I was working and going to school, she was working and we had a new baby girl, money was somewhere between tight and non-existent. Her Mom was watching the baby and we were doing good just trying to help her parents put food on the table. I decided that his wasn't going to get it so I went down to the recruiter and re-enlisted in US Air Force.
It didn't take long and I was back in Air Force Blue and on my way to Japan, leaving my wife, baby daughter behind until I could get acceptable housing. The first thing I did was buy a car, secondly I signed up for housing. Now here is how housing works in the military. You have on-base and off-base housing (in the Army is called a post, not a base) and the housing office maintains a list, the number of bedrooms you get depends on the number of dependents and there sex, remember this it will come into play in about 6 years.....more or less. We qualified for a two bedroom house off-base and the same for on-base housing. Your placement on the list is based on years of service, rank, date of rank and I can't remember if there was another qualifier.
I process in and start doing work stuff (it's boring so I won't go into it) and I meet some people and start going to the NCO Club....where I meet a school teacher. She was very nice, funny and fun to be with, but it went nowhere as the chemistry just wasn't there. 6 months passed, at least I think it was six months and lo and behold I got the word...I had a house off base. You've seen the old Japanese movies, old wooden houses, sliding doors, hardwood floors with tatami mats.....yep, that was what I got for a mere $50.00/month including electricity and water. I called home said get your shit together, we have a place too live, she was in my arms in about a month and pregnant the day after...I swear she was.
Remember the movie MASH, how about Woodstock? We were in Japan when this all happened. Remember the Pueblo or the Navy EC-121 that was shot down by North Korea? No, then you really too young to be reading this...just kidding. When the aforementioned happened I and my crew found our asses in South Korea..AGAIN!! You see I went to Korea every 8 weeks and I was there for 4 weeks...kinda sucked and Korea is COLD in the winter and HOT in the summer, I don't think they have Spring and Fall. Do you remember Vietnam, a little police action going on? I was in Japan and Korea, beat the hell out of the alternative.
A couple that we were friends with and that we used to hang out with moved to another house, still off-base. He had to go to Korea and asked if I would help his wife do some moving, I did, and we didn't. I think she really wanted to and I wanted to as well...but as the saying goes, “don't shit in your own mess kit.” We didn't and the friendship tapered off, she went back to the US and he finished his tour in Japan. For four years I was a straight arrow, curved in places but overall I was straight.
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