A family affair: Proud mother enlists daughter into Reserve

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Sherri Bohannon
  • 917th Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AFB, La. --  Like father, like daughter. Like mother, like son. Like mother, like daughter. Take your pick. The Geer family has it covered. 

Maj. Susan Geer, mom and deputy commander of the 917th Medical Squadron, proudly administered the oath of enlistment to her firstborn daughter, Andrea Amburn, Wednesday, Oct. 17. 

"It (joining the military) was always something I wanted to do," Andrea said. "It's kind of a family thing." 

Andrea follows in the military footsteps of not only her mother and stepfather, Maj. Mark Geer, commander of the 917th Logistics Readiness Squadron, but her brother and stepsister as well. 

"This is something she's always wanted to do since she was small," Mom (Susan) said. "It just all fell into place. I'm very proud of her. It's hard to see my little girl... But I'm very proud of her, of all of my children who are in." 

Her brother, Josh, and her stepsister, Kasie, joined the 917th Wing last year. Josh is an aircraft armament systems mechanic with the 717th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron; Kasie is a maintenance analyst with the 917th Maintenance Operations Squadron. 

"Once Kasie and Josh joined, I was like, 'Okay, this is really what I want to do,'" Andrea said. 

"On drill weekends, when the four of us were getting ready, she always felt like she was missing out on something," Mom (Susan) said. 

Military tradition for Andrea reaches much farther back than her immediate family. Andrea's father, grandfathers and great-grandfather are all retired military. 

Her father is a retired staff sergeant with the Army; her grandfather (Susan's dad) piloted the B-47 aircraft and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1978 with 24 years of service in the Air Force; her grandfather on her dad's side served in the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic; and her great-grandfather (Susan's grandfather) retired as a colonel after 30 years in the Army where he served as a military doctor during World War II. 

Andrea said her goal was to finish her degree before joining. In May, she did just that, completing a bachelor's in industrial engineering from Southern Illinois University's Barksdale campus. 

Timing had everything to do with her decision to join the military, Andrea said. "I started talking with people, and the job I really, really wanted came along. I'm ready, ready to go to training and to get it all done." 

Andrea's first stop will be officer's candidate school, followed by flight school and navigation school, in addition to survival training, all of which will take approximately two years. 

"I know it's going to be a long time, and I know it's going to be tough, but I'm definitely prepared for it," Andrea said. 

Dad, Mark, and brother, Josh, share in congratulating Andrea. 

"I'm very proud of her," Mark said. "I know she is going to enjoy it. The 917th Wing is a good wing, and she'll find that out soon enough." 

Josh concurs. "I'm excited for her," he said. "This will be an experience like she's never had before. Hopefully I won't be too far behind her in OCS." 

Andrea is the third female to join the 93d Bomb Squadron, the first female B-52 bomb navigator. The prospect of being only one of three females sets off no alarms for Andrea.
Her response to entering a 'man's world' was, "So is engineering, and I did all right in that." 

Mom, Susan, will travel to Maxwell AFB, Ala., to administer the commissioning oath to Andrea, upon her completing OCS, another tradition the Geer family carries on. Susan's father commissioned her Jan. 15, 1995. 

"I'm looking forward to my first salute," Mom said with a smile.