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Thomas Potton, “Tom” grew up in a family of people with strong military backgrounds. He also loved to fly and had his private pilot’s license by the time he was 17 years old. He lived in Alaska since 1982. His father was a commercial pilot and a missionary pilot. Tom, being home schooled, worked on his studies early then went over to the airport hangar to work on planes and learned to fly. The missionary work involved flying in humanitarian aid items to the small villages in hard to get to places.
On graduating from high school, he was very aware that he needed a college degree and that he wanted to be in the U.S. Air Force flying planes. As his life went along, Tom married a woman who had teaching credentials. They moved to Barrow, Alaska. The income there was very good but the quality of life issues were tough. An opening in a school on the Kenai Peninsula came about so his wife transferred there and they moved. Tom could continue his college studies in Anchorage. He graduated with a college degree in Aviation Technology
Tom had been working with a local Air Force recruiter in Alaska who facilitated Tom getting into this branch of service as an officer. He was headed to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama (near Montgomery). He wore street clothes and a warm jacket. On arrival at the new environs, the weather was hot and it was the middle of the night. The new people were placed into temporary rooms for a bit of rest, then at 0400, the alarms went off. People were yelling at the new ones, telling them to get out of the sack, get dressed, get in line… “Yeah, I’m in charge, you’re not!”
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