My friends, it is amazing how food, when prepared in just the right method, can be so succulent and delicious. As if the food by itself was not heavenly enough, I was seated across from one of my best friends, home on leave for the holidays.
She took a break from her schnitzel to pass me a photo, "This is me doing maneuvers in the field. We were securing our base camp."
The last time I had talked to Kelsey, it was hot out and she was showing me some interior decorating plans she had designed. Now here she was, seated opposite me in a clean, crisp uniform with a lieutenant bar pinned to each shoulder. The figure in the photo was unmistakably her, smiling up with those big blue affectionate eyes, almost out of place with the Kevlar helmet, camouflaged fatigues, and M-16 rifle. Almost.
If there is one thing about Kelsey Miller, she is infallible. She is certain not to fail, regardless of opposing odds or opinion. This is why I love her story so much.
Kelsey had long dreamed of serving the country in the Air Force's ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program. Kelsey had good reasons to look toward ROTC: she was enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was engaged to be married. ROTC would allow her to comfortably pursue schooling, as well as a serious relationship. However, during her junior year at UW-Madison, the engagement fell through, her relationship dissolved. With graduation a year away, she decided to just "go for it."
I set down my pork tenderloin, and asked how she did it. How could she pick up her life and move forward with such resolution? Kelsey replied, "Well, ROTC had always been my second choice to OTS (Officer Training School)." She sat up straight and smiled, her blue eyes shining, "Besides, I'm not going to make any life choices around some guy!"
The thing that must be stressed about OTS is that as a civilian, it is extremely difficult to get accepted. Taking a break from our food, Kelsey sat back, explaining the process.
First, Kelsey had to find and track an Air Force recruiter, which is more difficult than it seems. She had to be extremely persistent -- an OTS recruiter will not make an effort to initiate the process. They want to know that an applicant is dead serious about joining OTS.
Second, Kelsey had to take the Air Force Officer Qualification Test, essentially the ACT on steroids. Along with typical academia knowledge, the test includes pilot and navigator sections, which include instrument readings and airplane attitude schematics. Kelsey did well, scoring over 90 percent on each of the four sections. I joked; it had to be her practical experience as co-pilot in my Cessna 152.
Third, Kelsey and her recruiter put together a package, which included "tons of letters and forms", as well as a list of recommendations. This package was sent for evaluation to a board of six colonels, who typically deliver a 45 percent acceptance rate. Here, civilians like Kelsey are competing against enlisted personnel, who are accepted first. Kelsey's class was comprised of 80 percent enlisted, and 20 percent civilian.
Next, an investigator interviewed Kelsey's references. Because her position requires top-secret clearance, Kelsey's references were interviewed more vigorously than the typical applicant.
Having passed all steps, Kelsey sat and waited for an acceptance notification, which typically takes about six months, the final step in the process. From beginning to end, the process took Kelsey one year, her entire senior year at UW-Madison. She was given formal orders to show up at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., in August 2007.
"This is me, on my first day of OTS." Kelsey slid a photo across the table, taking a break from cheesecake. The photo was of her, but in an enormously opposite scenario than the M-16 shot. In this picture she stood stiffly erect, hands clasped behind her back. She was looking up, but squinting from the sun. Or, was it something else? The look on her face was plain, "What the hell am I doing here?"
OTS is a three-month process. More than a test of physical stamina, it is a trial of mental endurance. During the first month, recruits were yelled at for everything and anything. They were issued random orders: "Move all of your belongings to a new room with a new roommate in five minutes!" Kelsey's class of 85 lost five recruits in the first week.
Leadership and teamwork challenges were issued. In one exercise, a brick wall stood behind a pond. A small group was issued four ammo cans, some rope, a board and simple orders: "Get your team across the pond and over the wall without anyone getting wet." People continued to wash out.
By the third month of OTS, newbies like Kelsey had 'graduated' to upperclassmen. The roles had changed; they now yelled and screamed orders at a fresh class of recruits. Still, people washed out.
Finally, graduation came in November. Kelsey took her oath to, "Swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" She had earned her gold bars of lieutenant, pinned proudly to each shoulder. She also received orders to report to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City Beach, Fla., to begin training for Air Battle Manager (ABM). In this position, 2nd Lt. Miller will be directing air strikes to back up ground forces. In a combat scenario, Kelsey will receive the call, and will in turn tell a pilot what to blow up, in aid of our soldiers on the ground.
George Orwell once eloquently wrote, "People sleep comfortably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
Kelsey, with her affectionate blue eyes, may not initially fit the description of a "Rough Man." But, by God, you ought to see 2nd Lt. Miller with an M-16.
-- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a weekly column for Friday editions of the Times. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
She took a break from her schnitzel to pass me a photo, "This is me doing maneuvers in the field. We were securing our base camp."
The last time I had talked to Kelsey, it was hot out and she was showing me some interior decorating plans she had designed. Now here she was, seated opposite me in a clean, crisp uniform with a lieutenant bar pinned to each shoulder. The figure in the photo was unmistakably her, smiling up with those big blue affectionate eyes, almost out of place with the Kevlar helmet, camouflaged fatigues, and M-16 rifle. Almost.
If there is one thing about Kelsey Miller, she is infallible. She is certain not to fail, regardless of opposing odds or opinion. This is why I love her story so much.
Kelsey had long dreamed of serving the country in the Air Force's ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program. Kelsey had good reasons to look toward ROTC: she was enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was engaged to be married. ROTC would allow her to comfortably pursue schooling, as well as a serious relationship. However, during her junior year at UW-Madison, the engagement fell through, her relationship dissolved. With graduation a year away, she decided to just "go for it."
I set down my pork tenderloin, and asked how she did it. How could she pick up her life and move forward with such resolution? Kelsey replied, "Well, ROTC had always been my second choice to OTS (Officer Training School)." She sat up straight and smiled, her blue eyes shining, "Besides, I'm not going to make any life choices around some guy!"
The thing that must be stressed about OTS is that as a civilian, it is extremely difficult to get accepted. Taking a break from our food, Kelsey sat back, explaining the process.
First, Kelsey had to find and track an Air Force recruiter, which is more difficult than it seems. She had to be extremely persistent -- an OTS recruiter will not make an effort to initiate the process. They want to know that an applicant is dead serious about joining OTS.
Second, Kelsey had to take the Air Force Officer Qualification Test, essentially the ACT on steroids. Along with typical academia knowledge, the test includes pilot and navigator sections, which include instrument readings and airplane attitude schematics. Kelsey did well, scoring over 90 percent on each of the four sections. I joked; it had to be her practical experience as co-pilot in my Cessna 152.
Third, Kelsey and her recruiter put together a package, which included "tons of letters and forms", as well as a list of recommendations. This package was sent for evaluation to a board of six colonels, who typically deliver a 45 percent acceptance rate. Here, civilians like Kelsey are competing against enlisted personnel, who are accepted first. Kelsey's class was comprised of 80 percent enlisted, and 20 percent civilian.
Next, an investigator interviewed Kelsey's references. Because her position requires top-secret clearance, Kelsey's references were interviewed more vigorously than the typical applicant.
Having passed all steps, Kelsey sat and waited for an acceptance notification, which typically takes about six months, the final step in the process. From beginning to end, the process took Kelsey one year, her entire senior year at UW-Madison. She was given formal orders to show up at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., in August 2007.
"This is me, on my first day of OTS." Kelsey slid a photo across the table, taking a break from cheesecake. The photo was of her, but in an enormously opposite scenario than the M-16 shot. In this picture she stood stiffly erect, hands clasped behind her back. She was looking up, but squinting from the sun. Or, was it something else? The look on her face was plain, "What the hell am I doing here?"
OTS is a three-month process. More than a test of physical stamina, it is a trial of mental endurance. During the first month, recruits were yelled at for everything and anything. They were issued random orders: "Move all of your belongings to a new room with a new roommate in five minutes!" Kelsey's class of 85 lost five recruits in the first week.
Leadership and teamwork challenges were issued. In one exercise, a brick wall stood behind a pond. A small group was issued four ammo cans, some rope, a board and simple orders: "Get your team across the pond and over the wall without anyone getting wet." People continued to wash out.
By the third month of OTS, newbies like Kelsey had 'graduated' to upperclassmen. The roles had changed; they now yelled and screamed orders at a fresh class of recruits. Still, people washed out.
Finally, graduation came in November. Kelsey took her oath to, "Swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" She had earned her gold bars of lieutenant, pinned proudly to each shoulder. She also received orders to report to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City Beach, Fla., to begin training for Air Battle Manager (ABM). In this position, 2nd Lt. Miller will be directing air strikes to back up ground forces. In a combat scenario, Kelsey will receive the call, and will in turn tell a pilot what to blow up, in aid of our soldiers on the ground.
George Orwell once eloquently wrote, "People sleep comfortably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
Kelsey, with her affectionate blue eyes, may not initially fit the description of a "Rough Man." But, by God, you ought to see 2nd Lt. Miller with an M-16.
-- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a weekly column for Friday editions of the Times. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
