Now that motivational statements matter, I think I'll put mine on the chopping block:
I’ll confess to a fair degree of sentimentality. That is one of many reasons that I wish to be a Naval Aviator. The stories my dad tells, some of them even true, of his life as an aviator during the heyday of Naval Aviation were and are inspirational to me. I’d like to be able to tell stories like that to my son someday. More important than having material to build fiction out of after I’ve hung up the flight suit, however, is the comradeship and sense of purpose and unity that I will have with my fellow aviators, flight officers, and enlisted personnel during and after my service. These are relationships forged in a crucible of service to country and each other that transcend time, distance, and self. These bonds are the bread of life that can sustain us for all time. No other community in the military has the same unique blend of comradery, professionalism, and adventure as Naval Aviation does, and I am eager to join those men and women.
The history of Naval Aviation, too, serves as inspiration. The trailblazing flights of Eugene Ely in 1911 began a glorious profession, one that has proven its mettle and worth time and again. The dark early months of World War Two saw an emasculated USN strike back at an enemy who seemed vast and implacable, and humbled him during the Marshall-Gilberts raids, and avenged Pearl Harbor several times over at Midway. Aviators such as John P. Waldron, Wade McClusky, and Dick Best are inspirational to me. I’d like nothing more than to be an inheritor of the history that Naval Aviation has made. I cannot imagine a higher honor.
I don’t want to be an aviator just for the above reasons, of course. I love flight more than anything, and it is something I have the capacity to be excellent at doing. Everything about it gets me excited, from the violence of g’s pushing me into my seat as I practice aerobatics in an American Champion Citabria to the peace and seclusion of a night cross country in the ubiquitous Cessna 172. The keenness of focus I feel on final, the great release of tension that comes when the tires squeal against the runway, and the satisfaction of a well-executed flight are all sublime pleasures that I look forward to as I preflight my craft and fumble with the restraints as my instructor waits patiently for me. John Gillespie Magee’s poem perfectly captures how flying makes me feel, and I’m not ashamed to say that when I read that poem I get misty eyed. There is an inherent beauty and spirituality to flight, and it lifts something within the body and soul. Anyone who truly loves to fly will feel the same way, even if it isn’t expressed with ocular moistness. And with the Navy, I could get to fly for a living! A match made in Heaven! The opportunity to pilot one of the many incredible machines the US Navy has in its vast inventory is one too exciting to pass up, and I do my best with every flight to show I’m good enough to earn the right to one day wear the wings of gold.
There’s nothing more I’d like to do than be a Naval Aviator, and I ask the board to grant me the opportunity to make my dream a reality. The road won't be easy, and I have no illusions, but its a challenge I am eager to accept should the board extend it to me.
