Congrats to LCDR Hubby

I'm a little late on posting this update, but congratulations to the tallest man of the house for his recent promotion to Lieutenant Commander! The boys and I were able to head to base a couple weeks ago to watch Erik pin on his new "O4" rank in the ready room at the squadron. We then accompanied him to a nearby brick oven pizza place - the finest our money could buy. Congratulations, babe! 

This promotion also happens to fall at the tail end of his current squadron tour. Up next: a month of leave to do some woodworking and R&R before he ends off to some various Navy schools and then comes back here to officially start his new department head tour with VAQ-134, where he will help transition the last Navy Prowler squadron to the new, updated Growler aircraft. It works out well, in terms of no deployments in the next year or two. Yippy skippy!

Looking sharp!

The boys in a ready room is always a little stressful for me as they jump around all the seats and immediately hone in on breakable stuff, but we are all smiles in general with promise of pizza.

It was good. Real good.

Anders bucks the pizza trend and goes for a hearty spaghetti and meat-a-ball plate.

On The Blue

The USS Carl Vinson relieved the USS George HW Bush this past week to take over operations in the Arabian Gulf area. They are naming their efforts in strikes in Iraq and Syria as Operation Inherent Resolve. 

If you are on Facebook, "liking" the official USS Carl Vinson page offers some great photos and regular updates from the Captain. I know some people shy away from social media, but I'm grateful for its updates along the way. Erik and I certainly email and stay in touch, but we talk about everyday things like the gross boat pizza or how many puddles the boys jumped in that day, not so much the heavy stuff. 

Two months down!

Hint for family: Every Growler jet number starts with a "5" (just like jet 500 above) ... so if you are looking at the Vinson's photos on the flight deck, look for a 5.

Erik says the nickname for the Gulf area is the "Milk Bowl" because its just a hazy white time in the sky.

Photo op for the Cougar officers.

"Concerning the Lost Aviator"

The skipper of Erik's squadron forwarded along an email that was originally written to the skipper of the USS Carl Vinson this past week after two hornets crashed and the search ended for LT Nate Poloski, presuming him deceased after he could not be located. It was written so well and I thought it was such an amazing note to come from a virtual stranger.

~~~~~

From: Brian Blazevic
Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2014 10:03 PM
To: Raines, Kyle A. LCDR (CVN70)
Subject: Concerning the lost aviator

If there's any way possible, I'd like to get a brief message to the
commanding officer of the USS Carl Vinson. This may not be important in
the grand scheme of things, but it's important to me.

I'm a cab driver for Coronado Cab Company, and me and my co-workers
drive Vinson sailors every time the ship is in port. When we heard about
the loss of the two F18s, and the missing aviator, we talked about it on
the cab stands. We felt bad. One of our drivers has a daughter in the
Marines, and one driver is in the Naval Reserves.

We're just cab drivers, ordinary people living ordinary American lives,
and as such we normally take for granted the safety and security we
have. Those two things, safety and security, are the reason we can
normally be oblivious of world events, and just live our safe little
lives. But, with the loss of a brave pilot, it made us think for a
little while that our cocoon of safety is actually guaranteed by people
who volunteered to make sacrifices on our behalf. Sadly, somebody just
made the ultimate sacrifice -- for us. That means something. The loss
wasn't in vain. It wasn't just a workplace accident. It was a sacrifice
for others. I hope the family and people who knew the lost aviator fully
understand that. If the loss is felt by a taxi driver, I believe it's
felt by a lot of people in America.

The BBC News story paid more attention to the value of the jets, $57
million each, than the lost aviator. We have a budget of -- what? --
$3.9 trillion? No context even for the monetary angle. All of that hurts
because the largest news service on Earth is more interested in the cost
of the machines, with no context, than the person who gave his life for
others. Please remember that not everybody reads headlines at news
sites, shrugs, and moves on. Some of us know the meaning of what
happened. I wanted to read a profile of the aviator, where he's from,
why he decided to serve, and who he left behind -- but I got none of
that.

In Syria and Iraq and many other places in the world today, there are
thousands, probably millions, of refugees because they lack basic
security. They have no homes, no jobs, and are wondering if they will
survive until tomorrow. We don't have those problems here, because of
you. What's that really worth? Everything. I just wish somebody would
explain that to the media and Capitol Hill. I just wished the media
cared enough to tell the real story.

Thanks, everyone on the Vinson, for serving, and know that some ordinary
Americans who don't usually think about "the big picture" are thinking
about it now.

Thanks for serving.

Brian Blazevic
Ordinary American

Taxi driver

Holla for a Hinge!

Coming soon to a navy exchange to spend an absurd amount of money on updated uniforms and stripes: my Lieutenant COMMANDER hubby! Congrats on being selected for the O4 promotion! Who wants to be an LT when you can be an LCDR?! What what?

"Hinge" is admittedly a negative term amongst junior officers. It's kind of an odd spot to be in since you are no longer a part of the junior officers posse but you're not really part of the front office. So the junior officers call you a "dirty hinge" as you break away from their group and gain a bit more authority in matters. Does Erik care about that? You'll have to ask him, but I personally think he's pleased as punch to move onwards and upwards at this point. I'm proud that he continues to hold strong in his career path and I expect great things from him as the years progress.

Congrats, you (almost) dirty hinge.

Flying Update

Someone reminded me lately of the John Milton quote...

"They also serve who only sit and wait."

Which I guess could translate to two things in the military world, one of which being the military spouse serves even when her husband is deployed. The other way I originally absorbed it was in reference to the actual service members; that even if you aren't deployed, you are still serving.

This is a roundabout way to give an update on our current duty station, since we often get questions about what Erik is up to. Basically he is working hard at the squadron these days, up before breakfast, home after dinner and bedtime. They are entering an active workup status, meaning that there will be detachments out the wazoo in the upcoming months, preparing for a deployment that is a year away. All OPSEC nerds can cease and desist, since it is unclassified information and I don't know specific dates anyways. I am, after all, only a lowly spouse (fellow military readers can chuckle with me at this point). I can't easily recall my own social security number ever since I married into the Navy.

So! We are still likely to be in Whidbey for a few years to come as Erik is attached to the VAQ-139 Cougars. We'd like to be back on the east coast one day in the upcoming 5-10 year plan, perhaps war college in Rhode Island since we hear its the bee's knees and visits to family don't involved time zone changes. Maybe a joint tour in DC. I'm not even sure if I'm using the right terminology. Read: last sentences of previous paragraph.

There's the update. Man is not on boat, but man is busy.

In the meantime, have you seen this cool video that someone spliced together of a night carrier landing versus a day landing?

 

Heavy Hearts

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath, even those who seem secure … And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.”
     -Psalm 39:4-5, 7

We have lost dear friends this morning. It sounds very generic, but I can't describe it any other way than hearts are weeping. We don't know what to say or how to act in front of their families; it's just all awkwardly horrible. It serves a reminder to take the extra seconds to say "I love you" and give pecks on the cheek while heading out the door. It doesn't matter whether you fly a Navy jet, drive a Dodge Dart or ride a Schwinn - life happens in split seconds.

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2013/03/navy-identifies-deadly-prowler-crash-aircrew-031213/

 

Cougar-fied

Erik is now a part of the VAQ-139 Growler squadron, also known as The Cougars. I'm not sure how the rest of his hazing went since he continues to snore in a cesspool of smells in the guest room, but when he left the O' Club, he was drenched in champagne and flour. He smelled like a delicious croissant dough. He does not smell like that now, the morning after. It smells like stale whiskey and farts coming from down the hall.

Congrats, babe! Your few years as a retread student have come to a close. You worked hard and got what you wanted. As always, you rock.

Has his new patch and is being whisked away.

Flour bomb!

Time for drinky poos!

Lookin' like a boss and smellin' like a bakery.

Cougars!

Carrier Qualified

Erik has been gone for a couple weeks, back on the boat for short detachment. But hallelujah, say goodbye to the mustache, folks: this guy is carrier qualified!

Standing in front of "the ball" or "the meatball"... basically the lighting system that helps pilots land on carriers.

Erik and the NFO he was paired up with for CQ. Growler in the background

The flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)

As far as next moves, Erik is finishing his time up at the RAG and then will have a squadron selection sometime in January or so. We're pretty sure he's not going to get Japan again and we're pretty sure he's not going to the squadron deploying in late January. Plus we're pretty sure he'll get a boat squadron like he wants (as opposed to an expeditionary squadron). [For as much as he complains about the boat, he rather be on it than land. Ask him to explain it all sometime.] So basically his hard work is once again paying off. So when you see him, give the guy a handshake and a pat on the back!

Welcome home, Daddy-sans-mustache!

Oh, The Places You'll Go...

As Erik proceeds through the RAG, we are coming closer to the point where he will attach to a new squadron shortly after the new year (or something like that - you know how the Navy loves consistent and stable timelines). Options and details are constantly in flux but he posed a question to me recently of would I rather...

A) go back to Japan or

B) have him go to a squadron that is planning to go on a 10 month deployment next year (with a 4 month work up which essentially means a one year deployment in some ways).

I chose B and he seemed a tad surprised so we played devil's advocate a bit. My thinking is that Japan was a lot of fun when we were "single" (aka no kids) and I could easily visit him in ports and fly home to see my family when he was gone for months. Although the deployments aren't long, they are short and disruptive; I think this could be a bigger toll on the kids than if we just concretely said, "Daddy will be gone for a while." Plus it is very very far from family. Although Erik had a great counterpoint that those are the situations in which we add to the arsenal of best friends we call our military family. But in the end that doesn't replace the fact that the kids would have less access to the grandparents, aunts, uncles. I don't know - we'd make the most of it if it happens, but... I don't know.

There are other squadrons to consider, but those are the two he has presented to me for now. Options will change next week, and the week after that, and the week after that...

Stick Boy

Erik officially flew as a pilot in the Growler this week and - as predicted - he claims it is awesome. It's been a long road, but his buns are seated where he wants them for now! 

EA-18G Growlers [Stock photo]

His first flight had an electronic snafu with the landing gear, but nothing too weird. I guess even these new jets still have their own nuances to deal with, especially with so many computers. At least it doesn't require two extra people to just sit in the back and flip old school switches (a la Prowler) to complete the same mission. The Growler is manned by one pilot and one EWO (electronics warfare officer); if you are nerdy and want to read more about, you can click on the wikipedia link.

I still miss the fuel wiener, though. At least the Prowler had that going for it. *Sigh*

Winging Pics (...*ahem* a few months late)

For what it's worth, I stumbled across the "official" photos from Erik's winging in December. And by "official" I mean "taken by standard base photographer guy at end of program when everyone is tired and ready to eat"... in which I really mean "awkward and forced."

I am still so proud of the hubster everyday. His career thus far has taken us on a fantastic ride and I count my blessings to be part of it all.

Another plaque for the wall!

Pinning his pilot wings on. Landon was no help, but didn't interfere at least :o)

Time for the wives to get their "appreciation" awards.

Erik gets a Commodore's List award ... again! Smarty smarty smarty.

The rest of the VT-22 winging class (both Marines and Navy ... and one Indian Navy exchange student)

Here you can see the two sets of wings! Meep.

We Have Lift Off

Erik had his first flight today in the T-45, which is the training jet down here in Kingsville. It went well! This comes after several classes and a busy week of flight simulator exercises (aka "sims"). It's a rather mini dent in the overall program and there are many many more flights to come, but it's been a pretty aggressive schedule thus far. If this is the pace, he will have his pilot wings by year's end and we will be house hunting soon enough!

Next Step: More Jet Noise!

It is official: Erik has finished Primary. This means the first part of pilot training is complete so now he can move on to a more specific platform. And of course he got his first pick - Jets. This is a really great milestone! The random hours, the various instructor personalities, the various fellow student personalities, the scheduling nightmares - it can all take a toll on a guy... especially with the combined stress of wondering if he will finish in time before Peanut arrives. I will also brag (since he won't do it himself) that he graduated on the Commodore's List with Distinction, no less! So...raise a glass and toast him wherever you are. Peanut and I are so very proud of dada-to-be.

"Smell you later, T-34's!"

So where do we go from here? Thankfully he selected jet training in Kingsville, TX which is about 45 minutes south of Corpus Christi (the other option would have been Meridian, MS). He will continue with a more specific training jet at that location - we should be there about 12 months. At the end of that? He will get assigned a particular jet (*cough* Prowlers *cough*) and we can hopefully make our way back up to Whidbey Island, WA to rejoin our friends!

"Aloha, T-45's!"

This does mean we will be moving next month. Second time this year. And now with a newborn. To a town where they list "Chili's" as the fine dining option. Wunderbar. The saving grace being it is only 45 minutes south and apparently they can deliver your stuff the same day that they pick it up - this blows my mind. I bet the stuff from our 2 month Japan move that journeyed across the sea may arrive in better shape (as it was packed by meticulous Japanese hands and 5 tons of paper and tape) versus what these local Tey-has guys will pound out in a day. Time will tell.

Will keep everyone posted of the move plans. We are trying to secure a house in the next couple days before you-know-who gets here!

Night Flights

After a temporary hiatus due to a clogged ear, Erik is back on the flight schedule! And not just any flight schedule... but the night flight schedule. He now gets to fly with the birdies bathed in moonlight. That's just my poetic take on things, though. Erik hasn't historically been a fan of flying at night and I can't blame him - I'd get the heebie jeebies maneuvering in the dark skies, too!

Regardless: Kudos for another milestone! This leaves him with a few form flights to complete and then hopefully he will be able to officially reselect for the jet community within the next couple weeks. Again, his hope is to eventually get back into the Prowler/Growler community so "graduating" here in primary with a jets bill would be the required step for that direction. I am 99.9999% sure that is going to happen, but it will be nice to see it on paper in the next couple weeks since the military is really good about playing around with those 0.0001% possibilities.

Let's Chop Up This Tie!

As I am bopping along with baby, Erik is flying along with flight school. After being stuck idle for quite a while due to lack of planes, it picked up and then really picked up. A huge milestone this week: He soloed! That means he got to surf among the clouds all by himself. This is a nice big step in the pilot training process - if you see him, make sure you give him a pat on the back... or a virtual pat. We are very proud of him!

Along with flying solo comes the tradition of "Tie Cutting." This is a small ceremony/ get together in which students that have flown solo in recent weeks celebrate the milestone. They each wear a tie that their "on-wing" cuts ... if I had to guess, I suppose it symbolizes the fact that you are no longer tied to anyone in the plane...? Deep stuff, really deep stuff. As with any little ceremony, there will probably be a certificate, some beer, some chicken wings, giggles and stories.

Erik didn't want to cut any of his nice Hong Kong ties (agreed!), so he headed off to Burlington Coat Factory to find the worst of the worst. And what he founds comes pretty close.

I try to be a good person, but admittedly I do end up judging people that wear Ed Hardy stuff. Judge, judge, judge. There, I said it. That - however - should not detract from this glorious achievement by the hubs. Good job, shipmate!

Why hello there - A blog from ERik

First BLOG for me EVER....here goes.

Well...where to begin. Back in March we set out for a good old fashion summer deployment...seemed pretty simple. 6 months, a fire, and a stop back in the good old US and A later and we are finally back in Japan...but not for long. After our 5 day "port visit" to where we "live" we head back out to sea for the fall deployment and a number of port visits around the western pacific. Don't worry, the fall deployment is only about two months and I will actually be in Alabama for a week or so of it.

Other than the mainly unknown element of our summer deployment, it all actually went pretty well. Before we started trekking east we pulled into Hong Kong and Guam..good times. On our way back to the US, we got to live the same day twice (June 13th) as we crossed the international date line...this was actually a pretty big buzz kill as it make our time at sea one day longer than was on the calender...and in case you were wondering, we dated paperwork 13A and 13B to know which date we were talking about.

Then did a lot of flying in a big exercise off of Hawaii called RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific). And also we were able to stop into Hawaii TWICE, once before and once after the exercise, to get a little R&R and I was fortunate to be able to spend a week of those port visits with Kate. With the exception of a terrible fishing trip...the port visit/vacation was awesome.

At the conclusion of the HI exercise we headed back to San Diego to swap ships. After flying through Whidbey Island for Prowler Ball, we landed in San Diego and began preparing all of our belongings and work spaces over to the USS George Washington (CVN 73). It took the better part of a week to get everything moved over and all of our spaces set up the way we like them...and at the end of the day, we are pretty happy with the move.

I now have 3 roommates in a "4-man" very close to the ready room and wardroom...it is pretty nice. The GW is definitely a huge upgrade as far as size and the quality of the spaces...but there is a part of me that will always miss the good old USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) where I have spend almost 9 months at sea.

I leave you now with a few pictures of my OLD stateroom on the Kitty...standby for pics of my new room in a couple weeks.

Go Go Gadget Prowler!

Since Erik isn't really here a lot to write his own mind farts, I have adopted the task of writing about what he does at work. Mind you that I'm not 100% sure of the everyday life on the USS Kitty Hawk (nor do I really want to know all the details), but I can ascertain tidbits of info from our daily emails with each other.

First of all, Erik flies in an EA-6B Prowler jet for VAQ-136 squadron, based out of Japan. It seats four butts: one pilot and three electronic countermeasure officers (known as ECMOs). My hubbie is an ECMO. The main goal of the Prowler is along the lines of electronic warfare -- jamming radars and such. It also can drop some missiles, but its not its main job. The jets are old and unsexy; they have been around since the early 70s. In dog years, that's really old (dead, in fact). Alas, they've got a few more years in them before the Navy transitions to the 2-man Growler.

Video of a Prowler taking off from Miss Kitty...


Because our tax dollars are at work, you will see a tint of the gold embedded in the jet's canopy. Because the Navy likes goooold! (You are supposed to read that with the Austin Powers Goldmember character in mind). Anyhoo... the gold provides protection from electromagnetic interference and prevents emissions of the same. That sounds crazy -- I want my tax dollars back!

As another side note, the nozzle on the front is so the Prowler can refuel while its in the air. I call it the fuel wiener, but I don't think its the technical term.

When Erik is not flying, he is sitting around in the ready room, swearing and farting with his fellow squadron members. They watch these little TVs that show whats going on up on the flight deck and giggle about other people's takeoffs and landings.

Actually, the guys all have regular jobs when they are not flying. Some of them help out with education stuff for the sailors, others do admin tasks, etc. So its not all fun and games. As an obligatory disclaimer, I know they all work really hard and are usually at their wits ends with being stuck in the middle of the ocean. But they've got camaraderie (and farting contests) to get them through it all. Keep up the good work, Gauntlets!

The air wing (which includes various squadrons of Prowlers, Hornets, Helos, etc) is soon transitioning to the USS George Washington and the Kitty Hawk will head on into retirement. Hopefully Erik will have a chance to post some pictures of his new digs (usually 4 to 6 people sleep in a room) and write about his day-to-day life aboard a carrier... minus the farting comments, from his own perspective.