* * *
Four hours later, Wilson rolled his six-foot frame out of his rack. What is today? Day 25 of a six-month cruise? He did the math as he stumbled to the sink… No, day 21. Three weeks. With 21 more weeks to go. And he knew almost every one of those days would run together, a reason the crew called their time on-station “Groundhog Day.”
Wilson thought of Saint immediately as he ran a razor under the water. What bullshit crisis is it going to be today? Dental readiness report? Scratched tile on the deck? He didn’t technically work for Saint, but because the XO was a heartbeat from command and well-connected at the wing staff — and a senior officer — you didn’t mess with him. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Three bags full. Wilson shaved in silence and switched his thoughts to his upcoming day.
At nearly 1,100 feet long, Valley Forge was one of the largest warships afloat, a Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one of twelve U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Below deck, Happy Valley, as the crew referred to her, was a fluorescent world of overhead pipes, electrical cables, and steel bulkheads with strange number and letter combinations. Damage control equipment was spaced at intervals and oval openings, called “knee knockers,” were cut into the steel frames. Yellow battle lanterns hung above the openings. The air smelled of fresh paint and machine oil, accented by sweat-soaked flight gear and the odor of jet fuel. The ship was a maze of right angles that provided a heart-pumping workout comprised of 18 decks of ladders — from bilge to tower. She now plowed through the Indian Ocean on her way to the location the Washington leadership had deemed she was needed: the northern Persian Gulf where she could launch close air support missions to support American forces on the ground in Iraq, hundreds of miles inland. For this purpose she was at her full combat load-out of over 100,000 tons.
The Ravens lived in Ready Room 7, located aft one deck beneath the flight deck’s arresting wires. Ready 7 was situated between Ready 8, which housed the Spartans, who made up the two-seat FA-18F Super Hornet squadron, and the Marine squadron, and Ready 6, which housed the Moonshadows who flew older Hornets like the Ravens. Despite the common bond of service and having some individual friends in the Spartans, Wilson and most of VFA-64 liked and hung out with the marines, who shared the same airframe. The marines also joined in with the rest of the wing with their collective disdain for the arrogant and imperious
