End of an Era

So I have been blessed these last three years to be a part of what is called Weapons Standardization. Those that accept this special assignment within weapons loaders are considered the elite of all loaders. They extended an invitation to be interviewed for this job three years ago this month. I was a bit nervous, but I learned the ropes and soon became a regular evaluator. I would certify, decertify and maintain certification on all the weapons loaders at Ellsworth AFB. Now of course I am only on one shift at a time, but during my three year tenure, I got to know all the weapons troops, even though I regularly saw only the ones on my shift.
Well three years is basically the maximum anyone can serve on a special assignment, so my time is up. I am to go back to the flightline, back to the cold, and back to regular loading. As I left, I left the line as a three-man, went to loadbarn and became certified as a four-man, later made staff sergeant and they bumped me up to 2-man, put staff sergeant on, prepared to leave loadbarn and they decided they needed me on the line as a team chief (one-man). So I certified as a team chief this last week in preperation to go back to the line this week. For this, I am more nervous for. Being a team chief means that I am in charge of three other individuals as we load. This also means that I am in charge of the load pad (where the plane sits).
It was a nice three years at loadbarn. I learned a great deal and enjoyed being inside for the most part in the harsh south dakota weather. I worked next to some of the finest loaders at Ellsworth, experienced the personalities of three different wing weapons managers, and also four loadbarn shop chiefs. The only real experience I got was once a month for our MPRL loads and the six-month deployment I went on to Al Udeid.
I don't expect to stay on the flightline for very long as I am looking to retrain into another career field inside the Air Force. I feel the need to broaden my horizons, to change bases and to seek a career that will more easily pay dividends in the civilian world later on in life. But that is a chapter in my book still left to be written. For now, I start the chapter that includes me holding every position on a loading crew, taking more of a leadership position, and stepping into a world that I have no idea how to navigate through...yay for me.