My life on the Homefront.....Be Safe....Love, Mom

From Plebe year to the hat toss, diapers to carrier landings, Okinawa to Kabul-life as a military mom has it's challenges!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

CRASH

"Mom, I was surprised you didn't call me about the crash? " CRASH?! I had heard about a possible F/18 crash but I had been very busy that week. When I googled I could find no mention of it. Besides my Marine was sick in Florida not in California....

My mom radar was definitely on the blink. As an aviator's mom(make that triple aviator's mom ) I scan the news daily for any mention of a mishap that might remotely involve my boys or any of their compadres. And when a news crawl or google alert pops up I am on the phone, if possible, checking  to make sure my kid is safely on the ground.

Such is the life of a military pilot's mom. It doesn't matter if they are deployed or not. Every day they do battle with physics. My Marine in his F/18 defies gravity and the speed of sound, flying way too close to another airplane to make a mom comfrotable. My P/3 NFO is up for hours in OLD airplanes-thankfully soon to be replaced. And my Army ROTC cadet in helicopters-those things fly way too close to the ground, don't you think?

But this accident snuck right past me. Thankfully the pilot-a buddy from flight school-and the  Whizzo escaped to tell the tale, despite sustaining serious injuries.

I should mention I am also the wife of an aviator who has flown for 40 years in and out of the military. I have seen the black smoke of an accident more than once. But when it is your kid at the stick, it brings the word worry to a whole new level.

When two of them deployed last year to the far east, people would ask me if I was relieved they weren't in Afghanistan. Not really-the skies they flew near were not necessarily friendly. But that is what they do -and they are proud of it. So I pray, and scan the news, and pray some more. The Navy Hymn has a verse for aviators " Lord guard and guide the men who fly...yes please do.
The safest way for Mom to fly..in the simulator

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