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It was October 2013 when my husband and I were stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. I was in my late 20s; he, in his early 30s. We lived just off base in a town called Midwest City, a stone's throw from the airfield at Tinker. A large Baptist church and a football field served as our backyard. Adjacent to it, planes took off from multiple runways throughout the day. Taps played each evening.
My husband, employed by the United States Air Force, was working, which meant he was flying regularly and receiving a paycheck. Many, however, were not. The federal government had recently shut down and that left many civilians at Tinker furloughed. My next-door neighbor Terry, a man in his 60s, was one of them.
My husband and I were speaking on the phone to his parents in Michigan one night that October. We explained some of the hardships of the shutdown as we experienced it.
Of note to the flying community was the impact of uncut grass on base. Without anyone to maintain the landscape of Tinker, rodents accumulated. When rodents accumulate, their predators (birds) become more prevalent. The larger the bird, the greater the potential impact to one of the four engines located on the front of a Boeing E-3 Sentry upon takeoff and, thus, to the safety of those on board the aircraft.
All seemingly small details, but added together have significant meaning.
My father-in-law, a retired Navy pilot in his late 60s, was not new to the government's way of operating. He was also well-versed in the ups and downs of life in general. Amid our discussion, he briefly mentioned what we can do when it feels as if nothing can be done — influence your circle.
