At first he yelled and scorned and scoffed,
We were too weak we were too soft.
We did not have what it would take,
First we'd bend and then we'd break.
Then we began to realize
those chips of stone that were his eyes,
Did not reflect him as a whole,
He had a heart, he had a soul.
With every shout the hammer dropped,
A blacksmith working in his shop.
He shaped and forged with iron will
and dreamt his dreams of hardened steel.
This basic training was a test
and all he wanted was our best.
He saw in us what we could be,
men of heart and integrity.
We gave our best and each one tried,
so he could hold his head up high.
He'll march us down the run that day
and then he'll turn and walk away.
Now when the Air Force song is sung
I'll always think of Sgt. Young.
He helped us reach and touch the sky.
He made us men, He's our T.I.
- A1C Jonathan E. Shaul -
322 TRS, FLT 405, 2001
"Flight With Honor"