And... Back To The Airport...

...In the wee hours of the morning!

Long before sunrise, we were up and about getting ready to head back to the airport to say goodbye to Adam... once again.

It was a bit dark before 4am... it definitely reminded me
of my own career this morning... I rarely see these hours
of the day!

We had already said goodbye when he left for his basic training... then said goodbye after his graduation and he was headed to his technical training... then he visited us at the lake last year and we said goodbye at the airport when he departed for his first duty assignment which was about as far away from his home as is physically possible on our little planet... and now we said goodbye, again, as he heads to his second duty assignment.

It is funny... it was cool, damp and very dark when we arose this morning and it vividly reminded me of mornings while I, myself, was training at Lackland Air Force Base. This was very appropriate considering why we were up so early. On this day, I was reminded of many times throughout my career. It is hard to believe that decades have passed since I was in Adam's shoes.

Moving luggage to the car...

Sheila, on the other hand, was looking at this from a slightly different perspective. She was seeing this through a parent's eyes.

There is no doubt that she is proud of Adam... she is happy for him... she is even excited for him... actually, I truly believe she may even be a bit envious of his adventures... and she definitely wants him to enjoy his life on his own terms... but, she is still a parent and feeling some conflicting emotions.

I've said a lot of goodbyes throughout my career and throughout my life so I know firsthand that goodbyes can be tough. This goodbye, as were the many previous goodbyes to Adam, were tough on Sheila. Regardless, everything went relatively smoothly this morning as Adam prepared to move on to the next chapter in his life.

It was still dark when we arrived at the airport this morning. Sunrise was just barely illuminating the sky to a deep blue... the air was cool and a bit damp... and it was very quiet. As we arrived at the airport, the tower caught my eye, naturally...

Sheila and I arrived a few minutes before Adam did so we waited at the curb in front of the terminal watching for Adam as he finished parking his rental car. I knew we'd be able to see him approaching the terminal so we kept an eye on the staircase and the walkway...

And, there he is... walking across the overpass from the parking garage to the terminal...

We said our goodbyes at the security checkpoint... As soon as Adam left us, a police officer approached us (probably because of my camera and the photos I snapped... no problem, I expected it) and we talked with him for a bit voluntarily explaining that we were saying goodbye to our son as he headed overseas for his second assignment. We both got the feeling that this officer was either in the Guard or prior service himself. He tried to reassure Sheila as she held back tears and then he went back into the security line and patted Adam on the back...

Some tears continued as we found seats to view the flightline. Sheila even offered tissues to the young girl crying next to her over her own brother departing (which probably did not help Sheila at all)....