~ Par Ardua Ad Astra ~

I have a friend here that I met earlier on when I came to this city. It was before Christmas and I had contacted the Air Force base to see if I could gain allowance – so that I could have some pictures to send to my father.  Two months later I had a call from the head of the public relations branch and then I was thrown over to a head of a flight squadron whom had called me one week ago to try to set our agendas in place so that I could get in some picture of a few of the planes as well as if I was luck being able to suit up and take a ride.

 

It never came to be, however we talked a few time on the telephone and the last time I talked with Mike, was last week. He had been doing nighttime flights and he had mentioned to me that he was a commissioned officer. I believe I wrote about this earlier.

He was a little down with regards to with having to go to Afghanistan, as he was tired of the entire thing. I could here it in his voice. He indicated in the worst-case scenario he would try to send over some pictures to me since our schedules conflicted.

 

As mentioned I am working within my own field now that does include air. However I am not air force, my father was and he was the head of Norad and is very well know within the community – or let just say that he says “those days are over” but I know that with all that he saw and shared with me – was something that no one ever would realize as there is an oath that one takes.   > Getting back to the story, I am too busy for daily pictures however if last night I was in the midst of boarding a plane to talk to a commercial pilot and while I was walking up the stair from the outdoors, I look to the tarmac and there were the first round and the beginning of five sets of F – 18’s. It was sundown and all aircraft could not leave their pad till they left. The manner in which they take off is something that I wish I had the ability to have a camera at hand – but they will slowly move in a pattern to the exact measurement of distance from each other and then one by one they only need half the runway to take off. One by one I watch all six. And I thought of what Mark had mentioned to me that they were on a 48 hour alert. As they all took off, I couldn’t happen to want to salute them. I don’t know what you would call it about they all have their own lives and they place it all on hold and you have to be right on the mark in doing as a pilot more so with it comes to the defense systems of the Air Force.  They override all commercial airspace.

 

I heard of the other 5 sets leaving today and it just indicated to me that Mark had gone.

It’s the closest thing one gets to feeling, proud, and patriotic perhaps. All that I know is that it was something that everyone was talking about in the office. And we as Canadians have been in Afghanistan since September 11^th.  We were asked to go to Iraq but the Prime Minister at that time decided that Afghanistan was where we would go as peacekeepers – and now it’s turned out to be much more.  Aside of all that, what these people do is not in a manner to create bloodshed. You don’t fly an aircraft equipped and worth a very large sum of money on your own. How a person can turn of life and turn on a machine as such and then make one stop over and then be working in alliance with other countries to maintain that is certainly something that amazes me.  I am sure I will have some pictures that are from Mike when he gets back, however when I saw the first six taking off, I know he is running one team of them.  The history of peace keeping goes back to a Lester B. Pearson, that introduced it to the United Nations many years back. It had it's flaws in some areas - such as Africa, but Canada has been a military that has worked in unision with the Bristish as well as the United States. And that all said there are things that are shared between these two countries that most would never know. Only within the Air Force would one understand that if they were at a officer or further on in rank.

 

I often talk about peace. I think this is more with regards to a certain something that these pilots have. All that I know is that I hope that Mark gets back in good time and come spring we will be able to talk about other things. When and if I get a picture I will place it in here but till then this write goes out to a rather new friend – that I feel very honored to have come across. And I can honestly say that I hope this new friend gets there and gets back. As I am sure he shall and will.

The title "Par Ardua Ad Astra" is a slogan that has been used since WWI, I believe in the Air Force of the British and of Canada. And the meaning is "Through all Adversity Shoot for The Stars".