Veteran Talk – Twenty Years Later

(Niceville, Florida; 11 September 2021) – Twenty years ago today I was standing on the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as we spun up the Tomcats of VF-213 for a routine day of flying over the Arabian Sea. One of our civilian tech reps had a small camera and waved to me, … Continue reading Veteran Talk – Twenty Years Later

Travel Log: Wings of Gold, Part 3

(Niceville, Florida; June 19, 2021) – The United States Navy answered the beckoning call of Florida’s mild, warm weather and generally sunny skies early in the 20th century, establishing its hub for naval aviation training in Pensacola. Today, Naval Air Station Pensacola hosts the National Naval Aviation Museum, one of the largest aviation museums in … Continue reading Travel Log: Wings of Gold, Part 3

Travel Log: Dueling Warships (Part 2)

(Niceville, Florida; March 2, 2018) The duel of the warships now brings us south, to, appropriately enough, South Carolina. South Carolina is a state rich in natural and human history, a state that played a pivotal and famous role during the American Revolution, and a pivotal and infamous role during the American Civil War. Today … Continue reading Travel Log: Dueling Warships (Part 2)

Travel Log: The Lions Have Met

(Nov. 22, 2017) The Lions have Met. From 2000 – 2012 I was on operational sea duty orders for the first time. I was attached to the Black Lions of VF-213 working on reconnaissance cameras and laser targeting systems aboard the F-14D Tomcat. Years later I reported to my second operational assignment: sea duty aboard … Continue reading Travel Log: The Lions Have Met