As we make our way from St. John’s Newfoundland to Ayr Scotland the drone of the turboprop engines of the 130 lulls me into a relaxed, almost meditative state. The airplane is behaving as it should. The cockpit is in order. There is nothing to look at except the ocean as it passes slowly beneath…
My military career is winding down quickly, quicker than I’d like really. The last fifteen years or so of my time in the military I’ve traveled the World. I’ve been to some places that I’d like to return to. Then there’s the other places, the places that I have no desire to return to. Most…
I really didn’t know what it meant to be a veteran until I started to suffer the consequences of being one. The dictionary describes the word veteran coming from the Latin word veteranus, which means of long experience. Merriam-Webster describes a veteran as an old soldier of long service or a former member of the…
My first one-hundred hours in the Herk were a bit different than most students. I started down the typical path. I went to BFE at the Arkansas Air National Guard. In 2005 the guard and reserves sent FE students to the Arkansas Air Guard unit as opposed to Altus. BFE was an interesting mix of…
Day One – Killer sinus headache! Every summer it seems I have to learn how to swim all over again. I inevitably take in water through my nose somehow. After the first week of getting back into the pool, I end up with a sinus infection. I’ve never been a great swimmer, but I’ve completed…
I went to southern California, Orange County, for family vacations twice when I was in my early teens. That was my first time in the ocean. I loved it. Prior to those trips we would spend several weeks in northern Minnesota fishing. I really enjoyed being on the water. I’ve always liked swimming. Being in…
