Aim High.

If you joined the United States Air Force around the same time I did, you probably remember those words pretty well.

I officially joined the Air Force in September 1997 and entered the Delayed Entry Program. A few months later, on February 24, 1998, I left for Basic Military Training.

It happened to be during the Air Force’s 50th anniversary year.

I remember being excited to start that chapter of my life, but I was nervous too. Before joining, I had broken my femur near the knee in high school, and I needed a medical waiver before I could serve.

At that age, I wasn’t thinking about retirement or a 20 year military career. I was mostly hoping I would get through MEPS, receive my waiver and get the opportunity to wear the uniform.

I did.

And exactly 20 years later, in February 2018, I retired from the United States Air Force.

From the Army Air Corps to the United States Air Force

The United States Air Force officially became an independent military service on September 18, 1947.

But American military aviation began decades earlier as part of the United States Army. Army aviation evolved through several organizations, including the Army Air Corps and eventually the Army Air Forces during World War II, before the National Security Act of 1947 established the United States Air Force as a separate military service.

Long before an independent Air Force existed, people like Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell were advocating for the importance of airpower.

Mitchell did not live to see the creation of the United States Air Force, but he became one of the most influential early advocates for the role airpower would play in modern warfare and for greater independence for military aviation.

Today, 79 years after the creation of the United States Air Force, that legacy continues.

My Career as an Independent Duty Medical Technician, IDMT 4N071C

My Air Force career took me to several bases, five deployments and places I probably never would have experienced otherwise.

I served in the medical field and eventually became an Independent Duty Medical Technician, commonly known in the Air Force as an IDMT. During my time in the Air Force, my specialty was identified by Air Force Specialty Code 4N071C.

I wanted to include the full title and AFSC in this article because there really isn’t a lot of information online about the Air Force Independent Duty Medical Technician career field beyond official job descriptions.

Maybe someday a young Airman considering becoming an IDMT will stumble across this article while searching for IDMT, Independent Duty Medical Technician or 4N071C.

If they do, I hope they understand that it was much more than a medical job.

Being an IDMT came with a unique level of responsibility. You were trained to operate independently, make decisions, communicate with providers and leadership, take care of Airmen and handle situations where all of the resources normally available in a larger medical facility might not be right down the hallway.

The medical knowledge mattered, of course.

But some of the most valuable things I learned as an Air Force IDMT weren’t necessarily medical.

They were how to think, communicate and lead.

The Skills That Followed Me Home

I’ve been retired from the Air Force since 2018, and I don’t work in medicine anymore.

But I still use my Air Force training every day.

Leadership.

Communication.

Writing.

Organization.

Accountability.

Problem solving.

Working with people from different backgrounds.

Remaining calm when something doesn’t go according to plan.

Taking care of the people around you.

And understanding that leadership isn’t always about giving orders.

Sometimes it’s about listening.

Sometimes it’s about explaining something complicated in a way that makes sense.

Sometimes it’s simply making sure the person you’re responsible for knows somebody is looking out for them.

Those lessons followed me from being an Independent Duty Medical Technician into an entirely different career in the mortgage industry.

The subject matter couldn’t be much more different.

But the leadership, communication and responsibility translate surprisingly well.

What I Remember Most Are the People

When I look back at my 20 years of service, I’m proud of the career I had.

I’m proud that I served my country.

I’m proud that I became an Independent Duty Medical Technician.

I’m proud of the deployments, assignments and challenges that came along the way.

But more than anything, I remember the people.

The Airmen I served beside.

The friendships that lasted long after PCS orders sent us in different directions.

The people I deployed with.

The leaders who taught me.

The Airmen I eventually had the opportunity to lead.

And the families who supported all of us while we served.

Several bases. Five deployments. Twenty years.

There are a lot of stories packed into that small sentence.

The Air Force gave me far more than a career. It gave me lifelong friendships, experiences I never would have had otherwise, skills I still use today and the opportunity to serve my country.

I’m incredibly proud to have worn the uniform.

So today, to the Airmen currently serving, those who came before us, the families who stood beside us and all of my fellow Air Force veterans:

Happy 79th Birthday to the United States Air Force.

When I left for Basic Military Training in February 1998, I was a young man hoping a medical waiver wouldn’t keep me from getting my chance to serve.

Twenty years later, I retired from the United States Air Force.

But a lot of what the Air Force taught me never retired.

Aim High.

Posted in Smarter Mortgage Series