her dad. She gave her mom the Gallardos’ information before she hung up. Helen walked back into the living room and sat on the couch. She watched Sabrina brush the last of her tears away.

“Are you okay, Sabrina? Is everything alright at home?”

Sabrina nodded. “I’m okay, Helen. I’ve been to sleep-over hockey camps and stuff, but then I always knew I’d be heading home and seeing my folks. Here, it’s a little different. I’ve moved out, and I’m already a sworn member of the United States Air Force. The chances of me moving home again are pretty slim. A little scary once you think about it.”

Helen nodded in understanding. “I went through the same thing when I started at the academy, Sabrina. I’m sure your classmates will feel the same in one way or another. Is your family a military family?”

“Dad enlisted in the Army after high school. That’s how he and Mom met. Her brother was Dad’s roommate in the 82nd Airborne. Dad was in for four years after high school, then he reenlisted after September 11th. He was in until 2005 that time.”

“Was anyone else in your family in the military?” Sabrina told her about Grandma Jane and Grampy Tom. “So, are you here because you felt you had a duty to join?”

“No,” she replied with a shake of her head. “I’m here because I felt the academy offered me the best path to my goal.”

“Which is what?”

“Astronaut pilot.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re here for yourself, Sabrina, and not anyone else. This year will be hard on you but keep your goals in mind during the tough times ahead. Don’t let anyone try to take them away from you, either.”

Sabrina sensed there was more behind Helen’s declaration, but she didn’t press the older woman as to why. They’d only just met, after all.

“Is there anything I can help with?” she asked instead. “Maybe help to put lunch together?”

“Thank you but, no, Sabrina. We don’t want to risk getting your uniform dirty today. You don’t need to give the cadre any extra excuses to yell at you.”

“A fair point. Where are Joe and the girls? I should get to know them, too.”

“Probably downstairs in the family room playing video games. Unless the Rockies are playing an early game on the East Coast, then Joe might be watching baseball. Why don’t we go find out?”

Sabrina and Helen found the others engrossed in a video go-kart game. Despite their young ages, the girls had their father outclassed. Badly.

“Daddy, how do you manage to always be last?” Mia asked.

“It’s a gift,” was Joe’s response. Sabrina smiled at the banter, which had the feel of being routine between the two. Felicity’s eye roll had the same feel. It also reminded her of her mother again.

“No baseball?” Helen asked her husband.

“Rockies are playing San Francisco at two-thirty. Away game.” Sabrina realized that would have been the four-thirty game back home. Time zones are weird.

“Sabrina, do you want to try?” Mia asked, holding up another game controller.

“Sure. It’s not like I’ll be last …”

“Just for that I’ll let you walk back to the academy,” Joe responded.

“Your dad’s a meanie,” Sabrina stage-whispered to the girls. They started giggling.

Sabrina’s words proved prophetic. Joe growled, grumbled, and grumped all through the tournament as he continued to occupy the last spot in every race.

“No fair!” he whined after the final contest, in which he was last once again.

He tossed his controller to the other side of the couch. He crossed his arms and scowled. His scowl deepened when all four women in the house laughed at him. Joe lunged at Felicity and started tickling her. Her laughter became shrieks and pleas to stop.

Sabrina got to know the girls while their parents finished making lunch. Her experience working with younger kids helped her draw Felicity out of her shell and into the conversation. Sabrina got the sense she spent way too much time in her younger sister’s shadow. Felicity was the female version of a young Alex: quiet, thoughtful, and a deep thinker.

Mia reminded Sabrina of herself before that defining day at Kennedy Space Center. She was bold, brash, and a bit all over the place but – in her defense – she was seven. Sabrina also sensed a bit of hero-worship in Mia’s demeanor, which Sabrina would have to be careful of. Sabrina knew she was far from perfect.

Lunch was terrific. Joe’s grandparents originally came from Sonora, one of Mexico’s northern states which border Arizona, and lunch reflected that heritage. Sabrina loved the small tacos with fresh carne asada, a salsa verde, and crisp vegetables. She asked him how Americans could enjoy fast food which claimed to be ‘Mexican’ when they could have something like what was in front of her.

“Because we Americans too often look for easy solutions,” he replied. “Quality like this takes time and money, neither of which we seem to have the patience for.”

Sabrina nodded in understanding. “Mom’s mother – Sobo – stressed doing things right, not fast, when we were making traditional Japanese meals with her.”

“When did your mom’s side of the family first come to the US?”

“In the 60s. Sobo and Sofu are Issei – born in Japan and first-generation immigrants, Mom and Uncle Ken are Nisei – the second generation, my brothers and I are Sansei – third generation. My children will be Yonsei.” Sabrina then counted from one to five in Japanese, raising a finger with each successive number.

“Do you speak Japanese?” Mia asked.

“Yes, fluently.”

“WOW! That’s cool! Was it hard learning Japanese?”

Sabrina shrugged. “I don’t ever remember not speaking Japanese, Mia. Mom and Dad are both fluent and started teaching us kids the language from birth along with English. Once they felt we had a good enough grasp on both, we only spoke Japanese as a family. Mom’s parents live next door, too, and we speak it with them also.”

“I wish we’d been able to do that with the girls,” Helen sighed. “Neither Joe nor I speak Spanish well enough, unfortunately. Are you going to try and test out of Japanese at the academy to get credit for that?”

Sabrina nodded. “Probably, along with Spanish, Calculus, Physics …”

“Wait, you speak Spanish, too?” Joe massaged his temples. “Geez, I don’t even speak English so good …”

“Your first few weeks of academics are going to be tough as you adjust to the routine here,” Helen warned her. “We won’t see you for A-Day, but we’ll probably see you again Parents’ Weekend. Call us when you’re able.” She looked at Sabrina more closely. “If you need to talk about this place, for any reason, call me. If you’re questioning why you came here, whether you can make it until Recognition, or graduation, doesn’t matter. Clear?”

“Luxury accommodations, I tell ya …” Mandy muttered as they filed into their tent in Jacks Valley.

“At least it’s got a roof,” Sabrina replied, tossing her duffle at the foot of their bunks. “We don’t have to keep this place SAMI inspection ready, either.”

“I thought all Air Force facilities were air-conditioned?”

“That’s what the big pedestal fans are, Sarita, air-conditioning.”

“You’re killing me, Knox,” Sarita Jorgenson replied as she emptied her duffle into her assigned locker.

Thirty minutes later her squadron stood in line at the armory. A tech sergeant handed her an M-4, which she cleared and dry-fired into the air, plus a blank adapter and a cleaning kit.

“NEXT!”

Alpha Squadron learned they were expected to have their rifles with them at all times unless told otherwise. The only exceptions were when they were in their tent or the dining facility – also a tent. They were to bring them to the latrines with them. The Aggressors – the squadron’s nickname – learned how to drill with their rifles, and do PT with them.

“Ugh, my arms are on fire!” Mandy moaned after dinner.

“Might not be so bad if they didn’t keep making us do pushups every time one of us dropped our rifle,” Sarita replied.

“A few more days of this and I won’t have to worry about missing my workouts. Crunches with a rifle are evil.”

“Preach it, sister, preach.” Dominique Phillips commented as she lay on her bunk, her eyes closed in exhaustion. “Can I get an ‘amen?’”

“AMEN!” the basics in the tent answered before dissolving into laughter.

The next morning Alpha Squadron gathered at the combatives pit for the start of self-defense training. Sabrina kept her mouth shut about her abilities and tried to learn what the Air Force wanted her to learn. Combatives seemed to be mostly Aikido with other disciplines sprinkled in. The familiar bits helped her pick up the moves quickly.

“Nice work, Knox,” their instructor commented. Sabrina nodded in response as she drank from her canteen.

Sabrina breezed through the early rounds of the combatives tournament at the end of the week without lapsing into her karate. As the skill of her opponents increased, however, she found it harder to only use the blocks and holds taught that week. She reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated.

She sat stunned as the matches continued unnoticed in front of her. How could she lose a match? She hadn’t lost a sparring match to anyone her age for longer than she could remember.

“On your feet, Knox!” one of the cadre barked. Sabrina shot to her feet. “Pay attention!” the C2C yelled before catching the look of disbelief on her target’s face. “What discipline?”

“Ma’am, I do not understand.”

“You thought you’d win, right? What martial arts discipline did you study before you came here?”

“Karate, ma’am.”

“And what level did you reach?”

“Black belt, ma’am, second-dan.”

“And could you have used any of your past knowledge out there?”

“No, ma’am. We were only allowed to use the moves we were taught this week …”

“Really? When did any of the cadre tell you that?”

Sabrina drew in a breath to answer but realized she assumed she was only allowed to use what she learned this week.

“That’s right. We never said that. You assumed that, didn’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sabrina admitted.

“Attention to detail, Knox. That’ll be the difference between being an exceptional cadet and an average one.” The young woman turned to walk away but stopped. “And you owe me twenty-five push-ups. You made a statement without asking for permission first. Drop.”

The obstacle course gave Sabrina another chance to excel. Her father took her to Fort Devens’ obstacle course about a dozen times in the spring to help her prepare for the one here. She was glad her dad had such a good relationship with Devens’ leadership. She flew through the course, though she didn’t set a record.

She had fun with the leader’s reaction course. Together with the other basics in her element, they had to plan and execute how to accomplish the ‘missions’ they were assigned. The prior-service members of the element offered advice on how to overcome the obstacles, though that advice didn’t always produce a positive outcome.

“I feel like I’m carrying ten pounds of sand in my uniform,” Dominique griped after their run through the combat assault course. “Remind me why we have to know this stuff?”

“How about if our FOB gets overrun while we’re on deployment?” Phil reminded her around a mouthful of MRE.

“Isn’t that why we have the Security Forces?” Not only was Phil prior-service Air Force, but he was also a ‘preppie’ – someone who had been to the Air Force Academy’s Preparatory School last year.

“Dominique, your dad’s a minister. Do I have to bring up the old saw of ‘God helps those who help themselves?’”

Dominique rolled her eyes in response.

“Sabrina, you were moving right through that course!” Phil said, turning to her.

She shrugged. “Just using the course to get my workout in.”

“We’re gonna do that like a hundred times over the next few days!” Mandy pointed out. “You might want to pace yourself.”

Sabrina shrugged again. She felt that Jacks Valley was something to be endured and was also a chance for her to excel, as the rest of her first year at the academy would be.

‘Only four months until Christmas Break … One day at a time …’ Sabrina let out a sigh of relief as her squadron marched to the firing range after the weekend. ‘One more week and we’re done here.’

She made sure to look attentive during Basic Marksmanship. She heard similar lectures over and over back home nearly every time her dad took her shooting. They’d become so ingrained she could almost recite the important points as the instructors did.

After firing her father’s .40- and .45-caliber pistols growing up she expected the 9mm M-9 to feel like a pop gun.

She was wrong about the pistol. While the M-9 didn’t kick like her dad’s M-1911, the recoil wasn’t too dissimilar from his Sig .40. Years of practice had her shredding the center of her targets with regularity, though she was far from the only basic doing that well.

The M-4 wasn’t set up like her father’s rifle. The plain grip on the fore stock was different enough to throw Sabrina off her game. She took a while to adjust to the ergonomics of the rifle, and her score suffered.

During the march from Jacks Valley back to the cadet area, doubts about her ability to perform here swirled around Sabrina’s head. She was so used to standing out in high school that not doing so here was starting to grate on her.

“KNOX!”

She’d been so preoccupied she missed the second class calling her name.

“Yes, sir?”

“Pull your head out and sing us a cadence!”

She hesitated for a second before remembering the Army cadence she modified before reporting to Colorado. She took a deep breath before belting it out.

Up in the morning, outta the rack
Out the door, get called a SMACK
A First Class rushes me off to chow
Ain’t eatin’ that, no way no how

Hail Oh Hail Academy!
Aim High doo-oo-lie!
Oh nothing in this world is free
It’s a USAFA cadet’s life for me

Like a herd of cats we’re running around
Cadre hunting doolies down
Off to class we will go
To pass or fail, I don’t know

Hail Oh Hail Academy!
Aim High doo-oo-lie!
Oh nothing in this world is free
It’s a USAFA cadet’s life for me

Early mornin’ it’s drizzling rain
Time for PT, what’s that pain?
My beatin’ heart’s full of fear
’Cause my cadre’s standin’ here

Hail Oh Hail Academy!
Aim High doo-oo-lie!
Oh nothing in this world is free
It’s a USAFA cadet’s life for me

In Sijan and in Vandy,
Screaming cadre surround me
Un-sat items on the fly
SAMI inspections make me cry

Hail Oh Hail Academy!
Aim High doo-oo-lie!
Oh nothing in this world is free
It’s a USAFA cadet’s life for me

One, Two, Three, Your Left
Hooah!
One, Two, Three, Four
AIR FORCE!

Her dad would shit if he heard how she mangled his beloved ‘Hail Oh Hail Oh Infantry.’ The way the cadre and regular Air Force personnel were laughing, though, she had a hit on her hands.