Thursday morning was dark and cold but that was to be expected at five-ten am at the end of January when airmen started trickling from their warm dorm rooms to the parking lot for formation. Most of them were those who would be starting class that day both imagery guys and what those who are in the intel field like to call 'power point warriors' their real job description, briefers. The rest of the 'students' who were there were 'ropes', student leaders and their OJT pronounced Oh-jit, they were sort of in charge. Everyone who would be starting class that day, at least the imagery guys met by the smaller building next to the dorms for 'roll call'. "Here" was said over and over as each name was called.
A girl named Smith, well her last name was Smith and for the last two months that's all anyone had called her, other than trainee, she was listening for her name and her name only. That is until after her name was called another caught her attention and pulled her from her thoughts. "Johnson," the 'class leader' called. 'Johnson,' Smith thought, 'Like Hannah. I know it's not anyone related to her, it's a really common name, but still, my other half.' Smith, sorry Sam had a best friend back home named Hannah Johnson, they had met the summer before and were best friends, or as they called each other, other halves.
Johnson wasn't so worried about other halves, he had been re-classed, meaning that he had failed another tech school and been given another AFSC (Air For Specialty Code), or job. His former job had been EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, something he was proud of, but he was definitely not happy that he had failed and would now be spending time at Goodfellow.
"Squadron fall in." Everyone scrambled to their flight and immediately when to dress right dress, bringing back memories of basic training. Something no one wanted. "Class leaders fall out." After the leader from each class fell out, made their report, fell back in and the flights were sized the mile march to the school house began. The 'newbie flight' was behind everyone else and had to wait outside in the cold while everyone else went inside once they arrived at the large windowless building.
After a few minutes everyone was allowed to stand under the overhang outside the building and some right inside the sliding glass doors. Each airman turned in their forms, received a visitor's badge, and waited for the okay to enter the secure part of the building. Everyone was broken into two classes before entering the secure section and moving to two second floor class rooms.
Smith sat in the back of the room with two airman she had met during the previous week while on casuals, basically cleaning up around the dorms and doing little jobs around base. Airmen Dmytro, Smith and Johnson started talking before their instructor made his way to the classroom. The conversation was mostly of music, all three were instrumentalists of some sort, some a lot more talented than others. Three clicks came from the door and in walked their instructor, SSgt Bradley. "Move up," he said gesturing to the three airman sitting in the back row before doing the same to the empty seats towards the front or the room.
Smith sat down next to airman Albert and Johnson had an empty seat next to him. By this point Smith had a strong dislike for airman Johnson, mostly because he seemed to think that he was somehow better than everyone else. Michael really didn't think that he was better than anyone, truthfully he was actually afraid that because he had failed that he wouldn't be accepted, and with Smith that seemed to be the case. That he wasn't accepted, not because he failed though. Johnson thought that Smith was a major tomboy, which was the case, she loved sports and mostly hung out with guys, but how he could tell while she was in uniform, looking like everyone else, was unknown.
After filling out more paperwork and a trip to the security managers office to get their pictures taken for their real badges it was time for introductions. "Airman Sam Smith, I'm from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, I love hockey--" Johnson didn't need to listen to the rest of what Smith said, his suspicions were confirmed, she was in fact a tomboy.
***
Over the weekend Smith added some of her classmates as friends on Facebook, this included Johnson, although she didn't plan on talking to him much on the internet social network, or in real life. Back at the school house on Monday they received their real badges with their pictures on it, which meant that they didn't need an escort, they couldn't no roam the windowless building freely.
All week in class they began to learn about all of intel, 1N core was a brief overview all of the intelligence career fields. Finally getting to put their security clearances to work was exciting, although most of the classified information was not. All week Johnson and Smith avoided talking to each other in class as much as possible, it wasn't that hard, they were on separate sides of the classroom after all. Smith did talk to Johnson outside of class once, they sat together at lunch, just the two of them. Smith had been sitting alone and Johnson who was a sweet guy sat down across from her. Neither Smith nor Johnson wanting to be rude they struck up a conversation, starting to get to know each other, but only scratching the surface.
Saturday was February sixth, Johnson's birthday. That morning while checking her Facebook Smith saw that she had a message from Johnson that read, 'Hey text me and lets go do something tonight I'm bored and I want to do anything except sit inside my room by myself on my bday.' Smith replied saying that she didn't have his number and gave him hers. A minute later Smith's phone vibrated on the floor next to her, a text from Johnson.
A few hours later they met up in the courtyard just outside the dorms and started off for a destination unknown after deciding to walk around base. It was a small base so it didn't take long for them to get around it but they talked the entire time, bout about life back home, getting to know each other little by little. As they approached a bench on the side of the troop walk Smith pulled Johnson aside, there was a little was selling Girl Scout cookies and Smith couldn't resist. After buying a box Samoa's Johnson and Smith headed back to the chow hall that was by their dorms to have dinner together and continue talking. "So about those cookies, are they made with real Girl Scouts?" Johnson asked with a smile.
"Funny, very funny."
They continued to talk through dinner but as soon as they left the chow hall they started to go their separate ways. "Well, happy birthday Johnson." Smith said before turning towards her room. "See you at formation.
