Ft. Benning and Columbus, GA
Planes, Trains, Planes, and Automobiles Planes
August 2006
I went down to Ft. Benning for a weekend because Z has been training there all summer. Here's what we saw in the two and a half days I was there.
Z with the Chattahoochee River, which is the border between Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama. There were some nice river walks, but it was far too humid (for me) to really enjoy them.
Me with a pretty building in Columbus. When you're in the city during the day it's almost like a ghost town. There are whole blocks of empty storefront, and besides a few second-hand clothing shops and a hole-in-the-wall bookstore, no other stores. At night, however, the place throbs with life. There are several styles of pubs and a nightclub, and all are vibrant and crawling with young officers and soldiers.
Me with another street in Columbus.
This is the place where Z's room was located, Olsen hall (second picture is a close-up of his wing).
Z and I took a tour of the post to see the various places. This is the entrance to Officer Candidate School, which is what my grandfather did back during WWII because he was drafted and really wanted to be an officer, rather than enlisted. My dad tells some great stories about PaPaull and the other officer candidates staying up all night to study in the bathroom because they wanted so badly to go to war as the person who gives orders rather than the one who takes them.
Here is one of the towers that the Airborne School uses to train the guys to jump out of airplanes. These things look like huge dinosaurs to me. There's something about them that seems menacing, or at least alive.
Back in '03 Z did Airborne School and got his wings, right here in Ft. Benning.
This is one of the airplane simulation training thingies. That's a technical term.
Right next to the Airborne School there's a memorial area dedicated to all past, present, and future soldiers who are airborne-qualified. It's got some plaques, but the coolest part, in my opinion, are the planes. (I'm probably not alone in that feeling, just a hunch.)
Ziga with the Boston Boomerang.
Boomerang info.
I love these little details on the Bostom Boomerang - her name is Ruth!
Me with the other airplane.
The plane and I show off our butts and our wings.
My guy with the memorial plaque to all his guys. On second thought, the planes weren't the best thing there. Z was.
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