My Turn for Reminiscing

 

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Juvat has been my muse this week because of his Monday post, with him reminiscing on the past, his family, career, and such.  I realized how there are some similarities in our careers that started in our youth.  Juvat's career paralleled his father's to some extent, as did mine.  Both he and his dad flew fighters, and both me and my dad were Carrier-based Airedales- him loading weapons on the jets, and me later flying the S-3B Viking off them. 

My interest and love for the Navy was cemented early on.  Dad would bring me to work on occasion, and I remember sitting in the Ordie shack, wearing ear-muffs, aka Mickey Mouse Ears, and soaking in all the sounds, smells, and conversations.  I was quite young, only seven when he retired, but those were very formative years.  I remember always having Navy jet photos in my room- first the F-8 Crusader, and later the F-4 Phantom as his squadron transitioned to that platform.  I loved seeing those aircraft on the tarmac at NAS Miramar where he was stationed.  My best friend, across the street,  another Miramar Navy brat, taught me how to make a paper airplane, and we'd write Phantom on the side.  I also remember going to airshows at the base, which were a thrill.  Dad was a couple of reserve  squadrons during those years of my life- a Navy TAR- (Training Active Reservist) in VF-31 and VF-302 . It was a good job for a family man with four kids as he no longer had to deploy.

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To be honest, he never wanted me to go into Naval Aviation.  He definitely encouraged me to join the Navy, and because of my good grades, guiding me towards the Naval Academy since I had a slight leg up on the nomination process with him being retired.  However, aviation was something he found too risky and dangerous, despite his own career, seeing too many pilots not come back from Korea and Viet Nam, or crash on the carrier.  His encouragement was subtle, with him ordering me a USNA admissions catalog, which was thick with slick color photos of all things Navy, showing Midshipmen looking distinguished in their dress uniforms, or engaged in team sports, which I was heavily involved in in High School.  It also showed pictures of Midshipmen during summer training, on ships, shooting weapons, wearing flight gear, and the like- all various career paths that one could undertake after graduation.  

So I set myself on the path towards admission by seeking leadership positions on sports teams or clubs, meeting the fitness requirements, and loading up my schedule with all the hard classes, vice easy electives.  However, that Academy appointment never came, despite three nominations, as I didn't get the vision waver.  I was crushed, but that very same day my school was visited by the local Navy recruiter who asked if I had submitted an NROTC package.  I hadn't considered that path, but I did as suggested, and the rest is history.  I was far better off in NROTC anyway as the hard science and math classes nearly killed me, barely making it through.  Fortunately my grades in the other courses kept the NROTC academic advisors off my back.

Back to that aviation piece...So Nuke Surface or Subs wasn't in the cards, and I had no interest in being a Marine, so that left regular straight-stick SWO.*  I didn't really enjoy my two summers of Surface Warfare training- one on the USS Texas (CGN-39), and USS Gallant (MSO-459) - a mine sweeper out of Treasure Island on San Francisco Bay.  Yes, I got to visit Hawaii for the first time, and sailed up to the Portland Rose Festival, but SWO life just didn't excite me.  

I mentioned it before, but I actually didn't think I could get into flight school due to allergies.  However, that wasn't in my medical record, it had diminished as I got older, and thanks to a salty Chief, was something I learned not to mention to the flight docs!  As it turned out, what little hay fever I had never affected me in flight.  

One of my college summers found me in an S-3A Viking for a fam flight, which I just loved- fully acrobatic, four guys inside to shoot the bull with in flight, and a cool mission- hunting Russian subs!  Another one of the perks was that they were in San Diego- where I was born, went to college, and had lots of family.  I struggled a bit in Flight School, but did well enough to get that as my first choice- type of aircraft and duty station.  

However, while at the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) at North Island, the FDNF**brief from the instructor who flew S-3s in Japan really interested me and I volunteered to go overseas.  Shortly thereafter I got engaged, but before she accepted, I warned her about my orders.  Fortunately she was all-in.  We spent three years there, but 2 years of it in total for me were spent at sea.  We found time to have our son, albeit too early- born at 29 weeks, weighing in at 2 lbs 5 oz- so he spent May through August in the NICU.  I spent two of those weeks with them, but then stupidly went back to sea, thinking about duty over family.  That was rough on my wife so a year later I took some orders that weren't the best for my career, but close to family, which she needed.  

Shore duty in San Diego was just was a blessing for us- buying the house we still live in today (and surely couldn't afford today), having our daughter, and figuring out what is really important in life.  I thought I might resign at the end of that tour, finding some more stable work-life balance, but the detailer played some games with me.  He pulled me early before my aviation commitment was up, sending me back to sea out of Bremerton, and requiring me to fulfill those orders before I could leave.  However, my son was diagnosed with some developmental disabilities during that tour, and staying in was the best thing for us.  

We rotated back to San Diego two more times, with a stint in Tampa in between.  The jobs I had at CENTCOM and at the Tactical Air Control Group just before retiring put me in the dot mil Requirements lane, working to identify and report on the capabilities and capacities the Navy needs to be an effective force.  And I've been doing that ever since.  

Looking back, I'm not sure I was perfectly suited for the Navy and flying, but it was (and still is) a great career.  I was far better at the soft skills side of things - the general, vice the technical, but I managed.  Then again, it's the rare person that winds up exactly where they thought they would.  And for the things that didn't work out, good things came from them and I look back and admire where God placed us.  

Enough reminiscing for today, save for this:

Hey Juvat, you're a muse in another way- I really loved that Texas Hill Country sunset.  Hmm, Texas...

How do I look?

*At the time, NROTC graduates were limited to "Unrestricted Line" duties- Warfare Qualified Officers, so no JAG, Med Corps, Diving, Engineering, etc.  -  Just ships, subs, aviation, and SEALS.  

**Forward Deployed Naval Force