I'm so proud of my Boo Bear!!

I got a surprise call from my Dad last night to let me know that my little brother, Richard (aka Boo Bear), is signing up for the Air Force tomorrow with my parents happy consent. Bud (his main nickname) made the decision to go into the Air Force and study to be an airplane/jet mechanic instead of going to Embry-Riddle in Daytona, after a few guys he knew there told him they always go out partying. He wants to stay on the straight and narrow, and he knows it will be much harder to do so when the people around him are pressuring him to do otherwise. So for his decision to be a hard-working, focused student in the AF, I applaud him!!

Dad told me that they took him to the recruitment office, where they gave him a preliminary test (reading and word comprehension, basic math, etc) to see if he would qualify for the AF. The minimum score you can get to pass is a 35 ... my awesome little brother scored a 45!! Woot!! So they got all the paperwork together for my parents to fill out and tomorrow they go back to sign him up for the AF!!

Now, for those of you wondering, my "little" brother turned 17 this past July. Even though he is not 18, my parents are signing their consent for him to join the AF after he graduates from high school this fall/winter. He goes to a private school in Jacksonville, and completed both 9th and 10th grade in a year. So he only needs two more credits when school starts this August! I was proud of him for finishing school early, and I'm even more proud of him for setting a goal for himself and knowing what he wants to study and learn about in the AF.

There have been a few people who have chided him for his decision, but besides his parents, grandmother, and myself, he has other relatives that are very proud of him!! And no matter what anyone thinks, he needs to remember that he's not doing this for them. He's doing it for *himself* because it is what he wants to do! I am SO super proud of my little brother!!!

Also, as an AF mechanic, he will not be on the front lines of any war. If, for any reason, he gets sent to Iraq or Afghanistan, he will be sitting in a hangar working on jets and planes. But he still has a few years of schooling within the AF before he'll be sent on his way as a mechanic. =D I definitely don't want to see anyone, especially my little brother, having to fight in a war ... but again, I applaud my little brother for his dedication and bravery, knowing quite well he could be sent somewhere dangerous. My brother, my hero! <3




**All pictures were taken July 9 & 10, 2007, at Magic Kingdom and Islands of Adventure**