This weekend at church, there was a baptism. Where once I regarded such events as a distraction from the mass and a way to make it last longer, I now view them as an essential and important element of our community. We Catholics profess to be the Body of Christ, and therefore we must welcome the administrative necessities of community. We must welcome new members...and we should be joyful when we have the opportunity. It is also good to show community support for parents and godparents who will be trying to raise a new child with love--despite the frustrations that child-rearing inevitably causes. But this baptism was more than just an important and necessary function of my Church. It had an intensely personal meaning for me.
I am often surprised by the power of the words of the liturgy. Of course they are intended that way: they are (hopefully) written by men and women with a great appreciation of the language. Certainly the presence of the Holy Spirit contributes. The words of the priest are stirring: "this white garment is symbolic of your Christian dignity, in the end may you bring it unstained before the judgement seat.. [and] may you walk always as a child of the light." Listening in Mass yesterday I was struck by the fact that those words were once said over me after the holy water was poured upon my forehead, and that the covenant then declared between me and the Catholic community binds me still. It was a call to arms--it was a call for me to participate fully in the Church militant, to reject Satan and the glamour of sin, to accept the truth of the Gospel message and the authority of the Church.
Baptisms reach out to us in a way that the Gospels and the Mass does not. Certainly they are not a more important sacrament or element in our faith, but they are another way of reminding us of our Christian duty. It is essentially a sacramental grace, and an opportunity to develop my spiritual life. It is certainly not an irritation.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
VMFA(AW)-121: The Green Knights
Today I had my first flight as a "Green Knight" of VMFA(AW)-121. For those of you who don't know, each letter in that acronym-looking thing means something specific: the "V" denotes its a fixed-wing squadron (as opposed to rotary-wing); the "M" means it is a Marine Corps squadron; the "F" and "A" mean our primary missions are fighter and attack, the "(AW)" indicates we are organized for all-weather operations; and 121 is our numerical designator. In any case, I have reached an important milestone in my career. I have left dedicated training units behind, and after three and and half years of preparation, I finally get to do my job. The transition has been swift and busy, so it doesn't feel quite as much like the end or beginning of something as it should. It is worth a little reflection.
I finished at the training squadron, VMFAT-101 ("T" means it's a training squadron)' on Tuesday, September 4. The last three weeks with them were a flurry of air-to-air flights, mostly at the rate of twice a day and once at the rate of three times a day. The pace was hard, since there was so much to learn for each flight that I often had to spend 12 or more hours at the squadron a day. The flights were fun, however: fast-paced, with plenty of air combat. My final flight was an combination of air-to-ground and air-to-air tactics as I led a division (four aircraft) on a self-escort strike. We fought (air-to-air) our way into the target area, bombed a target (air-to-ground), and fought our way back out. It was rewarding and culminating. And after I finished, 101 kicked me unceremoniously out the door.
Looking back, I am amazed at how much I've learned. Generally, I have little patience with technical applications--I prefer to focus on "big picture" stuff, like theories and tactics. Yet my profession is dauntingly technical, since I operate a machine whose equipment is made by many different contractors, and which is designed to accomplish many very different missions. In order to juggle everything effectively, pilots and WSOs have to develop a sort of "muscle memory" about their equipment: we have to be able to operate equipment on instinct (called "stem power") because our meager brain power is already occupied with the arrangement of enemy fighters, or air defenses, or simply external hiccups in the mission plan itself that we are trying to react to. No plan, after all, survives first contact with the enemy...or even Air Traffic Control (in our case). It requires a lot of rote memorization and repetitous practice to make the most out of training flights.
And when all is said and done, I am only technically 60% combat ready right now. The aircraft of my new squadron have more secret, more sophisticated, ultimately more capable equipment than those of the training squadron. This stuff blows my mind, and I am in the process of making a concerted effort to learn about it. Encrypted radios, sophisticated sensors, new modes of operating our radar...the tactics of real combat are much more complicated than the introduction I received in the training squadron. And so it is true what they say: as an aviator you never stop learning. If I ever become really proficient in the systems I am operating now, no doubt there will be new ones to learn appearing in the fleet. In short, I have not "arrived"--I still have a lot to learn and a lot to prove.
The increasingly technical dynamic of my job makes it hard to write about, which is why I have slowed drastically in the amount of posts related to the military. Back in TBS, every week we were introduced to new skills and theories. In the early part of flight school, every month or so I was introduced to a different regime of flight. Yet as I get closer and closer to my actual job in combat, the knowledge base required to understand what exactly I am learning or doing at any one time grows proportionally. All that I've written about "increasingly complicated systems" makes it sound more dramatic than it is. It's just I am moving farther away from theory and deeper into techniques.
Yet I could not have found a better place to take this next step. VMFA(AW)-121, or the "Green Knights," is one of the most storied squadrons in the Marine Corps. It was formed as VMF-121 here at Miramar in 1941, along with the 2nd Marine Division, and was among the leading elements to hit Guadalcanal in 1942. The maintenance Marines of the squadron assaulted the beaches of Guadalcanal as infantry, fought through the jungle to capture the partially finished Japanese airfield there, and begin directing flight operations to bring in Green Knight aircraft. Stories tell how the fighting was so close that Green Knights would take off and drop ordnance without even retracting the landing gear, and circle back to the field to reload. VMF-121 would later fight from the legendary forward air bases of Espirito Santo Island, Turtle Bay, Bougainville, and Emirau. All told, the squadron was without equal among Marine Corps fighter squadrons during WWII. During the conflict, the Squadron produced 14 Fighter Aces while downing 209 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat--scoring higher in both categories than any other squadron.
The Squadron dropped more bomb tonnage during the Korean War than any other Navy or Marine Corps squadron, devastating enemy airfields, supply dumps, bridges, and railroad yards. During November of 1962, the "Green Knights" deployed to NAS Cecil Field on the coast of Florida in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the Vietnam War, the Squadron helped pioneer new night-attack and targeting systems. On December 8, 1989 the Squadron acquired the Hornet (my own aircraft), and was redesignated as VMFA(AW)-121. It wasthe first Marine Corps F/A-18D Night Attack Hornet Squadron. Slightly over one year later, the Squadron deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm and earned the nom du guerre "Heavy Haulers for dropping more ordnance in support of ground forces than any other squadron. More recently, the Green Knights flew combat missions over Afghanistan and Iraq--in fact, I checked in immediately after the squadron returned from their latest deployment to the Middle East.
The Green Knights are a proud and demanding squadron. As a new WSO, I am expected to read and learn various tactical manuals in preparation for my "combat wingman" qualification, and they have set high standards for me and the other new check-ins. Twelve hour days have been the norm, and I usually fly back-to-back flights. The veterans are strict with everything from how we brief to how we talk on the radio. But I sense behind the work a strong corporate commitment to maintain our tradition of excellence and battlefield success. Wish me luck!
I finished at the training squadron, VMFAT-101 ("T" means it's a training squadron)' on Tuesday, September 4. The last three weeks with them were a flurry of air-to-air flights, mostly at the rate of twice a day and once at the rate of three times a day. The pace was hard, since there was so much to learn for each flight that I often had to spend 12 or more hours at the squadron a day. The flights were fun, however: fast-paced, with plenty of air combat. My final flight was an combination of air-to-ground and air-to-air tactics as I led a division (four aircraft) on a self-escort strike. We fought (air-to-air) our way into the target area, bombed a target (air-to-ground), and fought our way back out. It was rewarding and culminating. And after I finished, 101 kicked me unceremoniously out the door.
Looking back, I am amazed at how much I've learned. Generally, I have little patience with technical applications--I prefer to focus on "big picture" stuff, like theories and tactics. Yet my profession is dauntingly technical, since I operate a machine whose equipment is made by many different contractors, and which is designed to accomplish many very different missions. In order to juggle everything effectively, pilots and WSOs have to develop a sort of "muscle memory" about their equipment: we have to be able to operate equipment on instinct (called "stem power") because our meager brain power is already occupied with the arrangement of enemy fighters, or air defenses, or simply external hiccups in the mission plan itself that we are trying to react to. No plan, after all, survives first contact with the enemy...or even Air Traffic Control (in our case). It requires a lot of rote memorization and repetitous practice to make the most out of training flights.
And when all is said and done, I am only technically 60% combat ready right now. The aircraft of my new squadron have more secret, more sophisticated, ultimately more capable equipment than those of the training squadron. This stuff blows my mind, and I am in the process of making a concerted effort to learn about it. Encrypted radios, sophisticated sensors, new modes of operating our radar...the tactics of real combat are much more complicated than the introduction I received in the training squadron. And so it is true what they say: as an aviator you never stop learning. If I ever become really proficient in the systems I am operating now, no doubt there will be new ones to learn appearing in the fleet. In short, I have not "arrived"--I still have a lot to learn and a lot to prove.
The increasingly technical dynamic of my job makes it hard to write about, which is why I have slowed drastically in the amount of posts related to the military. Back in TBS, every week we were introduced to new skills and theories. In the early part of flight school, every month or so I was introduced to a different regime of flight. Yet as I get closer and closer to my actual job in combat, the knowledge base required to understand what exactly I am learning or doing at any one time grows proportionally. All that I've written about "increasingly complicated systems" makes it sound more dramatic than it is. It's just I am moving farther away from theory and deeper into techniques.
Yet I could not have found a better place to take this next step. VMFA(AW)-121, or the "Green Knights," is one of the most storied squadrons in the Marine Corps. It was formed as VMF-121 here at Miramar in 1941, along with the 2nd Marine Division, and was among the leading elements to hit Guadalcanal in 1942. The maintenance Marines of the squadron assaulted the beaches of Guadalcanal as infantry, fought through the jungle to capture the partially finished Japanese airfield there, and begin directing flight operations to bring in Green Knight aircraft. Stories tell how the fighting was so close that Green Knights would take off and drop ordnance without even retracting the landing gear, and circle back to the field to reload. VMF-121 would later fight from the legendary forward air bases of Espirito Santo Island, Turtle Bay, Bougainville, and Emirau. All told, the squadron was without equal among Marine Corps fighter squadrons during WWII. During the conflict, the Squadron produced 14 Fighter Aces while downing 209 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat--scoring higher in both categories than any other squadron.
The Squadron dropped more bomb tonnage during the Korean War than any other Navy or Marine Corps squadron, devastating enemy airfields, supply dumps, bridges, and railroad yards. During November of 1962, the "Green Knights" deployed to NAS Cecil Field on the coast of Florida in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the Vietnam War, the Squadron helped pioneer new night-attack and targeting systems. On December 8, 1989 the Squadron acquired the Hornet (my own aircraft), and was redesignated as VMFA(AW)-121. It wasthe first Marine Corps F/A-18D Night Attack Hornet Squadron. Slightly over one year later, the Squadron deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm and earned the nom du guerre "Heavy Haulers for dropping more ordnance in support of ground forces than any other squadron. More recently, the Green Knights flew combat missions over Afghanistan and Iraq--in fact, I checked in immediately after the squadron returned from their latest deployment to the Middle East.
The Green Knights are a proud and demanding squadron. As a new WSO, I am expected to read and learn various tactical manuals in preparation for my "combat wingman" qualification, and they have set high standards for me and the other new check-ins. Twelve hour days have been the norm, and I usually fly back-to-back flights. The veterans are strict with everything from how we brief to how we talk on the radio. But I sense behind the work a strong corporate commitment to maintain our tradition of excellence and battlefield success. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Reflections on Week 2 of College Football 2007
Last Saturday, I watched Notre Dame get licked for the second straight week in a row by a talented Penn State team. That is hard for me. Since I became a fan in 2000 (at the hands of my rabid dorm comrades and authorities), I have learned that Notre Dame is a proud football program with a tradition of winning - and winning with class. This year I have been disappointed on both accounts. On the field, we look like what we are: an inexperienced, overmatched team. Though there are flashes of talent and promise, by and large we get dominated. Then there is the "class" issue. In both our games, a senior on our (inexperienced) team has committed an egregious personal foul. Against Georgia Tech, the player was rightfully ejected. Against Penn State, it was merely a 15-yard assessed penalty. Coach Weis should have benched the player. Notre Dame as a program should not stand for such actions from its players. I won't claim that Notre Dame is better than other schools--nobody has a monopoly on sportsmanship or moral righteousness. But Notre Dame certainly should uphold the standard.
As to the barely-concealed glee which Pat Forde at ESPN attacks ND again for sacking Tyrone Willingham, I think a little more reason is called for. ND fired Willingham after two straight bad seasons. I think the same courtesy (at least!) can be extended to Charlie Weis. Other blogs--notably Notes from the Geetar and Her Loyal Sons--have already pointed out that Willingham's teams were not improving, that Willingham was already talking to Washington about a head coaching job, that Willingham's recruiting was exceedingly poor, and many other reasons for changing coaches.
Michigan may yet turn their dismal season around. I suppose as a ND fan I should be thankful that a team is falling harder than we are...especially since Michigan is our nemesis. The football tragedy occurring in Ann Arbor illustrates that teamwork and personal effort are indispensible in football--it isn't only talent that wins. I hope ND takes note.
Finally, I found this article online today, detailing the appalling rudeness of Rutgers students toward Navy. The author already got on a pretty high horse about it (rightfully so!), so I won't. But disturbingly, this is only one of many stories I have heard about fans being downright vicious towards visiting opponents. The beauty of sports for me is that they are (theoretically) pure competition. They are a fantasy about how this combatative world of ours should be: everyone plays by the rules, so there is no doubt about the winner; each team-mate has the opportunity to play well and make a difference; and no amount of money or influence can buy a championship. Sports is never this pure in reality, of course--not when teams open against so-called cupcake opponents, nor when major-league players sell themselves to the highest bidder (just to name a few examples). Nevertheless, the pleasure of sports is clean competition, and the respect it engenders. It is juvenile, petty, and cruel to belittle opponent players, whether they are losing or winning. I won't claim that all ND fans have been similarly high-minded, or that all Rutgers fans are boors. I have been fortunate to meet mostly respectful and respectable fans in my travels. And that should be everybody's experience.
As to the barely-concealed glee which Pat Forde at ESPN attacks ND again for sacking Tyrone Willingham, I think a little more reason is called for. ND fired Willingham after two straight bad seasons. I think the same courtesy (at least!) can be extended to Charlie Weis. Other blogs--notably Notes from the Geetar and Her Loyal Sons--have already pointed out that Willingham's teams were not improving, that Willingham was already talking to Washington about a head coaching job, that Willingham's recruiting was exceedingly poor, and many other reasons for changing coaches.
Michigan may yet turn their dismal season around. I suppose as a ND fan I should be thankful that a team is falling harder than we are...especially since Michigan is our nemesis. The football tragedy occurring in Ann Arbor illustrates that teamwork and personal effort are indispensible in football--it isn't only talent that wins. I hope ND takes note.
Finally, I found this article online today, detailing the appalling rudeness of Rutgers students toward Navy. The author already got on a pretty high horse about it (rightfully so!), so I won't. But disturbingly, this is only one of many stories I have heard about fans being downright vicious towards visiting opponents. The beauty of sports for me is that they are (theoretically) pure competition. They are a fantasy about how this combatative world of ours should be: everyone plays by the rules, so there is no doubt about the winner; each team-mate has the opportunity to play well and make a difference; and no amount of money or influence can buy a championship. Sports is never this pure in reality, of course--not when teams open against so-called cupcake opponents, nor when major-league players sell themselves to the highest bidder (just to name a few examples). Nevertheless, the pleasure of sports is clean competition, and the respect it engenders. It is juvenile, petty, and cruel to belittle opponent players, whether they are losing or winning. I won't claim that all ND fans have been similarly high-minded, or that all Rutgers fans are boors. I have been fortunate to meet mostly respectful and respectable fans in my travels. And that should be everybody's experience.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
ND home opener, 2007
Better men and women than I have already commented on Notre Dame's drubbing at the hands of Georgia Tech yesterday. Their comments appear on their own blogs, found on the links to the right of this page. There is no question that yesterday was a grave dissapointment.
Recently accused of being a "delusional Notre Dame fan" and of making excuses for my team, I will state categorically that we were beat. We were outplayed on offense and defense. We made crucial mistakes. Georgia Tech was without question the better team.
But I feel that there are some distinct reasons that we played so poorly. We are a largely inexperienced team. This is no doubt the explanation of (but never an excuse for) the two lost fumbles, the nine sacks, the many negative-yardage plays, and the missed blocking assignments. Our defense, which had a promising start after forcing Tech into field goal attempts on their first three drives (one of which they blocked), slowly fell apart under the strain of Tech's long drawn-out rushing attack. And I think the optimism in South Bend these last few weeks meant that Notre Dame players came into the game ever so slightly cocky, which only made them more demoralized as the score mounted and their futile offense sputtered.
There is a silver lining. Both Sharpley and Clausen, our second- and third-string quarterbacks, played well (though Sharpley looked hesitant at times), and our young running backs look very talented. And our defense looked much improved from last year. But there is no question that we showed ourselves a bad football team yesterday. I earnestly hope that our coaches and players learn from our embarassing display and come out with a sounder team next week against ranked Penn State.
I salute Georgia Tech. They played with poise, precision, and energy. I hope they win the ACC and contend in a BCS bowl game (perhaps even the National Championship). As for Notre Dame, they are still my team - and I will proudly display my support by wearing a ND T-shirt today. Though disappointed, I look forward to next week.
Recently accused of being a "delusional Notre Dame fan" and of making excuses for my team, I will state categorically that we were beat. We were outplayed on offense and defense. We made crucial mistakes. Georgia Tech was without question the better team.
But I feel that there are some distinct reasons that we played so poorly. We are a largely inexperienced team. This is no doubt the explanation of (but never an excuse for) the two lost fumbles, the nine sacks, the many negative-yardage plays, and the missed blocking assignments. Our defense, which had a promising start after forcing Tech into field goal attempts on their first three drives (one of which they blocked), slowly fell apart under the strain of Tech's long drawn-out rushing attack. And I think the optimism in South Bend these last few weeks meant that Notre Dame players came into the game ever so slightly cocky, which only made them more demoralized as the score mounted and their futile offense sputtered.
There is a silver lining. Both Sharpley and Clausen, our second- and third-string quarterbacks, played well (though Sharpley looked hesitant at times), and our young running backs look very talented. And our defense looked much improved from last year. But there is no question that we showed ourselves a bad football team yesterday. I earnestly hope that our coaches and players learn from our embarassing display and come out with a sounder team next week against ranked Penn State.
I salute Georgia Tech. They played with poise, precision, and energy. I hope they win the ACC and contend in a BCS bowl game (perhaps even the National Championship). As for Notre Dame, they are still my team - and I will proudly display my support by wearing a ND T-shirt today. Though disappointed, I look forward to next week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)