Friendly Faces

By deploying to Iraq as an Active Guard/Reserve (AGR) soldier, I traded 6 months in Kuwait flying a C-12 airplane…for 12-months in Iraq flying the C-23. My rationale was that either way, I was headed for the Middle East, therefore, I might as well select the position which offered the best retirement opportunity. A consequence of that decision was that I had to transfer out of a National Guard unit that I had been a member of for 11 years. It was 7-months before I saw a familiar face…that changed in March when my previous unit took over the mission in Kuwait. About once per week, I get the opportunity to stop by their hangar for a visit. There is a saying that captures the spirit of our times---the only constant is change---thus, the chance to talk with someone from your hometown is meaningful when you’re deployed on the other side of the world.

Another bonus for the month of April…the chance to fly a mission with each pilot with whom I attended the C-23 qualification course.