Yes, that's me on the right in the picture above, taken in January 1991 right after a SCUD attack. (If you look closely at the guys in the background you can see that they're still in their chem suits.) I'm standing next to TSgt Lonnie Fulbright, a man I met during the deployment and who would become my best friend. We were on duty when this picture was taken and were just about to have breakfast at the Tent City complex of the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It was about seven in the morning when we had a mutual friend take this picture.
This picture is one of my favorite shots ever, hands down. When I say that Lonnie became my best friend, I mean it. He kept me sane during the whole deployment with his positive attitude, sense of humor, and the calmest demeanor I've ever encountered, then or now. I never saw him lose his temper once during the entire deployment, and he's the only man I've ever met who I've never - and I mean NEVER - heard curse. Not even so much as a casual 'damn.'
Never.
His father had a heart attack in February so they sent Lonnie home, and the void left behind was huge. We were only there for about a month after that, but that was the longest, loneliest month of my entire life. When we got back to the States on March 10th the first thing I saw coming down the ramp from the airplane was Lonnie waiting for me, camera in hand and a big grin on his face.
The friendship we developed in the Gulf continued after we got home. I remember when he and I were both scheduled for Chemical Warfare Refresher Training about a month after we returned, and neither of us could figure out why the Air Force thought we needed refresher training after having just returned from a war zone where getting in and out of chemical ensemble suits and gas masks was a daily thing. I also remember the two striper who was teaching the class telling the class that it took an average of fifteen minutes to put on the complete chemical ensemble; when I let out a loud "HUH!" from the back of the room where Lonnie and I were sitting, it got his attention. I told him that we could do it in nine, and of course he didn't believe me. (He wasn't in the Gulf.)
So Lonnie and I then proceeded to show him. When it was over and we were both standing there in full chemical ensemble after eight minutes and ten seconds, he was flabberghasted. As we took off our gas masks he asked us how we had learned to do it that fast, to which I replied "Fear is a great motivator."
He then excused us from the rest of the class, which was supposed to be an all-day thing. This was about 0800 hours, so Lonnie and I had the rest of the day off.
Lonnie retired from the Air Force in 1994, and I conducted his retirement ceremony. He moved to Georgia and got a job with the DoD Police, retiring again a few years ago. I retired from the Air Force in 1998, but we always kept in touch. When I moved to South Carolina in 2006 I started saying that I had to go see him since he was only 3 hours away, but I'm the king of procrastination so that didn't happen.
Until yesterday. I finally got my ass in gear and drove out to see him, and when I saw him for the first time it was like it was 1991 all over again. That big grin, those sparkling eyes, and that cheerful demeanor were just as I remembered. We put our arms around each other and hugged for several long minutes, and it was one of the best things I've ever felt. I just wish I'd done it sooner, but I can guarantee you one thing - it won't be 31 years before I see him again, that's for sure. Hell, it won't be 31 months before I'm in Georgia with my friend again.
Lonnie is the kind of friend who only comes along once in your life, twice if you're lucky. (And I'm one of the lucky ones as I have a best friend here in Columbia that is just as important to me as Lonnie.) He accepted me as I am, without judgment or prejudice, and has always treated me with respect despite my shortcomings. He kept me sane during the war, listening to me gripe and complain, his smile and positive attitude never wavering. He made such a huge difference in my life that continues to this day, and for that I'll be forever grateful.
So thank you, my friend and comrade in arms, for being there when I needed you and for just being you. The world is truly a better place simply because you're in it. And if anyone has ever earned their way into Heaven, it's you.
I love you, brother. See you soon.
Deo Vindice
IHC
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