Mourning the Loss of a Fighter, Father, and Marine

The Marines lost a great flyer last week. Here’s to Taj Sareen, fighter, father–Marine.

Click HERE to support a memorial fund for his daughter, Jade.

 

 

Broad is the Path (Excerpt from One of the Few)

If you can manage not to get blown off the ship while navigating the crowded and dangerous flight deck while trying to find your jet, you’ve won half the battle. The landing pattern is different at night and allows for a straight-in approach with the aid of the automated carrier landing system. Similar to a civilian instrument landing system, the equipment provides course and glide slope information to get you to the ball at ¾ of a mile. With the use of coupled autopilot and auto-throttles, the F/A-18 is capable of landing itself on the carrier without pilot input if needed.

Beyond the greenish glow of the cockpit lighting was complete darkness. The sea joined the sky—the horizon cloaked by a moonless night. Looming in solitude was a single light marking the meatball’s position. The surrounding ship was invisible—no more matchbox planes, no more flight deck crew—just a small amber light amidst the gloom. I boltered several times after sending the ball up and off the lens by adding too much power.

It was after midnight, and I was the only Hornet left in the pattern. I only needed one more night trap to complete my qualification. “Bingo, Bingo,” came through the headset from the aural warning system. I checked my fuel and reset my bingo number for the established divert. If she squawked at me again, I would be heading back to shore for the night. I only had one more chance to catch a wire. (Read more. . .)

Splashing Myths (Excerpt from One of the Few)

An excerpt from One of the Few. Pre-order today, buy a book for the troops, and help me reach my funding goal by March 22nd!

I was running out of missiles and we already lost one fighter. We managed to hold back the first wave of enemy aircraft, but air intercept control (AIC) was already calling out more groups. There was no time to mourn for Dash-4; he made a tactical error and paid the price. Marine aviation is not unsafe, but it is unforgiving. We’d have to finish out the vul as a three-ship.

Our mission was to defend the carrier strike group (CSG), and I was in charge of the division. We found another group on our radar and received positive confirmation it was hostile—mostly likely a pair of MiGs. Each pilot pulled the trigger, igniting the launch-motors of our AMRAAMs (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) and sending them off the rails toward the enemy fighters. I followed the smoke trail of my missile until it disappeared from view. In a few moments, we would potentially be engaged with multiple fighters in the visual arena where the struggle for an advantage becomes less a numbers game and more the reward of mastering the art and skill of aerial combat.

I looked out to where I expected to see a small dot gradually expanding—the visual signature of an aircraft at long range. In that vicinity, an orange flash birthed a black smoke-cloud which hung in mid air. (Read more. . .)

Please Think Carefully Before Thanking Our Veterans

Thinking about thanking our veterans? Stop. Don’t be so hasty. Let me give you something to think about before you walk up to that service member.

As a veteran, I know the satisfaction that comes when you take time to say, “Thank you for your service.” I understand your intention, and I appreciate the sentiment. But I have one recommendation:

Think carefully before thanking our veterans.  (Read more . . .)

ALCOHOL REJECTED AS CAUSAL FACTOR IN DRUNKEN BRAWL

SAN DIEGO, California — Lance Corporal Craven Martinez is whistling on his way to the seven-day store. Martinez is an ordnance Marine with VMFAT(AW)-321. It’s payday and all tools are accounted for. There’s only one thing left to do before the weekend: stock up on booze.

But Devil Dogs weren’t whistling earlier this week when Marine culture came under review following an off-base incident landing two Marines in the brig and one civilian in critical condition.

LCpl Martinez and Staff Sergeant Brian Schatts are in pre-trial confinement awaiting court-martial at the Naval Consolidated Brig aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Charges include drunk and disorderly, public intoxication, and failure to reject poor leadership examples (lumped under the General Article 134). (Read more. . .)

E-METERS, MAGIC POTIONS ALLOWED IN BOOT CAMP BARRACKS

PARIS ISLAND, S.C.— By mid-February, recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Paris Island will have more freedom to stay spiritually fit during their 13 weeks of basic training.

Aapep Dragonsong was looking for a high school alternative when a recruiter approached him in the naughty section of Spencers at a local Lily Dale mall. The 19-year-old New Yorker is the son of Altair and Lucretia Dragonsong, self-described Wiccans who came to the US from England in search of greater religious freedom and better food. (Read more . . .)

NEW BENEFITS NEAR FOR PILOTS WITH TYPE CONFUSION

MCAS MIRAMAR, CA — Fresh stubble sprouts on the face of Marine Major Pat “Brownout” Greyson. He rubs his oddly rough cheeks awaiting the results of a Congressional hearing on type confusion in the military.

“You’re supposed to shave, even when on leave. But l don’t feel like shaving today.”

Greyson has been battling depression since completing his transition from flying helicopters to the Marine Corps’ newest transformer-like hybrid: the MV-22 Osprey. Neither a traditional fixed-wing “type” nor a rotary-wing type, the Osprey has a new type of its own: tiltrotor. (Read more . . .)

The Ballad of Betty and Chesty

For Marines, the Crucible is both a test and a way of life. This test of courage and strength begins at basic training, extends into combat, and often continues after their service is complete. This ballad describes one small part of the Crucible and is dedicated to the men and women of the armed forces who have strengthened the bonds of brotherhood through suffering at the Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ) at Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma. 

Well they’re sendin’ me down to Yuma
They gonna train me up for war
I ain’t sure what to bring to that Jarhead base
I ain’t never been before

So I called on down to the housin’ place to find out
Where I’d lay my head
And a sweet little thing named Betty picked up
And a this is what she said

“Well I’m glad you called, young man,” she said
“I’d love to tell ya what I’ve got
It’s called a BOQ and I’m tellin’ you
You’re gonna like this place a lot

“It’s got wall-to-wall nice carpet
And beds made for a king
Uncle Sam didn’t pinch no pennies on the lowest bidder
When he built this thing

“We can’t have ya’ll gettin’ lonely
When your home’s so far away
So we double ya up and let ya share a head
For the duration of your stay (Read more. . .)