Who in the Hell are the Wingmen Anyway?-Part 4

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 A view of the expanse of a great ocean projects an image of peace. One should strive to be at peace and in harmony with one’s self image. True relaxation occurs when you can be yourself without fear of judgement. 

When the wingmen went out on the high seas they found themselves in a foreign environment that literally became their home, away from home. The living situation alone while operating on an aircraft carrier is something one cannot prepare for; it’s totally different form of flying. The challenge of operating at sea in an unfamiliar environment that can include missions in or near to hostile territory is a challenge for anyone, and especially to those going to sea for the very first time. As in all things, after awhile this strange world of ship life while at sea, becomes routine as you adapt to the requirements of living in this new world. 

While it is never covered in the movies or even Navy documentaries, a Naval aviator’s responsibility does not end at the conclusion of a flight. We also had “ground jobs” that involved taking care of a range of mundane and sometimes critical matters needed for our relative squadrons. There were many occasions  when flying a particular mission was the easiest part of the day compared to some of the administrative responsibilities assigned to aviators that never seemed to end. Our annual evaluations, known at “fitness” reports covered a wide range of things, with flying being only one of them. Our fitness, as it were, was rated primarily on the jobs we had on the ground and not in the air. 

Getting launched off of the deck of a ship becomes routine in a relatively short  time. However, landing back onboard the always-moving ship brought a unique set of challenges during daylight hours and most especially at night in bad weather. 

Through their deployments both wingmen experienced extensive operations over vast stretches of land and the great oceans without seeing a single sign of life or civilization and realized what it really means to be in a remote part of the world.  While we were never forced to eject from our aircraft to stay alive, that risk always existed and was essentially the cost of doing business. While the risk was great, the reward in the form of the satisfaction from completing a tough job was even greater.