KIT: Keep in Touch

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kali L. Gradishar
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  During a visit with my family in December, we found ourselves discussing the whereabouts and statuses of high school friends - who was married, had children, was pregnant or had moved to another part of the country.

Eventually, the yearbooks came out and as we flipped through the book filled with memories of the not-so-long-ago, I read a few of the messages friends spilled on the pages.

One of the messages I noticed the most was "KIT," or keep in touch.

It had taken me some time to realize just how important that message really was - with family, friends, teachers and acquaintances in the service.

Family members are often the central focus of a person's life. No matter which direction you turn in life, there will usually be a family not far behind you in case you need someone to turn to. My family is my backbone. Honor, pride, work-ethics and love were given and taught to me by my family. Keeping in touch with my family is what keeps me sane and centered. When is the last time you dialed your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or cousins?

It is common for a group of friends to take separate paths, heading to college or the military, traveling, or taking a break from school to just hang around. The one thing that connects many friends is the telephone. It only takes a short amount of time to call up an old pal, ask them how they've been, what's new in their life and what they have planned for the future. Don't wait until your high school reunion to catch up.

The group that may be the most forgotten is the old teachers. Most of them worked countless hours to mold you into a high school graduate, ready to take on the world. My senior English teacher is one I will never forget. Her witty teaching style and tough love inspired my classmates and me to be great, for others and for ourselves. Keeping in touch with teachers reminds us of our past and encourages us to charge into the future.

The people we meet while serving in the Air Force are a special kind of people. In twenty years, when you look back on your years in the service, there will be people who stand out in your memories. Those are the members of your Air Force family - the ones who stood by you during deployments, the ones who laughed and cried with you as you encountered the ups and downs, and the ones who understood above all else what your were going through during your military career. Remembering your Air Force, as well as sister-service buddies, will keep you connected with a very significant time in your life.

We are all busy - with work, school, family and whatever is piled on the plate. But it is a worthwhile effort to keep in touch with those who made an impact on your life.