End of an Era
I work at Brunswick Naval Air Station (BNAS), for now.
The base is closing. The last P-3 Orion launches this morning. I’m told my last day will be 31 January 2010, just weeks away. I will be unemployed, and homeless soon too.
The Bush/Cheney Administration tasked the Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) with shutting down the Continental United State’s most easterly airfield. The Obama/Biden administration has not questioned this decision. The overwhelming majority of my neighbors abhor this absurd decision to close BNAS.
There will be no Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) over the Western Atlantic north of Virginia when VP-26 Trident’s remaining aircraft launches in a few hours. MPA from BNAS have aided in Search And Rescue (SAR) operations for over 60 years, but that was yesterday.
It’s only a matter of time until SAR is needed and we won’t be there fast enough. It will be too late when people will ask "Why?"
What hasn’t been widely disseminated is that Anthony Principi, Chairman of the BRAC, is reported to have overcharged the government six million dollars in his capacity as the Veterans Affairs Secretary, cheating troops wounded in combat from necessary long term care.
I looked across the bar before I came to work and saw Lieutenant Dara Ching of VP-26 with two colleagues. All three were in civilian clothing. I was waiting from my steak tips to be cooked, and lumbered over to say "Good bye." Lieutenant Ching, a dark-haired Asian, is a navigator on P-3 Orion aircraft, and one of my favorite officers. I brief navigators and pilots before most flights. She’s not just pretty, she’s smart, hard-working, and very nice. Judging from her body language, I guessed the light-brown-haired young man on her left was her boyfriend, the dark-brown-haired young man on her right seemed to be an animated, amusing friend. "Lieutenant Ching, how are you?" I interrupted. They were enjoying one last night in Maine. We chatted amiably for a moment, about the base closure of course. I tried to include her friends in the conversation. "You must be VP-26 too?" I asked. They nodded, obviously wondering who I was. Lieutenant Ching introduced them as Intelligence Officers. "I used to be an IS (Intelligence Specialist)" I offered. Both men turned away abruptly, abhorring social contact with unwashed Enlisted, prior or otherwise - Rank Makes Right.
Not aiming to embarrass Lieutenant Ching by calling on the Intelligence Officer’s rude behavior, we bade each other "Fair well" and I returned to my table.
Aircrews combine Officers and Enlisted forged into close teams. They’re comfortable working together. Intelligence Officers don’t necessarily have much experience working with Enlisted. Still, the Rank Make Right mentality is tiresome.
The manager, John Marley, had prepared my steak tips himself, and they looked delicious. He’d been Enlisted once too, many years ago, and served aboard submarines. Deb, the gregarious bartender, and Erika, a bubbly young waitress, fussed over me, which I like. I glanced up to meet the Intelligence Officer’s eyes then turned back to my meal without a shrug; the three Officers left moments later.
The base is closing. The last P-3 Orion launches this morning. I’m told my last day will be 31 January 2010, just weeks away. I will be unemployed, and homeless soon too.
The Bush/Cheney Administration tasked the Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) with shutting down the Continental United State’s most easterly airfield. The Obama/Biden administration has not questioned this decision. The overwhelming majority of my neighbors abhor this absurd decision to close BNAS.
There will be no Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) over the Western Atlantic north of Virginia when VP-26 Trident’s remaining aircraft launches in a few hours. MPA from BNAS have aided in Search And Rescue (SAR) operations for over 60 years, but that was yesterday.
It’s only a matter of time until SAR is needed and we won’t be there fast enough. It will be too late when people will ask "Why?"
What hasn’t been widely disseminated is that Anthony Principi, Chairman of the BRAC, is reported to have overcharged the government six million dollars in his capacity as the Veterans Affairs Secretary, cheating troops wounded in combat from necessary long term care.
I looked across the bar before I came to work and saw Lieutenant Dara Ching of VP-26 with two colleagues. All three were in civilian clothing. I was waiting from my steak tips to be cooked, and lumbered over to say "Good bye." Lieutenant Ching, a dark-haired Asian, is a navigator on P-3 Orion aircraft, and one of my favorite officers. I brief navigators and pilots before most flights. She’s not just pretty, she’s smart, hard-working, and very nice. Judging from her body language, I guessed the light-brown-haired young man on her left was her boyfriend, the dark-brown-haired young man on her right seemed to be an animated, amusing friend. "Lieutenant Ching, how are you?" I interrupted. They were enjoying one last night in Maine. We chatted amiably for a moment, about the base closure of course. I tried to include her friends in the conversation. "You must be VP-26 too?" I asked. They nodded, obviously wondering who I was. Lieutenant Ching introduced them as Intelligence Officers. "I used to be an IS (Intelligence Specialist)" I offered. Both men turned away abruptly, abhorring social contact with unwashed Enlisted, prior or otherwise - Rank Makes Right.
Not aiming to embarrass Lieutenant Ching by calling on the Intelligence Officer’s rude behavior, we bade each other "Fair well" and I returned to my table.
Aircrews combine Officers and Enlisted forged into close teams. They’re comfortable working together. Intelligence Officers don’t necessarily have much experience working with Enlisted. Still, the Rank Make Right mentality is tiresome.
The manager, John Marley, had prepared my steak tips himself, and they looked delicious. He’d been Enlisted once too, many years ago, and served aboard submarines. Deb, the gregarious bartender, and Erika, a bubbly young waitress, fussed over me, which I like. I glanced up to meet the Intelligence Officer’s eyes then turned back to my meal without a shrug; the three Officers left moments later.