jride200
Member
All right, kind of worked up here, pardon if I ramble . . .
Coming home from the Rockford Airfest, my brother and I stop to eat at a greasy truck-stop diner. He always wants to go to these places. I suspect he enjoys the experiences from a cultural, anthropological perspective.
Sitting on bar stools alongside a middle aged trucker, peacefully eating my biscuits and gravy, my brother asks me a question about NA. I'm wearing a nice, new Navy Flex-fit cap that I picked up from recruiters at the airfest. One of the truckers comments, "Navy=Never Again Volunteer Yourself," and some other BS. I'm laughing my ass off now, just let me tell you. My brother proudly, and innocently, tells them that I have an OCS date, designator SNA. I cringe, knowing that this conversation is going downhill fast.
The nameless trucker proceeds to tell me that Top Gun moved to Fallon. Duh. He tells me that, unlike Miramar, there is no tail to chase in Fallon. He tells me about a sub base on a lake in northern Idaho. He tells me the depth of the lake is a national secret, implying it somehow connects to the Pacific. (In reality, I knew that the Navy uses this lake, because of its still waters, to perform acoustic research on scale subs, but I said nothing.) He finally tells me that his best buddy's son is a 2nd Lt. in the AF. His buddy's son flies Combat Search And Rescue, and this, he tells me, requires pilots with bigger stones than any other in the military. I really said nothing to this guy; he did most of the talking. You know the type.
Here is what I have observed: for every one person who appreciates what you all do, and I hope, god willing, to do, there are a half dozen chuckleheads like this guy. Many such cases are milder. "My brothers, wife's, nephew's, cousin is a Naval Aviator. He said ___(insert f-d up advise here)___." Now, I realize humans naturally want to make connections in their conversations, but Naval Aviator's are a rare breed. I've busted my ass to get this far and you all have busted your asses to become Naval Aviators. How about some respect? Those I previously mentioned, who properly appreciate, simply say "Wow" or "I know that is hard to do" when I tell them about my budding career. Perhaps they know that they really don’t know.
Back in the car on our way home, my brother senses I'm worked up. He reminds me that I may well have to deal with that kind of shit for the rest of my life. I'm getting to the point were I am reluctant to tell people about my future plans and that sucks. Although I'm humble by nature, I'm extremely proud of the career I have ahead of me.
What experiences like this have you had? How have you handled them? The naivety of the general public really will never cease to amaze me.
JR
Coming home from the Rockford Airfest, my brother and I stop to eat at a greasy truck-stop diner. He always wants to go to these places. I suspect he enjoys the experiences from a cultural, anthropological perspective.
Sitting on bar stools alongside a middle aged trucker, peacefully eating my biscuits and gravy, my brother asks me a question about NA. I'm wearing a nice, new Navy Flex-fit cap that I picked up from recruiters at the airfest. One of the truckers comments, "Navy=Never Again Volunteer Yourself," and some other BS. I'm laughing my ass off now, just let me tell you. My brother proudly, and innocently, tells them that I have an OCS date, designator SNA. I cringe, knowing that this conversation is going downhill fast.
The nameless trucker proceeds to tell me that Top Gun moved to Fallon. Duh. He tells me that, unlike Miramar, there is no tail to chase in Fallon. He tells me about a sub base on a lake in northern Idaho. He tells me the depth of the lake is a national secret, implying it somehow connects to the Pacific. (In reality, I knew that the Navy uses this lake, because of its still waters, to perform acoustic research on scale subs, but I said nothing.) He finally tells me that his best buddy's son is a 2nd Lt. in the AF. His buddy's son flies Combat Search And Rescue, and this, he tells me, requires pilots with bigger stones than any other in the military. I really said nothing to this guy; he did most of the talking. You know the type.
Here is what I have observed: for every one person who appreciates what you all do, and I hope, god willing, to do, there are a half dozen chuckleheads like this guy. Many such cases are milder. "My brothers, wife's, nephew's, cousin is a Naval Aviator. He said ___(insert f-d up advise here)___." Now, I realize humans naturally want to make connections in their conversations, but Naval Aviator's are a rare breed. I've busted my ass to get this far and you all have busted your asses to become Naval Aviators. How about some respect? Those I previously mentioned, who properly appreciate, simply say "Wow" or "I know that is hard to do" when I tell them about my budding career. Perhaps they know that they really don’t know.
Back in the car on our way home, my brother senses I'm worked up. He reminds me that I may well have to deal with that kind of shit for the rest of my life. I'm getting to the point were I am reluctant to tell people about my future plans and that sucks. Although I'm humble by nature, I'm extremely proud of the career I have ahead of me.
What experiences like this have you had? How have you handled them? The naivety of the general public really will never cease to amaze me.
JR
:bigeyes2_ :bigeyes_1 :censored_ :icon_cry: in that order or close to it....
