Spring 1972
HQ US Air Force Fighter Weapons School
Nellis AFB
Las Vegas NV
Audrey sat in the Commandant's outer office, doing her best not to fidget nervously. She had reported in to base administration, carrying all her records. It took some time, but she got assigned quarters, issued a parking pass, and had her transfer orders acknowledges and filed. Both her medical and pay records were forwarded to their respective departments and receipt had been acknowledged.
Audrey was also given a map of the main base area, pointing out the locations of the BOQ, the O club, the Base Exchange, the Base Commissary, the Rec Centers, the clinics and hospital, Fighter Weapons HQ and the main hangers. By all military standards, she had completed a Permanent Change of Station.
How permanent a change was to be seen. Fighter Weapons' curriculum was extraordinarily rigorous, with an average washout rate of 50% for students. There had been some classes that had completely washed out. The toll on instructors was better, but not by a whole bunch. About 10% of all the instructors left Fighter Weapons annually. There were reports that the instructors were subjected to even more rigorous evaluations than the students, overseen personally by General Jablonski.
So here Audrey was, in the Commandant's outer office, waiting for her initial meeting with the General. She was nervous, because of all the rumors swirling around Fighter Weapons and it was difficult to separate fact from fiction. There were reports that General Jablonski had dismissed prospective instructors during the initial meeting who didn't meet her expectations.
It wasn't easy for Audrey to graduate from the Train-the-Trainer course. Although she was normally outgoing, gregarious and talkative, her first simulated teaching session was a disaster. She found it hard to make the transition from doing to showing and explaining. It didn't help that the trainers were closely observing her. As such, she was nervous, fumbling, and tongue-tied in front of a simulated class. The post class evaluation was brutal, with the trainers openly questioning her ability and dedication to become an instructor.
As humiliating as their comments were, they awoke Audrey's stubborn streak, determination and fighting spirit. She vowed to do better. She spent the next two days off duty, working on her lesson plan and rehearsing her presentation. The next simulated teaching session went much better, as Audrey regained her poise and confidence. The trainers noted her improvement, and commented that such preparation would be mandatory, if she wanted to be successful as an instructor..
In many ways, the mental and emotional work learning to teach was more challenging than her engineering courses. While engineering required a lot of calculation and thought, being an instructor seemed to call for more comprehensive skills and experience. The solid certainty and predictability of math and physics was replaced by seemingly vague suggestions, guidelines, tips, and hints..
It took her some time to sharpen her perceptions and rely more on her intuition concerning her students and class. With her stubbornness and determination driving her, she kept at it. As the course went on, she became more confident and assured in what she saw and felt. At the end of the course, Audrey managed to graduate in the top quarter of her class. Both General Cassidy and Colonel Donovan were there for her graduation ceremony.
The captain serving as the General's secretary looked up at a beep from the speaker on her desk. She turned to Audrey and said, "General Jablonski is ready to see you now."
Audrey stood and strode to the inner office door. She knocked twice, and a soprano voice answered, "Come in." Audrey opened the door, strode in and came to attention before the desk and its occupant. She saluted, and said, "Captain Audrey Gains reports, ma'am." doing her best to keep her voice steady.
The woman behind the desk pushed herself up out of her chair, balancing herself carefully on her solitary leg, She straightened up, and returned Audrey's salute."At ease, Captain Gains" she said, easing herself back into her chair.
Audrey relaxed her stance slightly, taking the opportunity to get a look at the General. In a way, she felt vaguely disappointed. General Jablonski looked ordinary, like any other woman in her early 40s. She was shorter than Audrey, with a slim build. Her gray-streaked dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun on the back of her head. Her complexion was ruddy and weathered, with lines at the corners of her eyes. Her eyes were a cool gray, behind a pair of square wire rimmed glasses perched on her small nose. All in all, she looked commonplace, except for the missing leg and the ease with which she wore general's stars and seven rows of award and campaign ribbons.
General Jablonski looked down at the opened folder on her desk. She flipped through a few pages before looking up at Audrey. The general's expression was neutral, but her eyes held a mixture of curiosity, skepticism, and interest. "Tell me, Captain Gains, as an instructor, what would be the overall lesson you would want your students to learn and understand?" she asked quietly.
Audrey paused to collect her thoughts. She straightened up, and declared, "Conserve your magic. Flying takes an enormous amount of magic. The less magic you use on things you can do without magic, the more that is available when you need it. You can do a number of things to help accomplish your mission without magic. All it takes is knowing what you need to do, how to do it, and the discipline to make it a part of daily practice, ma'am"
General Jablonski leaned forward, interest plainly written on her face. "An interesting idea, Captain. Where did this come from?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
Audrey blushed. "Ma'am, it all comes from an Old Witches proverb my mother always told me. 'It's better to have magic and not need it than to need magic and not have it.'" she said, sheepishly.
The look of interest on the General's face instantly changed, as she lost her stern demeanor and threw her head back, laughing heartily. "Oh my gosh, my mother used to say the same thing to me many times, too!" she said, chuckling. She stopped laughing and gave Audrey a stern look. "Captain, can you give an example of something that can be done without magic, that most Witches use magic for?" she asked.
Audrey paused to gather her words. "Ma'am, during missions, most of Witches I know, use their magic to sense the approach of any Neuroi, especially during their final attack approaches on a target. Most non-magical pilots have developed something called, SA or situational awareness to do the same thing. I've heard of it as being the ability to concentrate on a task at hand, while being aware of everything going on around you. I've talked with some non-magic fighter pilots about it, and they said that it's actually a skill that can be learned. I just figured that it could be learned by Witches and be just as valuable to them, especially since it doesn't use any magic."
General Jablonski sat back in her chair with a smile "I like your thought processes, Captain" She gestured to the opened folder on her desk. "Apparently, Ben Cassidy and Rick Donovan are fans of yours, as well. In all the time I've known them, these are the first letters from either of them with such glowing recommendations!"
General Jablonski continued. "Let me give you an overview of the School and some things you'll need to know. We run parallel programs for Witches and non-magic pilots. My non-Magic counterpart is General Selfridge. We've have been running Fighter Weapons in this manner for over a decade, and we are pleased that our approach seems to be working."
"We've formed squadrons, based on mission. We have them for missions like air-to-air, CAS, deep strike interdiction, SEAD and soon. There are two squadrons per specialty. One is for Witches flying Strikers. The other one is for non magic pilots flying conventional aircraft. The two sibling squadrons freely share resources, so anything available to one is available to the other. Often, instructors from one squadron teach classes in their specialty for the other. So freely make use of any resource you can, just clear it beforehand with the sibling squadron command." the General stated.
General Jablonski said, "You'll report to the 67th Fighter Weapons Squadron and to Colonel Washington. She'll handle the curriculum, the lesson planning, class and flight time schedule, and anything else pertaining to your work here."
The General leaned forward and gave Audrey a stern look. Her voice shifted to an equally stern and uncompromising tone. "General Selfridge and I are aware of the consequences of having young men and women working and training together. Our official fraternization policy is this: We don't care what you do off-duty, so long as it doesn't impact job performance, or unit morale and readiness. On duty, contact with the opposite sex is to be kept at a minimum, except in the course of official duties. If on-duty behavior is inappropriate, or if off duty behavior impacts job performance, unit morale or readiness, we will swiftly take steps to deal with the situation, to include summary courts-martial. Do I make myself clear, Captain?"
Audrey gulped. "Perfectly clear, ma'am" she replied, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.
General Jablonski leaned back again, a smile spreading over her face. "Now that I put the fear of God in you, just let me say this: Use your common sense. On duty, stick to business, but there's no reason you can't be friendly. If there's something more between you, keep it for after duty, or at least be discreet. Off duty, don't make me call the JAG to bail you out of the Clark County jail. No dramatic love triangle confrontations. Be cautious when indulging in gambling and alcohol. Protect yourself at all times and stay safe. The less Command is involved in your personal activities, the better. But if you run into any problems, don't hesitate to call your squadron CO and me. Again, just exercise common sense."
"However" as the General continued in a sterner tone of voice. "I expect excellence from you as an officer and as an instructor. What you are teaching is what will save student lives in the course of their missions. That makes it vital you give your best in teaching the lessons learned from all of our accumulated knowledge and experience. Teach your students, so that not only will they understand, but that they make it a part of themselves. I will hold you accountable for your students' performance, not only on the final exams, but their performance in the practicum. Do I make myself clear?"
Audrey straightened up. This was the "Jabby" Jablonski that she had heard so much about; tough, driven, uncompromising and demanding of excellence from both instructors and students. There was an unspoken challenge in the General's words and tone that awoke Audrey's stubborn streak and determination. She looked the General steadily in the eye and declared, "Yes, ma'am, I understand. I won't let you down."
General Jablonski smiled. She pushed herself up from her desk and Audrey stood as well.. The General extended her hand to her. Audrey took it and shook it firmly "Congratulations, Captain. Welcome to Fighter Weapons! I look forward to your first quarterly evaluation." she declared. "I'll have Captain Morris give you directions to the 67th and notify Colonel Washington that you're coming.. Dismissed, Captain." she said. Audrey snapped to attention and saluted sharply. The General did the same. Audrey turned and left the office, closing the door behind her.
Coming to the secretary's desk, Captain Morris smiled warmly at Audrey. "Welcome to Fighter Weapons, Captain Gains. Here's directions to the 67th's admin building and a map of the school's area of operations, including the hangers. Colonel Washington's office is on the main floor. You can't miss it. Good luck and hope you do well!"
Driving down to the 67th Squadron Admin building, it was hard to miss. One building had a banner across the front that said, "Liberion CAS: When it positively has to be destroyed overnight! 66th Fighter Weapons Squadron." Another banner on the building next to it proclaimed, "67th Fighter Weapons Squadron Delivering only the finest Snakes, Nape and Willy Pete." The latter drew a giggle from Audrey. During her Nam tours, the Witches often described their load out as "Snakes" (Mk 81 high drag bombs), "Nape" (Mk47 napalm canisters) and "Willy Pete" (M156 White Phosphorous 2.75 inch rockets). Going into the building, it was easy finding Colonel Washington's office, and she was quickly whisked inside to meet the Colonel.
Colonel "First Lady" Martha Washington turned out to be a tall, slim Black woman in her late 40s.. Endlessly energetic and dynamic, she paced behind her desk, as Audrey took a seat. "Welcome to the 67th!" she exclaimed with a slight New York accent. "You must be that hot Witch Ben Cassidy's been raving about! Don't worry, we'll be gentle and ease you into the routine. Figured we'd have you observe a few classes before we toss you to the wolves." Colonel Washington leaned over her desk and touched a button on the speaker, "Yo, Ghia! Can you find Gunner and Squeaky and send in? Our fresh meat has arrived!" she practically yelled.
After a couple of minutes, there was a quiet knock at the office door. Colonel Washington yelled, "Git yo asses in here now!" The door opened and two Witches strode in. The contrast between then could not be greater. One was even taller and heftier than Audrey. She gazed at Audrey with steady blue eyes. Her blonde hair was braided and coiled into a tight bun. The other was petite and slender, with dark brown hair tied into an elaborate bun composed of many small braids. Her eyes were a lively brown, holding humor and intelligence. Both were wearing their OD green flight shirts with matching bikini shorts. The tall blonde wore captain's bars and the name "Ratzinger" on her name tag. The other one wore a major's gold oak leaves, and her name tag proclaimed hers as "Gunderson."
Colonel Washington spoke. "I'd like to introduce you to your new guides." Gesturing to Ratzinger, Colonel Washington said, "This is Captain Sheila "Squeaky" Ratzinger." Squeaky raised her hand and spoke in a surprisingly high-pitched voice. "Hello".
Gesturing to Gunderson, Colonel Washington said, "And this is our senior instructor, Major Maureen "Gunner" Gunderson." Gunner waved and said, "Yo!"
The Colonel turned to Audrey and said, "Gunner and Squeaky, this is Captain Audrey Gains. She graduated from the 355th Train the trainer course, and survived her initial meeting with Jabby., She goes by…..?" and she left the sentence hanging as she turned to Audrey.
Audrey blushed bright red, silently cursing her nickname again. She sighed. Too late to change it now. She took a deep breath and said, "They call me 'Boing Boing' or 'Boings', for short." Seeing their quizzical expressions, she jumped up and down, letting her breasts bounce under her dress blue uniform jacket. Their expressions changed to dawning understanding and sympathy.
Colonel Washington briskly moved on, as if the past 30 seconds never happened. She declared, "Anyway, she's going to sit in on your current classes, to get a feel for how things work here. I want you to to help her with lesson planning, finding resources and the general flow on everything. Give her the scoop on everything happening here and help her as much as she needs. Got that?" Both Gunner and Squeaky nodded. "Good! You're all dismissed" she said, as she returned to her desk. All three of them came to attention, saluted, turned and left the office.
Gunner turned to Audrey and said, "Not much else to say, except this, and it's important." and all humor left her voice and manner. She pointed to a map on the wall and an area between the northern and southern range areas. "This here is Area 51. It and all airspace around Groom Lake are off limits to all non-vetted personnel. That includes all of us. If you violate airspace over Area 51 and Groom Lake, you will be forced down, arrested and imprisoned for no less than 35 years, under the US Espionage Act of 1949. There will be no clemency, no leniency, and no exceptions." At Audrey's questioning look, Gunner responded grimly, "It's all top top secret, and needs a clearance equivalent to Sec Def, from what I gather, to get in there. As to what they're doing there, I don't have the clearance, and I'm sure I'd rather not know. All you need to know is to stay away from it at any cost. Got it?" Audrey nodded. Gunner smiled, returning to her previous breezy manner. "Good. Now let's introduce you to everyone else here."
After a whirlwind tour and meeting more people than she could remember, Audrey found herself by her car. Both Gunner and Squeaky were still talking, trying to pour more information into her as she got ready to leave. Finally, Gunner said, "That's the short version. Meet me in Classroom 2 tomorrow morning, and we'll get you started with the lesson plan and then let you see a class in action. Day after tomorrow, we'll have up in the sky to observe the practical portion. See you after reveille!" Gunner and Squeaky turned and went into the building.
Audrey got into her car and drove off to the BOQ. Finding her room, she began unpacking and finished long after dinner. She went to the O club and had a burger and beer in the bar to satisfy her hunger. She took a shower, washing and drying her hair. She set her alarm for two hours before reveille, to give herself enough time to run 5 miles and shower before reporting for class. She was here at Fighter Weapons, a dream she didn't have even 6 months ago. It looked challenging, but she felt up to it. As she fell asleep, she was hopeful and was looking forward to whatever comes.