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New Here? Read the blog from the beginning (it's worth it!). Start in the July 2005 archive.

The dates in the posts are when things actually happened. Since I had no Internet in Basic, I'm entering my blog now.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Blackhawk Calling

There's just something about a Blackhawk helicopter that I always found fascinating.

After finishing college (in the post-Top Gun era) I seriously wanted to be a fighter pilot. Not just because of the movie, of course, but because I love aviation and I want to do my part to help protect our country. I thought seriously about it, but instead opted to travel the world.

Years later, terrorists brought down a symbol of our freedom and killed thousands of our citizens in a single, well-coordinated attack. Again, my thoughts turned to becoming a military pilot. Unfortunately, the services told me that I'm "too old" to fly for them. Instead, I joined CAP.

While I was helping to watch over the homeland, we first first invaded Afghanistan, then Iraq. Whether you support or oppose our rationalle for going to war in Iraq, the fact remains that we are there now and have an obligation to leave behind a stable democracy. It is also still true that there are well-funded, well-organized groups in the world that would like to strike us again - if possible with weapons of mass destruction. We did not find WMD's in Iraq, but they are still quite a threat worldwide.

Many families carried the burden of our foreign engagement. As a result, fewer are willing to enlist or reenlist. This created an opportunity for me, both to (hopefully) fulfill my desire to be a military pilot, and to serve the country. Even though the age for direct admission to flight school is 32 (it used to be 29), age waivers can and are granted to otherwise well-qualified candidates.

The trick is, age waivers can only be granted for people who are already reservists. Luckily, I found an Army Reserve job I would enjoy doing even if not ultimately accepted to flight school - Psyops. Psychological Operations. This job involves understanding foreign cultures, and attempting to influence them to be pro-American, or at least less anti-American. It's like marketing, except the "product" is "not attacking the United States".

This blog cronicles my quest to become an Army Aviator in the Army Reserve. It is worth reading if you want to know what Basic Training is like (stay tuned for that...). After I describe Basic, in all its glory, I'll document my experience at AIT - Advanced Individual Training. Then, with luck, my application to flight school will be accepted, and I will be able to describe that experience as well. There may be things that I am not able to share, but even so, I hope that reading about my experiences will inform, and perhaps inspire.

Enjoy!

Eric

PS - If you're interested in reading about how to become a civilian pilot, I have started a blog you might want to read http://beapilot.blogspot.com



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