~A Perfect Circle~
I was walking out of Naval Hospital Branch Dental this morning after getting my teeth cleaned by a madwoman (She scraped the hell out of my teeth. It was unpleasant, but my teeth feel oddly great right now). At that moment, the Blue Angels passed by overhead in formation at very near the speed of sound. It was awesome, because while you are down here, you really feel like you are in the Cradle of Naval Aviation.
As I stood there, watching them practice their maneuvers and stunts, I realized something. I have come full circle with what I wanted to do with my life.
When I was a child, I remember going to the Blue Angel airshows in El Toro, California. I watched with the same sense of awe and wonder then as I did this morning outside Dental. One of my first toys was a Navy fighter that I used to go zooming around my apartment home with. For as long as I can remember I loved and wanted to fly like the Blue Angels.
And here I am now, without knowing it, working towards what I dreamed of doing when I was a wee tyke. I am simply blown away by this.
There are things and circumstances getting in the way though. Yesterday, I had my flight physical. The Flight Surgeon, Captain Reeves, found an issue with my ears that all my previous doctors managed to overlook. I have a medical condition with my ears where my eardrums, for some reason unknown to me and Captain Reeves, have receded far back into my ears. They are much further back than normal ears, to the point where they are actually behind the ossicles (the vibrating small bones) of my ears, instead of in front like they're supposed to. All things considered, rightfully, I should be deaf in my left ear (he fact that I'm still able to hear blew away Captain Reeves). This condition is serious enough in me that it not only disqualifies me from Aviation, but naval service!
The good news is that it might be possible to fix this condition with surgery. The bad news is that there is no guarantee if the surgery will fix me or make me worse, or even if the surgery is possible. We'll have to see.
Later on in the morning, I went to Naval Hospital Pensacola off-base to get a CT scan of my head and to set up an appointment with the Audiologist on staff. The appointment is April 21st. The worst-case scenario is that I will only get to stay in the Navy for 21 more days. The best case scenario, though, is that they fix me and I'll stay a Naval Flight Officer.
As I walked out of the Naval Hospital, the Blue Angels passed by overhead again. I have hope.
As I stood there, watching them practice their maneuvers and stunts, I realized something. I have come full circle with what I wanted to do with my life.
When I was a child, I remember going to the Blue Angel airshows in El Toro, California. I watched with the same sense of awe and wonder then as I did this morning outside Dental. One of my first toys was a Navy fighter that I used to go zooming around my apartment home with. For as long as I can remember I loved and wanted to fly like the Blue Angels.
And here I am now, without knowing it, working towards what I dreamed of doing when I was a wee tyke. I am simply blown away by this.
There are things and circumstances getting in the way though. Yesterday, I had my flight physical. The Flight Surgeon, Captain Reeves, found an issue with my ears that all my previous doctors managed to overlook. I have a medical condition with my ears where my eardrums, for some reason unknown to me and Captain Reeves, have receded far back into my ears. They are much further back than normal ears, to the point where they are actually behind the ossicles (the vibrating small bones) of my ears, instead of in front like they're supposed to. All things considered, rightfully, I should be deaf in my left ear (he fact that I'm still able to hear blew away Captain Reeves). This condition is serious enough in me that it not only disqualifies me from Aviation, but naval service!
The good news is that it might be possible to fix this condition with surgery. The bad news is that there is no guarantee if the surgery will fix me or make me worse, or even if the surgery is possible. We'll have to see.
Later on in the morning, I went to Naval Hospital Pensacola off-base to get a CT scan of my head and to set up an appointment with the Audiologist on staff. The appointment is April 21st. The worst-case scenario is that I will only get to stay in the Navy for 21 more days. The best case scenario, though, is that they fix me and I'll stay a Naval Flight Officer.
As I walked out of the Naval Hospital, the Blue Angels passed by overhead again. I have hope.