Why I joined the Alaska Air National Guard Published April 13, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. R. Ramos 213th Space Warning Squadron CLEAR AIR FORCE STATION, Alaska -- Things all started out in July 2005 as a 90-day summer temporary deployment. Little did I know, I was about to embark on my life's adventure. Living most of my life in rural Kansas, the chance to see something different in the summer and earn extra money was always welcome, especially if it didn't involve wheat, hay or cows. So, when my training manager at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., asked me if I would go to Alaska for 90 days, I immediately accepted. I couldn't wait to find out if I was going to Elmendorf or Eielson. Neither, she advised, you're going to Clear Air Force Station. I had never heard of the place, but I said to myself 90 days in and out? No problem. After a long flight from Wichita, I landed in Fairbanks and was met by my sponsor. As we left the airport I asked, "How soon till we get there?" He laughed and told me to get comfortable. On the way, I couldn't help but notice that we were travelling away from the city and towards a remote wilderness with more trees than I had ever seen in one place before. Where I'm from it is so flat that your view is unobstructed for miles and you can watch the neighbor's dog run away for two days. The air had a fresh new smell, much different than the hay and wheat fields I was used to. I also couldn't help but notice that it was still bright and sunny outside at 1 a.m. We arrived at the main gate to Clear AFS and I got settled in. Still, I was saying to myself, just 90 days in and out. My first days were quite eventful and as I started working on a schedule I began to realize that Alaskans were a little different than I was used to. Everyone here seemed to welcome me and invited me to join whatever activity was going on and "bring me up to speed" whether I needed help or not. I started making friends, some of whom I still count among the best friends that I have ever had. As the weeks went by, I began to think that 90 days was just not going to be enough. I was given the opportunity to extend my TDY for another 90 days. My supervisor back at McConnell started to worry that I would not come back. My wife was enjoying the peace and quiet so, I extended. As time went on, I began to realize that I liked it at Clear and that I saw something different every day, especially as the seasons started to change. I found out that there were Air Guard Reserve positions available that would give me a lot of the same benefits that I had when I was active duty. I had to start the process of selling the idea to my wife and daughters. Since our current home we lived in was only a few blocks away from her family in the town she was raised in, I can compare that endeavor to selling red popsicles to a lady wearing white gloves on a 100 degree day. After much convincing and maybe a little pleading, I applied, met the hiring board, and was selected for a position. My time here has been rife with challenges but with each challenge comes a learning experience that I am all the better for having endured. Learning the job was its own challenge. Then add in the extreme weather conditions like learning how to keep warm in 40 below temperature in the winter. I have seen vehicles freeze-up and learned what it's like to drive on square tires. I had to learn how to sleep with 24-hour sunlight in the summer. Off duty activities in Alaska pose their own challenge as well. Depending on where you go you literally step out of your truck and right into the food chain, and not necessarily on top. I have learned that moose are not afraid of cars and that bears are not afraid of anything. But if a person uses common sense and learns from people that have been here for a long time, Alaska is the best place a person can find himself. It has something for every interest, and if you're not careful the Alaskan spirit of adventure will take hold and you will find yourself interested in and doing things that you would never have imagined doing before. I have found that the people here are always willing to help. That's because we depend on each other to get by, especially during the winter months. Break down or slide off of the road during the winter and see how much help you'll have. People up here, whether they know you or not, will not hesitate to lend a hand, and your friends will drive for hours if something's wrong. I have experienced this type of dependability first hand as well as spent hours on the roadside digging someone out. It's just what you do if you live up here. I am proud to be a member of this great organization, The Alaska Air National Guard. My wife, daughters and I were given a great opportunity and Alaska and the Air National Guard have been very good to us. My children have experienced cultures and done things that they used to only see on the Discovery Channel. We live, work, and play in a place that most people have to save up just for a brief visit. Not long ago, my family called from Kansas and asked me if I would return home after my "time was up." I looked at my wife and then at the large collage of pictures that seems to grow every year of the things we have done, the friends we have and the memories we've made and replied, "I'm already home" but I might come down for a visit.