Back to basic

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tori Schultz
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE Fla. --  On November 18, 2012, 19 year old Carly Thompson left her home town of Cincinnati, Ohio to start the next chapter of her life at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

She rushed off a bus at Air Force Basic Military Training, terrified of what the next two months would have in store for her and the others around her.

"Going back and visiting, in a different place of my life, was really interesting and I know what's expected of me now," said Thompson.

Three days shy of a year later, Airman 1st Class Carly Thompson, 6th Air Mobility Wing broadcaster, returned to share in her brother, Nathan Thompson's, basic training graduation experience.

"We had a lot of similar experiences but we are very different people," commented Thompson. "I was the emotional type while Nathan is the type where nothing fazes him."

Some of the experiences they shared were waking up at 4:45 AM, physical training six days a week, daily cleaning duties, and marching everywhere they went.

Thompson was able to view basic training through Airman's eyes instead of as a trainee.

"It was really exciting to see my old squadron in a different light," said Thompson. "I saw training instructors as real people that have lives outside of their jobs."

After Thompson joined the operational Air Force, it clicked for her that the Airmen around her are more than just their jobs.

"The best part of going back is looking over the past year and everything I've done. It was gratifying to be back in the place where it all began," said Thompson.