Thunderstruck: Carrier Fiction (Part IV) Ripped from the Headlines

AC/DC - Thunderstruck - YouTube:

'via Blog this'
Part IV of the Code Yellow Series

Officer and a Gentleman

How can a warrior stretch his wings, bearing talons in flight, still behaving as a true gentleman at rest? Often pondering such thoughts, I watched my commanding officer aboard the USS John C. Stennis and in the rear seat of his FA-18 Hornet as his WSO (weapons service officer). Over years, missions, flatland, or ocean waves, I shadowed this man, observing his every move; reactionary for sure, I am paid to do what he does, drop what he wants dropped and land when he hits the deck.

My perspective as a Lt. Jr. grade, my subservient rank, even my support role in the aircraft; all put me in the background to his shining light, however, I am also the closest witness to the good days and the bad. We fly together, walk & talk together, drink together, play H-O-R-S-E basketball on off-hours; but my guess is that he doesn’t know me like I know him. Busy as an executive officer, wing commander, head coach, team morale leader, even big brother, Lt. Harrington cannot carefully watch me as I do him.

Nevertheless on a night like tonight when we had important work to do with the Code Yellow mission, warrior instincts took control of the program; he was steely-eyed and laser-focused. But when not under the pressure of battle, there’s a different story to tell: Lieutenant Harrington’s strength centered on how he conducted his affairs on the ship, but more than just effective Navy leadership.

Whether under pressure or just hanging around the flight room, he seemed always to be slightly lazy, calm, or “laid-back” as we often called the tall Texan. Even when Lt. Harrington was angry, one often received a bright smile with a twinkle in his eyes that belayed his frustration, only occasionally accompanied a tilt of the head. The combination of tilt, smile, wink, and calm only added a suggestion of “really?!”

He let you think about the situation long enough socratically, silently encouraging you to answer the malformed query yourself. It was the simple, hackneyed method of applying grace, patience, and virtue to a particular situation which worked so well for Lt. Harrington; it was not exaggerating to call him the “moral compass” of the ship’s pilot wing. He carried himself like John Elway, spoke like Matthew McConaughey, and worked like Nolan Ryan.

Often admonishing biblically that we must be content in times of plenty and want, Harrington led the air group by daily modeling this mindset, an enormous source of strength for the other pilots. He'd tell us about the apostle Paul writing Philippians from prison, yet able to reach into the inner resource of character, despite extreme pressure. Stress permeated this profession, the weather and mechanics of our equipment, ship and aircraft, failed us too frequently; further, the 6,500 crew members of the USS John C. Stennis were as mercurial as a tempest, adding the human element to the list of dangers bearing down upon us. As a result of one stable example, other leaders in the squadron emulated their lieutenant although almost sub-consciously, maybe because their egos were as big as any; nevertheless, since the lieutenant was consistent, fair, light-hearted, driven, friendly, ferocious, passionate, and dogged about excellence in aviation, they wanted to be that way too. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, especially in leadership.

The pilots' CEO, effectively, Lt. Harrington embraced the needs of others before his own, infusing grace and hope into the many opportunities he had to coach, cajole, encourage, and mentor younger pilots. It was not unusual to see him sitting next to a recent addition, talking and drinking coffee in the officer’s mess; they looked as if their relationship went back years, even to grade school. Lieutenant was as friendly, engaging, and cooperative with the newest member of our team as he was with me, his “back-seater,” the WSO partnered with him for almost four years.

It wasn't sentimental to use the word “generous” to describe our leader. That generosity was contagious. It is rare today in executive business leadership, where “exit strategies” and golden parachutes dominate attention in the higher ranks, to encounter a mentor and a true servant/leader like Lt. Harrington; one always thinking of his corpsmen, ready to sacrifice when necessary; even to his own detriment.

The Force

Eight squadrons of airplanes launched off of the carrier USS John C. Stennis, aka “Johnny Reb” in the US Navy, because of its roots in Mississippi; one of the oldest and most distinguished aircraft carriers in the fleet. Almost 90 planes rose out of their big grey mother, up above the Persian Gulf because of the “all-in” exercise called by the commander. They were all up in the air together, but almost 6,300 seamen were working simultaneously to get them all back safely.

Code Yellow instructions came from the DOD in Washington DC. They were as hot as anything you can hold in your hands: make noise, use technology (like satellite images which can see through the night), and apply all the force that FA-18 Super Hornets can strategically apply to the situation. Tonight, it meant circling down from a high orbit around the Persian Gulf, locking in on two sites which might contain a full-fledged nuclear weapons program of The Islamic Republic of Iran. If the fighters from the Stennis happen to encounter the Iranian Air Force (IRIAF), concurrent instructions are to meet any force with equal firepower. That small folder Lt. Harrington paraded to his team earlier in the evening carried with it the assembled might of one of the most powerful war-making machines ever invented: a United States aircraft carrier. Thunder reigned from above.

Hornet Harrassment

The first images sent onshore to analysts confirmed activity much more than mining operations. Several trips over the site produced hi-res photographic evidence of a nuclear factory in the Fordo mountain range near the city of Qom. Iranian diplomatic engagement, previously futile, might ignite again after realizing the serious nature of US Navy capabilities in the Persian Gulf, and the President’s willingness to flex his Navy muscles.

This evening, American air power would be used for diplomatic bullying and geopolitical hand-holding with Israel. Risking a global misunderstanding of timing, in light of the Syrian crisis flaring in the Middle East; nevertheless, firing a few warning shots could save a full-scale air war instigated by our Jewish allies. Iran’s uranium enrichment capability would have to be extinguished someday, just not tonight.

Harrington’s squadron would take their surveillance very seriously until they selected a few strategic targets to eliminate. The Hornet’s diverse array of weapons was staggering; WSOs would meticulously apply just the right firepower to match ancillary targets such as a road, a bridge, tracks, trucks, or antennae. The objective was to slow down any function supporting the Fordo site; and get all aircraft safely back to the ship.

Part 4 in a series of fiction ripped from the headlines:

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Standing On Top of the World: Code Yellow Part III

Van Halen - Top of the World (Balance World Tour 1995) - YouTube:

'via Blog this'

Standing On Top of the World: Code Yellow Part III

A beautiful gray flat-top box set against the deep blue of the ocean, The Stennis was a floating runway with a long white wake flowing miles behind it like the contrails of a reconnaissance plane flying at high-altitude.

Easy to spot with a bright sun and clear visibility, however this night, all planes were taking off in the dark; only instruments and skill would return them safely to the carrier deck.

Legend is that President Clinton honored the carrier’s importance when he once admitted, "When word of crisis breaks out in Washington, it’s no accident the first question that comes to everyone’s lips is: ‘where is the nearest carrier?’" Providing "forward presence," and in this case “diplomatic support,” aircraft carriers like the USS John C. Stennis remain an important part of America’s power and image.

Previously Iran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, used to transport 20% of the world’s oil out of the Persian Gulf. Their bluster protested sanctions imposed by the US and the EU, intending to force Iran to give-up its nuclear program; instead, it got them the biggest police officer in the world, the US Navy, walking a beat.

Dipping slightly after being catapulted clear of the carrier’s bow, the sheer power exerted by Lieutenant Harrington as he lit up the two powerful General Electric turbofan engines, jerked the two officers backward in their seats as the nose pointed upward to a foreboding black sky. This $21M F/A-18F Super Hornet’s thrust-to-weight ratio was still very good, even though it approached the maximum takeoff weight of nearly 50,000 Lbs.

The Hornet pulls 4-6 G’s on the way up: G forces are multiples of ordinary earthbound gravity (1.0 G). G forces are typically shown by accelerating quickly in a sports car, riding a roller coaster, or even sneezing.

“Let’s pull out to the north J.O., I want to get up against the ceiling if possible,” Lt. Harrington said over the intercom. “Roger that, Rocket One,” was my only reply, it was hard. to. talk. while pulling g’s.

Back toward the six, or the rear of the aircraft; otherwise called the stern on a boat, the lights of the carrier and the coastline faded away as we climbed on top of the world soaring at airspeed of almost 500 knots. The plan was to get the squadron up high and then slowly circle downward in a patrol of the Persian Gulf. The visibility was clear enough to see bogeys from far away.

High level satellite photos disseminated publically by the Institute for Science and International Security [ISIS] online (taken April 9, 2012), show a site south of Tehran called “Parchin” that probably was used in nuclear weapon development; however the U.N.’s watchdog agency IAEA was recently denied permission to investigate the site.

This week’s diplomatic meeting in Vienna should address U.N. concerns, but tonight the U.S. Navy is all over the gulf to show Iran what their lack of cooperation could cost them.

“A few of our Hornets are going to use the FTI 2 reconnaissance cameras, so we can get some tactical comm to the ship,” squawked Harrington, “We’ll be their escort.” “The fly-by over Fordo should be the hot-point in this trip, J.O., don’t you think?”

“We have plenty of ammo onboard Lieutenant, let’s not worry if we make bad houseguests?” I replied hastily.

“Their old Tomcats don’t bother me much, taking pictures is the easy part,” adding, “I hate to repeat myself, but it’s the landing back on the boat that worries me.” Honestly, I was totally ignoring the Code Yellow folder from earlier in the evening.

Diplomatic negotiators will assert that Iran must shut down its secret nuclear enrichment facility at Fordo, near the city of Qom, if aviators from the John C. Stennis aircraft carrier find out what is going on from the air.

Moving Iran’s enrichment program to Fordo, built inside a mountain with hardened defenses, might put Iran inside a “zone of immunity,” in which Israel would no longer be able to cripple the centrifuges with typical bombs.

So, tonight, on Israel’s errand, the Code Yellow folder held unconventional plans to destroy Fordo if need be, while Iran thought all eyes were on Parchin.

Laconically, the Lieutenant acknowledged my fear, “ten-four, J.O.”

“Get the paparazzi lined-up to swing down over land,” said Lt. Harrington, who was all business tonight. We had orders.

©Mark H. Pillsbury
(aviator fiction series #3)