Credo
"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones
"Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra"
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friedrich Nietzsche
"A kind Providence has placed in our breasts a hatred of the unjust and cruel, in order that we may preserve ourselves from cruelty and injustice. They who bear cruelty, are accomplices in it. The pretended gentleness which excludes that charitable rancour, produces an indifference which is half an approbation. They never will love where they ought to love, who do not hate where they ought to hate."--Edmund Burke
“You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”--General Sir Charles Napier
"Μολὼν λαβέ" -- Leonidas
"Blogito Ergo Sum" -- Neptunus Lex
Congrats!
Congrats to him!!
Congrats, Lex! It’s a small group who choose to go and an even smaller group who are selected!
Great days and memories yet to realize, there is no greater compliment than when a son follows in his father’s footsteps.
The VERY BEST to SNO!
Great pictures. Congratulations. It is his turn to take his place on the line. You and I have had our days, and now we must move aside.
I dropped Joe off Sunday at Camp Lejeune, and it was hard to watch him walking away with a sea bag on his shoulder while I had to drive back out the gate and head back here.
Just to hear Lex. Now all you need to do is find your first set of wings so that way when his mother pins him you can begin a family tradition.
Congrats! Maybe I’ll run into him down here. I’m sure if he has any questions on the current situation in P’cola that the loyal readership here would have some input.
Congrats to SNO and the proud Dad! BZ on both counts!!
Congratulations to SNO and to dad!
It’ll be 2 years before we learn what our SNO will be doing for the AF.
All the fears and hopes of a parent in perpetual conflict with the pride of a man who’s worn a uniform…. I both envy you and don’t for all the reasons you surely know. May God be with him and you (and his mother, who may be a tad more worried, eh?). Congratulations to all!!
The best to him, Lex!!! I’m so happy for him!!!
Blue skies and tailwinds!
Good on him! Next stop, NAMI. I think that’s about the only stop on the way that is pretty much out & out luck. Hope he’s able to duck the whami and move on through AI.
Best to him as he navigates the wickets.
Whoo Hoo! How great is that?
Lex, I’m guessing the original wings you were awarded all those years ago are going to be over another beating heart in the not too distant future.
Congratulations to Number One Son!
Excellent!
Best wishes for his success.
Prayers for his safety.
Great news! Congrats to SNO. May he love the path of the aviator as much as we all did. Stirs the imagination to try to imagine what he has ahead. Lucky young gentleman.
Thanks to Mom and Dad for sending your child forth to stand on the ramparts. It’s the family business, but still an act of faith and courage.
Unless you screwed up big time, your son(s) will always want to emulate & exceed their perceived picture of their paternal unit. That said, they are all different and they take their values – not from what you said, but from what they perceive you to have done and what your values are.
When a son follow in your footsteps, such as they are from your point of view, you are proud as hell and worried, that he has put you on a pedestal.
Most of us know we have weaknesses, which may not be apparent to our admirers (children) and thus fear that they have chosen a far higher level of performance, than we ourselves will ever aspire to.
Never fear, the kids will always outperform us – and think themselves inadequate.
When the time is right and their experience adequate, tell them aout your doubts, close calls etc. – and they will understand – and you will have forged a bond between two adults, which nobody on the outside will ever understand.
I never flew a plane, although I would have liked to, but I have been doing critical care medicine for 30 years and my #2 son is in the same business now. He understands the pitfalls, the doubts and the challenges now – and – we have never been closer.
Congratulations on your son’s achievement. As time marches on he will understand you better – and – you will have a unique and close relationship with a peer, who also admires you.
There is no greater joy in parenting than this. Just remember that he may use your experiences to the max, he will still have to make his own in an unpredictable and perilous environment. There is nothing you can do to avoid that, but you already knew that.
Semper Fi
Congratulations sir! Both of ya even.
An early Christmas present to Lex & Co… best of luck and Godspeed to number one son… at this the start of his great adventure. Best
Great News! Glad to hear it, Congratulations SNO!!
BZ to the son. BZ to the Dad, (and Mom), who must have done something right!!
Congratulations to you and your son!
It’s men like you who serve and then raise sons who are willing to serve that make our country great and keep our country safe.
God bless you, your wife, and your son.
YAY!!!!
That’s awesome, Lex. Truly awesome! I’m sure he’ll continue to do you proud.
Congrats Lex!! You know, he’ll want to fly the sexy P-8A!!! Then he’ll roll right into a BAMS pilot billet for follow on shore duty!
Congrats to your son!