MY MEMORIES

Charles Glenn Petersen

1956 - Air Force Years

Brookfield Radar Site (continued)

When we had but a week left in our enlistment in the Air Force, we were sent to another base in central Ohio to be processed out. We were set up in a temporary barracks and started what turned out to be a week-long process. The Sergeant in charge of the temporary barracks put us on clean-up duty while we waited for our Class A pass. That evening when we got back to the barracks we got our pass but it was a pass for evenings only. We were expected to be on base every day all day. We were not happy airmen. Although we were stuck on base during the day, we were determined not to be put on any kind of busy work detail again, that sergeant never saw us again. We got up early every morning showered, dressed, neatly made our beds and got out of there as quickly as possible. We basically wandered around the base all day long going from one location to another, staying as long as we thought wise, but always looking like we had something to do and somewhere else to go. We didn’t want to look like we were loafing around on the streets killing time.

We went into the Air Force on June 20, 1956, but there would be no early out for us. We finished our processing out but were told we would not get our final paycheck until 4 o’clock in the afternoon of June 20, 1960. They got their full 4 years out of us.

Interestingly, when Ed finished college, he went back into the Air Force as an officer where he spent 27 more years, rising to the rank of Colonel.