What does Memorial Day mean to you? Another three day weekend? A car race? A chance to catch up on some much needed scripting? I’ll be the first to admit that I have taken this holiday for granted more often than not. As I unpacked the mementos and photos today that I accumulated over the last twenty years, I became became keenly aware of the number of friends and fellow aviators who have died in the service of our country.
Military aviation is dangerous; Naval Aviation particularly so. Not a year has gone by during my time on active duty that a fellow F/A-18 aviator did not loose his life in the line of duty. Unfortunately, in most years that number was much greater. I am honored to have served along side them.
I raise my glass, “To Fallen Comrades.”
“Most of us, most of the time, live in blissful ignorance of what a small, heroic group of Americans are doing for us night and day. As we speak, all over the globe, American Sailors and naval aviators are doing something very dangerous. Right now, young men and women are landing high-performance jet aircraft on the pitching decks of aircraft carriers–at night. You can’t pay people to do that. … They do their mission out of love of country, of adventure, and of the challenge.” –George Will
