There are times I love being the wife and daughter of an Air Force member. I was reminded of something this morning that I especially like while having my first cup of coffee and reading blogs.
Every morning at 7:30 I can hear Reveille play. We live across the street from a section of the base so I can hear it loud and clear. At 5 Retreat plays and then at 10PM we get to hear Taps. Every day. Did you know that when you are on base everything stops while those songs play? Every car stops and anyone outside must face in the direction of the big American Flag....usually by the front gate. If you are in uniform you must stand at attention. It is so neat to sit in your car and watch life come to a standstill for a moment while we all pay our respects to our country.
When my kids were little 5 o'clock was dinner time. You would hear Retreat play and when it was over you could see kids scatter for home. I absolutely loved it! Some days I would go to my kitchen window, where I could see the park, and just wait for it to happen. The kids would all stand very still....some with tiny hands over their hearts like they had been taught to do...and then they would run for home to eat.
The other day we were all walking to the car to go somewhere when we heard the music. Without saying anything we all stopped and faced the area across the street where we knew the flag was. My kids were quiet. The hubby stood straight and tall. When it was over we resumed walking and talking. Just picked up where we left off and it was so natural that no one mentioned it. My heart felt so full. It made me proud.
Just a little sharing about how life is over here. :)
hugs everyone!!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A peek into Air Force life.....
Posted by Dawn's Daily Journal at 8:31 PM
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11 comments:
It would be lovely to witness those times.
What a nice thing to measure the rhythms of the day by...and a lovely post Dawn.
That is so cool, and it teaches the little ones respect, something I don't see a lot of children and teenagers (or young adults) much have anymore. That is just so wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
be blessed,
Michelle
I grew up and around Marine Corps bases and as I was reading your post I kept shaking my head..yep, that's what we did..I worked aboard the base as a young adult and would pass the Headquarters building on my way to work and most days ended up stopping as the flag was raised...life is great being able to call myself a military brat...
I was an AF brat too. What a wonderful heritage we share. Thanks for putting words to my memories!
Being raised in the military it is just something we do, because we are taught, but most importantly because we have pride for our country and respect for our flag and what it stands for. Over the past few years, it seems that America, the way we remember it, has gotten lost in what is politically correct for other nations, while they are living in our country, a country that they chose to live in. They decided that America was a place where they would like to live. It is a great nation of all types of people from all over the world, a melting pot. We need to get back to that pride as a nation, both for those who are from America and for those who choose to live in America.
"The flag stands for freedom and they can't take that away. I am proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free."
I would love to see this someday. I love that it is so ingrained in even the little ones.
Thank you for sharing a peek into Air Force life.
I remember those moments from being a Navy wife. It's a shame more people don't stop for a moment and reflect. Thanks for the memories.
How neat, I've never really thought about life on a military base although I grew up surrounded by them.
For us the sounds of church bells make us stop a minute and reflect. We don't hear them each day since we moved but we heard them almost non stop when we were in Boston.
It would be lovely to witness those times.
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