Random October Thoughts

Seems I'm doing this about once a month now. Here's this month's installment...

Arlene's sister with her two twin daughters and mother (with niece) are in town visiting. That makes 11 in the house. Not quite the 18 we had back in June, but it's a respectable showing.

Big Readiness Inspection begins this weekend. We get to deploy to be evaluated on how we go to war. The fact we are actually at war right now doesn't count.

Work is going well. Things have settled down a bit from the hectic days of August. I think folks are still feeling things out with the new boss and the entirely new squadron leadership team.

Kids are doing well. Nathan is playing water polo. My favorite sports t-shirt quote: "Water polo...if it was easy they'd call it football." He's played football and wrestling and says this sport is the toughest and most physically demanding by far. I'll take his word for it. Just watching him play it makes me tired.

Benjamin and William are playing soccer. Isabella is back to doing ballet. All are doing piano. Goodness, kids make things busy.

Sports. Hmmm. Like the Phillies/Yankees in the World Series. Probably the most evenly matched teams who'll provide the best game. Like Florida to go all the way in the BCS championship game. Continue to root against the Patriots and for the Steelers. Hockey...nope.

That's about it for this month.

It's Been a While

I guess like all new things one discovers, their newness and luster diminish. Such has been the case with the blog. As some of my friends have noted, Facebook seems to take the majority of their time. I do find it much easier and quicker to merely check what the latest word is on Facebook rather than trying to think of something witty or insightful to say in a blog. I've managed to type 6 lines here without really saying anything.

August was a trying month for me and my new command. What makes commanding a squadron so great is also what makes it such a challenge--the people. People do great things and accomplish wonderful feats. People also make very poor decisions that impact all those around them. Unfortunately, those are the folks who take up 80% of my time.

Long hours and heaps more stress. I've asked myself a few times what I've gotten myself in to. But then I'm reminded this is a Calling for me--God has set me on this path and I continue to faithfully follow. I certainly couldn't continue without His strength and wisdom He daily imparts.

The Dog Next Door

My neighbors have a beautiful black lab which, through the wonders of the modern day doggie door, has free and unfettered access to their backyard. This dog also has an abnormally large pair of lungs. How do I know this? Because it barks nonstop. What is it barking at? The wind. Birds. The grass. The silence. Random voices I'm sure it's hearing in its head. It's driving me nuts. Any suggestions on dealing with this? I've contemplated shooting it with my pellet gun. I've got a sniper position picked out in my upstairs bedroom window. Hot water tossed over the back fence--I'm sure that would only serve to whip it up into an inconsolable frenzy. Tainted meat? Hmmmm...

Flying With the Dolittle Raiders

I had the opportunity last week to fly two gentlemen around the Seattle area on an orientation flight. Normally these flights are uneventful. These orientation flights serve a dual purpose: They are training sorties for us and also give us the opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the C-17 and what's involved with being an airlift aircrew member. This particular flight was a little different, however.

These two gentlemen took part in the famous WWII Dolittle Raid that bombed Tokyo in April of 1942. They launched a fully fueled B-25 off the rolling deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet to an uncertain fate. The gentleman in the tan coat is Lt Col (retired) Cole and was Jimmy Dolittle's copilot that day. The gentleman in the red sweater is Maj (retired) Griffin, the navigator on the 9th aircraft that launched that day.

Several things stood out in my mind that day as I talked with them both during the flight and afterwards:

1. The raiders had to launch early--a Japanese fishing boat had spotted the convoy. They'd run the numbers and realized that they wouldn't have the fuel to make it to China. They knew they were going to have to set it down in the ocean--they went anyway. That's courage.

2. As we flew up the San Juan straight that day, Lt Col Cole leaned over and said, "A buddy of mine bombed and sank a Japanese sub right along here back in '42." I didn't realize the war had gotten that close on the West Coast.

3. Maj Griffin talked about what happened after they got back to the States after the raid. They did a war bond drive for a month or two then he was shipped off to North Africa to support ongoing operations there. He and his aircraft were shot down by the Germans and he spent the remainder of the war in Stalag Luft III. You'd think they'd be set up in the lap of luxury after a mission like that. They didn't miss a beat and all went off to fight the war elsewhere.

4. Those of you familiar with the movie "The Great Escape" may be familiar with Stalag Luft III. That was the actual camp where the Great Escape took place. Maj Griffin actually helped spread the dirt from the tunnels, though no Americans actually escaped that night. I asked him if the Steve McQueen character was based on him. He had a nice laugh about that and said, "No, but I sure spent a lot of time in the cooler like his character did."

One of the most rewarding things I've done in the Air Force. God Bless the men and women who fought for us all in WWII and all the past and present wars.

"Roadhouse" Revisited

A quick followup from my last post. Came home from work the other evening to find my father-in-law watching "Roadhouse." This is, I hear, the crown jewel in Patrick Swayze's acting crown. I myself prefer "Red Dawn," but I digress.

I chose to keep an open mind and watch a little bit while eating supper. I wanted to be a good host. Grabbing the remote and saying, "I can't believe you're watching this trash" would mean I was a bad host.

As I settled in and allowed myself to become transported into the world of cinematic excellence, I really sat back and listened to the dialogue. Now, when I saw this movie I was about 20--dialogue is not why I went to see this movie. Mostly the girls in it, I think. Dialogue...oh, yes. Fortunately there's very little of it. The one quote that stood out and inspired this follow-on post happened after the big fight in the bar (doesn't narrow it down much, does it?) when Dalton gets cut on his side and has to go to the hospital. Talking with the doctor, she offers him pain killer which he, bravely, refuses.

"Pain don't hurt."

Brought tears to my eyes. Also brought my supper up.

That, my friends, is the line that got this movie added to the AMC channel archives. No doubt about it. This movie belongs on Spike TV, not AMC. Am I wrong?

American Movie Classic? Really?

Trying to escape all of the political furor yesterday, I came home from a busy day to an empty house; the wife and family down helping a sister move in to a rental in Monterrey, CA. I fixed myself some dinner and sat down for a night of guy TV. Flipping through the channels I approach the usually fruitful AMC channel. But this night, to my great chagrin, was "Road House" with Patrick Swayze. "Road House?" Are you kidding me? Is this a classic movie? That's probably an insult to the word and it certainly cheapens the word that's used for such movies as "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Casablanca," "Patton," and "The Sting."

Gift Wrapped Office

Returned to work on Tuesday from a weekend of camping. I walked up to the door of my office which, strangely was closed and the door handle covered in aluminum foil. I opened the door, flipped on the light, and was immediately bathed in reflected light from all over the room. As my eyes slowly came back into focus I saw this...

Someone came in and wrapped everything in aluminum foil. Each and every book. Things in my desk. Coffee cups. Pens and paper in the drawers. Pictures on the wall. The carpet on the floor.

I couldn't help but laugh. To the crew that pulled this off, a salute to you! Very impressive.

Now I know what the inside of a Jiffy Pop popcorn pan looks like.