Accidentally posted this in the Private Naval Aviators forum a couple days ago. It was meant for the eyes of all of AW membership, aviators and non aviators alike.
Ladies and gentlemen, kids of all ages....
Air Warriors has been around since early 1999, about 14 1/2 years now. For these last 13 1/2 years it has existed as a forum with varying degrees of look, feel, and function as the technology has evolved. And unlike its original design which lasted about a year, the forum concept has provided unlimited dynamic content, the ability for website visitors to interact with each other, and yes even for allowing online relationships to develop (good and bad). When I initially came up with the idea to start this website, I envisioned creating something that had the feeling of a small community where those in the know could help out those who didn't. However, at the time of conception, my only real experience with the internet was limited to kicking Webmaster's ass in Age of Empires and taking a basic HTML and web design class in college. I simply did not have the experience or the web knowledges to create exactly what I had in my head, nor did I really know where to look to figure it out. So I was left with the journal concept, providing gouge downloads, and yes....even a guest book (for those of you that remember what those were).

Initially it was just a journal detailing my experiences as I progressed through the training process. Later, Webmaster had a training journal of his own when he started flight school a few months after me. When I made the decision to leave naval aviation and pursue my lifelong dream of being a SWO, I approached Webmaster with the idea of him taking over ownership of the website. He readily accepted the offer while sipping on his favorite raspberry bay breeze drink at one of our many weekend BBQ's. Not long after he took over control, he was able to put in a forum system. Though it was a rough system and used an Access database (if I recall correctly) for the back end, it was far better than anything I had been able to do up to that point. That new system was really the genesis of what you see before you now.
This forum, since those early beginnings through present day, has thrived on personal interactions and the contributions, mentorship, and leadership of the following:
winged aviators, SNA's/SNFO's, SWO's, supply officers, flight surgeons, officer recruiters, submariners, civilians, enlisted sailors, marines, coasties, airline pilots, law enforcement personnel, military spouses, government contractors, etc, etc, etc. Air Warriors started out as a site dedicated to all things naval aviation and that continued even after the first forum system was put into place. Later, however, AW began to evolve and branch into other areas outside of naval aviation. Presently, there are 8 subforums specific to commissioning programs, 4 on the Marine Corp, 2 for the reserves, and 8 that are specific to other navy communities. Most of those subforums have been a part of this site for over a decade now.
Many of you might be wondering where do we go from here or you might be thinking that AW is just never going to be the same without the contributions of those individuals who recently left. This is not the first time that significant contributors have chosen to leave AW, nor will it be the last. I have seen more people than I can count over the years come and go on this forum. This is, however, the first time that folks have chosen to leave in such a manner as they did. I will tell you that I really enjoyed interacting with those guys on this forum, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they were funny. Other times they pushed my buttons. And other times we had intelligent conversations. I will miss interacting with them.
For all you winged aviators who think the world should bow at your feet, get over yourselves. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. New folks coming onto this forum looking for information do not know you or care that you have wings under your name. They do not know the time, energy, and work you put into earning them. They literally have no idea what they mean. YOU DO and that is why you put so much focus on them. But trying to cram that same respect for your wings down their collective throats does nothing but alienate them. I am not saying they shouldn't be corrected if they are disrespectful to you or others. They do. But in some ways I think there are many of winged aviators here that are far more uptight and high strung than any SWO I've ever served with. You probably don't like hearing that, but I've observed it for a long time now. Lighten up. I also think the moderators in general have been much too quick on the trigger in putting someone in timeout if they don't agree with what they're saying.
Finally, something everyone here needs to come to grips with is not all visitors to this forum give a damn about naval aviation or wings. And honestly, I think THAT'S the crux of what needs to be addressed in terms of forward direction for this site. Do you want folks who are from other navy communities or want information about those communities participating on this site......or not?