The van commandos
We were telling war stories last night at work. One of my favorites was being in Alaska and going on a fishing trip. We, by sheer dumb luck, happened to catch the front end of the red salmon run on the Russian River one summer. We had several guys and a van and some free time so we were able to go fishing while we were TDY to Anchorage. We had a great time, caught a bunch of fish, and experienced "combat fishing", Alaska style. It's a favorite story of mine.
As I thought about all the places I've been, I looked back and most of the time, we traveled in a pack. Not by choice... inevitably the aircraft maintenance guys always got assigned a van. They figured we all loved each other so they'd assign us a van to transport us here, there, and to work. If you're just going to work, vans aren't a bad way to go. When you're downtown, off base, though, it's a little tougher to get a group of guys to agree on where to eat, what to do, where to go...
We always seemed to make things work though, because we always tried to compromise. Some guys, when they'd get the keys to the van, became the Van Commander. When we were with some of these guys, we went where THEY wanted to go. I was never that way. I always tried to share and it seems that we had very few issues trying to get everyone where they wanted to go. Sometimes it was a dilemma to figure out where to eat, but when you're willing to roll with the flow, you can make it work out. Sometimes, though, someone had to take charge and say: We're going here. After a couple of weeks, you run out of things to do and then sometimes, someone has to make a decision! I don't remember anyone really griping in these situations. You get to the point where you don't want to make a decision and welcome that someone else made the call for you!
I have a lot of good memories of traveling with the guys I worked with & lived with from time to time. We always seemed to find a way to have fun and stay out of trouble. As I read about my friends deploying at this time of year, I kind of think about those days. We really did have a lot of fun.
These days, though, I'm happy to be at home. Sometimes, you just get to the point where it's time to do something else and I've found that I'm kind of excited about the new path I'm on. I do look back at those days of sharing a ride with my buddies and our ability to try and accommodate everyone's wishes as a good experience.
As my friends share their new experiences, I think back on those days. In a small way, I'm sad I'm not there with them, but it's not my deal anymore. I've moved on from being a Van Command0, but I look back on those days and smile.
As you can tell by today's post, I'm just taking a little walk down memory lane.
Tomorrow's blog is going to be an open thread....you read this thing, it's your turn to play...be prepared...
I'm wanting all of us to share something that we're grateful for.
As I thought about all the places I've been, I looked back and most of the time, we traveled in a pack. Not by choice... inevitably the aircraft maintenance guys always got assigned a van. They figured we all loved each other so they'd assign us a van to transport us here, there, and to work. If you're just going to work, vans aren't a bad way to go. When you're downtown, off base, though, it's a little tougher to get a group of guys to agree on where to eat, what to do, where to go...
We always seemed to make things work though, because we always tried to compromise. Some guys, when they'd get the keys to the van, became the Van Commander. When we were with some of these guys, we went where THEY wanted to go. I was never that way. I always tried to share and it seems that we had very few issues trying to get everyone where they wanted to go. Sometimes it was a dilemma to figure out where to eat, but when you're willing to roll with the flow, you can make it work out. Sometimes, though, someone had to take charge and say: We're going here. After a couple of weeks, you run out of things to do and then sometimes, someone has to make a decision! I don't remember anyone really griping in these situations. You get to the point where you don't want to make a decision and welcome that someone else made the call for you!
I have a lot of good memories of traveling with the guys I worked with & lived with from time to time. We always seemed to find a way to have fun and stay out of trouble. As I read about my friends deploying at this time of year, I kind of think about those days. We really did have a lot of fun.
These days, though, I'm happy to be at home. Sometimes, you just get to the point where it's time to do something else and I've found that I'm kind of excited about the new path I'm on. I do look back at those days of sharing a ride with my buddies and our ability to try and accommodate everyone's wishes as a good experience.
As my friends share their new experiences, I think back on those days. In a small way, I'm sad I'm not there with them, but it's not my deal anymore. I've moved on from being a Van Command0, but I look back on those days and smile.
As you can tell by today's post, I'm just taking a little walk down memory lane.
Tomorrow's blog is going to be an open thread....you read this thing, it's your turn to play...be prepared...
I'm wanting all of us to share something that we're grateful for.
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