Top Ten: The Good and the Bad

As we sit here awaiting our orders to move up to Whidbey Island, we've been reflecting back on our time here in Meridian. While we are definitely ready to move on, believe it or not, there are some things we'll miss. These are our top ten lists of what we'll miss and what we won't miss.

Ten things we will miss about Meridian

1. Carport barbecues
2. Our friends
3. SEC Football (Ole Miss, Bama)
4. El Norte—Tuesday two for one combo night
5. The ‘hood (aka Cypress Court)
6. Southern hospitality
7. HALO tournaments
8. Homemade Meridian commercials AND the local newscasters
9. The T-45
10. The Daily Grind for Saturday lunch

Ten things we will not miss about Meridian

1. The heat
2. The humidity
3. Hurricanes
4. Creepy crawlies (armadillos, cockroaches, other very large bugs, etc.)
5. Did we mention the heat?
6. Complete lack of decent dining
7. The foreign language
8. Our ghetto base housing
9. Um, the heat
10. Having no Target!

Wings of Gold-The Best Friday the 13th Ever!

I finally received my wings of gold on January 13th, 2006. I was overjoyed. It was Friday the 13th--my lucky day. I selected the EA-6B Prowler. Click on that to learn more. We found out the day before the winging ceremony. I was pretty surprised to select the Prowler. They only give out one a month, and it usually goes to the person with the best boat grades and a high overall flight school grade. But I got it anyway! A lot of what the Prowler does is top secret. It is a national asset and we do a lot of work for the Air Force, the Army, and of course the Navy and Marines. The primary mission of the Prowler is electronic warfare which means: radar jamming, radio communications interception, escort for all bombers and fighters, and a lot of other things I can't talk about because I don't have the top secret clearance yet and so they cannot tell me. So when I do find out, I won't be talking about it much because if I did, I would have to kill you!!!!! But I am excited about the Jet and the job I will be doing. I still can't believe they pay me for this.

Mandy and I are very excited. We get to move to one of the best duty stations in all the military, Whidbey Island in Washington state. We already found a place to live in Anacortes, which is located on Fidalgo Island. We're going to be Island folk! After about a year to a year and a half we will be moving to Cherry Point, North Carolina. We have some really close friends there and look forward to buying a home. We should be leaving Meridian within a few weeks. Mississippi will never look as good as it will in my rearview mirror!

The winging ceremony was nice. I am not one for getting all dressed up and participating in ceremonies but I didn't mind this one. It was worth it. Mandy pinned on my wings and we had about a million pictures taken. Thanks Mom!

This is just after Mandy pinned on my wings. That smile on my face didn't leave for about a week.


Prior to the winging ceremony we (me and the other pilot that winged with me) received some awards from our Commanding Officer.

We were able to go over to the simulator building and everybody got to try out the world's greatest video game. Steve is doing aerobatics here.

This is me and my buddy in front of the T-45C we fly, just before the winging ceremony. My Squadron's logo is on the right in the background.

This is the Commodore of Training Air Wing One. Doesn't he look like the perfect Naval Aviator? If you were going to cast someone for a fighter pilot movie you would base the character on this guy.

Right after Mandy pinned on my wings the Commodore and guest speaker presented me with more certificates and awards for my "I love me wall".

Mandy pinning on my wings.

Shaking hands.

This was the whole winging class. Five Marines in all (we're the ones in the good looking uniforms) and four Navy.

Posing for more pictures. Mandy is holding an award she received as well. It reads: United States Navy, Naval Air Training Command. To all who shall see these presents greetings: Amanda Jones, While attached to and serving as the neglected spouse of a student at the Naval Air Training Command, was duly and fully indoctrinated in the varied and incomprehensible subjects of Naval Aviation. Having served faithfully, and with devotion, in spite of harrassments, fits of temper and endless complaints of overwork is hereby awarded this Certificate of Apprection.

Steve, Bubba, Mandy and Me.

Mom and Dad!

Dad and Maryanne with Mandy and me.

The night of the winging we all went out to a steak house in Meridian.

We took the Wathens and Mom on a tour of the Natchez trace to take in some real life Mississippi swamp land.

Mandy, talking with her hands. "Don't take that picture, I'm not ready!"

Final Flight in the T-45

Tuesday, January 10 I flew my last flight in the T-45C. It was the culmination of three years and three months of work to earn my Wings of Gold. I could not be more excited!

The flights were my last two Air Combat Maneuvering flights. I was solo, my ACM partner too, and one instructor in the third jet. We took off as a three plane flight and headed to our working area to "fight". It started out with my partner and I vs. the instructor. The first fight was difficult because we had a hard time keeping sight of the "bogey" and I was getting chased around at 330 knots and 6 gs as my partner searched the sky for us. He finally found us and came in for the shot. Once that was over we set up again. This time the bogey went after my partner and I went vertical. As I rolled over the top I found the fight below me, discerned who was the bogey and roll in for the shot. Luckily that fight was over quickly.

We landed at a local airport to refuel and go out and do it again. The second flight went about the same except at the end of the flight our instructor let me and my partner go one on one against eachother. We had a nose to nose pass at around 400 knots a piece and took the fight veritical. Unfortunately I lost sight immediately and he was able to get a shot off on me. I returned the favor shortly thereafter and we knocked it off and headed home.

When we got on the ground I was met by my wife, my friends and squadron mates and a fire hose. It is another naval tradition to hose you down when you get winged. My executive officer put my wings on my chest and I was officially done with the program. The official winging ceremony takes place on Friday.

My friend Joe Coenen holds the fire hosed used to wet us down.


My friend and I completed the program together. This is the walk to the hose.

Notice where the stream of water is pointed. Yeah, that hurt.

Soaking, but extremely relieved.

The XO presents me with my wings.

Shaking hands with my squadron mates.

My boys: Joe Coenen, me, Scott Fortner (who finished with me) and Jason Raper.

Mandy and I after the hosing down. She was more relieved than I was!

The Fortners, Mandy and I celebrate our final flight.

Fun in the Snow

Four more things that make Christmas break fun...

1. Catching up with old friends and skiing at Snowbasin with them. For old ladies, these girls can still ski!

1. Taking the dogs out to hike in the snow. Jackson-boy almost forgot what snow is!

3. Hanging out with my sister

4. Enjoying the view from the top of the mountains

Christmas Part Three

The final chapter in our three-part Christmas involved hanging out with Josh's family at Jim and Rebecca's house. We had fun seeing the kids' new presents.

The Jones family relaxing

Riley Jones (following in a long tradition of Jones thumb suckers)

Austin Jones

Allison Jones

Anna Jones

Amanda Jones

Riley and Grandpa

Jim, Rebecca and Anna

Grandpa, Maryann and Anna

Christmas Part Two

Christmas morning we had lots of fun opening presents and of course eating lots of food. Jeff, Leslie, Katie and Kelcy came over for Christmas lunch and for the second annual Wathen poker tournament.

The Wathen Cousins

Conor playing with his new iPod Nano

Brynn, Kelcy and Hank

Brynn and Nate

Joshua ... stressing out because he had to come back to Meridian the day after Christmas. :(

Christmas Doggies!

Katie and Jeff

Our Three-Part Christmas

Christmas for us always includes making the rounds to multiple family parties. We get Christmas with the Egans (on Christmas Eve), Christmas with the Wathens (on Christmas morning) and Christmas with the Jones's (on Christmas night). Basically that adds up to a whole lot of food ... but also a lot of fun. We started this year's trip with a 27-hour marathon drive from Meridian to Centerville. When we set off on the drive, we thought that we might not stop for the night--depending on our levels of stupidity and alertness. In the end, we were anxious to get home and didn't want to waste time and money stopping in a hotel. And, fun as it may seem, the only thing to do and look at on I-40 from Memphis to Gallup, New Mexico is the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, which I have already seen three times and is really not that cool at all.

Christmas Eve included the traditional Egan Program. This means that all of the talented cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents sing and play (on piano and guitar) various Christmas carols. We used to act out the nativity every year, but there is currently a shortage of small children in the family and it got less and less cute watching Conor be a wise man.







The whole crew singing together.












Danielle, Tyler, Josh, and Ryan singing Silent Night (I think) in Portuguese, French, and English.












My grandpa--talented Egan #1--singing.












All of the Egan cousins--minus a couple. And I am the oldest of this crew!












My mom and grandpa










More to come later...