I always find it fascinating when certain things trigger memories. Like when I smelled olive oil the first time I started cooking with it. I remembered the smell of the hamburgers in Majorca. They had a very distinct smell that I can now attribute to olive oil.
Military functions always remind me of either my time in the Air Force or my experiences as an Air Force dependent. Lately, I’ve been hung up on how to get the Air Force Commendation Medal that was awarded to me replaced. I’ve tried once, but since it’s not listed on my DD-214, it pretty much doesn’t exist. I’ve figured the problem to be that it was in the works while I was in the process of being discharged. The actual medal with citation was sent to me back in the states after I was discharged. The real rub is that I’m pretty sure my ex-husband has thrown it away. So much for his pride in military service. You would think since he served 20 years in the Air Force he’d have a little more respect for the award. So for now, it’s just another fleeting memory.
It’s funny too how some of the things (of mine) my ex hung onto have absolutely nothing to do with him. I had a print that my parents took and had mounted for me. It’s of a child’s hand holding a bunch of daisies. The caption below the picture “love…is a gentle thing”. My ex has no idea what (or who) that print represented. The absolute irony of him clinging to that print…
It does beg the question why certain memories are triggered when they are.
Minor addendum. I did start the process a few years ago to track down the Air Force Commendation Medal that is not listed on my DD-214. I sent in the SF-180 to the NPRC. They sent back a letter pretty much stating that there was no Air Force Commendation Medal listed on my DD-214 but that I would have to forward a copy of the general orders to AFPC at Randolph AFB. How could I forward something I didn’t have? I’m trying to now track down the address medal was mailed to at GFAFB in North Dakota. I know of one place that address is on, D2’s birth certificate. So I can rule out getting it from her.
I haven’t given up on this. I did (just) find my address in North Dakota. It was on an application for a Civil Service job. I had forgotten about this letter from the NPRC. I suspect I will get a similar response but when I get one, I can at least follow up with additional information.