In 1992 an aimless young man decided to serve his country and
joined the Air National Guard. To complete his training, he was sent to
venerable Chanute Air Force Base in the flats of Illinois to learn how to turn
wrenches on jet engines. It was a place brimming with history, a place he soon
grew to love.
Soon thereafter, Chanute closed its doors forever, becoming a
modern ruin in the years that followed, taking the young man's heart with it.
This humorous, witty and occasionally ribald memoir details
the experience of one of the last Airmen to pass through the hallowed gates of
Chanute Air Force Base, and how the experience haunts him to this very day.
Connect with the Author here:
I agreed to read and review this book with the expectation that it might be a dry, factual memoir detailing the Chanute facility. I could not have been more wrong. The author's humorous collection of tales telling how he became involved with the Ohio National Guard, his experiences with the recruiter, basic training, and arriving at Chanute to be trained as at "Jetmec" kept me entertained. His adventures with his superior officers, fellow airmen (and women) and his run-ins with Navy swabbies and Marines (he wasn't a fan of either) who were there for weather training just before the base closed added to the humor. Although the story of this facility the last 10 weeks it operated was included, this book was more the personal experiences of the people, particularly the author.
The language is definitely rough and vulgar--military personnel are not know for genteel vocabulary--but the emotions and irony come through and made the story. I enjoyed the pictures the author scattered throughout the book. This is not your typical research book full of facts. I enjoyed reading 10 Weeks at Chanute.
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