Chapter 10 - Junior Officers And Pilots Salute Commander Maddox With Reverence
I parked my truck outside the squadron operations building, stepping out into the cool, rain-slicked tarmac pavement.
A group of young F/A-18 junior pilots walking toward the ready room stopped dead in their tracks as I approached.
“Commander Maddox! We heard you were on leave for the holiday weekend, Ma'am,” a young lieutenant greeted me respectfully.
“Leave got cut short, Lieutenant. Suit up; we’ve got night carrier qualification briefs in twenty minutes,” I instructed crisply.
“Yes, Ma'am! Right away!” the young aviator replied, snapping a crisp salute that I returned with practiced ease.
Walking into the ready room, the chatter of tired pilots died down instantly as the squadron leader stood at attention.
“Welcome back, Northstar. We didn't expect you back until Monday morning,” the squadron commander smiled warmly.
“Plans changed. Let’s review the telemetry logs from the afternoon training sortie on screen three,” I requested professionally.
Here, surrounded by aviators who understood the cost of freedom, I felt the familiar hum of purpose return.
May you like
No coffee cups thrown, no petty insults, and no weak husbands—just pure, unadulterated operational excellence.
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