Photo By Chief Petty Officer Jose Hernandez | Airman Thomas Sjoberg, 45th Space Wing Public Affairs photojournalist, holds his...... read more read more
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We live in uncertain times.
Three months ago, COVID-19 was not a thing yet. I had never heard of it and no one at my tech school, Defense Information School, was talking about it.
My time at DINFOS in Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, was a stressful time for me. I could not wait to finally get to my first duty station. However, I was also excited because I was told that I would get my orders soon.
On January 14, 2020, I was in class when one of my friends told me that our orders had arrived. I logged onto my computer and saw that I had an assignment to go to Patrick Air Force Base, one of my dream bases. I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to finish tech school.
In late February, I had official orders to go to Patrick AFB and I was on track to graduate in a month. The commander support staff at my detachment told me to reach out to my base and get a sponsor. They explained that a sponsor is like a high school senior at who helps freshman get situated. They show you around, help you with anything you need, and answer any questions you have.
One of the first questions I asked my sponsor was about the Recruiters Assistance Program. I remember my military training instructors during basic military training telling us about it.
RAP is a program that allows Airmen, after they finish tech school, to work in a recruiter’s office anywhere in the country supporting the recruiter’s everyday mission.
After I put in an application for RAP and it was approved, my plan was to go back home to Boston. From there, I would go to my first duty station at Patrick AFB. Everything was perfect, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
By now COVID-19 was all over the news, but no one around me seemed to be too worried about it. No one knew what was about to happen across the Department of Defense, and how it was going to affect people just like me.
The information we heard said it was only affecting older people and people with underlying medical conditions. Our instructors told us that we might not be able to have our families come to our graduation because of these potential risks. Aside from this, we were all relatively unconcerned.
Around mid-March, however, things had become very real. It was now official that family members were not allowed to come to our graduation. I was supposed to graduate in two weeks.
At this point I was juggling the tough decision of cancelling RAP because of how bad the virus had affected my city. I was not worried about catching the virus myself, but if I went home I did not want to take the risk of infecting any high-risk family members.
As things continued to get worse it became apparent to my peers and I that there was a real chance that we would not be able to go home, take leave, graduate on time, or even go to our next duty stations. Things were changing rapidly and new guidance was coming from leadership daily.
What are you supposed to tell your family when they are asking questions that you do not have the answers to?
My family was worried because of how crazy things were getting. Even though we could not physically be together, we could be there for each other. To comfort them, I updated them with any information I had and talked to them as much as possible. Talking to family and friends helped me stay focused and eased my mind.
With everything else going on with the virus, staying focused on assignments in class was difficult. The uncertainty of not knowing what is going to happen in your life is stressful. Nevertheless, I remembered that my training was essential and I couldn't just give up. I still had a job to do.
Everyone was going through the same thing. Being there for each other was important because we were the only ones that really knew what we were going through. However, things started to change.
During evening formation, our commander told us that everyone’s RAP had been cancelled. Getting this news hurt all of us. My class was supposed to go home in two weeks. Going home was something that I had been working towards for six months. I missed my family, my friends, and my home. I did not know cancelling my RAP would end up being the least of my worries.
About a week and a half before I was supposed to graduate came more bad news. Our commander told us that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, enacted a stop movement order for all Department of Defense uniformed and civilian personnel and their sponsored family members overseas until May 11. After six months of hard work, we would not be able to leave.
Everyone in my class was heartbroken. We were so close to leaving. To make matters worse, our commander told us that we were on lockdown. No one was allowed to leave base. Morale was low, but staying positive was key.
Our instructors warned there could be an early graduation, which required us to turn in our camera gear early and rush to finish our final assignments. Although, we did not graduate early, we finally did receive good news.
After what felt like multiple punches to the gut, week after week, our commander told us we were now mission essential and we could leave the day after graduation. She told us we would not be allowed to take leave or RAP, but I did not care. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.
I graduated on March 25 as a Distinguished Honor Graduate of my class. All the hard work I had put in had finally paid off. The next day I started my 15-hour drive to Patrick AFB and my first assignment in the Air Force.
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2020 09:09 |
| Story ID: | 368346 |
| Location: | PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 576 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, In Uncertain Times—Being in Tech School During a Pandemic, by SSgt Thomas Sjoberg, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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