Adam's Graduation Ceremony Video

O dark thirty... in the Family Reception Center.

I finally managed to sort through the video clips from our trip to San Antonio and put together a bunch of video clips of Adam's graduation ceremony from Air Force Basic Training (a big sigh of relief from me). The video can be found at the bottom of this blog post.

Admittedly, this video can be a bit boring so I don't blame people for losing interest quickly or wanting to hit that fast forward button but there are points of interest in the video which I feel I should mention here.

If you find yourself getting bored, before you close the page, please fast forward to the end credits. These end credits are worth seeing.

The main speaker at this graduation ceremony is the commander of this huge training facility. Please find the time to listen to what he has to say. He is a vibrant speaker and listening to him is very easy. 

At lunch in a Mexican restaurant in Market Square after the graduation.

I had asked Sheila if this commander sounded familiar and she said, "What do you mean? That he sounds just like you?" We don't mean his voice literally sounds like my voice. What we mean is he speaks of many things I write about here in my blog... time after time after time. This reminded me that I still hold these same values near and dear to my heart.

Adam and Sheila now know where I get it from... all this talk of dignity... integrity... understanding... excellence... commitment... honor... doing everything you do with determination... Although these are values we all should live by in our lives, this is the mantra within the Air Force. Everyone, however, should live their lives with these values as the priority.

Also noteworthy here is that this speaker is an outstanding speaker... he is interesting... he is full of energy... he is exuberant... he has a command of language... he commands attention... and, believe it or not, he is a fairly typical representation of the teachers and leaders in the Air Force. 

I, myself, had instructor after instructor throughout my entire Air Force career who were just like this commander... so full of life... commanding a room the moment they entered. Every one of them was lively and animated while in front of our classrooms. This commander is no different and I highly recommend watching at least the clips which show him speaking. This is the way ALL teachers should be... in the military world as well as the civilian world. 

This video is a nice reminder of this day in our history... in Adam's history... in our family's history. It is a vivid reminder of my own history at this air base and many other air bases and assignments to follow. It is a reminder of the very morals and values which I continue to hold near and dear to my heart. 

This video also reminds me of all the beautiful culture we were able to see, experience and share during our trip...

...and, as you know, a little culture never hurt anyone... 


Post Edit:  One last thing... these new airmen are heard reciting a creed but it is difficult to understand what they are saying so I want to include this creed here:

The Airman's Creed

I am an American Airman. 
I am a Warrior. 
I have answered my Nation’s call. 

I am an American Airman. 
My mission is to Fly, Fight, and Win. 
I am faithful to a proud heritage, 
A tradition of honor, 
And a legacy of valor. 

I am an American Airman, 
Guardian of freedom and justice, 
My Nation’s sword and shield, 
It’s Sentry and avenger. 
I defend my Country with my life. 

I am an American Airman, 
Wingman, Leader, Warrior. 
I will never leave an Airman behind, 
I will never faulter, 
AND, I WILL NOT FAIL.