North of Knoxville - South of Atlanta

This is a partial autobiography by Chief Master Sergeant T. Wayne Babb, USAF, Retired, during his first four years in the Air Force. It follows the Chief from basic military training to tech school and on through two overseas assignments in northern Japan.

Chief Babb's primary objective when he enters the Air Force is to see the world, drink whiskey, and chase women. The reader will agree he meets his objective--in spades. But along the way, he learns some important life lessons, mostly by making big mistakes and doing stupid things. Chief Babb comes close to flunking out of tech school, fails the skill level test twice, dabbles in illicit love, is almost court martialed, and is mediocre on the job. Despite all this, the Chief went on to have a successful 30-year Air Force career in spite of this rather ignoble beginning.

If you are an old "gray beard" who was in any branch of the military in the 1960's, this is a must read for you. This is a good read for those who were, or are, in the military and can relate to this story on a personal basis. But even folks with no military experience will be amazed at the military culture and how it functions. Lastly, if you are an intelligence buff, this book is a gold mine. Recent declassification initiatives enable the author to relate events that were highly classified just a few short years ago.

If you like this book, you may also like Skivvy Nine.