A long way from Mr. George's civics class...

I'm sitting in civics class at Blue Ridge Christian School (henceforth referred to as BRCS in this blog, and all God's people said "Amen") and listening to a lecture on the executive branch of government. It's cool, I guess. I like history, but hey, I'm a teenager and that's, like, stuff for adults. One of the departments of the executive branch is the Department of Defense which is, like, cool since it has airplanes. Mr. George may or may not have pointed out that a department is headed by a secretary who is a member of the president's cabinet. The bell rings and I'm out the door to the next class.

After enough bells and classes, there's a graduation and a diploma. Then there's more school (less bells) and another graduation and a diploma. But this time it's different because there's a commission in the U. S. Air Force after this graduation. A few years later, I'm sent to the Pentagon. This time the civics lessons come live with hands on participation. The teachers are the history-makers. The stakes aren't exams and grades but human lives and democratic principles.

It's really is a long way from civics class and somedays I wish I could go back to being a student at BRCS. But if you look at the picture above, I am glad for one thing: I'm short, which puts me in the front row.