The 80's Part 2

The 80’s Part 2

A Lifetime In 7 Years

It is back to writing again.  I left off at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins Georgia.  As I stated it was my new family. Despite not caring for the area itself I seemed to have found a place where I made friends and a place to slowly grow and mature.  Little did I know that early in 1983 my life was going to make a sudden turn.

I believe it was around the first week of February 1983 that I started mobility training, more commonly called Mob School.  I had just finished a day of first-aid training when I got notice that I was to report for a mandatory briefing from The White House Communications Agency (from here on out referred to as WHCA for brevity). 

Well, to bypass the complexities of the process, I was on my way to the Washington DC area as the newest Audio Visual Tech in WHCA, by the end of May. The training was fast and furious. Within a week I was pinning a microphone on President Ronal Reagan for a taping session. Within a month I went to training at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland.  Shortly after that, I was traveling.  And I had to change. In a hurry.

At 20 years old most males, including myself, still have a lot of growing up to do. Not only did I have to grow up, but I had to learn to dress and act appropriately for my job and the area I was in. I came from a farming community in Upstate New York and an Air Force Base in a mostly country area of Georgia. Dress was blue jeans and a T-shirt when not in uniform until I got to DC. I had to act responsibly on the job, though we still had some time to goof off.  When not on duty we could do as we pleased as long as it did not shed disgrace upon the Air Force.  When you worked at the White House you had to be aware of your behavior 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 

I have a number of people to thank for pointing me in the right direction in the Audio Visual Department at the White House.  I had supervisors that set examples on how to act. They also knew that myself and the others who got there just before me and those who arrived closely after were still basically kids. We learned how to turn on proper behavior and then we could occasionally turn it off and let loose within the new environment we were now in.  Two females helped me a great deal. Looking back I realize females tend to mature much quicker than males. One of the females was younger than me.  We spent time together and it helped me to learn respect for others and to dress properly for the area. It was also probably my first friendship in the area and it lasted until we both departed around the same time years later. The other female was part mother and part sister. She was the only person to regularly call me Ralphie since high school. She was a little older, but not much. She was always looking out for the younger guys. She had a way of saying Ralphie that told me I went too far goofing off or with a comment.  I remember a trip where she grabbed me to dance in a club and told me the female who had been giving me attention was trouble and to stay away. Near the end of her time in the agency, we worked at the maintenance shop together and when she left I realized how much she had helped me off and on through the years.  Perhaps the biggest influence on me was the 1984 Presidential Campaign.

The 1984 Presidential Campaign was a blast.  It was also exhausting. As a single 21 year old I didn’t realize the toll it took until after. I turned 21 on a Presidential trip in Louisville Kentucky in October of 1983.  While it was not the official start of President Reagan’s reelection campaign, it started my year on the road 80 percent of the time.  I had spent a month in China previous to turning 21.  By the spring of 1984 I had my first trip of many to Santa Barbara California, I spent time in Bonn Germany, and Lisbon Portugal.  In May and early June, I spent a month in the Normandy Province of France.  There were other trips in between. After France, the real whirlwind began. The campaign hit full swing. I would jump from city to city.  At one point I hit three cities in a week. One was Washington DC. I flew back but didn’t even get to go to my apartment.  They needed help on a South Lawn job.  I flew in from New York City, did the job, and then flew back to New York City that afternoon. In an odd coincidence, I spent my 22 birthday in Louisville Kentucky also. From there I drove to Sidney Ohio where I got to spend an entire week. I bounced around a few more times and when the campaign came to a close I was back in Santa Barbara California.  Along the way, something in me changed.

I had not intended on this becoming a multi-part story. I thought I could concisely wrap up why the 80’s were such a huge part of my life but I have discovered I just have too much to say.  So watch for part three.  We will see where that takes me next. I will highlight changes in me and my growth as a person. Perhaps I will hit on what we did for fun and relationships. I will just do what I did today. I will Start typing and see where it leads me. I hope these shed a little insight into me and are not just boring drivel. God Bless and I will be back soon.  

                                 Xian China 1983