Flashback Friday - New Year's Eve 21 Years Ago

Flashback 21 years ago, when I was home in Virginia Beach for Christmas break during my senior year at VMI.  Not sure what got into Mom and Dad but they said no problem to having a "small group" of friends over to the house for a New Year's Eve "get together."  Needless to say, it kinda got out of hand.  I guess the parents were so happy to have me home for a few days, they were pretty much forgiving about everything.  So much so that they overlooked the houseful of people, loud music and beers sitting atop of Dad's large Sony stereo speakers.  They even vacated the house early in the evening.  I can't remember if they had plans or if they just couldn't stand to see the shenanigans.  Either way, it was very cool of them to just let us do our thing.

It was an incredibly fun New Year's Eve.  Some of my VMI buddies drove down earlier in the week as well as good friends from Mary Baldwin College and James Madison University.  We hung out at my friend Anthony's place.  It was like a long slumber party.  Most of us were seniors and ready to let our hair down.

 Aileen, John and Dawn.

The living room wasn't much of a dance floor but we made the most of it.  We jammed out to "Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer, "Pump Up the Jams" by Technotronic, "I've Got the Power" by Snap, "Rhythm Nation" by Janet Jackson (Ms. Jackson if you're nasty) and of course the mega-one hit wonder from 1990...drum roll please..."Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.  Word to your mother.

So there were other pictures from that night, but trust me, no one needs to see them - especially if the individuals captured in said photos are even remotely considering the possibility of entering the world of politics.

Man, there are some good peeps in these pictures.  You're talking an Army Colonel, Navy Commander, engineers, FBI Special Agent, business owners and other professionals.  Can't wait to catch up with some of them later this year.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to catch up with one of them until much, much later.  Miss you Ann.

Hope you have a great 2012!

Flashback Friday - Fleet Week in Busan

Here's a Navy flashback for you.  Right about two years ago to the day, while stationed in Busan, Korea, my command, Military Sealift Command Korea, had the great pleasure of participating in the Republic of Korea Navy International Fleet Review - better known as Fleet Week.  This event is held once every ten years.  It encompassed over 30 different Navies throughout the world and over 50 ships.  It was a lot of fun but also a very busy week.

This international event commemorated the 60th founding anniversary of Korea's armed forces.  Thousands of people, including domestic and foreign dignitaries attended the event to witness the massive gathering of navy ships and aircraft from around the world.

The ships were lined up for as far as you could see.  A fleet review is a naval event in which the head of state reviews the country's fleet as a show of strength or before a major engagement.  This British naval tradition dates back more than 600 years.

The beautiful city of Busan in the background.

Lieutenant Colonel Kim and Colonel Lee are in the middle from the ROK Army Port Operations Group.  Colonel Lee is the Commander of the ROKPOG.  On the right is my partner in crime, LTC Tripp Blanton, 837th Transportation Battalion Commander.  The incredible work relationships and personal friendships forged between our three units is something I'll always look back on with fondness.  It was only through these strong bonds that we were able to accomplish some good things on the Korean peninsula.  These guys were simply awesome.

This is aboard the Australian ship, HMAS Toowoomba during a Fleet Week reception.  Tough duty, but someone had to do it.

Of course you have to eat kangaroo while aboard an Australian ship.  Ate some emu too.

Another difference between US ships and Aussie ships - they have a bar!  The crew was kind enough to host an "after hours" event in their wardroom.

The premiere US ship participating in Fleet Week was one of my old ships, the aircraft carrier, USS GEORGE WASHINGTON.  My longtime friend, VMI classmate and squadron-mate, Steve "Whip" Blasch was serving as the Mini-Boss aboard the GW.  It was great catching up and tossing back a beer with one of my closest friends.  The Navy is always good for adventures and mini-reunions.

MSCO Korea hosted a Fleet Week Social in my building.  With so many stuffy events happening throughout the week, I think this informal event was a nice change.  The party was well attended by folks from various ships.  There were officers from the US, Korea, Australia, Canada, Great Britain and others.  And yes, with a crowd of about 150 foreigners, we managed to disturb the peace and ended up getting kicked out.  Of course we had a back up plan - Gwangalli Beach.  Somehow, I managed to catch my shoe on fire at the party.

Some of the crew from the Busan Foreign School.  They definitely enhanced the international flavor of the event.

So this whole week reminded me of one of my favorite things about the US Navy - the opportunity to meet new friends, whether they live next door or halfway around the world.  That's good stuff there.  I also got the bonus reminder that shoes are flammable.  Have a great Columbus Day weekend.

Making Dreams Come True

After growing up as a military brat, attending one of the most spartan military schools in the world and serving 20 years and counting in the US Navy, I consider myself to be a pretty organized and attention-to-detail kind of guy.  It used to be that the checking account was balanced and reconciled monthly down to the last penny.  Mail and papers were filed expeditiously and with precision.  Each clothes hanger in my closet faced the same direction with the exact spacing of two finger widths, just like the way we did it at the Virginia Military Institute.  My car was washed and waxed on a regular basis, boasting a sense of pride.  And checklists galore for every evolution.  Oh yeah, I was one together dude.

But after 17 years of marriage, two boys, pets and the daily grind of family life, the order of magnitude of my meticulous ways (read anal tendencies) has dropped a notch or two.  And that's a good thing.  Now, I'm totally okay with piles of clothes on the floor, stacks of unfiled papers all over the house, an unmade bed and a lawn that's not edged.  Don't get me wrong, I still try to get to these things, but if I don't, I won't have a conniption like I would in the past.  I'll admit it, Carol has worn me down.  I've joined the Dark Side of the organization world - and I like it.  There's a sense of joy and liberation over not stressing over the little things that really don't matter.  No longer does every second of every day of vacation need to be planned.  It took a little bit of letting go.  But it's the right thing to do.  And I'm liking it.

There are certain things in the organization arena that I still think are pretty important though.  Like being on time - especially for church.  If you're going to make time for God, then be on time for God.  But as a family, we've been pretty bad about getting to church on time for whatever reason.

And so a couple of weeks ago, Carol went down to Alabama for a surprise 40th birthday party for her good friend, Heather.  I was Mr. Mom for a couple of days.  The boys and I had some good bonding time.  On Sunday, we got up, had breakfast, got showered and dressed and bam, we were on time for church.  Not a big deal.  It just kind of happened that way.  When Carol came home, I casually told her about how things went with the boys and mentioned how we managed to get to church on time.

Well.  Did I ever strike a nerve.  I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Yellowstone Park but I could've sworn Old Faithful was catapulting highly pressurized water right there in my kitchen.  Carol's reaction was energized and comedic.  I haven't heard octaves that high in a while.  Now it was crystal clear.  Surely Carol was the weighted anchor that kept dragging down "my dream" of getting to church on time.  It's all Carol's fault!  Good thing she was gone for a few days so I could experience the ecstasy of promptness.  My lovely wife's profuse (and highly sarcastic) apologies for crushing my dreams of butts in pews on time was pretty dang funny.  I honestly wasn't trying to rub it in her face.  But she was giving it to me good.  It was a lungbuster of a laugh.  I'm sure that if I was drinking something at the time, it would've came shooting out of my nose.  I am very happy she was only joking.

And yet, like the verbal diarrhea that spews from the mouths of the inebriated, sometimes a little bit of truth escapes.  For the last couple of weeks, "my dream" has come true.  I didn't ask Carol to change a thing.  And yet we've been getting to church on time on a regular basis.

The boys making a beeline for the car.  Gotta get to Bellevue Baptist on time!  CJ's job is to grab the Bibles.  Jake's job is to not spill anything on his shirt.

And there she is, making Daddy's dream come true.

We did have a glitch this past Sunday though.  Our garage door opener broke that morning.  I had to manually pull the door open and stand on a ladder while supporting the open door while Carol drove the cars out of the garage.  And so we were just a tad late.  Dream crushed.

To be clear, I really wasn't making any fuss at all about being late for church.  It's nice if we're on time but I'm not gonna get in a bad mood or lose sleep over it.  I do appreciate the family's extra effort in being more timely for this one thing though.  You see, Carol does so much for me and the boys already.  I've got zero to complain about.  Absolutely nothing.  She still makes my dreams come true - and I'm not talking about being on time.

25 Years Ago

Let's start with one year ago:

A year ago, Carol and I were at a function hosted by the Korean American Busan Association or KABA.  That's Mr. Cho, the KABA President and his wife.  

On that night, KABA made me an honorary member of their organization.  It was an incredibly kind gesture of friendship.  I really enjoyed our relationship.

Five years ago, we were enjoying the snow of Newport, Rhode Island.  I was at the Naval War College.

Carol and Jake - the Great Big Ball of Baby Goodness!  Jake was born in Newport.

Ten years ago, we were stationed in San Diego.  I was a Flight Instructor at VS-41, the Fleet Replacement Squadron for the S-3B Viking.  Here's the wardroom at the I-Bar at Naval Air Station North Island.

I had the great pleasure of volunteering with Balboa Elementary School while stationed with VS-41.  These are the kids from my class during a field trip at the squadron.

So now we're talking fifteen years ago.  Here's me and Steve "Whip" Blasch as young Lieutenants with the Scouts of VS-24.  This is in Puerto Rico right before our flight where we shot a Harpoon missile.  It was an awesome shot too.

It's not all work with a squadron.  Here are the Scouts during a port call at Saint Martin.  We named the Greek statue, "Freeballicus."  Epic port call.

Rewinding even further, twenty years ago, I was the Alpha Company Commander at the Virginia Military Institute.  That's me leading the company during a parade.  I'm fairly certain I was the shortest guy in the entire company.  Didn't bother me one bit.

Carol and I are making plans now for the 20th college reunion.  My turn to be a spectator at the VMI parades instead of a participant.

And last but not least (well maybe least as far as weight), this picture is from 25 years ago.  As a senior, I was wrestling in the 105 pound weight class for Kellam High School in Virginia Beach.

While I enjoyed the competition and challenge of wrestling, the cutting weight part was no fun.  At least I got this cheerful picture out of it.

Thanks for flipping through the photo album with me.  Time flies.  Wonder what the next 25 years will bring?

VMI and Shenandoah

I've never been one to try to explain the VMI experience to family and friends.  It's a futile exercise.  Trying to encapsulate the myriad of events experienced during a four year cadetship at this tiny military school nestled in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley is a heavy task.  However, there's one slice of my personal VMI experience that came flooding back to me today when I saw this video clip of the VMI Corps of Cadets marching at President Obama's Inauguration Parade:

As a cadet, me and 1200 of my best friends marched in the Inauguration Parade for President Bush (senior).  What a day that was.  Frigid, windy and just downright miserable.  We waited outside in a parking lot near the Pentagon for hours trying to do everything we could not to freeze.  Finally, it was the Corps of Cadets' turn to march.  The parade order had the famous Budweiser Clydesdales in front of us.  Normally, being close to these famous beasts would be a positive thing but on that particularly cold day, these horses were obviously very hydrated and not nice to be around - especially downwind with a stiff breeze.  We knew that because of the smell of the mist of their bodily fluids that some of us unlucky cadets felt on our faces.  Not pleasant.  It was a long trek before we finally arrived at the reviewing stand of the new President.  Although the challenging temperatures, the tiresome wait and the dodging of horse manure could've dampened my spirit, it was still an incredibly memorable day for me.  I was extremely proud to be a VMI cadet that day.  Like the cadets that marched a few days ago, my chest was puffed out and my head was held high as I proudly marched in honor of the President of the United States, whether I voted for him or not.

The song being played by the VMI Band in the video is called "Shenandoah."  It is a memorable and haunting song for me.  For four long years I listened to Band Company produce that distinctive drum beat and those brass notes that comprised "Shenandoah."  For many cadets, I'm sure they grew tired of this tune.  After all, we were forced to march to it a couple of times a week during parade practice and every single weekend during parades.  But for me, I always loved that song.  It rings of tradition, promise and love.  One line goes, "Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter."  Little did I know that I would marry this daughter, my own Southern Belle.  The song rings of the Shenandoah Valley which VMI calls home, with autumn leaves of vibrant orange, yellow and reds, framing a blue skyline that proudly boasts, yes, God most definitely made this place.    

When I saw the video today and heard "Shenandoah" for the first time in many years, I have to tell you that I began to well up.  I was truly overcome.  The cadets, marching sharply in their overcoats, a sea of blue-gray with hints of red - a blood red that reminds us that yes, some of these brave young men and women will unfortunately and undoubtedly spill their blood for their country in the coming years.  Rifles held high and steady.  The "eyes left" command so they can properly honor their new President.  The infectious smile and the sincere giddiness of the First Lady with her thumbs up show of approval.  And the snap of one of the first salutes from President Obama.  All of these great sights on a memorable day in American history - in lock step to the song I want playing at my funeral.  VMI, you made me very proud today.  Well done.  -- C2, VMI Class of 1991