Our next generation of 932nd Airlift Wing Airmen...

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  • By Public Affairs Office
  • 932nd Airlift Wing
Scott AFB, Ill. --  There is hope for the future. At 17, Kourtney Frey was
ready to join the military.

She sat down with her parents and
received mixed emotions.
A combination of fear of losing his
baby girl, and the thought of her growing
up was behind her dad's immediate displeasure.

Her mom, wanting her child to
be happy, was ready to sign. Out of respect
for her dad, Frey held off on her military
career for a while.

In May 2003, she graduated from
Mater Dei High School in Breese, Ill., and
went on to take a few classes at Kaskaskia
College. Working part-time at a number
of different places, Frey finally found a
home at a shipping service.

But college and shipping were not making her
happy. She realized she was attending
school, because it was where she should
be at the time, not where she wanted to
be.

So she picked up the phone and called
a recruiter. One month later, "Airman Basic
Frey" signed on the dotted line.
"Most kids my age work for the
money to party, buy a new car, and all of
that," she said. "But I guess I already tried
that and my military career was more important
to me."

Friends, family, and even complete
strangers often ask why she joined the
military. "I never have a great answer to
give them other than, I love the country I
live in, and I want to be here to fight for
my family and friends when I'm needed."

Upon enlisting and getting ready to
attend basic training, Airman Frey worried
the military would not be what she
hoped.

Maybe she wouldn't like it.
"As soon as I arrived at basic training,
we went through a few days of getting
yelled at, and I thought...I like this."
It wasn't the yelling she enjoyed, but
the discipline and the respect that she was
shown. "I only wish that the world outside
of the military would show the same
respect to one another everyday."

A few days into training, Airman
Frey's training instructor wanted her
to be an element leader.

"At first I was not up to even attempting
it, I wanted to be the quiet
one in the flight and just slide by." She
expressed this to her training instructor
only to be told that it didn't matter
what Airman Frey wanted. She had
great military barring and knew her
stuff, so she was put into a position
where she could be a good example
for others. "Thankfully, I loved it, and
I'm glad I was pushed to accept the
challenge that day."

Continuing her training, she was
sent to Keesler Air Force Base where
she attended the Personnel Apprentice
Technical School.

Biloxi was still recovering from
Katrina when Airman Frey found a
way to help. She and other member's
of her class used their down time to
help a local woman, who had lost her
husband to Katrina, repair her badly
damaged home.

"Helping someone, especially
someone who was in desperate need of
the help, just seemed the right thing to
do," She said. "It was a special and
worthwhile experience."

Returning home last July, Airman
Frey in-processed at Scott Air Force Base and went
back to work at UPS. After finishing
newcomers orientation, in September,
she was assigned to the Mission Support
Flight Customer Service section.

"I was so afraid that I would absolutely
hate it. I don't see myself as a sit
behind a desk kind of person, but as it
turns out I like it a lot. I realized after
meeting everyone and starting to get to
know my career field a little bit that it's
not so bad after all," said Airman Frey.

"My favorite part of the job is meeting
everyone in the unit as they come
through my office at least once and that
way I meet everyone from all over the
wing. If I ever decide to try something
new, I will know at least one person from
that career field who can fill me in on
all the particulars," she said.

Airman Frey's life outside of the
932nd Airlift Wing consists primarily of
college and family.

"I have found in the last couple of
years your family is the only one who
will always be there for you.

"I come from a very large family; I
have three brothers, two sisters, and two
very loving parents. I am also blessed
with a great step-father and one brother
and two sisters from him. I know because
of them, my grandparents, cousins,
aunts, and uncles that I will never
be alone. Your friends go away to college,
get married, and start there own
families. Your family will still be there."

Airman Frey is currently working on
an Associates Degree in Science and
hopes to one day become a veterinarian.

"Animals are easy to love; one can
quickly grow attached to them.

"They don't talk back to you, and they are good
listeners. I know I'll do it eventually,
because that is what I want," she said.