Hurry up and Wait

Yesterday I had the pleasure of standing on the flight line for Gen Idhe's finne flight. Which means Gen Idhe is leaving Nellis and his finne flight is his last time flying as part of Nellis AFB before he moves on to bigger and better things.
Following the finne flight was a BBQ for anyone and everyone which included a free meal for airman. I went since I hadn't eaten lunch yet and was hungry for some BBQ burgers. But of course, in typical military fashion, going to the BBQ entailed a whole lot of waiting. I'm sure everyone knows the standard military mantra "hurry up and wait". And the food afterward was just a bribe to get us there. After standing around inside the hangar for 15 minutes we were sent out to the flight line to await Gen Idhe's return. They had us line up on the flight line and stand in the baking hot sun for about 30 minutes. By this time, most of us were grumbling about the fact that we are always waiting on some general. It seems once past the rank of Lt Col, there is no longer a need for a watch or for puncuality. But, hey, he is a general after all, I guess that is worth waiting for. Well finally his jet landed and as he taxied by our line, we all saluted in a wave as he taxied by us. As he exited the jet he was greeted with fireman's hoses and champagne.
To tell the honest truth, I only went for the free food, but that ended up taking an hour and a half out of my day. I promise I'm not complaining, I'm used to these types of things being in the military. The good thing about these functions is that I always run into people I haven't seen in a while. That day I ran into a bunch of folks from my last squadron and was reminded again how glad I am that I am no longer in that squadron!