Culture Shock 

As a young man at the age of 18, I joined the United States Air Force. I would have to leave Maine to fully appreciate all that it had to offer. I never loved the winters in Maine, but I was not ready for the Texas heat or any of the heat down south. There isn’t much time for idle chit chat in BMT. When I arrived at Keelser AFB in Mississippi there was more time to talk with people from different cultures and parts of the United States. Keelser was where I completed my Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) training – which is military speak for my Air Force Job. Keelser AFB is in Biloxi, a place that photoshops their Post cards because the Mississippi River runs through into the ocean there, turning it brown. I am not trying to talk smack, but there is flesh eating bacteria in the ocean because of the run off. It was at this location where I found out people don’t know about whoopie pies or red hot dogs and have never even heard of Moxie. I again thought these people were pulling my chain, but then again some people didn’t even know where Maine was located on the Map. 

Many Mainers don’t ever leave Maine. I remember leaving for BMT and the people I left with had never flown on a plane before. The military was a great opportunity to experience new cultures and locations within the United States. It broadens your horizons and makes you grow as a person at an exponential rate. Still I struggled with the humidity, the food, and even some of the people. 

Having chicken and waffles on the menu was certainly different. I remember a time where I just wanted some oat meal for breakfast. I was in line at the dining facility and scooped into an unlabeled pot. I dressed it up really nice with maple syrup and raisins. I was so looking forward to taking that first bite and was utterly disappointed to find myself eating grits. “What in the **** is this!” I said as I spit disgusting corn meal back into the bowl. Plenty of Air Man had a laugh at my expense that day. I personally find grits unfathomably disgusting and it is not any better with syrup and raisins. 

It wasn’t just the food that was noticeably different, people from Texas will be the first to tell you it’s the best state, period. I found myself liking the people from Texas while I didn’t always agree that they were the “best”. Most of them had honor, integrity, and pride. Despite being a core tenant of the Air Force, I found some people lacking in the integrity department. I wasn’t ready for many people to have a lot of pride in the rebel flag. There is definitely a divide on that point, even between state lines in the south. Maine is considered one of “the whitest states” in the U.S. I found myself out of place whenever someone would spark up that old debate. I tried not to focus on what made us different but what made us the same. We were all there to fight for the United States, not just one state in particular. Fighting for freedom together, not divided, is what united us the most. People certainly clashed over differences in culture many times. I am still proud to have served with anyone that signs on that dotted line. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from when you are fighting for your country.