Before Test Pilot School had even started Duncan was being interviewed by the Discovery channel as a potential candidate for a show they were pitching on test pilots at Edwards. He wasn't sure he wanted to do the interview because it isn't really his personality to be the center of attention. I reassured him, "Thats okay, Duncan, not all of us were born for the spotlight" and reminded him it was mine.
"Duncan, if you don't do this interview I'll regret it forever. I'll just die."
"Brit, it's just a Skype interview and they probably won't even make the show." -Duncan
"What should I wear? Do you think they'll interview me? Will they be able to tell we live in an RV?"
"No, no and no. Please stay in the back and close the little door."
"Well, they might want a wife's perspective, Duncan."
"Not today sweetheart."
We did not get discovered that day. Probably because Duncan wouldn't let me do any of the talking, but the opportunity was an indication of the exciting world we were entering.
On the first day of school July 6, 2015, the new test pilot class and their spouses gathered in Scobee auditorium to watch the infamous "Helen and Roy" video. A promotional movie shot in the 1950s to encourage air force pilots to come to USAF Test Pilot School. The video takes you through Roy's thoughts and journey with occasional comments from Roy on Helen's thoughts because we all know women of the 1950s couldn't speak or make sarcastic comments. The room was filled with real spouses from all over the country with different upbringings, different professions, some beginning their military spouse career like myself, and others who had made their 4th or 5th move with multiple children born in multiple countries. The one thing we all had in common that day though was the humor we found 60 years later as Roy told the audience that his wife, Helen just loves Edwards.
It's not because Edwards is a bad place, it is just not exactly on anyone's dream sheet. The dream sheet is the top five places you want the Air Force to station you, but in reality you know that they never will. Ours is Italy, Hawaii, Alaska..... so Edwards logically is where we ended up.
Our first spouse coffee was hosted at the Air Force Test Museum on base. It started at 7pm. I was being dramatic about going because I was tired from the work day and didn't want to have to get dressed up to drink coffee at 7pm. I'd be up all night I thought and I won't have anything in common with anyone. I rather stay home and watch Netflix. Duncan reminded me of how excited I was the week before for this coffee when I had showed up a whole week early, so I went.
There were over 40 spouses in the room and the coffee was hosted by the Commandant's wife and the current senior class spouses. I learned quickly that coffee was a term used loosely amongst the spouses.
"Honey, I'm going to Syd's for 'coffee.'"
We were all asked to do an icebreaker appropriate for military spouses:
Where was your last base?
Where are you from?
How many military moves?
Your favorite base.
How you met your spouse.
How many children do you have?
Something unique about you.
As outspoken as I am I was nervous. I wanted to be interesting and I'm sure everyone else did too. The women were, dentists, nurses, accountants, engineers, stay-at-home parents, and entrepreneurs. One spouse could proficiently play 6 different musical instruments and another wrote licensing agreements for NASA Armstrong Research Center. These women were in no way wearing aprons and driving station wagons around Edwards. They were the strong, successful counterparts to their test pilot student spouses. It was that night that a new Era of Helen was born. In the movie, Helen was a young fair woman with shoulder length hair in her late twenties. Our Helen was a six-foot tall full-bearded red-headed man from Missouri who loved scotch, beef jerky, and sleeveless shirts. Helen or Steve captivated an audience with his wild stories, warmed the hearts of even the most prestigious spouses on base, and kept the girls all laughing even through the tough times. He said many of the things I dare not say, but thought because he was a man in a women's world, but yet he was so relatable to all the women. Helen like many of the others chose to stay home with his two children and his wife was the bad ass flight test engineer enduring g's from the back seat of a fighter jet. They defied all gender stereotypes and we're the quintessential modern Air Force family. He could get rowdy on Friday nights with the guys, but still cried like a baby at his daughter's dance recital. Our Helen brought color to a colorless world of matching brown homes blending into to the desert sand and tumbleweeds.
I had been introduced to Steve early on when I invited all the new spouses to a "coffee" aka wine night at my house. It was wines around the world coming to a rambunctious end in America. It was because of this night that I somehow became part of Steve's introduction that night. He shared with us how being the outlier in a female world, he hadn't always felt welcomed at many of their other bases. He said he'd immediately felt that way when he arrived to Edwards and I felt flattered as he said it was from being invited to wine night and the welcome party Carlie's. Then in front of all the other ladies he said, but Britney is the devil because I drank too much wine and felt terrible the next day. I was shocked. My first impression to our class and with the new 2-star General's wife sitting across from me after I'd already said something bone headed to the last one, I froze. His finger directed the stares of these 40 brilliant women onto my bright red face. He had outted me and now there was no way to pretend be the Louise Shepard or Annie Glenn of the group now. I retorted, "I'm not the devil, I'm Methodist!" Everyone started laughing.
When my introduction came, I told about our RV life, switching careers, and how I met Duncan, I met many people and found commonalities with everyone. It was a fantastic time and it gave me hope that these may be the best years of our lives. Steve taught me a valuable lesson in a world where we put so much pressure on ourselves to project the perfect image, just be yourself. In my case, it is way more fun. In the end, people didn't leave there thinking of the long story I cleverly crafted about myself, they left remembering I was Methodist and I know how to host a "coffee."
Helen and Roy link:
https://youtu.be/XSwZS9MY6ik
