Cannon, Cris, Sgt

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE.
My interest in joining the United States Air Force actually goes all the way back to the 1960's when I was a kid. The first person I knew or saw that was an Air Force member was my Uncle Tommy. Thomas Deal was my mother's younger brother and as a young kid, he was larger than life. The last time I saw him was during the Christmas season of 1969. Cancer would take him from us before I could see him again. Just a few years later in the early to mid-seventies, I joined the Civil Air Patrol as a Cadet. Our group flew on a regular basis. Once we even flew in small groups during one of our outings on the old wide body Huey Helicopter. Needless to say, this was a huge deal since that helicopter was still in active service and "modern".

All this finally pointed me to my recruiter. His name was Sergeant Robert York and he worked out of an office in Roebuck (east of Birmingham, Alabama). He was a great guy who was never anything but helpful and straight up. He actually told me what I would expect to see and he was right. Because of his help beyond simply signing me up, I felt better prepared for what was coming. I have no Recruiter horror stories to tell. I haven't seen him since those days but I hope he is doing well.

WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
My main interest as a career had always been "one of the good guys." I wanted to go into police work. When I learned about the Security Police field in the Air Force I thought that was tailor made for me. I guess you could say my desire to follow that path was carved in stone when, at the age of about 14 or 15, I actually went hands on with another kid I did not know who was stealing a car in a parking lot with a couple of buddies. It turned out they had actually escaped from a Youth Detention Center nearby and the Birmingham Police Department had a heavy presence in the area searching for them. I did not know any of this at the time. After chasing, catching and dragging him back, the place was covered in police officers and cruisers. They caught the other two and I delivered the third. One of the officers actually pulled handcuffs from his belt, handed them to me and said, "Put these on him." You have to remember, this was a different time than today. Once I cuffed this kid and an officer took him and put him in a cruiser, my fate was sealed. This was what I wanted to do for a career. The Air Force would allow me to train, work and prepare for that career starting at the young age of 18.

IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
I've never actually been in military combat but I have always appreciated the intense combat training received at Camp Bullis and the exercises we had at Barksdale. I had no doubt if shooting started we were ready. I will give a tremendous amount of credit to my Air Force Combat training for translating over to my civilian police training and combining the two to credit my survival and prevailing in an officer involved on-duty gun fight in 1986.

OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
I spent virtually all my enlistment at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. I liked it there and had it not been for economics I probably would have stayed there. There were, of course, unpleasant days, but where is there a paradise?

The least liked thing about being an SP, and this is true for anywhere not just there, is standing outside in all weather. Once I stood in a driving rain storm in the middle of the winter with a steady wind from the north. I did not move for several hours. When my relief showed up and jumped off the deuce and a half I move to grab my kit bag to leave. When I did, one solid sheet of ice that had formed over my entire back side over my poncho cracked apart and fell to the ground all around me. This rates as one of my least favorite memories.

FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
Making great friends that you never forget about. Even decades later.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
I only have a few, having served mostly in a Peace Time Era, but my personal favorite is the Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon. Shooting 100s with the M16 Colt AR platform was fun and easy for me. I developed a lifelong relationship with that weapon that followed me through my entire career.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
As stated in the previous paragraph, the Small Arms Expert award along with my SP Badge are the devices I was most proud of receiving. I still remember graduation from the Air Force Security Police Academy at the auditorium at Camp Bullis. This is where we earned and received, our badge and Blue Beret. A day we walked tall. We were now full fledged the United States Air Force Security Policemen.

WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
My immediate supervisor and Reporting Official was SSgt John Helton. He was truly my friend and mentor in the career field.

Another shift supervisor who was nothing but helpful was TSgt Robert Woods. A man of integrity that I've seldom encountered since. Being a part of that group at that time was like a family, mostly. I do recall one sergeant, who I remember but will not name, was a great example of what not to be as well. This too can be interpreted as having a positive impact on me.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
There are a few. Some can't be repeated.

One day while re-qualifying on the M203 at Barksdale we were all standing in single file lines, several rows across. Jeff and I were standing together in line with other guys ahead, behind and on both sides of us. Without saying a single word Jeff started looking down at the ground. He made this obvious and attracted some attention. He finally bent down and picked up a grasshopper. He stood back up and held it by his thumb and forefinger up in front of his face. Now everyone all around us was staring at him. Still silent, just staring at the grasshopper, I said to him, "No Jeff... don't eat the grasshoppers anymore." at which time he popped it into his mouth and started chomping on it. He nearly cleared away the group that was around us. One of the funniest things I've ever seen.

One more for the books is the WSA Possum story. One afternoon at shift change I had this possum that had taken up with me in the WSA and spent the entire day with me. He was oddly tame and almost like a pet. When relief came around I had placed the possum in my kit bag and took him with me. I sat in the very back, last seat on the bus back to Hangar 7. The bus was full of fatigue uniformed and heavily armed SPs. As we rounded the north end of the flight line I took the possum out of the bag and set him on the floor. He just started waddling down the center aisle toward the front of the bus. No one noticed him at this point. Everyone was still moving in their seats and talking. Once in the center of the bus, I stood up in the back, pointed to the floor ahead of me and yelled like a little girl. Everyone aboard looked back at me at once and then toward where I was pointing. When everyone saw my possum they all screamed and jumped up onto the seats. At which time I said, "I'll get him." and retrieved him and put him back in the bag, saving the day. The possum was later released into a wooded area and was not harmed in any way. That is the absolute truth. I liked him. Every time I play that memory in my mind I laugh until I'm crying.

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
Law Enforcement.

WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
The main one is the American Legion. The benefits are many but personally, its knowing the organization supports local good causes, supports the military, and keeps me updated on current military and veteran issues.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
In every way possible. I've always said serving in the military will do one of two things for you. It will build you into a success or it will destroy you. However, you and you alone pick which path. I have seen examples of both but the choice is yours. You get out of it what you put in.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE AIR FORCE?
Stay for a career. I wish I had.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
This is a great site. It has helped me pull together the old days better than any other I've seen. Keep it up.

DS 9/13/17