Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:48:28 -0800
From: Tom Baxter <tbax93722@hotmail.com>
Subject: Pensacola 19

This story is fantasy. It never happened. If it is illegal or inappropriate
for you to read this, don't.

This story is the property of the author. The author encourages others to
read it, download it, and even print it for their own use. Any commercial
use, mass reproduction or reposting to another website, however, would
require permission from the author in advance.

Copyright 2009

---------------------------------
Pensacola - Chapter 19
---------------------------------

Josh ate his breakfast happily; this was going to be a low stress day. The
scheduling office had been running him ragged lately at the CO's request to
get him completed with Primary by the end of August so he had plenty of
time to get settled in Meridian before starting Jet training on September
19th.

But today he only had a solo flight followed by a bunch of pre-transfer
paperwork at the Personnel Office (PSD) and then he had to go to the
Personal Property Office to arrange for the movers to take all of his stuff
to Meridian.

It was a beautiful morning in Pensacola, a bright blue sky with the puffy
white clouds that would trigger thunderstorms by late afternoon. He decided
to make one round through his emergency procedures flash cards because he
knew the Flight Duty Officer would quiz him just a little before he sent
him into the air on his own.

"Engine Fire" his first card read. Not only did he know the procedures for
this one cold... check for secondary indications, cut off the fuel supply,
shut the engine down, and feather the prop... but he also recalled all of
the simulated engine fire scenarios that instructors had put him through up
in the air. He turned the card over anyway, just to be thorough and checked
himself. Of course, he was correct.

He went through the entire deck of cards like this and realized that
between his procedures memorization and simulating multiple emergencies in
the aircraft and in the simulator, there wasn't much that could happen in
the air where he wouldn't know exactly what to do.

He put on his flight suit and pulled on his boots. As he went out his door,
the neighbor's blinds parted. "I think if those blinds ever didn't move
when I came through this door, I would call `911' cuz Lorna must be dead on
the floor or somethin" he joked to himself.

He hopped in the Beamer and started up the highway towards Whiting
Field. He remembered how early in training he would study his flashcards on
the highway while he steered the car with his knees, just to get in a
little more study time before being grilled by LT Pride. He was pleased
that he didn't have to do that anymore, today's drive was much more
relaxing.

As he neared the front gate of the base, he pulled on his cover to prepare
for the sentries. The marines came to attention and saluted Josh as he
drove through the gate, Josh saluted smartly in return.

He felt on top of the world. Things were turning out exactly how he had
planned them. Josh felt fulfilled in every aspect of his life and wondered
if he really deserved everything that he had received.

He parked at the flight line and walked into the ready room. Brad was
standing duty, and his endless energy led to a boisterous
atmosphere. "Ensign Scott!"  Brad jokingly greeted him. "2nd lieutenant
Nichols!" Josh returned likewise.

"Cool, you got a solo hop today. I love solos!" Brad observed. "Do I have
an aircraft yet?" Josh questioned. "I was just about to call over and get
the lineup for the 1100 launch, we got lots of mission capable planes this
morning, so I'll have one for ya in a minute" Brad replied. "Awesome, I'm
gonna go get my weather" said Josh, and he walked over to the weather
briefing monitor.

After Josh had recorded the appropriate weather data, he returned to the
duty desk where Brad informed him he would be flying aircraft 355 today. He
turned and waited for LT Jackson, the Flight Duty Officer, to get off the
phone. "I'm ready to go on my Fam-19 solo sir" Josh informed him. "Hey,
Josh!" LT Jackson greeted him. "What have you got planned today?" he
inquired.

"I'm assigned to area two, so I'm going to head out over Choctaw and take
care of my high work, then I'm gonna go in there and get a whole bunch of
landings" Josh replied. "Sounds good... Let's see... let me think of a good
emergency question" the lieutenant pondered.

"How about a compressor stall, what are you gonna do about that?" LT
Jackson quizzed him. "I'll pull the throttle back to clear the stall and
then proceed to the nearest suitable field and execute a precautionary
emergency landing" Josh replied.

"What if you have to pull the throttle back so far that you can't maintain
level flight" the lieutenant questioned further. "I'll execute an emergency
landing into the nearest airfield, or if there isn't one, I'll shut the
engine down and land the aircraft on the nearest suitable surface" Josh
answered correctly. "Great! Be safe and have a good time!" LT Jackson
instructed.

Josh went to maintenance, read the aircraft maintenance book and then
signed for his plane as `pilot in command'. As he walked down the flight
line he recalled how he had felt the first time he took an aircraft into
the sky solo. He had certainly come a long way since then.

The Plane Captain briefed him on the status of his aircraft and Josh
performed a preflight inspection of it. Finding the plane airworthy, Josh
climbed in and his Plane Captain stood on the wing next to him helping him
strap into the seat.  Once Josh was set, he gave the Plane Captain a
thumbs-up instead of yelling over the roar of the nearby propellers that
churned the humid morning air.

Josh pulled the canopy closed and locked it. After he completed his
preflight checklist, Josh signaled the Plane Captain that he was prepared
to fire up the turbine. As the jet turbine whined and then roared, the
propeller began to spin drowning out all other noises.

"North Whiting Ground, Navy Six Echo Three Five Five, Taxi with Foxtrot,
Bagdad departure" Josh called for taxi. "Navy 355, North Ground, Taxi to
runway one four, Bagdad departure approved."

After an uneventful takeoff Josh climbed over the little town of Bagdad,
Florida on his way south into Operating Area 2. The aircraft seemed to have
good performance in the hot humid air, but instructors had told him that in
dry cool air, the T-34 was an entirely different machine with how well it
could accelerate and climb.

Once established in the area, Josh pulled the throttle back and practiced
some simple maneuvers, a turn pattern, level speed changes, and a stall
series.  However, this stuff was boring him, he was eager to get onto the
aerobatics.

He put on his oxygen mask and looked at himself in the rear view
mirror. The mask wasn't required at this altitude, but he felt like a jet
pilot when he wore it, so he decided to use it for the aerobatics. It added
to his dream of flying like a Blue Angel as he looked out of the top of his
canopy while inverted, referencing his ground checkpoints to keep his
aircraft exactly in the right place.

He started with wingovers. He heeded LT Garcia's prompting and strived to
hit his numbers exactly. He was an accomplished pilot and he really could
do these perfectly if he really tried.

He raised his nose 45 degrees high and began rolling the aircraft left and
pulling.  At 90 degrees of heading change, the aircraft was at 90 degrees
angle of bank and the nose was falling back through the horizon. "Perfect!"
Josh thought to himself, pleased.

He proceeded to Barrel Rolls. This was a more difficult maneuver where he
would change the pitch from 45 degrees nose high to 45 degrees nose low
while pulling the heading 90 degrees off and back as the aircraft rolled
through a full 360 degrees.  Once again, he was able to hit his numbers on
several Barrel Rolls without much difficulty.

Now he was on to his favorite, the Loop. He aligned himself with a highway
below and lowered the nose as he pressed the throttle forward. At 250
knots, he pulled the aircraft into a 4G climb. He groaned slightly as the
stress of four times the force of gravity tugged at his body. As the
aircraft rounded the top of the loop, Josh raised his head and found the
same highway to guide him through the rest of his maneuver.

He was pleased when he reached level flight again and checked his numbers.
He was once again at his starting airspeed and altitude, and on his
original heading. He decided to do it again.

He then executed an Immelman Turn, which was essentially the first half of
a loop where he would roll the aircraft upright when on the top. To return
to his previous altitude, he performed a Split S, rolling the aircraft
inverted and pulling 4G's until the plane completed the second half of a
loop and he was once in again in level flight at the altitude he started
the Immelman.

He was having a great time flying his aircraft with such precision. He also
did some aileron rolls and Half Cuban Eights. He checked his time and fuel
and decided that it was time to head to Navy Outlying Field Choctaw for
landing practice.

To put his aerobatic training to practical use, he decided that a Split S
would turn him around towards Choctaw and lose some necessary altitude at
the same time. So he rolled inverted, pulled his throttle back and started
to pull the nose towards the ground.

Just as he passed the point where he was pointed straight down at the
ground, now going nearly 300 miles per hour, a flash of white appeared
before his windscreen. Before he could react, he heard and felt a deafening
Whap, Whap, Smash, Bang... followed by a loud Crash of breaking glass!

He had flown through a dense flock of sea birds and they had smashed
through the windscreen and struck him. The force of being hit by a 3 pound
bird in the face at several hundred miles an hour knocked Josh
unconscious. His helmet visor had cracked, allowing the impact to hit his
forehead and eyes. Blood, some his, some the bird's, poured down his face.

The oxygen mask had mostly protected his nose, mouth and jaw, and continued
to feed Josh life giving oxygen as his mind struggled back to
consciousness. The aircraft, badly damaged itself, was pilotless and
continued in a steep descent as well as rolling slightly towards its more
damaged wing on the port side.

As Josh came to, extreme pain occupied his senses as he tried to assess the
situation he suddenly found himself. He knew he was in an aircraft, but he
could not see. One eyelid was torn and the eyeball was swelling, his other
eye was so full of blood he couldn't make anything out. To make matters
worse, the couple hundred knots of wind that was hitting him in the face
would have blinded him even on a normal day.

As Josh's sense of logic returned, he realized he was in big trouble. He
reached for the stick, but what direction should he move it? He couldn't
see enough to ascertain his aircraft's attitude. "Work the problem, Josh!"
he told himself.

"Shit, I gotta get outta here!" he realized after a short analysis of his
dire situation. He reached up to the canopy rail to find the handle. He
unlocked it and pulled, but it didn't budge. He felt around the canopy bow
and could tell it was all bent and distorted. It wasn't going to open. He
knew the windscreen was smashed out and momentarily considered trying to
crawl out that way, but then realized there was a spinning propeller up
there to deal with.

In desperation, he reached for his survival knife. After the first couple
of stabs at the thick plastic canopy, he realized that it would take a long
time to bust it apart with his knife... time he didn't have.

"Fuck, this isn't happening!!!" Josh thought to himself, and then his
thoughts drifted to Brandon. "My god, Brandon I am so very sorry!"

Thick black smoke rose through the pine trees of the Florida forest when
Navy six echo 355 dropped from scope number two at Pensacola Radar Approach
Control. The Emergency Locator Transmitting beacon that was mounted within
the fuselage of Josh's aircraft activated automatically upon impact. It
broadcast a signal on 243.0 megahertz that alerted the aviators within
radio range that one of their own was no longer aloft on Wings of
Gold. Within minutes, the distinctive `Thump' `Thump' `Thump' of Navy UH-1
rescue helicopters filled the skies over Naval Air Station Pensacola and
Naval Air Station Whiting Field.

The red crash phone rang at the duty desk in the Training Squadron Six
Ready Room. Brad and LT Jackson looked at each other with a foreboding
dread. "That phone never rings except each morning at 0800 for the daily
test" they both thought to themselves.

LT Jackson answered the phone "VT-6 Ready Room" he said. "This is Pensacola
Approach Control, we've lost contact with Navy 6 Echo 355 four miles south-
southeast of Choctaw. We have reports of an ELT beacon transmitting in the
area. Navy Rescue is on the way" the voice on the phone reported. "Very
well" LT Jackson replied.

"Who's in 355?" LT Jackson yelled to Brad as he hung up the phone. Brad
scanned the big board and reported "That's Ensign Scott sir!" "Ok, you take
the phones, I've gotta call the CO" LT Jackson instructed. Then he turned
to the small crowd gathering in front of the duty desk "Come on guys! Give
us some breathing room here, we've got a job to do!" he pleaded.

"Sir, it appears we may have a plane down" LT Jackson informed the
Commanding Officer. "Give me the details" the commander requested. "ATC
says they've lost contact with 355 near Choctaw and there's an ELT
transmitting" LT Jackson relayed. "Who's in that aircraft?" the CO
questioned. "Ensign Scott, sir, on a solo" the lieutenant replied.

"Ok... Send out a `Return to Base' order; get all my planes on deck! I'll
be right down" the CO directed. "Aye, aye sir" LT Jackson replied. "Brad,
get on the radio and RTB all our aircraft!" "Yes sir!" Brad
replied. "Ensign Hart! Run over to the Tower and listen in on their radio
traffic... call me the second we hear anything back from those
helicopters!" "Aye, aye sir!" Ensign Hart replied as he ran out of the
Ready Room.

"Sir, LT Boyd is in Area 2 and reporting black smoke. He says there has
definitely been an aircraft crash but he can't tell if it's Navy" Brad
announced. "Are there any parachutes on the ground?" LT Jackson shot
back. "No sir, he doesn't see any" Brad reported. "Ok... get him back to
base" LT Jackson instructed.

The CO entered the ready room and LT Jackson filled him in on LT Boyd's
report. A few minutes later a call came in from Ensign Hart reporting the
first rescue helicopter confirmed a downed Navy T-34, but were unable to
land due to heavy forest. Choctaw crash trucks were enroute on the ground
and would be guided by the helicopters

Joe entered the Ready Room to prepare for his afternoon flight and got
caught up in the activity. Nick saw Joe and ran over to him "Joe, Josh
might have crashed!" he quickly told him. "Fuck no!" Joe replied "Is he
ok?" "Nobody knows yet" answered Nick.

The crash truck arrived on scene and put out the fire. Then they reported
that there was a pilot in the wreckage. Ensign Hart, who received the word
first in the Air Traffic Control Tower, was so distraught, he was barely
able to pass this news to the Ready Room. "Make the call to the Pentagon"
CDR Richardson instructed LT Jackson.

An erie dread fell across the ready room. Could it be true? Could one of
their buddies really be dead? They all knew that they were involved in a
very dangerous profession and cheated death on almost a daily basis, but
when it became a reality... when a pilot they had just seen and spoke to a
couple hours ago would really not be coming home, it was too much to take.

                              ===============

Joe rushed home, he needed to find Brandon. He called his wife Susan at
work and gave her the bad news. "Oh my god!" she cried, "and what's going
to happen to Brandon?" Joe asked her to come home and help him deal with
the situation.

"I don't know how to get a hold of Brandon!" Joe fretted to Susan. "Call
Ryan, he's so close with Josh and Brandon, he'll know" Susan
suggested. "Ryan was airborne at the time of the crash. They recalled all
of the planes, but I still can't get a hold of him" Joe explained.

Joe called Mentors USA, he explained the problem and was passed up to the
center's director, Mrs. McClain. "I understand that one of our mentors has
been killed in an accident and you want to contact the boy?" Mrs. McClain
explained what she had been told. "That's right," Joe replied "Brandon
Thompson, the boy, has become such a big part of all of our lives but I'm
embarrassed to say that no one knows his phone number or even where he
lives."

"And, what was the name of the mentor?" Mrs. McClain asked. "Josh Scott,
Joshua Scott" Joe replied. "I'm not sure what the problem is here,"
Mrs. McClain began "but I'm not showing either one of them here in our
system." "That's ridiculous!" shouted Joe, "Look, I've got a picture of
them here, you're located on Davis? I'll just come down there and show
you." "That's right Ensign Williams, on the North Davis Highway, just south
of the Freeway, why don't you come down here and we'll see if we can't
straighten this out" replied Mrs. McClain.

Less than an hour later Joe was back at the apartment complex without any
more answers than he had before. He noticed that Lorna's car was back, he
asked Susan to accompany him to visit the Harris apartment.

"Why Joe and Susan! What a pleasant surprise!" Lorna began before she took
a look at them and could tell that there was a problem. "What is it?" she
asked worriedly. "Josh..." Joe began. "Josh was in an accident this
afternoon and didn't make it" Joe explained. "Oh No! No! No!" Lorna
shrieked. "And oh my god! What about Brandon!" "That's a problem" Joe
explained. "We don't have his phone number or even know where he lives."
"How about Ryan? He'll know" Lorna suggested. "Ryan can't be reached"
replied Joe.

"Why don't we call Big Brothers?" Lorrna tried again. "I already did, and
they say they've never heard of either Josh or Brandon." Joe replied. "Well
that's just silly!"  Lorna reasoned. "That's how they met each other!
They've been members of that club for months."

"I even took a picture of the two of them down there, and they really have
never seen either of them before" said Joe. "Well I just don't understand"
said Lorna "How did they meet then, what does this mean?" "I've been trying
to figure that out for the past hour Lorna, but I think it might be best if
we just keep this information to ourselves for now, huh?" "Yes, I think
your right, that might be best" Lorna agreed. "Now about getting a hold of
Brandon, I guess we just wait for him to show up looking for Josh" Joe
reasoned. "I guess that's what we'll have to do" agreed Lorna.

                              ===============

Mrs. Floyd sat annoyed at her desk in the Personal Property office on
base. It was now 1600 and she had an appointment with an Ensign Scott at
1500 that still hadn't shown up yet. "It will serve him right if he loses
his pack-up date and has to push his move back a day or two" she thought to
herself. "These aviators just think the world revolves around them" she
continued stewing.

She had the yeoman call the squadron. "They said that Ensign Scott is not
available" the yeoman reported. "What do you mean he's not available?!"
Mrs.  Floyd scoffed. "Did his flight get delayed or something?" "They
didn't say maam, they just said he is not available" the yeoman repeated.

Aggravated, she tossed Josh's moving file into her `pending' basket and
called for her next appointment. Ensign Grimes entered her office, but she
still wasn't over Josh's absence. "Good afternoon Ensign. Say... you didn't
see Ensign Scott over at the squadron did you?" she asked. "What squadron
is he in" the Ensign replied, "I'm in VT-2."  "Let me see... Oh, it looks
like he's in VT-6, I guess you wouldn't know him" she replied.

VT-6... That struck a cord with him. That was the squadron that just had
the accident. "What was his name again maam?" Ensign Grimes
inquired. "Ensign Scott, Ensign Joshua Scott" She repeated after looking
his name up in his jacket.

"Oh my god!" the Ensign blurted. "What is it Ensign?" Mrs Floyd
inquired. "Maybe you all didn't hear over here, but that's the pilot that
was killed this afternoon" the Ensign explained. "Oh MY!" Mrs Floyd
exclaimed. "Oh my lord! I had no idea!  Please forgive me!"  She began to
cry.

                              ===============

Joe and Susan along with Lorna and Dave sat on the lawn into the early
evening waiting for Brandon to show up in search of his friend and
mentor. "There he is" said Joe as he noticed Brandon happily strolling his
way up the street towards the apartment.

"Hey, where's Josh?" Brandon said in his cheerfulness that normally could
have lifted anyone's spirits, "I've been trying to call him all afternoon
and his phone's just off."

"Brandon come over here, I need to talk to you" said Joe. Brandon looked
into Joe's eyes and could see something was wrong, terribly wrong. Joe
placed his arm around Brandon's shoulders. "Brandon, buddy, there has been
an accident... Josh has been in an accident" "When's Josh coming home?"
Brandon screamed worriedly. "Brandon, he didn't get out. Josh won't be
coming home" "NO! You're lying. Fuck You! NO! Josh?!"

Brandon ran up onto Josh's patio and started banging on his sliding glass
door "Josh?! Josh?! Josh?!" Lorna ran up onto the patio after him and took
him into her arms "Brandon, honey!" Brandon turned and buried his head into
her shoulder crying. She rocked him gently and said "god he loved you
Brandon, he loved you as much as life itself, he could hardly talk of
anything but you."

"He's coming home, he has to, he told me he would" Brandon sobbed. "I'm
sorry honey, I'm know he tried his best to get back to you, I just know he
did, but he's gone now."

They turned their heads as they heard the roar of Ryan's speeding Honda
coming up the street. "Ryan!" Brandon screamed. Lorna released her embrace
as Brandon turned and ran towards the street. Ryan screeched to a stop
before he even reached a parking space to keep from running over Brandon as
he ran towards the car without regard for his own safety.

Ryan threw his door open and stood up as Brandon attached himself to him in
a tight hug. "Oh god Brandon! Cutie, I'm so sorry, I am so sorry!" Ryan
cried as he returned Brandon's hug. Brandon wailed loudly. Ryan patted and
soothed him, but to no avail. Brandon could not be consoled.

They stood there in the street hugging and crying for the next half
hour. The others stood helpless, not knowing what to do or how to help. Joe
finally approached them and suggested that they go into Josh's apartment
and sit down. Susan suggested that she would bring some dinner over in a
while.

Ryan and Brandon both had keys to Josh's apartment. They went into the
living room and sat on the sofa. Brandon curled into Ryan's chest and Ryan
held him and rocked him gently. They sat in silence, never turning on the
tv, stereo, or even a light.

"I can't believe he's gone... I was with him just last night" said
Brandon. "I can't believe it either" agreed Ryan as he held Brandon closer.

                              ===============

The Commanding Officer of Training Squadron Six grounded Josh's entire
class of 13 aviators. The Navy had taught them all to `compartmentalize'
their issues before climbing into the cockpit, but everyone was so
devastated by this incident, he just didn't want any of these pilots in the
air for a while.

Joe, as class leader, was assigned by the Navy to handle Josh's personal
affairs and to be liaison for his family as they were called to
Pensacola. Joe went with Ryan to Josh's apartment to retrieve some of his
personal items for the memorial service.

"Ryan, the mentoring organization has never heard of Josh or
Brandon. You're like a brother to these two, so I suspect that you know
what's going on over here" Joe pressed. "Please don't ask too many
questions! Please just let Josh rest in peace" sobbed Ryan. "Ryan, you guys
are my best friends, I can leave it alone, but I'm not sure if everyone
else will, particularly if the accident investigators decide to delve
further into Josh's personal life than I put in my report" Joe warned.

A couple days later, Joe walked into the Mentors USA center dressed in
summer whites to visit with the center's director. "May I see Mrs. McClain"
he asked the receptionist. He was shown into her office. "Ensign!"
Mrs. McClain greeted Joe, "How nice to see you again. Did you ever figure
out that mix up that we were working on the other day?"

"Well maam, I found this release in Ensign Scott's apartment." Joe showed
her the Mentors USA release form that Brandon had filled out and his mother
had signed a few months earlier. "Well that's odd," Mrs. McClain stated. "I
think it proves that this truly was the organization that Josh was claiming
to be associated with." Joe reasoned, "So the only explanation I can come
up with for this whole thing is that Josh and Brandon met some other way
and decided to use your organization to `sanction' their friendship."

"Why don't you just ask the boy?" Mrs. McClain suggested. "I'm not going to
grill Brandon on this," Joe replied "he's been through enough already, and
besides, at this point I don't think it really matters." "I suppose you're
right" Mrs. McClain agreed. "The problem that is going to arise, however,"
Joe continued "is that it will be widely circulated, through the press and
the Navy that Josh was a member of your organization." "I see," pondered
Mrs. McClain.

"What I am asking of you is to not dispute this assertion. There is enough
tragedy here already, let's not raise any additional questions" Joe
stated. "Well we can't lie!" protested Mrs. McClain. "I'm not asking you to
lie" Joe replied "I'm simply asking you to not volunteer the truth." "It
would be highly irregular" Mrs. McClain again voiced her opposition.

"Look," Joe began "your organization is going to be painted in a very
positive light here. I know for a fact that you will be seeing several
aviators down here in the next few days looking for boys to mentor and the
press you will receive will be invaluable. Why throw all that away and
raise even the suggestion of any impropriety unnecessarily?" "I see your
point" Mrs. McClain agreed "maybe we could work something out. Perhaps if I
could keep that release form I could start a file."

                               ===============

Each day, Ryan and Brandon hung in Josh's apartment. Sitting in his living
room amongst his things made them feel like they might hear his voice again
or that he might walk down the hall and greet them, but off course that
didn't happen.

Ryan feared what would happen to the two of them in a few days when they no
longer had access to Josh's place. Their last link to their friend and
lover would be lost forever.

"You know Ryan, I did get to say goodbye to him" Brandon revealed. "What do
you mean?" asked Ryan. "Our last night together we were saying goodbye"
Brandon explained. "We were saying goodbye because he was going to move,
but he wasn't moving for almost another two weeks. I can't explain it, but
we were really saying goodbye to each other that night."

"Did he know?" asked Ryan softly. "How could he know?" replied Brandon. "He
didn't know, but we both felt a need that night to really say a final
goodbye, even though we both expected to see each other the next day"
Brandon explained.

"That's weird" Ryan observed. "Ya, it was weird" Brandon agreed.

                               ===============

Josh's memorial service was held five days later at the Chapel of Naval
Aviation on NAS Pensacola. The chapel stood as an imposing monument in the
middle of the `Cradle of Naval Aviation.' It was here that Josh had
attended his first Aviation Indoctrination and ground school some seven
months earlier, walking past this chapel daily on his way to class.

The day was beautiful, like many of those Josh took to the skies over
Pensacola in his aircraft. The white steeple contrasted against the blue
sky. Ryan dressed sharply in his summer whites met Brandon and his mother
Jane outside the chapel an hour before the service was to begin.

"Brandon, you're so strong being able to talk today. I'm sorry, I just
can't do it!"  Ryan cried. Brandon hugged him. Ryan continued as he sobbed
"I want to tell everyone just how much Josh meant to me, but I'm just too
weak. I can't stop crying long enough to talk."

"I just gotta tell people what's on my mind" Brandon reasoned. "I gotta
tell em bout Josh and what he was in my life" He paused. "It's tough for me
too. The toughest thing I've ever done, but I gotta do it for Josh" Brandon
concluded.

Brandon and his mother met Josh's parents, but he was particularly
interested in meeting Josh's grandfather. This was the man that Josh had so
frequently mentioned when they discussed the shaping of their lives. Josh's
grandfather had given him so much good advice and Josh had passed that
advice on to Brandon. Brandon felt that he had a connection to this man.

They filed into the chapel along with the other mourners and took seats in
the second row of pews. The aviators of Josh's class took the row behind
them and they each grabbed Brandon's shoulder in support as they passed
behind him.

The chaplain stood and walked to the pulpit to speak. "It is a shame that
it takes a tragic event such as this to bring us all together to celebrate
such a magnificent life" he began. "Before such tragic events tear us away
from our day-to-day lives, we are frequently too busy to find the time to
gather and revel in the goodness, love and accomplishments of our family
and friends."

"Instead we each do this in our own private ways. These ways may include a
simple prayer for a loved one at bedtime or a moment enjoying a favorite
photograph on the wall. But these little ways still demonstrate our love
for each other and are felt by others whether they are expressed verbally
or not."

Talking with many of you over the past several days about the life of this
superb young man has shown me that there was indeed a great deal of love
for Joshua Scott and it was expressed in many ways... through the
camaraderie of a classmate, the coaching of a flight instructor or the
respect for a mentor by his protégé. Each of you left your mark on this
young aviator and I know that he left his mark on each of you as well.

"I would like to introduce a young man who had a very close relationship
with Ensign Scott" the Chaplain began. "Josh was a member of a mentoring
program and his young charge, Brandon Thompson, became such a fixture in
Josh's life, that all of Josh's class mates, neighbors and friends knew and
loved him too. I'm sure after you meet him today you will love him as
well."

Brandon stood and walked up to the podium. At Brandon's request, Joe
accompanied him.

Brandon took a deep breath and read from his notes "I met Ensign Josh Scott
in the Big Brother program where he was my brother, my teacher, my mentor,
and my friend." Brandon sniffled and paused, Joe, put his hand on Brandon's
shoulder in support.

Brandon put his notes down on the podium and continued speaking from his
heart. "I only met Josh this spring, but in the past few months we had more
fun and did more stuff than I had in my whole life. He helped me with my
school work, mostly my math," he giggled slightly, "and I helped him study
his navy flight stuff. For example I know that the landing checklist is:
`three down & locked, flaps full, prop full, fuel on fullest tank, harness
locked, on-speed 13 & half units angle of attack.' I don't even know what
it all means, but we practiced it so many times I know it by heart" the
congregation laughed quietly, the aviators were impressed.

"We even built T-34 models together and Josh flew one while I flew the
other around the living room while he practiced joining back up into
formation. He said it helped him see what it would look like when he did it
in the air for reals."

"Josh taught me how to talk without dropping the f-bomb every third word
and I taught him that everyone didn't grow up in a palace" the congregation
laughed quietly again.

"I still don't know how I will be able to live without him," Brandon began
to sob.  "But people keep reminding me that we are both better people
because we knew each other and so I have to be happy that I got to share
some of his life. I only wish that we got to know each other longer so we
coulda seen each other get our dreams."

"I love you Josh, and I'll love you forever." The entire congregation,
including the aviators, broke down; there was not a dry eye in the
house. Joe followed Brandon back to their pew and put his arm around
Brandon as they sat.

The chaplain returned to the podium and introduced Josh's flight
instructor, Lieutenant Robert Pride.

"It was my distinct pleasure, no... privilege to be Ensign Joshua Scott's
on-wing flight instructor," Lt Pride began. "Josh was an extraordinary
individual with nearly unlimited potential... At times like this we tend to
glorify even those of us with many shortcomings, but I can assure you that
everything you hear today about this exceptional young man is deservedly
true."

"As Instructor and Student, Josh and I had a sort of love-hate relationship
really.  In training exercises, I would heap as much trouble as I could
onto Josh's shoulders to test his capabilities and expand his
experience. He would hate me as he worked through the problem and then
would appreciate me when he learned the lesson and it was over." The
congregation laughed a little.

"Josh was the most capable Student Naval Aviator I ever flew with and I
have no doubt that he would have completed this program at the top of his
class. Josh's grades had already earned him a slot in the Jet training
program at Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi, which would have lead
to his dream of flying a Fighter off of an aircraft carrier. Today, I would
like to fully acknowledge Ensign Scotts accomplishments as well as his
unrealized talents by posthumously awarding him his coveted Navy Wings of
Gold." The congregation applauded.

"Josh, at your tie-cutting ceremony," Lt Pride began as he turned towards
the casket "I said I would be honored to have you as my wingman. I would
like to say today that that offer still stands, if not in this life, then
certainly in the next."

"I would also like to say a few words to this young man that we've all
become so fond of today... young Brandon. I was not even aware of Josh's
special relationship with you until today, but I would like to say that the
lessons that you have learned from Josh will help you achieve your
dreams. And as far as following in his footsteps, I cannot think of a finer
role model for a teen at the threshold of manhood than Ensign Joshua Scott"
the congregation applauded.

The chaplain then made some more remarks before beginning the recessional.

The pallbearers, six enlisted sailors, all dressed in perfectly pressed
summer white uniforms, lifted the casket and carried it down the aisle
followed by Josh's parents and grandfather, Brandon and his mother, Ryan,
Joe and his wife, and the rest of the members of Josh's class.

The congregation stepped out onto the lawn in front of the Chapel. Many
shaded their eyes against the strong Pensacola sun. A row of seven marines
in dress blue uniform stood at attention with rifles in hand. The squad
leader yelled the cadence for the 21 gun salute as a single drummer kept
beat. "Ready, Aim , Fire!... Reload, Aim, Fire!... Reload, Aim, Fire!"

The marines returned to attention. Four sailors lifted the two American
flags that were draped over the casket and by pairs folded the flags into
two tight triangles.  The leader of the honor guard accepted the flags and
marched slowly in step to the drum beat towards the Scotts.

When the sergeant reached Josh's parents, he said to them "On behalf of a
grateful nation" as he reached out and presented the flags to
Dr. Scott. The sergeant snapped to attention and saluted the Scotts. Josh's
mother put a tissue to her mouth and nose.

A roar could be heard in the distance. A diamond formation of four aircraft
was quickly approaching the Chapel. The formation consisted of two A-4's,
the jet that Josh would have earned his wings in, and two T-34's, the
aircraft that Josh had been flying all summer. When the formation was
nearly overhead, one of the T- 34's peeled abruptly up and away from the
others in the `missing man formation' that traditionally signified a lost
aviator.

The aviators all stood at attention in their summer whites and saluted the
missing aircraft saying goodbye to their fellow pilot and friend. Brandon,
standing amongst them followed their lead and raised his hand to his brow
in salute as well.

As the crowd began to break up, Josh's parents approached Brandon. "Young
man" Dr Scott began "I'm glad that our son had the privilege of spending
time with you and getting to know you. We both share a loss that will never
be replaced, but our lives are a little richer for having loved and been
loved by him.  He would have wanted you to have this." Dr Scott reached out
and handed Brandon one of the flags that had been draped over Josh's
coffin. "Thank you sir" Brandon said with the manners that Josh had taught
him well.

As the Scotts turned and walked away, Brandon looked down at the flag
Josh's father had just handed him and there, atop the flag, lay Josh's Navy
Wings of Gold.

                  ========== The End ==========







I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed
writing it.  The speed in which someone we love can be taken from us should
never be overlooked, and this is especially true for those in our armed
forces.

I invite you to share with me your comments, feelings, and emotions. Please
don't be mean to me for the way I ended the story, it was very emotional
for me as well.


Please let me know if there is any desire for a sequel.


-------------------------------------


Tbax93722@hotmail.com