A Moment of Remembrance: Beyond the Flight Line

As Memorial Day approaches, my thoughts often drift back to my time as a Petty Officer in the United States Navy, working ground support for the F-14 Tomcat.

Those of us who worked the line knew the risks, but nothing prepares you for the reality of loss. In just one year, I witnessed the weight of that sacrifice—crashes that took the lives of skilled pilots and the passing of dear shipmates who became like family.

One memory stays with me above all others: being the first to reach a crash site and realizing the only thing left to do was offer a hand to hold and a word of comfort. I told him he wasn’t alone, that God was watching over him, and I stayed until he was in care. He passed the next morning.

To some, Memorial Day is a long weekend or a start to summer. For those of us who served, it is a day to sit with the names and faces of those who didn’t come home.

The weekend of 25May, I’m taking a moment away from CAD drawings and furniture layouts to remember the brave men and women I served with at NAS Miramar. We honor their memory by living well and working hard in the country they gave everything to protect.

Fair Winds and Following Seas to my fallen shipmates. You are not forgotten.