Mother, Son Joined Air Force Reserve Together
by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Erin Zimpfer January 4,
2021
For many people, deciding to enlist in the military is one of the
biggest decisions of their lives. But for two Airmen of the 445th,
it was life changing for an entire family.
Senior Airman
Amanda Guzman, personnel systems management assistant, 445th Force
Support Squadron and her son Senior Airman Stanley Fairchild III,
loadmaster, 89th Airlift Squadron made the decision together.
December 1, 2020 - Senior Airman Amanda Guzman, personnel systems management assistant, 445th Force Support Squadron and her son, Senior Airman Stanley Fairchild III, 89th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, made the decision together to join the Air Force Reserve
on the same day. (Photo courtesy of Senior Airman Amanda
Guzman)
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When Guzman took Fairchild to the recruiter’s office in February
of 2019, the two had no idea what adventure lay in store for them.
After hearing all of the benefits available to her son in the Air
Force Reserve, Guzman started to wonder if she could join the
service herself.
Guzman had a successful career and family
but had always wanted to have the honor of serving her country.
After much deliberation, the two recruits decided they would jump in
and do it together. They went to the Military Entrance Processing
Center together, took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
exam together, out-processed together and went to the airport
together.
The mother and son departed for Basic Military
Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas Aug. 27, 2019.
To
their surprise, upon arrival to basic military training, the two
were placed in brother/sister flights which allowed them the
opportunity to stay in contact throughout BMT. The two flights,
exercised together and the mother son tandem team could check in
with each other during the morning runs.
“It was a just a
really good experience and I wouldn’t change it for anything,” said
Guzman. She added that it gave her reassurance to be able to know
they were going through the experience together and sometimes added
to the stress if her son was not in class when she expected him to
be.
“The best part was being able to see each other progress
through training and see each other become better and better at
tasks,” said Fairchild, “it motivated me to work harder.”
Guzman agreed and explained that having her son there with her meant
failure was not an option because she wanted to show him that if she
could do it, so could he.
The 37 year-old mother and 19
year-old son graduated from BMT Oct. 25, 2019. Both feel the
experience brought them closer together. “Having the shared
experience made it unforgettable,” said Guzman.
“Being able
to hug my mom at the end, at graduation, without getting in trouble,
was the best part,” said Fairchild.
Both Airmen kept their
relationship a secret from the military training instructors until
the very end, though many of their fellow trainees were in on it.
“When the instructors found out, they were shocked,” said Guzman. “I
think they were mostly surprised that they had not caught on to it
sooner.”
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