I probably don't have the experience most of you guys have, and probably didn't have the adventures most of you are having, but I feel bad for you for the changes in Naval Aviation. The camaraderie, the freedom, the lack of stifling restrictions was what we most enjoyed. In VT-land, we had beer musters at the squadron or in the area in front of the BOQ to celebrate solos and carrier quals. In the RAG we all went to Mexico while doing bombs and rockets at Yuma. While in VN, we all took R&R, a 7-day trip, another 7-day trip, and a jungle survival class in the Philipines (that no one attended), and it was all basket leave, never charged against us. At the survival school, after we had been sending all pilots there for two years, a guy actually went, and the instructors said they had never heard of our squadron.
When we had visitors, be they Admirals, reporters, Aussies, SEALs, civilians, or other pilots, we'd take them for a ride. Anytime we had an empty back seat, we'd take one of our enlisted guys. We always had targets, and we always received clearance to shoot.
You guys talk about the "command attitude" of each type of squadron. Our JO's set the "command attitude". We had the VAL-4 Head-Up-And-Locked award that we presented to the senior officer (usually) who made the stupidest mistake, and the CO and XO were not excluded. It became an honor to be so marked, and it was given and taken in good spirits.
I tell these things to my daughter and my son, and they can't quite comprehend it. Obviously, things have changed, and we can't change them back. But remember how it was, and try your best to make new traditions and adventure.
That's what A4s was trying to tell you.