As The Ancient One and his companions prepared to go home after a long night's work, he stopped on a mountainside overlooking a beautiful campus. "What's that?"  his male companion asked.
"Air Force Academy," The Ancient One answered.  "Got something I want to see here.  Split!  Send half of us home."
His female companion and The Ancient One quickly divided themselves, and half of them soared away home.  His male companion hesitated.  "I haven't done this too often," he complained.
"Well, it's about time you learned how!"  The Ancient One snapped. "Do it!"
His companion concentrated.  A second image of him formed and flew away.  "Oooh!" he remarked.  "That really feels weird!  I don't remember any of my current existence, anything that's happened recently."
"You'll get used to it," The Ancient One assured.  "Let's settle down for a while.  There's a nice little dark bunker down there.  What I want to see won't take place until later."
His companions agreed and for several hours they rested until it became cloudy in the afternoon, and The Ancient One led them out and into one of the dormitories.  They entered a room where a young woman was straightening her uniform in front of a mirror, checking everything again and again.  There was a rap on the door and a woman entered, still very attractive for her age.
"Oh, Mary!" she remarked, "You look so beautiful!  I wish your father could be here."
"Me, too!" the young woman answered.  "Me, too! But as he told us in the hospital it was his time, and he was grateful for all that we have had, and proud of both me and Jeff.  I wish he could be here instead of out under the Pacific somewhere."
Her mother smiled.  "Everything is being videotaped," she remarked, "we'll get a copy.  He'll be able to see everything."
Mary took her mother's hands.  "Sit down, Francine," she encouraged.
"Oh oh!" her mother grinned. Something serious. My little girl is calling me by my given name."
Mary smiled.  "That's just the thing," she began.  "There's something you should know.  I've kept it a secret for twelve years, but it eats at me inside.  Francine, I love you more than anyone could love their mother.  You're the best, the absolute greatest!  But I have to tell you the truth, as incredible as it is.  I'm not your Mary.  I'm somebody else.  Your Mary died twelve years ago, and this Incredible Being gave me her body, gave me a second chance to have a decent life, and told me to be everything that your Mary could have been, to try to accomplish everything that she wanted to accomplish.  I know what I'm saying sounds insane, but it's true. I can't lie to you anymore.  I can't deceive you.  I just love you so much it wouldn't be right."
The older woman smiled.  "Oh, I know that, dear!  I knew only a couple of months  after you were given to us.  It took your father and Jeff a little bit longer to figure it out, but they eventually did, too.  But it didn't matter!  You loved us, and we loved you."
The younger woman stared in bewilderment. "HOW?" she asked.
Her mother giggled.  "The way you started dressing, dear.  The way you acted with boys.  Our Mary didn't like boys that much.  I just knew, dear!  A mother knows her child and knows when there's someone different there.  I somehow knew in time, you would tell me the truth.  Now, come on!  You've got to go have your parade, and get your diploma."
The Ancient One motioned his companions and they went outside to a secluded place.  "I remember!" his female companion remarked. "The prostitute, and the little girl that wanted to be an astronaut.  It looks like she's well on her way!"
"Quite well!"  The Ancient One answered, materializing in his human form in an Air Force General's uniform.  "Proper attire!" he snapped.  "I want a break!  I want to stay for the festivities."
His companions materialized and they made their way towards the VIP section.  A Lieutenant at the gate looked at them and smiled.
"Just happened to be in the area," The Ancient One remarked.  "Any chance we could get some seats, Lieutenant?"
The Lieutenant looked about, but before he could answer another voice spoke up.  "We most certainly can!"  it announced.
They all turned to see another Air Force General approaching.  Everyone saluted   "General Starr!  It's an honor!"  the other General remarked.  "We've never met, but your intelligence reports were invaluable to me in The Gulf War.  How you managed to get such detailed information still overwhelms me.  But without it a lot of our boys wouldn't have come back alive.  Accompany me."
"Yes sir!" The Ancient One snapped.  He and his companions followed the other General, were soon seated, and enjoyed the ceremonies.  When everything was just about concluded the other General rose and went to the podium.
"My congratulations to one and all!"  he announced.  "This is one of the finest classes I have ever had!  Your instructors heap nothing but praise on you!  You can begin your careers with honor and distinction.  I had my usual speech ready, but an unexpected guest arrived today who doesn't get a chance to come to these festivities much.  All of us  think of the glory of being a pilot, of being out there facing the enemy, but we often forget the people on the ground that do all in their power to give those pilots every chance to reach their objective, complete their mission, and return home alive.  The man I'm going to ask to speak to you can't tell you much about what he does, but without it no military organization could function.  General Starr, would you come up and give the cadets a few words?"
The Ancient One's companions grinned at him and he grimaced, but rose and went to the podium.
"Well, this is unexpected," he began.  "What to say?  Let me talk a bit about slogans.  The Marine Corps says ' The few, the proud, the brave.'  The Army says 'Be all that you can be.'  The Navy says 'Look to the future!'   and we in The Air Force say 'Aim high!'  which I hope each and every one of you is doing.  Pick a dream, pick a hope, have an aspiration and reach for it, believe in it, work for it!  But if somewhere along the line you find that your talents are needed in another way, that you can actually serve your brothers and sisters in the service in another way, do what you have to do, be what you have to be, and do it to the best of your ability.  Give that task as much effort and as much courage as you would give that task that you want to do.
And if there comes a point where you have to sacrifice what you want to do for what you have to do, do it without hesitation, without question, without thought.  Always do what is best for others even if it is not what you want to do.  And when all is said and done, you will find that you have led the kind of life that you should have led.  The willingness to sacrifice what one wants in favor of what others need is the greatest thing that anyone can ever do for their friends, or, their country.  If you do that, you will be fulfilling every one of the slogans that I mentioned earlier.  It won't be easy, sometimes it will be very hard.  But in the end you will find it is the greatest thing you could ever do.
I'm sure you don't want me to go on very long.  You want to get this thing done and be with those that love you, and celebrate the conclusion of your years of work.  Just remember, the work you yet have to do, and do it well!  God bless you, one and all, whatever you perceive Him to be, and whatever you call Him.  Thank you!"
The Ancient One left the podium, and the other General returned to it.
"Well I guess there's only one answer to that," he cried, "Airmen!  Dismissed!"
There was a roar of joy and caps flew into the air.  The General walked over to The Ancient One, extended his hand, and The Ancient One took it.
"Well said, sir!"  the General remarked.
"We really must be running along!"  The Ancient One put in.
The other General came to attention and saluted. The Ancient One and his companions found a secluded spot and dematerialized.  His female companion stared at him.  "What?"  he asked.
"Oh, nothing," she complained, "just once, just once I would like to have you at a loss for words, not have anything to say...just once!"
Their male companion burst into laughter, which everyone quickly joined in.
"Come on!"  The Ancient One finally insisted, "Let's get back to our bodies.  Plenty of work to do!  Plenty of work to do!"
They quickly soared away.