Christopher's Life And Times!

PAGE INITIATED:  NOVEMBER 9, 1998.

LAST UPDATED:  APRIL 5, 2003!

Click here for my latest at work picture!
(December 13, 2001)

The "Staff" at work!  :-)

(Then) SSgt Christopher Smith at work, Malmstrom AFB, MT, March 13, 1998.
Photo by my colleague A1C Art Lawrence, using my Samsung Maxima 105 Zoom camera and Kodak Gold MAX 800 film.

So you want to know a bit more about me?  OK!  Read on!  :-)

It all started at the USAF Hospital at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Greene County, Ohio, on Thursday, August 25, 1966, at 12:58 PM.
Click here to see me in the nursery!

My first 13 1/2 years were spent in and around Dayton, Ohio, where I developed my love for most forms of music.

My original home town, West Carrollton (aka Dayton 45449!), was home to Oxford/Miami Papers; a Kimberly-Clark paper plant now owned by Appleton; White Villa Famous Foods; Monarch Marking's world-wide distribution center; and Woody's, the grocery store famous throughout the Midwest for the 'restaurant over the road' (Old US 25 North), and for 'We Never Close', one of the first groceries to offer 24 hours-a-day service.  Unfortunately, Woody's closed its doors for good on May 1, 1999, just before I returned there on a business trip.

January 25, 1980...  Mom insisted on moving us to MONTANA!  Midwestern winters were bad enough, but to suffer worse ones every year was too much for me!  (Not to mention losing most of my friends! :-( )  However, it was the best move for my education, if not my social life.

July 3, 1983...  Daddy passes away in Springfield, MO.  Kim, Faith, and I begin a three day jaunt to MO on the 4th to go to the funeral.  That is the only time the three of us were together with both of our half-brothers at the same time.

April-May, 1984...  I am selected as one of the first recipients of the Presidental Academic Fitness Award, and also inducted into Appinokwis (the Kalispell chapter of the National Honor Society).

June 4, 1984...  I graduated from Flathead High School (Kalispell), 19th of 460 with a 3.738 GPA, in the Top 5% of the Class of 1984.

August 19, 1984...  Back to Dayton!  The University of Dayton, that is!  I met some wonderful friends there, amidst the familiar surroundings of the Gem City and Great Miami Valley.  It was at UD that I got to be a Disc Jockey for a semester on the low-power campus AM station.

August 24, 1985...  Montana has a way of growing on you, which is why so many visitors eventually move (or return) there!  I moved back
to save $$$ on college, and transferred to the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology (MT Tech) in Butte.  At Montana Tech,
I met Geoff, who is, for all intents and porpoises (LOL) the younger brother I never had.  :-)

September 19, 1986...  Funding fell through, so I returned home trying to find work.  It's a sad state of affairs when you can't even
get a job at a fast food place or delivering pizzas!

July 20, 1987...  Bills to pay, and education funding still needs to be secured.  Now I do one thing I never ever thought I'd do in high school:   follow my Dad's footsteps and join the Air Force!  Thus began 5 1/2 months of working out to get my body in shape, as well as a life-long friendship with my recruiter.  :-)

September 30, 1987...  I visited the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in Butte.  I don't know which career field I'll be going into
at that point, but I will be in the USAF soon!

October 1, 1987...  We visited Glacier National Park to celebrate!  Click here to see the photo of me from that visit.

January 13, 1988...  Airman First Class (A1C) Smith takes the enlistment oath and heads to Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT) at
Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas.

February 29, 1988...  A1C Smith graduates BMT (Honor Flight!), and begins Inventory Management Specialist (Supply - 645x0 [2S0x1]) Technical Training at the former Lowry AFB, Denver, Colorado.

April 25, 1988...  A1C Smith aces Tech School!  (A 100% Honor Graduate!)

May 13, 1988...  A1C Smith reports to his first duty station, the now former Kelly AFB, also in San Antonio.

April, 1989...  A1C Smith has impressed the Headquarters Electronic Security Command brass so much, he wins the HQ ESC
Airman of the Quarter award for Jan-Mar, 1989!   :-)

September, 1989...  Still impressing everyone so much, A1C Smith is selected for promotion to Senior Airman (SrA) Below-The-Zone (BTZ)!

October 16-30, 1989...  A1C Smith moves to Mountain Home AFB, Mountain Home, Idaho.

November 13, 1989...  A1C Smith sews on SrA!

February 15, 1990...  SrA Smith wins the Distinguished Graduate Award in the NCO Preparatory Course.

November 1, 1990...  SrA Smith achieves Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) status, as he becomes Sergeant (Sgt) Smith, one of the last "Buck" Sergeants before the USAF eliminated the rank in early 1991.

January 16, 1991...  Sgt Smith will be getting another stripe soon, as he is selected for promotion to Staff Sergeant (SSgt) first-time testing. :-)

July 1, 1991...  Sgt Smith sews on SSgt!

October 18, 1992-January 19, 1993...  SSgt Smith visits Incirlik AB, Incirlik Village, Turkey, as part of Operation Provide Comfort
(now called Operation Northern Watch).

October 15-November 30, 1993...  SSgt Smith visits Cairo, Egypt as part of the Bright Star '94 training mission.

December 15, 1994...  SSgt Smith moves to Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls, Montana.

June, 1997...  SSgt Smith is part of the first Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Supply unit ever to earn an Outstanding
rating on a Unit Compliance Inspection (UCI).  My contributions to our unit training program led them to be selected for an
Inspector General (IG) Professional Team award.

December 1, 1997...  SSgt Smith is awarded a Quality Performer coin for a successful Zero Overpricing (ZOP) price challenge.

August 1-31, 1998...  SSgt Smith moves to Fairchild AFB, Spokane, Washington.

December 11, 1998...  SSgt Smith is part of a winner yet again!  My Supply unit wins the Air Mobility Command (AMC)
Daedalian Major General Warren R. Carter Supply Effectiveness Award!

April 22, 1999...  We finished 2nd in the Air Force-level Daedalian competition!

May 27, 1999...  Technical Sergeant (TSgt)?  I have a line (number) on you at last!  :-)

DECEMBER 1, 1999...  SSgt Smith sews on TSgt; the first TSgt in the family since March 1, 1965.  :-)

December 8, 1999...  No AMC Daedalian Award for us this year.  :-(

January 14, 2000...  I'm going to go into a different career field in November!  Gotta love outsourcing and privatization!  I will be
cross-training into Communications-Computer Programming (3C0x2), which is what I wanted to do when I first enlisted.  (VBG)

August 2-8, 2000...  Yet another classic road trip.  I promise to do up a page dedicated to my classic road trips when I am done with school.
As anyone who knows me well will tell you, I KEEP MY PROMISES!  A few highlights:
August 3  Mount Rushmore
August 6  Gateway Arch & Anheuser-Busch Brewery
August 7  I've been to Graceland, Graceland; Memphis, Tennessee...  And to the legendary Sun Studio, as well!
More details and places to come.....

August 9, 2000...  Back in school, at Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi!

October 26, 2000...  Test scores: 98%, 98%, 100%, 98%, 95%, 98%, 100%!
My final average of 98.14% was #1 on the class Honor Roll!  :-)

October 27-November 2, 2000...  The return trip to Spokane!

November 23-30, 2000...  Thanksgiving with the family and the trip to my new duty station.

December 2-4, 2000...  An unanticipated return trip to Kalispell (details), with 99% good driving weather.

December 8, 2000...  I deliver Kim's eulogy.  (Pic on Kim's tribute page.)

December 18-22, 2000...  The return trip, complete with lousy weather.

June 4, 2001...  17 years to the day since I graduated high school, and I'm in class again!  This time, it's the NCO Academy.  :-)

July 12, 2001...  GRADUATE of the NCO Academy!

July 13, 2001...  END OF AN ERA:  REMEMBERING KELLY AFB, TEXAS November 21, 1916 - July 13, 2001.  Your contributions to our aviation and Air Force history will not be forgotten, and Kelly USA will carry on your legacy.  KELLY FOREVER!

September 11, 2001...  May God comfort those who lost loved ones today.  Mr bin Laden is in trouble!!!!!

December 13, 2001...  My latest reenlistment!  :-)  (See latest at-work photo.)

January 3, 2002...  Christopher Smith, AAS (Computer Science)! Degree awarded by CCAF.  Diploma presentation projected for November, 2002.

June 19, 2002...  I scored a 93% on my last Career Development Course (CDC)!

JUNE 27, 2002...  HISTORY in the making!  Christopher does his Daddy one better!  TSgt Smith will become the first ever Senior NCO in the family,
as he is selected for promotion to Master Sergeant (MSgt) first-time testing !  :-)

APRIL 1, 2003...  HISTORY!  TSgt Smith sews on MSgt; the first Senior NCO in the family!  :-)

Click here to view my AF Awards and Decorations!  :-)

Please click the mailbox icon below if you would like to know more about my education or about the units I have served with.

RANK/PAY GRADES AND DATES OF RANK

Airman 1st Class (A1C/E-3), January 13, 1988
Senior Airman (SrA/E-4), November 13, 1989
Sergeant (Sgt/E-4), November 1, 1990
Staff Sergeant (SSgt/E-5), July 1, 1991
Technical Sergeant (TSgt/E-6), December 1, 1999
Master Sergeant (MSgt/E-7), April 1, 2003

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