Posted on 11/28/2004 10:00:16 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
Even if you have lived in a place a long time, as I have in Corpus Christi, there are always new things to discover and to experience. One of those new experiences for me recently was witnessing a "winging ceremony" at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
The military has a very large presence in Corpus Christi, and it has had it for a very long time. You might say that the history of modern day Corpus Christi begins with the arrival of Gen. Zachary Taylor and the encampment of his troops here in 1845. The military economy, on which the city is highly dependent, has its roots in the building of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi right before the start of World War II.
We've all become familiar with Navy planes flying in our skies and know that a number of storied military careers got their start by flying over South Texas. One of those was former president George H.W. Bush.
The military presence has expanded now beyond pilot training. Naval Station Ingleside is the center for mine warfare training and the addition of its ships added another dimension to the military story here.
Still, for all our familiarity with the military's role in Corpus Christi, the nature of military life is, I would say, less familiar to us.
One reason for that is the absence of the military draft. The last generation of Vietnam vets, the last great draft wave, is aging. That means fewer Americans have someone in the military and fewer understand what that means.
I think, though, that if more of us were to witness one of the "winging" ceremonies that occurs at the two local Navy air training bases, we might understand a little better.
Between NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Kingsville, some 400 military pilots get their wings annually; that's a lot of pilots.
It was a packed Officers' Club on Nov. 19 that witnessed what is formally known as an Aviation Designation Ceremony for 23 new pilots of Training Air Wing 4.
In the interest of full disclosure, let me say one of those receiving his wings that day was a relative, my cousin's and her husband's oldest son, David Miller.
We had a full contingent of relatives on hand to watch the proceedings. But we weren't alone. A lot of other grandparents, siblings, parents, wives and friends were there to watch their own new pilot get the coveted wings.
The loved ones, like the pilots, came from all over the country. Some were carrying on a family military tradition. Some might be starting one.
As each pilot was called forward, a clutch of his family would join him and pin on the new wings. And as each one got the emblem that certified him or her as a military pilot, the scene emphasized just how much each of us, whether we has someone in the military or not, have at stake in their success.
The winging ceremony was not just a military ceremony, but a family ceremony because it had taken a lot more people besides flight instructors and wing commanders to get these young people to this moment. And it would take that same kind of support for them to succeed in whatever the coming years will bring.
These days, a lot of people look young to me. But I could not help but be amazed at how young these pilots are and that we put multi-million-dollar flying weapons in their hands.
But certainly they can't be any younger than all of the other young people who carry rifles, or man ships, or care for those multi-million dollar weapons that these young people will fly. We ask a lot of these young people.
The responsibility put on these young shoulders was underscored by the speaker, a Marine colonel, Michael Sawyers, a veteran pilot. Flying, he told them, is a "skill set," but what they were really hired to do was to be leaders.
That's a message that ought to be heard by a lot of young people embarking on professional careers.
The last pilot got his wings, the last words were said and hugs and kisses were given.
The young pilots now go on to what the future brings. God speed.
Nick Jimenez, editorial page editor of the Caller-Times, can be reached at 886-3787 or by e-mail at jimenezn@caller.com.
Amen.
Repost ping!
When I received my wings, the admiral said, "These wings mean--If it's blue and says US NAVY on its side, you can fly it!" They should be very proud. We are all very proud of them! God speed to every one of them.
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