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

On the Waterfront – A Tale of a Great Enterprise

(Silverdale, Washington; Oct. 15, 2020) – The retired aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) had a profound affect on my time at sea, and her deactivation in 2012 foretold my own retirement from the Navy in 2017. Pretty heavy stuff, especially considering I never once set foot aboard her! I joined the Navy to go … Continue reading On the Waterfront – A Tale of a Great Enterprise

Travel Log: Balancing Bicycles and Biplanes

(Dec. 7, 2017) I visited Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, for the first time in 2002. I read my first full biography of the Wrights while stationed on Guam as the 2003 centennial of flight was observed. I already knew they had developed their gliders and the 1903 Flyer in Dayton and used Kitty Hawk as … Continue reading Travel Log: Balancing Bicycles and Biplanes

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