Happy Retirement Grandpa!

My stepdad is a Flight Engineer on the C-130 airplanes (which really means he sits behind the pilots and makes sure everything goes as planned) Well, he is officially retiring from the Air Force on Thursday and his "Final Flight" was today!

After 26 years of being in the military, moving around the world, flying airplanes the ENTIRE time and turning 44 in September...he's now going to be a "normal person." (aka Civilian)

below is a picture of the airplanes he's spent more than half is life flying:

Once he got off the plane, they had the fire truck there and got his SOAKED!!!!! He was still in his flight suit and everything!
Here's a family pic after they decided he had enough soaking (you'll notice I'm not that close to him...well, I had to go back to work after the event was over and really didn't want to have wet spots all over me!)
Everyone from his squadron was there for the action and congratulated him afterwards.
This is a cute picture that they all signed for him...in his squadron they either fly: C-130s, A-10s, F-16s or the new F-22s so this is a picture of those airplanes.
He enlisted in the military when he was 18 years old and now is going on 44 and has NEVER had to apply for a job or have a real resume or even wear normal clothes to work....WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!!!!

He's going to take a week off from everything once he retires and then will start his new career in Information Technology with C-130s as a contractor on Hill AFB. HOW EXCITING!

The military has been really good to our entire family...we've traveled the world, never paid for health insurance or housing EVER, and always had an immediate group of friends with each new squadron he joined...although it's been hard on our family and even harder on the family members we've missed while living in different countries, it's a GREAT change and a much needed ending to the many years we've all contributed and sacrificed (in our own ways) to our country.