Okay, you know there had to be a Frank story (though, your's were
pretty good, but not up to my professional standing).
There I was at Lowry AFB in Denver back in 19mmumblemumble... It was
tech school and we had to march across base for Commanders Call (the
commander gets everyone together and tells them that their rooms are
pig pens and donate to the United Way). Massive thunderstorm and no
buses available. We're marching, a loud noise starts up and half the
flight dives into the rain swollen ditch. Those of us from So Cal,
Maine and Western Oregon look at these idiots in the ditch like
they're crazy (well, they were).
The guys in the ditch scream "Tornado!" We kinda crouch down in the
road and they hollar at us to get in the ditch. We gingerly climb in
(how bad coud a tornado be vs a dirty uniform?). We finally gingerly
lay down (we're Air Force, not Marines) in the ditch and cover up.
Never saw the tornado.
We climb out after the noise goes away. The tornado hit the side gate
about a couple of hundred yards away. The porta potty sized gate
shack is gone. One guard was found dead, shredded by the glass from
the liquor store across the street. The second was found on the on
the roof of a local building two months later by a news helicopter.
Frank Reid