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Monday, February 22, 2010

Early Years of My Naval Career

It wasn't long after I arrived in China Lake, CA that I was awarded my first Sailor of the Quarter. I remember this award well because my Department Head was a Search & Rescue pilot and he took me out flying as an additional reward. His crew placed me in a harness and dangled me about 20-30 feet below the helicopter while they flew through the sky. It was really scary at first but after I adapted, it was invigorating.
For those of you that don't know China Lake, it is situated near the Mojave desert and it gets extremely hot. Nearby, in the mountains, there is snow during the winter months. Within a matter of minutes, I went from 110 degrees to about 30 degrees. We landed in the mountains, the crew jumped off, and we had ourselves a snowball fight. Those were the good ol' days.

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14 comments:

  1. Mamí♥PictureOctober 8, 2009 at 10:37 PM

    Great Photo Flashback!
    BTW You have a Beautiful Family!
    Have a Lovely Friday =)

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  2. madzOctober 8, 2009 at 10:44 PM

    Wow! Congratulations!

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  3. More Than WordsOctober 8, 2009 at 10:54 PM

    Hey there! Glad you joined in!!

    Oh my gosh, I think I would of had a heart attack in the air!

    But, wow...from heat to snow in a matter of minutes!!

    By the way, your kid are adorable!!

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  4. ChrisOctober 8, 2009 at 11:08 PM

    great photo.. precious memories too! :D

    glad you joined FPF! :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. HazelOctober 9, 2009 at 12:01 AM

    I was happy when I saw Chubskulit on the FPF linky :)

    Wow... dangling from a helicopter! Color me impressed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. nicqueeOctober 9, 2009 at 12:37 AM

    I'm sure you cherished that moment you were in the air!

    Love your kids' photos.

    Mine's up too.

    http://hunnynicquee.blogspot.com/2009/10/friday-photo-flashback-2-pre-school.html

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  7. diane bOctober 9, 2009 at 1:47 AM

    That would have beeen a memorable day. It must have been scary at first.

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  8. DhemzOctober 9, 2009 at 2:21 AM

    thanks for sharing john....you look so skinny before..and you've got a mustache...hehehe...just like greg...he had one before....:)

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  9. DeniseOctober 9, 2009 at 3:51 AM

    Great picture & it sounds like a fun memory. My husband & I were both in the Army Reserves, he had some interesting adventures at Ft Irwin in the California desert in the late 80's, but nothing like your helicopter ride.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  10. sweet_sheloOctober 9, 2009 at 4:22 AM

    Wow this photo flashback is amazing.. Memorable one for you I bet.. Thanks for sharing..

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  11. anneOctober 11, 2009 at 1:35 AM

    Hi Joops already added your two blogs to my new blog thanks

    ReplyDelete
  12. shelo's gardenOctober 14, 2009 at 2:34 AM

    Thanks for linking me here..

    ReplyDelete
  13. UnknownOctober 14, 2009 at 10:20 AM

    You look funny with your mustache Sir john, im sure you laugh every time you see this old photo. You still so young in this one.

    Blog Fusion
    Milestones
    Worths Road
    Simple Happy Life

    ReplyDelete
  14. CielaOctober 16, 2009 at 5:50 PM

    Dangling from a helicopter?! Wow! It must have been a very unforgetable experience! I couldn't imagine the extreme change of climate temperature over that side of CA.

    You also look great with mustache!

    Have a great weekend!

    -Tita Beng

    ReplyDelete

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