Show The Case of a Smart-Aleck Smart Airman Editors Editor's note The following article appeared in The Airman Airman Airman Air Air- man Magazine and was submitted submitted submitted sub sub- for publication by anAir an anAir anAir Air Force Sergeant On October last year the mother of an airman who has recently completed basic training at Lackland Texas composed the following letter to to the commander at atLa La Lackland and Dear Sir On April I sent you a sullen sullen smart aleck disrespectful teen teenager Three months later my husband and andI I met a plane in Amarillo ayoung a ayoung ayoung young man whom we thought was our son stepped off W with th the other passengers This young man spent 14 days with us and at all times he was spoken soft dign dignified congenial respectful and help help- ful He even asked to go to church with us Even though he said he was our son and he certainly looked like ourson our ourson ourson son we concluded that someone someone someone some some- one at Lackland surely must have goofed and sent us the wrong boy home After 14 days this young man left for his permanent base and since that time no noone noone noone one has has shown up claiming to be our son Would you please check around Lackland to see if someone there may have mixed up their troops and perhaps our sullen smart- smart aleck is still there The mother then added a postscript Sir if it Is at all possible that there has not been a mistake mistake mistake mis mis- take and that wonderful young man does belong to us my husband and I would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your ability to todo todo todo do in three months what we failed to do in 17 years The moth mothers mother's rs r's letter was passed to the Lackland information information information in in- formation office for reply and Lt CoL Louis H. H Button sent the following answer Your letter of October 23 was given to me this morning by our commander Maj Gen Prescott M. M Spicer When men he received it he was very wiry pleased His comment to me was that of all the correspondence correspondence correspondence dence received here in the several months he has been in of was one command yours the most refreshing and pleasant pleasant pleasant pleas pleas- ant letters he lie haas Naas seen n Colonel Button also added a postscript Thorough search of the base has failed to uncover any sullen smart-aleck smart among our trainees so I am happy to reassure you that the soft- soft spoken dignified congenial respectful and helpful young Air Force man is truly your son son |