June News Part 1

Brandon comes to Guam, Deb goes to St. Louis

There is only one thing better than a call from home and that's a call that says I'm coming to Guam! And that was the call we got early in June. 

Brandon called with the best surprise ever to say he would be in Guam for a day to drop off some cargo because his wing was deploying here. He also knew that a few weeks later another group would be coming to Guam to swap out the first group that was here. While he wasn't scheduled to make that run it did mean there was going to be a few flights to and from St. Louis. Phil was going to be in Hawaii for a week so I decided to get myself signed up for a Military Hop (older days speaking here) or now a days called Space A (Space Available) and hope I could catch his return flight home to spend some time with him.

For anyone not familiar with Space A it is a means by which members of Uniformed Service, Reservists, Dependents and Retirees  are permitted to travel on Military Air Craft when space is available. This is extremely helpful to members of the service and their families who are stationed overseas and want to get home to see family!

It was so nice to see Brandon when he finally arrived. We had dinner out in town, did some shopping and just relaxed and enjoyed our time together. He actually ended up staying an extra day (they actually put him to work!!) but we didn't mind at all as it gave us more time with him. Phil took off for Hawaii and the following day it was time for Brandon to leave. The two of us headed to Andersen and while he was doing what he does with his crew to prepare to fly I was in the terminal anxiously awaiting my name to be called for an open seat. Lets just say it was more than a few nail biting minutes but alas I heard my name and breathed a sigh of relief. I checked my bags, got my boarding pass  and relaxed until it was time to go through security and board the bus for a short trip to the plane.

Note the cost of my flight.
A good "Box Lunch" for a long trip is so worth the 4.55!

When the bus arrived on the tarmac there was Brandon standing at the top of the stairs of the plane looking for me. (Yeah, we both had huge smiles when we saw each other because I was on and that was one less thing to worry about!) I was on my way home to spend a week with my son and he was going to fly me there! I have to say that I have done my share of Military Hops over the years but never has one been as special as this. I was on a KC 135 for the first time and this my son's! :-)

All Passengers buckled in and ready for take off!

It was going to be a long 16 hour flight to St. Louis with a layover in Hawaii for the night. Perfect because Phil was already there and we planned to meet for the night and do dinner! The seats on Space A are not the most comfortable and it can get quite cold because there is no heat but the beauty of taking a Hop is the space and availability to get up and move around. And I can't fail to mention that you really can not complain about the price! Once we were at flying altitude we were able to unbuckle and move about.

Sleeping on a long flight

The floor filled up fast!

It was the most amazing flight I've ever taken. Brandon saved the jump seat for me and I got to watch the take off and landing! Seeing St. Louis as we got close and decended was amazing and I don't have the words to tell you how it was to watch Brandon work and do his thing. Proud.. just Proud!

Coming in for our landing

Amazing!! Not to many moms get to go to work with their kids.

We had a fun and fast nine days together. I can't believe we crammed in as much as we did. Dinner in St. Louis two nights and once for lunch. Gardening, we shopped for bushes, plants, trees and raspberries and got them all planted. Lots of mother son time. He had to go TDY for 2 days so I borrowed his truck and drove to Paducah to spend a few days with my folks. It was so nice to see them. Sadly it was time for me go because the flight Guam was leaving. I was so fortunate to catch the flight back with only 3 open seats!  I got so lucky. The crew treated me like a Queen. All in all it was a wonderful visit and I will cherish the time we had together.


A few more pictures from my visit.

Plants around the deck

The Arch!

Family

Canadian Goose

Thank you Brandon for spending time with your mom. I had a blast!! The Museum will be a must for the next trip. :-)

A HUGE THANK YOU to the 126 ARW for taking on passengers and taking such good care of us. We really appreciate the ride home, more than you know!