Linda Mourning:  

Life. Deep breath. After leaving California in 1977 with my two month old son Rory I met my husband while staying with my aunt in Illinois. We married in August of that year and one year later he joined the Air Force...off we go. We did our first four years at Homestead AFB where my daughters Andrea and Heather were born. We stayed in the barracks once when a hurricane was coming but it missed, who would know it would become the only building left standing one day. After Homestead we moved to Pope AFB, then Blytheville/Eaker AFB in Arkanses, during which my husband did his years remote tour of Shemya. This is where my career began, while delivering the newspaper, working for an inventory crew and training to become an over the road truck driver (only jobs available at the time) I ended up driving flatbed for 2.5 years, very successfully too. I meant only to get local driving jobs but my marriage had fallen victem to alcoholism and a ten year battle had begun which it would not survive. The 2.5 years was enough for me to regain my senses and try to lead a normal life again. I retrained as a cashier and a month later I was the assistant manager of a convience store. (This was before computers btw.) Successful yes but not the life of an Air Force wife. After Just Cause we had orders to go to Panama, Ambassadors of Democracy we called ourselves. Nothing like trying to start up a base that hasn't been updated since 1960. I had all the bills paid now so didn't need to work so I offered my life up to Family Services as a volunteer. Two weeks later Donna Brown and I both showed back up at the office saying what's up? Why are you closing up when all these people are coming?? (we met at the office only a minute before and decided we could work together on the spot.) We took over, Donna with her past Family Services experience and me with my inventory. She fought all the red tape and I counted stuff, making lists and estimates. Not only were we trying to provide familys with a pot to cook in and a bowl to eat it out of (that's all we essential had to begin with I'd been smart enough to pack such essentials in our suitcases) but I also had a Rolodex and had run the guantlet most were facing when they arrived so we were basically functioning as the "one call for all the info you need". It took a degree of toughness, I'm sorry General sir but I'm not coming to get it you will bring back the cooking pot or I will call your Commander. One day, after we had survived this first year having taken care of literally everyone, renovated a larger space than the closet we first occupied o...Expand for more