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A tale in three parts, this being… the last! “A little power Power… POWER… WAVE-OFF, WAVE-OFF!” You flinch a bit, as though you had been struck. To have stepped on that transmission would have been very bad form indeed, but while you are momentarily grateful for your training in radio discipline, you also wonder [...]  … Safely airborne, the landing gear comes up, followed by the flaps. Passing 1500 feet, a radio shift to the carrier air traffic control center’s (CATCC) Marshal Controller, who issues you vectors and altitude assignments during your climb, and passes you your holding instructions. You turnout to port away from, the ship, but you [...] You’ve finished your mission, and returned to the carrier, setting up for your night approach and landing. If you’re lucky, you’ll have quite a few night traps under your belt, maybe a couple in the last week or so. Not that you’d want to do it every night, but proficiency and currency are two [...] I can’t remember if I’ve told this story or not. Which probably means that you can’t either. Military aviators typically have radio “callsigns,” or handles. Much like a CB radio enthusiast might, with the difference being that they are generally chosen for the nugget pilot rather than by him. We have very few pilots [...] The optimum narrative myth in tales told by fighter pilots occupies a fairly homogenous niche: First off, he’s always the hero of the tale, with the naval variant catapulting off into the ocean skies on a routine training hop. Then, when hostilities suddenly arise, he vanquishes numerically superior adversaries in a pitched battle where [...] As set forth in U. S. Navy Regulations, the Commanding Officer is charged with the absolute responsibility for the safety, well being, and efficiency of his command, except when and to the extent he may be relieved therefrom by competent authority. The duties and responsibilities of the Commanding Officer are established by U. S. [...] This is probably going to be fairly short. The family is heading down to a restaurant here in San Diego named, “Dave and Busters .” We’re going to celebrate son number one’s birthday, which as you may or may not recall, occurred while I was at sea. Eighteen years old – hard to imagine. [...] The Abu Ghraib debacle threatens to take down another government servant – Donald Rumsfeld this time. Word on the street is that the President is a little peeved at finding out about those horrible photos, and corruption they represent, through the news media. Pundits , politicians and editorialists of every stripe have called for [...] Heard on the radio this afternoon, coming home from work, that only 15% of families in San Diego can afford to own a house here. That’s against 55% nationwide, and a drop of seven percent since last year. Wow. Check in with us in a few months. Alan Greenspan has been making noises (battlefield [...] Many and sundry have stated their horror, shock and dismay at the atrocities committed by American troops upon their Iraqi charges at what had been Saddam’s favorite dumping ground. Let me go on record to state my opinion that the criminal actions of these few have maligned, perhaps irreparably, the sacrifices that our country [...] |
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