Screaming Eagles Enroute

Thinking back, I can recall the first time I saw the “Screaming Eagle”…I was snooping around the crawl space in my childhood home and I came upon a box of my Dad’s old military uniforms. I remember trying on his fatigues and thinking that the patch of the “Screaming Eagle” looked very cool. Dad had once served as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY. Upon joining the Army, I realized that the “Screaming Eagle” is one of the most recognized division insignias in the world.

During this Iraq rotation, our Company of C-23 aircraft will be operating under the 101st Airborne insignia. Therefore, one of my errands has been to get the “Screaming Eagle” sewn on my uniforms. If my Dad were still alive, I think that tidbit would have brought a smile to his face.

I also had a chance to drop in on my Brownie Troop and personally thank them for their support. Since this was my first Brownie meeting, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the girls made sure I fit right in. I was even allowed to participate in the Brownie cheer at the end.

Also, a special thanks goes out to “The Point Boys” for putting on a firearms refresher course. You can’t go wrong with shooting tips from retired law enforcement guys. Next time the ammo and lunch is on me!

Graduation Day

It is official: Class 05/005 has successfully completed the C-23 Qualification Course. According to our primary instructor (who we refer to as “Jack Hammer”), we now have a license to learn…in a combat zone. Thanks to all the folks at FWAATS for the excellent training and support, it was our pleasure to attend.

I now get a few days to get my personal affairs in order; finances, insurance, wills, bills and equipment. After that, I’m off to Indianapolis to meet up with my unit.

How can 4 helicopter gunship pilots end up flying cargo airplanes---join the National Guard.

Brownie Troop Adpotee

This weekend I received a stack of colored pictures from the girls of the Cumberland Valley Brownie Troop. I am honored to be the soldier selected for their Adopt-A-Soldier campaign. Thank you for the beautiful pictures, prayers and words of encouragement. You girls are a special bunch! I will be looking forward to hearing from you over the next year and keeping up with all of your projects.

We completed the first evaluation flight last week and the course will now focus on instrument flying using the onboard Flight Management System (FMS). Our FMS orientation flight was on Friday. Afterwards, my classmates and I headed for our respective homes. In my case, one day with the family is worth 17 hours of driving. Our family day was spent on the General Jackson Showboat, where we had lunch, took in a show and ran around the boat—we had a blast.

Our children are watching us live, and what we ARE shouts louder than anything we can say. --Wilferd A. Peterson

9/11 In Pittsburgh

9/11/01…in remembrance for the lives lost, and for the sacrifices that followed. A beautiful day in Pennsylvania served as a subtle reminder to the event that triggered this current journey. But…time marches on and this year 9/11 coincided with the start of the NFL season. Randy and I used this opportunity to travel to the “Steel City” to take in a Pittsburgh Steelers versus Tennessee Titans match up. Although the game was pretty much over by the 2nd quarter, the halftime show honored families from Flight #93 and featured a performance by the Oak Ridge Boys. In the end, my hometown team was crushed 34-7 (I'm glad I didn't wear a Titans jersey). It looks to be a long year for Tennessee fans.

On the bright side, Randy received his first taste of the “NFL Experience” and the people of Pittsburgh proved to be wonderful hosts. The fans at Hienz Field are a fanatical bunch. A special thanks goes to Jeff Modrak and Renee Rose for their inspiration, hospitality and friendship...we are forever grateful. Wishing you the best in marriage & business and we expect great things from you in the Gulf States.

In honor of PTS Wired:
“Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid”...Basil King

Check Ride Prep

Training continued this week with a night orientation flight and an opportunity to fly from the right seat. The rest of the flight time was spent in the left seat smoothing out the rough spots and developing proficiency. The challenge is remembering the different flight profiles for each maneuver (power/prop settings, airspeeds, gear and flap configurations), while reciting specific crew coordination call/response commands and continuing to fly the aircraft. The cockpit procedures are similar to what you would observe on a commercial airliner.

Two evaluation flights are required to complete the C-23 course. We are scheduled to complete the first check ride next week. The initial evaluation will focus on visual flight maneuvers, aircraft limitations and emergency procedures. The final check ride will focus on instrument procedures, which are used when flying in the clouds. The class continues to perform ahead of course syllabus requirements. Therefore, we are hopeful the weather holds and we can complete aircraft qualification ahead of schedule. If so, we might be able to squeeze in some extra family time before departing for the mobilization site.

Labor Day In Lexington

A three-day weekend allowed for a rendezvous with my girls in “The Horse Capital Of The World”. We selected the Crown Plaza Hotel since it appeared to have the best swimming pool for my daughter--who I believe is part fish. On Saturday, we started out in the hotel pool and then moved downtown where my daughter ended up swimming in the public water displays. Lexington has a nice selection of fountains that encourage public participation—and we took full advantage of the opportunity. For lunch, we ended up buying a watermelon at the Farmers Market and mixed in some Chicago style hotdogs for a picnic lunch. Next stop was the Talon Vineyards to pick fresh grapes off the vine. During the evening hours, we sampled the local culture by attending harness racing at The Red Mile. There has been harness racing at this track since 1875. The $4 entry fee proved to be a great value.

Our day trip for Sunday was to the Kentucky Horse Park, which is home to the US Equestrian Federation as well as a retirement home for champion thoroughbreds and the final resting place for the finest horses from the last three decades. We visited the Hall Of Champions for a close up view of John Henry, DaHoss and Cigar (left), who retired as the leading North American money winner of all time with $9 Million in earnings, a record that stands to this day. Afterwards, we took in a polo match, steeplechase event and made time for a pony ride.

As luck would have it, the Bluegrass Classic Dog Show, a sanctioned event of the American Kennel Club, was also taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park. This event features over 140 dog breeds and more than 10,000 entries which compete over 4 days. Since my daughter is a proud owner of a terrier and receives Dog Fancy magazine, we felt obligated to attend. It was amazing to see the amount of preparation that went into “showing” each dog. By the end, my girls were contemplating trading in our terrier for an Afghan hound.

A Break In The Weather

After a few days of bad weather, largely due to Hurricane Katrina, we were finally able to get in a couple flights today. This phase of training is dedicated to basic flight manuevers to include takeoffs, landings, steep turns, slow flight, stalls, and single-engine operations. The purpose is to develop proficiency in a larger aircraft and apply the systems knowledge gained in the first week of classroom work. My classmates and I now have just under 5 hours of flight time and we will leave the course with about 40 hours in the aircraft.

We were hoping to combine our training with the hurricane relief efforts taking place in the Gulf of Mexico, but that request has not been approved. I was happy to learn my civilian air ambulance employer dispatched several helicopters to the area on Tuesday--Great Job! In addition, my C-23 unit in the Indiana Guard has been called upon to offer assistance. The guys in my class all feel we should be involved.

I want to take a moment and thank everyone for all the support and encouragement my wife and I have received over the last couple weeks. We never expected the positive response this blog has generated. I am truly grateful to the many people that have taken the time to check-in with my girls. I will continue to provide updates as long as Uncle Sam allows me to blog-on. Have a great holiday weekend and I look forward to seeing my girls in Lexington!

Today's Inspiration: "Sacrifice yourself for a cause other than self-interest to ensure your self respect"---John McCain