Editing Hunter S. Thompson (section)

===Military service===
[[File:Hunter S. Thompson (Air Force service photo).jpg|alt=Airman Second Class Hunter S. Thompson at his desk in 1957 as sports editor of the ''Command Courier'', a military publication serving the Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle|thumb|Thompson in 1957 as sports editor of the ''Courier Commander'', an Air Force newsletter]]
Thompson completed [[basic training]] at [[Lackland Air Force Base]] in [[San Antonio]], Texas and transferred to [[Scott Air Force Base]] in [[Belleville, Illinois|Belleville]], Illinois to study [[electronics]]. He applied to become an aviator, but the Air Force's [[Military aviation|aviation]]-[[cadet]] program rejected his application. In 1956, he transferred to [[Eglin Air Force Base]] near [[Fort Walton Beach]], Florida. While serving at Eglin, he took evening classes at [[Florida State University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thompson, Hunter S. |url=http://www.anb.org/articles/16/16-03546.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507121617/http://www.anb.org/articles/16/16-03546.html |archive-date=May 7, 2017 |access-date=August 3, 2012 |website=American National Biography Online}}</ref> At Eglin, he landed his first professional writing job as [[Sports Journalism|sports editor]] of the ''Command Courier'' by lying about his job experience. As sports editor, Thompson traveled around the United States with the Eglin Eagles [[American football|football]] team, covering its games. In early 1957, he wrote a sports column for ''[[Northwest Florida Daily News|The Playground News]]'', a local newspaper in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. His name did not appear on the column because Air Force regulations forbade outside employment.<ref name="whitmer" />

In 1958, while he was an [[airman first class]], his commanding officer recommended him for an early [[honorable discharge]]. "In summary, this airman, although talented, will not be guided by policy," chief of information services [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] William S. Evans wrote to the Eglin personnel office. "Sometimes his rebel and superior attitude seems to rub off on other airmen staff members."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Perry |first=Paul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WHmc5IJaeC0C&pg=PA28 |title=Fear and Loathing: The Strange and Terrible Saga of Hunter S. Thompson |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2004 |isbn=1-56025-605-2 |edition=2 |page=28}}</ref>