Day Nine

COCOA BEACH, Fla. – Today was the day of departure. Some of the cadets had come to the activity by car, and their parents had taken them home already, or were about to leave the way they'd come. The rest of us had to pack our bags, check out of our rooms, say goodbye to our newly-made, dear friends, and get ready to go to the airport and fly to our homes all across the nation.

A few cadets had packed on the previous night, so they enjoyed a slower start. Others got up early to pack all belongings while the "lucky ones" caught a few more minutes of precious sleep. Then we got busy cleaning our rooms, carrying out the luggage, turning in our room keys, and swapping contact information. That done, we waited outside chatting, laughing, remembering a particular moment of this amazing, long week. We exchanged contact information, made plans to perhaps meet again at some other activity, wondered what the future held in store for us, as we tried to squeeze one last bit of camaraderie and enjoyment while we waited in this bright Florida day.

On 1st Lt. Christina Stoddard's signal, we loaded our luggage at the rear of the vans, climbed in, and soon were on our way to Orlando International Airport for our flights out. It didn't seem possible. The nine days were over, and we were on our way home. Where had the days gone?

1. 2. 3. 4.

[1] Cadet Tech. Sgt. Matthew Anderson, Cadet Master Sgt. Timothy Fisher, Cadet Capt. Jonathan Hendry, and Cadet Tech. Sgt. Alexa Solorio swap their contact information.  [2] Time to load up. [3] Cadet Capt. Jacob Reifschneider, Cadet Capt. Nicholas Quintero, and Cadet Lt. Col. Josue Rivera load their luggage into a van. [4] Cadet Tech. Sgt. Robert Ramirez and Cadet Lt. Col. Josue Rivera get ready to leave.

Driving over to the airport, we enjoyed the beautiful morning and talked about what we were looking forward to most when we got home. Every once in a while in our conversations we would hear an, “Uh, what is that?” It was intriguing to notice how many differences we found between home states. Different accents, from the broad Brooklyn burr to the East Texas drawl; different restaurants, like Outback Steakhouse and Dairy Queen, different shopping supermarkets, and much else. It was amazing how many things we take for granted that might not even exist even just across the next state line. Yet none of us felt different from any other one. What a rich and diverse heritage we Americans share!

With little warning, almost too soon, we arrived at the airport and it was time to take our leave. We got our luggage out of the vans, shook hands with and thanked our drivers – Lt. Col. Steven DePalo and 1st Lt. Christina Stoddard – for the wonderful time they had arranged for us. Amid much more hand shaking and good luck wishing, almost reluctantly, we left to check our bags before going through security and flying out.

Ours had been a memorable experience, we had had a great time in Florida, and we felt enriched by all we had seen, heard and learned at the activity. But we were tired out, ready to go home. The lazy days of summer were quickly coming to an end.