U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona visited Whiting Field Naval Air Station on Friday to watch his son receive the Navy's "Wings of Gold."
About 350 people packed into Whiting's auditorium Friday to see 16 helicopter flight training graduates receive their Naval aviator wings.
Among the graduates was Sen. McCain's son, Ensign John S. McCain IV, who began helicopter training at Whiting Field last year.
The winging ceremony is a rite of passage for Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps aviators. During the ceremony, graduates' families join them on stage and pin gold wings on the graduates' uniforms.
McCain was the featured speaker at the ceremony, which was casual and upbeat for a formal military function, with frequent jokes and eruptions of laughter.
McCain served for 22 years as a Naval aviator and completed portions of his flight training in Pensacola in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
"In 1960, he sat in a room much like this one ... and received his Wings of Gold," said Lt. Col. Shawn Coakley, commander of Helicopter Training Squadron 18.
During a 15-minute speech, McCain reminisced fondly on his time in Pensacola as a young Naval aviator, "from learning to fly to blowing my pay at Trader Jon's."
"Kick the tires and light the fires," McCain said. "I loved the image of a Naval aviator. I loved the life. It was fun. So much fun, I don't know how I survived it."
McCain had several brushes with death during his time in service, including being shot down over North Vietnam in 1967 and spending 5½ years as a prisoner of war.
McCain said military members today face a more unstable and unpredictable world than the one he served in, but their mission remains the same.
"You are the defenders of our freedom ... and you will protect us from all threats wherever they originate," McCain said.
Ensign McCain graduated from the Naval Academy in 2009 and went through primary flight training at Vance Air Force Base, Okla. He is being transferred to Yigo, Guam, next week to continue training in the Navy fleet.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE!
No comments:
Post a Comment