The Looongest Day

After spending two nights in Yokota Air Base at Kanto Lodge, on Friday morning at 0900 we started our day, and waited at the DV Lounge at the air terminal. Many hours and several delayed departures later, we finally boarded our flight (C-17) headed for Hickam at 2145.

I was so tired that I lay down on the metal floor of the aircraft and slept, using my fleece jacket for a pillow. Some pax bring air mattresses, sleeping bags and pillows. I awakened to the awareness that the cold was penetrating into my bones about four or five hours later. Fortunately, due to tail winds, the flight lasted only a little over seven hours, so I slept sitting up for most of the rest of the trip. I also dozed while we waiting nearly two hours to be allowed to disembark. There was a thunder storm of nearly Biblical proportions, so they did not dare to roll the metal stairs up to the plane and allow passengers onto the tarmac. The entire flight bg70 was reading his book - never letting himself lose consciousness lest he might miss something.

Once we entered the air terminal at Hickam, we continued to doze in between conversations with fellow-travelers and checks at the counter about future flights. Convinced there were no flights departing to any destinations useful to us, we reserved a room at one of the Pearl Harbor billeting facilities, Lockwood Hall. We took a bus, then transferred to another bus, and the driver informed us his route did not go onto the Pearl Harbor base. He let us off about 1/2 mile from Makalapa Gate.

At this point I realized I was functioning nearly as a zombie. I tried to calculate how many hours it had been since I had awakened at 0900 Friday morning. It certainly seemed longer than the eight hours the calendar indicated, since it was only 1700 on Friday evening. Friday was a VERY LOOOONG day for us; in fact, Friday happened to us twice. As we plodded along, dragging our rolling bags, we must have acquired a mean, hard look about us, because a driver pulled his car over and offered us a ride.

We jumped into the car not even considering (or caring) if they were drug dealers or not - just so happy to sit and be driven. They took us to Lockwood where we checked in; because Lockwood was built in WWII, there are no elevators, so we schlepped our luggage up the stairs, entered our room, and shortly thereafter, passed out for the night.

Gb70 could not sleep past 0130, so he arose and set about doing laundry, reading the news and writing letters home. Being the sensible one with real talent for sleeping anywhere and for long periods, I did not get up until 0630 in time to slip into my freshly laundered jeans.

Presently (1345 hours) we are sitting in the DV Lounge at Hickam AFB awaiting an opportunity to depart for the continental US (CONUS). Already today we have anticipated getting a flight to North Island, CA (flight delayed) - then McGuire AFB, NJ (not enough seats for us) - now possibly Langley, VA, North Island (again) with a ~20-hour layover there and on to Norfolk, or the most likely option, based on seats available, to go to Warner Robins AFB, GA. That flight is currently scheduled to depart at 2115.

goldenbear70's honey
Hickam AFB, Hikalulu
Saturday 1345