Florida Trip

This week our class went on a field trip to Florida to visit Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field. It was a great few days of seeing what the real, operational Air Force is like. Maxwell is mostly a training base, so it's not your typical base. Eglin is more of a typical base, and Hurlburt Field is where the AF Special Operations Forces train. The first day we spent at Hurlburt. We had a lot of briefings from important people, but we were also able to do some fun things like get a tour of an AC-130, try on $8,000 Night Vision Goggles, and play with some chemical weapon suits (see below). The next day we spent at Eglin AFB. Most of the day we toured the facilities of the Security Forces (military police), who we work with closely in court-martials (our criminal cases). We got a demonstration from the military working dogs, which was fun. We also spent some time at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal. This is where all the branches send specialized troops for bomb squads training. They work incredibly hard to stay ahead of our enemy's weapon making capabilities.

Overall, JASOC has been much more enjoyable than COT. The classes are interesting and challenging, and the staff is great. We still have PT, but it's not until 0615, which is much more tolerable than 0445. Everyone I've met is great....if I make a career out of the AF, my fellow students will be my colleagues throughout. In fact, the 66 of us here make up more than 5% of the AF JAGs. Since we move around a lot and continuously have courses during our career, you get to know many, many fellow Judge Advocates. Good thing I like everyone so far!

A sweet helicopter that is being retired this year.