The start of a new adventure

We are still home bound for another couple of months or so. I've decided I need to do something besides sit at the computer all day so I've volunteered to help at the Military Welcome Center at Will Rogers World Airport here in Oklahoma City. I started my first shift tonight in a "training" capacity. Next Friday morning will be my first shift of actually working at the Center.

Will Rogers World Airport is the major airport for the Oklahoma City area and is serviced by many of the major airlines. The other airport in the OKC area, which is a general aviation airport, is named after Wiley Post. Both Will Rogers and Wiley Post were world famous Oklahomans but I've always wondered about naming airports after people who died in a plane crash.

The Military Welcome Center is operated by the YMCA and is a great service to our nations heroes. Most of the people coming through are new Army recruits on their way to basic training at Ft Sill, a little over 80 miles southwest of OKC. The Center also caters to service members who are coming through the airport between flights or awaiting transportation to one of the many military bases located in Oklahoma after returning from leave or arriving on new orders. The new Army recruits come from all over the United States and arrive with a single backpack, a set of orders and a very scared look on their face. They are hosted in the Center until the chartered bus takes them to Ft Sill. We have buses leaving at 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30 each evening but only the new recruits are allowed on the buses since they are funded by the Military Entranced Processing Stations (MEPS). Last night we only had nine people come through, three on each bus. Today they expect about 135 to be coming through.

The Center has several large sofa's, a wide screen TV with DirectTV, computer terminals, games and books available to the service members. Additionally, they have cell phones available if the guys want to make a quick call home to let the folks know they arrived safely. The local Pepsi distributor has put in a large cooler and keeps it stocked with soft drinks. The YMCA provides other drinks, such as juice, Gatorade and teas, available in the cooler. They also purchase snack items and each evening they have Domino's deliver pizza to feed the service members and volunteers.

This welcome center is a pleasant place for our warriors to stop and relax before continuing their journey in the defense of our country. It is an honor to serve these young people and, in our own little way, let them know we appreciate what they are doing. Remember, freedom is not free. If you are able to read this blog entry then you should thank a teacher. If you can read it in English, thank a military service member.