Click here for group photo of Flight 552, the Year 1955.

I arrived at Lackland on the night of June 14th, 1955.  There were six of us from Clarksville, all going in at the same time. Myself and two of the others would make a career of it.  We were met at the San Antonio airport by a group of TI's. Immediately, they let us know who was the boss.  They got us off on the right foot and did it quite quickly too.

Thirteen weeks we would spend here. Our Training Instructor, (TI), Airman Gumingo, was at that time, just one step below you know who.  When he spoke, you listened, what he said do, you did, no questions asked.

Basic Training was a great learning experience, although I did not think this way at the time.  The Military has changed a lot since 1955, but I believe it is still a great place for a young man to get of to a good start and on the right foot.

I can now look back and see some of the good times, Yes, there were good times.  I guess my favorite was on the days, after normal duty hours and always on a volunteer basis, we did what was called "Monkey Drill".  Marching with a fun flare, doing crazy and tricky maneuvers, similar to a drill team.  Everone seemed to like that part.

I wonder where Airman Gumingo is today?

In 2005, I got an email from a young lady saying that she had just entered her fathers name in an Internet Search and the search directed her to my Web-Site. She told me her fathers name was Gumingo. I then told her that her father was my TI (Training Instructor) in Basic Training at Lackland AFB in the summer of 1955. She gave me her fathers phone number and I called him and had a good visit after 50 years. He told me that I was the first to make any contact with him since he left the Air Force. I invited him to be my guest at our reunion but he said his health would not let him travel. After a good visit, we hung up and I have not heard any more from him.

J.C.

From here, it was off to Technical Training School at Sheppard AFB, Texas