Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:48:28 -0800 From: Tom Baxter Subject: Pensacola 19 This story is fantasy. It never happened. If it is illegal or inappropriate for you to read this, don't. This story is the property of the author. The author encourages others to read it, download it, and even print it for their own use. Any commercial use, mass reproduction or reposting to another website, however, would require permission from the author in advance. Copyright 2009 --------------------------------- Pensacola - Chapter 19 --------------------------------- Josh ate his breakfast happily; this was going to be a low stress day. The scheduling office had been running him ragged lately at the CO's request to get him completed with Primary by the end of August so he had plenty of time to get settled in Meridian before starting Jet training on September 19th. But today he only had a solo flight followed by a bunch of pre-transfer paperwork at the Personnel Office (PSD) and then he had to go to the Personal Property Office to arrange for the movers to take all of his stuff to Meridian. It was a beautiful morning in Pensacola, a bright blue sky with the puffy white clouds that would trigger thunderstorms by late afternoon. He decided to make one round through his emergency procedures flash cards because he knew the Flight Duty Officer would quiz him just a little before he sent him into the air on his own. "Engine Fire" his first card read. Not only did he know the procedures for this one cold... check for secondary indications, cut off the fuel supply, shut the engine down, and feather the prop... but he also recalled all of the simulated engine fire scenarios that instructors had put him through up in the air. He turned the card over anyway, just to be thorough and checked himself. Of course, he was correct. He went through the entire deck of cards like this and realized that between his procedures memorization and simulating multiple emergencies in the aircraft and in the simulator, there wasn't much that could happen in the air where he wouldn't know exactly what to do. He put on his flight suit and pulled on his boots. As he went out his door, the neighbor's blinds parted. "I think if those blinds ever didn't move when I came through this door, I would call `911' cuz Lorna must be dead on the floor or somethin" he joked to himself. He hopped in the Beamer and started up the highway towards Whiting Field. He remembered how early in training he would study his flashcards on the highway while he steered the car with his knees, just to get in a little more study time before being grilled by LT Pride. He was pleased that he didn't have to do that anymore, today's drive was much more relaxing. As he neared the front gate of the base, he pulled on his cover to prepare for the sentries. The marines came to attention and saluted Josh as he drove through the gate, Josh saluted smartly in return. He felt on top of the world. Things were turning out exactly how he had planned them. Josh felt fulfilled in every aspect of his life and wondered if he really deserved everything that he had received. He parked at the flight line and walked into the ready room. Brad was standing duty, and his endless energy led to a boisterous atmosphere. "Ensign Scott!" Brad jokingly greeted him. "2nd lieutenant Nichols!" Josh returned likewise. "Cool, you got a solo hop today. I love solos!" Brad observed. "Do I have an aircraft yet?" Josh questioned. "I was just about to call over and get the lineup for the 1100 launch, we got lots of mission capable planes this morning, so I'll have one for ya in a minute" Brad replied. "Awesome, I'm gonna go get my weather" said Josh, and he walked over to the weather briefing monitor. After Josh had recorded the appropriate weather data, he returned to the duty desk where Brad informed him he would be flying aircraft 355 today. He turned and waited for LT Jackson, the Flight Duty Officer, to get off the phone. "I'm ready to go on my Fam-19 solo sir" Josh informed him. "Hey, Josh!" LT Jackson greeted him. "What have you got planned today?" he inquired. "I'm assigned to area two, so I'm going to head out over Choctaw and take care of my high work, then I'm gonna go in there and get a whole bunch of landings" Josh replied. "Sounds good... Let's see... let me think of a good emergency question" the lieutenant pondered. "How about a compressor stall, what are you gonna do about that?" LT Jackson quizzed him. "I'll pull the throttle back to clear the stall and then proceed to the nearest suitable field and execute a precautionary emergency landing" Josh replied. "What if you have to pull the throttle back so far that you can't maintain level flight" the lieutenant questioned further. "I'll execute an emergency landing into the nearest airfield, or if there isn't one, I'll shut the engine down and land the aircraft on the nearest suitable surface" Josh answered correctly. "Great! Be safe and have a good time!" LT Jackson instructed. Josh went to maintenance, read the aircraft maintenance book and then signed for his plane as `pilot in command'. As he walked down the flight line he recalled how he had felt the first time he took an aircraft into the sky solo. He had certainly come a long way since then. The Plane Captain briefed him on the status of his aircraft and Josh performed a preflight inspection of it. Finding the plane airworthy, Josh climbed in and his Plane Captain stood on the wing next to him helping him strap into the seat. Once Josh was set, he gave the Plane Captain a thumbs-up instead of yelling over the roar of the nearby propellers that churned the humid morning air. Josh pulled the canopy closed and locked it. After he completed his preflight checklist, Josh signaled the Plane Captain that he was prepared to fire up the turbine. As the jet turbine whined and then roared, the propeller began to spin drowning out all other noises. "North Whiting Ground, Navy Six Echo Three Five Five, Taxi with Foxtrot, Bagdad departure" Josh called for taxi. "Navy 355, North Ground, Taxi to runway one four, Bagdad departure approved." After an uneventful takeoff Josh climbed over the little town of Bagdad, Florida on his way south into Operating Area 2. The aircraft seemed to have good performance in the hot humid air, but instructors had told him that in dry cool air, the T-34 was an entirely different machine with how well it could accelerate and climb. Once established in the area, Josh pulled the throttle back and practiced some simple maneuvers, a turn pattern, level speed changes, and a stall series. However, this stuff was boring him, he was eager to get onto the aerobatics. He put on his oxygen mask and looked at himself in the rear view mirror. The mask wasn't required at this altitude, but he felt like a jet pilot when he wore it, so he decided to use it for the aerobatics. It added to his dream of flying like a Blue Angel as he looked out of the top of his canopy while inverted, referencing his ground checkpoints to keep his aircraft exactly in the right place. He started with wingovers. He heeded LT Garcia's prompting and strived to hit his numbers exactly. He was an accomplished pilot and he really could do these perfectly if he really tried. He raised his nose 45 degrees high and began rolling the aircraft left and pulling. At 90 degrees of heading change, the aircraft was at 90 degrees angle of bank and the nose was falling back through the horizon. "Perfect!" Josh thought to himself, pleased. He proceeded to Barrel Rolls. This was a more difficult maneuver where he would change the pitch from 45 degrees nose high to 45 degrees nose low while pulling the heading 90 degrees off and back as the aircraft rolled through a full 360 degrees. Once again, he was able to hit his numbers on several Barrel Rolls without much difficulty. Now he was on to his favorite, the Loop. He aligned himself with a highway below and lowered the nose as he pressed the throttle forward. At 250 knots, he pulled the aircraft into a 4G climb. He groaned slightly as the stress of four times the force of gravity tugged at his body. As the aircraft rounded the top of the loop, Josh raised his head and found the same highway to guide him through the rest of his maneuver. He was pleased when he reached level flight again and checked his numbers. He was once again at his starting airspeed and altitude, and on his original heading. He decided to do it again. He then executed an Immelman Turn, which was essentially the first half of a loop where he would roll the aircraft upright when on the top. To return to his previous altitude, he performed a Split S, rolling the aircraft inverted and pulling 4G's until the plane completed the second half of a loop and he was once in again in level flight at the altitude he started the Immelman. He was having a great time flying his aircraft with such precision. He also did some aileron rolls and Half Cuban Eights. He checked his time and fuel and decided that it was time to head to Navy Outlying Field Choctaw for landing practice. To put his aerobatic training to practical use, he decided that a Split S would turn him around towards Choctaw and lose some necessary altitude at the same time. So he rolled inverted, pulled his throttle back and started to pull the nose towards the ground. Just as he passed the point where he was pointed straight down at the ground, now going nearly 300 miles per hour, a flash of white appeared before his windscreen. Before he could react, he heard and felt a deafening Whap, Whap, Smash, Bang... followed by a loud Crash of breaking glass! He had flown through a dense flock of sea birds and they had smashed through the windscreen and struck him. The force of being hit by a 3 pound bird in the face at several hundred miles an hour knocked Josh unconscious. His helmet visor had cracked, allowing the impact to hit his forehead and eyes. Blood, some his, some the bird's, poured down his face. The oxygen mask had mostly protected his nose, mouth and jaw, and continued to feed Josh life giving oxygen as his mind struggled back to consciousness. The aircraft, badly damaged itself, was pilotless and continued in a steep descent as well as rolling slightly towards its more damaged wing on the port side. As Josh came to, extreme pain occupied his senses as he tried to assess the situation he suddenly found himself. He knew he was in an aircraft, but he could not see. One eyelid was torn and the eyeball was swelling, his other eye was so full of blood he couldn't make anything out. To make matters worse, the couple hundred knots of wind that was hitting him in the face would have blinded him even on a normal day. As Josh's sense of logic returned, he realized he was in big trouble. He reached for the stick, but what direction should he move it? He couldn't see enough to ascertain his aircraft's attitude. "Work the problem, Josh!" he told himself. "Shit, I gotta get outta here!" he realized after a short analysis of his dire situation. He reached up to the canopy rail to find the handle. He unlocked it and pulled, but it didn't budge. He felt around the canopy bow and could tell it was all bent and distorted. It wasn't going to open. He knew the windscreen was smashed out and momentarily considered trying to crawl out that way, but then realized there was a spinning propeller up there to deal with. In desperation, he reached for his survival knife. After the first couple of stabs at the thick plastic canopy, he realized that it would take a long time to bust it apart with his knife... time he didn't have. "Fuck, this isn't happening!!!" Josh thought to himself, and then his thoughts drifted to Brandon. "My god, Brandon I am so very sorry!" Thick black smoke rose through the pine trees of the Florida forest when Navy six echo 355 dropped from scope number two at Pensacola Radar Approach Control. The Emergency Locator Transmitting beacon that was mounted within the fuselage of Josh's aircraft activated automatically upon impact. It broadcast a signal on 243.0 megahertz that alerted the aviators within radio range that one of their own was no longer aloft on Wings of Gold. Within minutes, the distinctive `Thump' `Thump' `Thump' of Navy UH-1 rescue helicopters filled the skies over Naval Air Station Pensacola and Naval Air Station Whiting Field. The red crash phone rang at the duty desk in the Training Squadron Six Ready Room. Brad and LT Jackson looked at each other with a foreboding dread. "That phone never rings except each morning at 0800 for the daily test" they both thought to themselves. LT Jackson answered the phone "VT-6 Ready Room" he said. "This is Pensacola Approach Control, we've lost contact with Navy 6 Echo 355 four miles south- southeast of Choctaw. We have reports of an ELT beacon transmitting in the area. Navy Rescue is on the way" the voice on the phone reported. "Very well" LT Jackson replied. "Who's in 355?" LT Jackson yelled to Brad as he hung up the phone. Brad scanned the big board and reported "That's Ensign Scott sir!" "Ok, you take the phones, I've gotta call the CO" LT Jackson instructed. Then he turned to the small crowd gathering in front of the duty desk "Come on guys! Give us some breathing room here, we've got a job to do!" he pleaded. "Sir, it appears we may have a plane down" LT Jackson informed the Commanding Officer. "Give me the details" the commander requested. "ATC says they've lost contact with 355 near Choctaw and there's an ELT transmitting" LT Jackson relayed. "Who's in that aircraft?" the CO questioned. "Ensign Scott, sir, on a solo" the lieutenant replied. "Ok... Send out a `Return to Base' order; get all my planes on deck! I'll be right down" the CO directed. "Aye, aye sir" LT Jackson replied. "Brad, get on the radio and RTB all our aircraft!" "Yes sir!" Brad replied. "Ensign Hart! Run over to the Tower and listen in on their radio traffic... call me the second we hear anything back from those helicopters!" "Aye, aye sir!" Ensign Hart replied as he ran out of the Ready Room. "Sir, LT Boyd is in Area 2 and reporting black smoke. He says there has definitely been an aircraft crash but he can't tell if it's Navy" Brad announced. "Are there any parachutes on the ground?" LT Jackson shot back. "No sir, he doesn't see any" Brad reported. "Ok... get him back to base" LT Jackson instructed. The CO entered the ready room and LT Jackson filled him in on LT Boyd's report. A few minutes later a call came in from Ensign Hart reporting the first rescue helicopter confirmed a downed Navy T-34, but were unable to land due to heavy forest. Choctaw crash trucks were enroute on the ground and would be guided by the helicopters Joe entered the Ready Room to prepare for his afternoon flight and got caught up in the activity. Nick saw Joe and ran over to him "Joe, Josh might have crashed!" he quickly told him. "Fuck no!" Joe replied "Is he ok?" "Nobody knows yet" answered Nick. The crash truck arrived on scene and put out the fire. Then they reported that there was a pilot in the wreckage. Ensign Hart, who received the word first in the Air Traffic Control Tower, was so distraught, he was barely able to pass this news to the Ready Room. "Make the call to the Pentagon" CDR Richardson instructed LT Jackson. An erie dread fell across the ready room. Could it be true? Could one of their buddies really be dead? They all knew that they were involved in a very dangerous profession and cheated death on almost a daily basis, but when it became a reality... when a pilot they had just seen and spoke to a couple hours ago would really not be coming home, it was too much to take. =============== Joe rushed home, he needed to find Brandon. He called his wife Susan at work and gave her the bad news. "Oh my god!" she cried, "and what's going to happen to Brandon?" Joe asked her to come home and help him deal with the situation. "I don't know how to get a hold of Brandon!" Joe fretted to Susan. "Call Ryan, he's so close with Josh and Brandon, he'll know" Susan suggested. "Ryan was airborne at the time of the crash. They recalled all of the planes, but I still can't get a hold of him" Joe explained. Joe called Mentors USA, he explained the problem and was passed up to the center's director, Mrs. McClain. "I understand that one of our mentors has been killed in an accident and you want to contact the boy?" Mrs. McClain explained what she had been told. "That's right," Joe replied "Brandon Thompson, the boy, has become such a big part of all of our lives but I'm embarrassed to say that no one knows his phone number or even where he lives." "And, what was the name of the mentor?" Mrs. McClain asked. "Josh Scott, Joshua Scott" Joe replied. "I'm not sure what the problem is here," Mrs. McClain began "but I'm not showing either one of them here in our system." "That's ridiculous!" shouted Joe, "Look, I've got a picture of them here, you're located on Davis? I'll just come down there and show you." "That's right Ensign Williams, on the North Davis Highway, just south of the Freeway, why don't you come down here and we'll see if we can't straighten this out" replied Mrs. McClain. Less than an hour later Joe was back at the apartment complex without any more answers than he had before. He noticed that Lorna's car was back, he asked Susan to accompany him to visit the Harris apartment. "Why Joe and Susan! What a pleasant surprise!" Lorna began before she took a look at them and could tell that there was a problem. "What is it?" she asked worriedly. "Josh..." Joe began. "Josh was in an accident this afternoon and didn't make it" Joe explained. "Oh No! No! No!" Lorna shrieked. "And oh my god! What about Brandon!" "That's a problem" Joe explained. "We don't have his phone number or even know where he lives." "How about Ryan? He'll know" Lorna suggested. "Ryan can't be reached" replied Joe. "Why don't we call Big Brothers?" Lorrna tried again. "I already did, and they say they've never heard of either Josh or Brandon." Joe replied. "Well that's just silly!" Lorna reasoned. "That's how they met each other! They've been members of that club for months." "I even took a picture of the two of them down there, and they really have never seen either of them before" said Joe. "Well I just don't understand" said Lorna "How did they meet then, what does this mean?" "I've been trying to figure that out for the past hour Lorna, but I think it might be best if we just keep this information to ourselves for now, huh?" "Yes, I think your right, that might be best" Lorna agreed. "Now about getting a hold of Brandon, I guess we just wait for him to show up looking for Josh" Joe reasoned. "I guess that's what we'll have to do" agreed Lorna. =============== Mrs. Floyd sat annoyed at her desk in the Personal Property office on base. It was now 1600 and she had an appointment with an Ensign Scott at 1500 that still hadn't shown up yet. "It will serve him right if he loses his pack-up date and has to push his move back a day or two" she thought to herself. "These aviators just think the world revolves around them" she continued stewing. She had the yeoman call the squadron. "They said that Ensign Scott is not available" the yeoman reported. "What do you mean he's not available?!" Mrs. Floyd scoffed. "Did his flight get delayed or something?" "They didn't say maam, they just said he is not available" the yeoman repeated. Aggravated, she tossed Josh's moving file into her `pending' basket and called for her next appointment. Ensign Grimes entered her office, but she still wasn't over Josh's absence. "Good afternoon Ensign. Say... you didn't see Ensign Scott over at the squadron did you?" she asked. "What squadron is he in" the Ensign replied, "I'm in VT-2." "Let me see... Oh, it looks like he's in VT-6, I guess you wouldn't know him" she replied. VT-6... That struck a cord with him. That was the squadron that just had the accident. "What was his name again maam?" Ensign Grimes inquired. "Ensign Scott, Ensign Joshua Scott" She repeated after looking his name up in his jacket. "Oh my god!" the Ensign blurted. "What is it Ensign?" Mrs Floyd inquired. "Maybe you all didn't hear over here, but that's the pilot that was killed this afternoon" the Ensign explained. "Oh MY!" Mrs Floyd exclaimed. "Oh my lord! I had no idea! Please forgive me!" She began to cry. =============== Joe and Susan along with Lorna and Dave sat on the lawn into the early evening waiting for Brandon to show up in search of his friend and mentor. "There he is" said Joe as he noticed Brandon happily strolling his way up the street towards the apartment. "Hey, where's Josh?" Brandon said in his cheerfulness that normally could have lifted anyone's spirits, "I've been trying to call him all afternoon and his phone's just off." "Brandon come over here, I need to talk to you" said Joe. Brandon looked into Joe's eyes and could see something was wrong, terribly wrong. Joe placed his arm around Brandon's shoulders. "Brandon, buddy, there has been an accident... Josh has been in an accident" "When's Josh coming home?" Brandon screamed worriedly. "Brandon, he didn't get out. Josh won't be coming home" "NO! You're lying. Fuck You! NO! Josh?!" Brandon ran up onto Josh's patio and started banging on his sliding glass door "Josh?! Josh?! Josh?!" Lorna ran up onto the patio after him and took him into her arms "Brandon, honey!" Brandon turned and buried his head into her shoulder crying. She rocked him gently and said "god he loved you Brandon, he loved you as much as life itself, he could hardly talk of anything but you." "He's coming home, he has to, he told me he would" Brandon sobbed. "I'm sorry honey, I'm know he tried his best to get back to you, I just know he did, but he's gone now." They turned their heads as they heard the roar of Ryan's speeding Honda coming up the street. "Ryan!" Brandon screamed. Lorna released her embrace as Brandon turned and ran towards the street. Ryan screeched to a stop before he even reached a parking space to keep from running over Brandon as he ran towards the car without regard for his own safety. Ryan threw his door open and stood up as Brandon attached himself to him in a tight hug. "Oh god Brandon! Cutie, I'm so sorry, I am so sorry!" Ryan cried as he returned Brandon's hug. Brandon wailed loudly. Ryan patted and soothed him, but to no avail. Brandon could not be consoled. They stood there in the street hugging and crying for the next half hour. The others stood helpless, not knowing what to do or how to help. Joe finally approached them and suggested that they go into Josh's apartment and sit down. Susan suggested that she would bring some dinner over in a while. Ryan and Brandon both had keys to Josh's apartment. They went into the living room and sat on the sofa. Brandon curled into Ryan's chest and Ryan held him and rocked him gently. They sat in silence, never turning on the tv, stereo, or even a light. "I can't believe he's gone... I was with him just last night" said Brandon. "I can't believe it either" agreed Ryan as he held Brandon closer. =============== The Commanding Officer of Training Squadron Six grounded Josh's entire class of 13 aviators. The Navy had taught them all to `compartmentalize' their issues before climbing into the cockpit, but everyone was so devastated by this incident, he just didn't want any of these pilots in the air for a while. Joe, as class leader, was assigned by the Navy to handle Josh's personal affairs and to be liaison for his family as they were called to Pensacola. Joe went with Ryan to Josh's apartment to retrieve some of his personal items for the memorial service. "Ryan, the mentoring organization has never heard of Josh or Brandon. You're like a brother to these two, so I suspect that you know what's going on over here" Joe pressed. "Please don't ask too many questions! Please just let Josh rest in peace" sobbed Ryan. "Ryan, you guys are my best friends, I can leave it alone, but I'm not sure if everyone else will, particularly if the accident investigators decide to delve further into Josh's personal life than I put in my report" Joe warned. A couple days later, Joe walked into the Mentors USA center dressed in summer whites to visit with the center's director. "May I see Mrs. McClain" he asked the receptionist. He was shown into her office. "Ensign!" Mrs. McClain greeted Joe, "How nice to see you again. Did you ever figure out that mix up that we were working on the other day?" "Well maam, I found this release in Ensign Scott's apartment." Joe showed her the Mentors USA release form that Brandon had filled out and his mother had signed a few months earlier. "Well that's odd," Mrs. McClain stated. "I think it proves that this truly was the organization that Josh was claiming to be associated with." Joe reasoned, "So the only explanation I can come up with for this whole thing is that Josh and Brandon met some other way and decided to use your organization to `sanction' their friendship." "Why don't you just ask the boy?" Mrs. McClain suggested. "I'm not going to grill Brandon on this," Joe replied "he's been through enough already, and besides, at this point I don't think it really matters." "I suppose you're right" Mrs. McClain agreed. "The problem that is going to arise, however," Joe continued "is that it will be widely circulated, through the press and the Navy that Josh was a member of your organization." "I see," pondered Mrs. McClain. "What I am asking of you is to not dispute this assertion. There is enough tragedy here already, let's not raise any additional questions" Joe stated. "Well we can't lie!" protested Mrs. McClain. "I'm not asking you to lie" Joe replied "I'm simply asking you to not volunteer the truth." "It would be highly irregular" Mrs. McClain again voiced her opposition. "Look," Joe began "your organization is going to be painted in a very positive light here. I know for a fact that you will be seeing several aviators down here in the next few days looking for boys to mentor and the press you will receive will be invaluable. Why throw all that away and raise even the suggestion of any impropriety unnecessarily?" "I see your point" Mrs. McClain agreed "maybe we could work something out. Perhaps if I could keep that release form I could start a file." =============== Each day, Ryan and Brandon hung in Josh's apartment. Sitting in his living room amongst his things made them feel like they might hear his voice again or that he might walk down the hall and greet them, but off course that didn't happen. Ryan feared what would happen to the two of them in a few days when they no longer had access to Josh's place. Their last link to their friend and lover would be lost forever. "You know Ryan, I did get to say goodbye to him" Brandon revealed. "What do you mean?" asked Ryan. "Our last night together we were saying goodbye" Brandon explained. "We were saying goodbye because he was going to move, but he wasn't moving for almost another two weeks. I can't explain it, but we were really saying goodbye to each other that night." "Did he know?" asked Ryan softly. "How could he know?" replied Brandon. "He didn't know, but we both felt a need that night to really say a final goodbye, even though we both expected to see each other the next day" Brandon explained. "That's weird" Ryan observed. "Ya, it was weird" Brandon agreed. =============== Josh's memorial service was held five days later at the Chapel of Naval Aviation on NAS Pensacola. The chapel stood as an imposing monument in the middle of the `Cradle of Naval Aviation.' It was here that Josh had attended his first Aviation Indoctrination and ground school some seven months earlier, walking past this chapel daily on his way to class. The day was beautiful, like many of those Josh took to the skies over Pensacola in his aircraft. The white steeple contrasted against the blue sky. Ryan dressed sharply in his summer whites met Brandon and his mother Jane outside the chapel an hour before the service was to begin. "Brandon, you're so strong being able to talk today. I'm sorry, I just can't do it!" Ryan cried. Brandon hugged him. Ryan continued as he sobbed "I want to tell everyone just how much Josh meant to me, but I'm just too weak. I can't stop crying long enough to talk." "I just gotta tell people what's on my mind" Brandon reasoned. "I gotta tell em bout Josh and what he was in my life" He paused. "It's tough for me too. The toughest thing I've ever done, but I gotta do it for Josh" Brandon concluded. Brandon and his mother met Josh's parents, but he was particularly interested in meeting Josh's grandfather. This was the man that Josh had so frequently mentioned when they discussed the shaping of their lives. Josh's grandfather had given him so much good advice and Josh had passed that advice on to Brandon. Brandon felt that he had a connection to this man. They filed into the chapel along with the other mourners and took seats in the second row of pews. The aviators of Josh's class took the row behind them and they each grabbed Brandon's shoulder in support as they passed behind him. The chaplain stood and walked to the pulpit to speak. "It is a shame that it takes a tragic event such as this to bring us all together to celebrate such a magnificent life" he began. "Before such tragic events tear us away from our day-to-day lives, we are frequently too busy to find the time to gather and revel in the goodness, love and accomplishments of our family and friends." "Instead we each do this in our own private ways. These ways may include a simple prayer for a loved one at bedtime or a moment enjoying a favorite photograph on the wall. But these little ways still demonstrate our love for each other and are felt by others whether they are expressed verbally or not." Talking with many of you over the past several days about the life of this superb young man has shown me that there was indeed a great deal of love for Joshua Scott and it was expressed in many ways... through the camaraderie of a classmate, the coaching of a flight instructor or the respect for a mentor by his protégé. Each of you left your mark on this young aviator and I know that he left his mark on each of you as well. "I would like to introduce a young man who had a very close relationship with Ensign Scott" the Chaplain began. "Josh was a member of a mentoring program and his young charge, Brandon Thompson, became such a fixture in Josh's life, that all of Josh's class mates, neighbors and friends knew and loved him too. I'm sure after you meet him today you will love him as well." Brandon stood and walked up to the podium. At Brandon's request, Joe accompanied him. Brandon took a deep breath and read from his notes "I met Ensign Josh Scott in the Big Brother program where he was my brother, my teacher, my mentor, and my friend." Brandon sniffled and paused, Joe, put his hand on Brandon's shoulder in support. Brandon put his notes down on the podium and continued speaking from his heart. "I only met Josh this spring, but in the past few months we had more fun and did more stuff than I had in my whole life. He helped me with my school work, mostly my math," he giggled slightly, "and I helped him study his navy flight stuff. For example I know that the landing checklist is: `three down & locked, flaps full, prop full, fuel on fullest tank, harness locked, on-speed 13 & half units angle of attack.' I don't even know what it all means, but we practiced it so many times I know it by heart" the congregation laughed quietly, the aviators were impressed. "We even built T-34 models together and Josh flew one while I flew the other around the living room while he practiced joining back up into formation. He said it helped him see what it would look like when he did it in the air for reals." "Josh taught me how to talk without dropping the f-bomb every third word and I taught him that everyone didn't grow up in a palace" the congregation laughed quietly again. "I still don't know how I will be able to live without him," Brandon began to sob. "But people keep reminding me that we are both better people because we knew each other and so I have to be happy that I got to share some of his life. I only wish that we got to know each other longer so we coulda seen each other get our dreams." "I love you Josh, and I'll love you forever." The entire congregation, including the aviators, broke down; there was not a dry eye in the house. Joe followed Brandon back to their pew and put his arm around Brandon as they sat. The chaplain returned to the podium and introduced Josh's flight instructor, Lieutenant Robert Pride. "It was my distinct pleasure, no... privilege to be Ensign Joshua Scott's on-wing flight instructor," Lt Pride began. "Josh was an extraordinary individual with nearly unlimited potential... At times like this we tend to glorify even those of us with many shortcomings, but I can assure you that everything you hear today about this exceptional young man is deservedly true." "As Instructor and Student, Josh and I had a sort of love-hate relationship really. In training exercises, I would heap as much trouble as I could onto Josh's shoulders to test his capabilities and expand his experience. He would hate me as he worked through the problem and then would appreciate me when he learned the lesson and it was over." The congregation laughed a little. "Josh was the most capable Student Naval Aviator I ever flew with and I have no doubt that he would have completed this program at the top of his class. Josh's grades had already earned him a slot in the Jet training program at Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi, which would have lead to his dream of flying a Fighter off of an aircraft carrier. Today, I would like to fully acknowledge Ensign Scotts accomplishments as well as his unrealized talents by posthumously awarding him his coveted Navy Wings of Gold." The congregation applauded. "Josh, at your tie-cutting ceremony," Lt Pride began as he turned towards the casket "I said I would be honored to have you as my wingman. I would like to say today that that offer still stands, if not in this life, then certainly in the next." "I would also like to say a few words to this young man that we've all become so fond of today... young Brandon. I was not even aware of Josh's special relationship with you until today, but I would like to say that the lessons that you have learned from Josh will help you achieve your dreams. And as far as following in his footsteps, I cannot think of a finer role model for a teen at the threshold of manhood than Ensign Joshua Scott" the congregation applauded. The chaplain then made some more remarks before beginning the recessional. The pallbearers, six enlisted sailors, all dressed in perfectly pressed summer white uniforms, lifted the casket and carried it down the aisle followed by Josh's parents and grandfather, Brandon and his mother, Ryan, Joe and his wife, and the rest of the members of Josh's class. The congregation stepped out onto the lawn in front of the Chapel. Many shaded their eyes against the strong Pensacola sun. A row of seven marines in dress blue uniform stood at attention with rifles in hand. The squad leader yelled the cadence for the 21 gun salute as a single drummer kept beat. "Ready, Aim , Fire!... Reload, Aim, Fire!... Reload, Aim, Fire!" The marines returned to attention. Four sailors lifted the two American flags that were draped over the casket and by pairs folded the flags into two tight triangles. The leader of the honor guard accepted the flags and marched slowly in step to the drum beat towards the Scotts. When the sergeant reached Josh's parents, he said to them "On behalf of a grateful nation" as he reached out and presented the flags to Dr. Scott. The sergeant snapped to attention and saluted the Scotts. Josh's mother put a tissue to her mouth and nose. A roar could be heard in the distance. A diamond formation of four aircraft was quickly approaching the Chapel. The formation consisted of two A-4's, the jet that Josh would have earned his wings in, and two T-34's, the aircraft that Josh had been flying all summer. When the formation was nearly overhead, one of the T- 34's peeled abruptly up and away from the others in the `missing man formation' that traditionally signified a lost aviator. The aviators all stood at attention in their summer whites and saluted the missing aircraft saying goodbye to their fellow pilot and friend. Brandon, standing amongst them followed their lead and raised his hand to his brow in salute as well. As the crowd began to break up, Josh's parents approached Brandon. "Young man" Dr Scott began "I'm glad that our son had the privilege of spending time with you and getting to know you. We both share a loss that will never be replaced, but our lives are a little richer for having loved and been loved by him. He would have wanted you to have this." Dr Scott reached out and handed Brandon one of the flags that had been draped over Josh's coffin. "Thank you sir" Brandon said with the manners that Josh had taught him well. As the Scotts turned and walked away, Brandon looked down at the flag Josh's father had just handed him and there, atop the flag, lay Josh's Navy Wings of Gold. ========== The End ========== I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. The speed in which someone we love can be taken from us should never be overlooked, and this is especially true for those in our armed forces. I invite you to share with me your comments, feelings, and emotions. Please don't be mean to me for the way I ended the story, it was very emotional for me as well. Please let me know if there is any desire for a sequel. ------------------------------------- Tbax93722@hotmail.com