Get a woman, get a woman, get a woman if you can.
If you can’t get a woman, get a fat young man!
As the room exploded into laughter, Gunner turned on his heels and exited the way he had entered. The deep, stress-releasing howling was welcome by everyone — except the XO.
“SILENCE!” he bellowed, now incensed.
The room went silent at once. The tension returned as fast as it had disappeared.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Saint began. He snapped his fingers at Nicky to place the Do-Not-Disturb sign on the door. “We can’t even get the room secure for a meeting!” His face was flushed with fury.
“Here it is, people. The Skipper is kicking my ass because of the lackadaisical attitude of this ready room. Sleeping all morning. Playing video games all night. Complacency in the brief. Bolters, like we had last night. Poor interval and not maintaining proper airspeed on the approach. Your job is to land the airplane safely, not to slam it into the deck. And when you get a wave-off, you do it now!”
With that, Sponge got up and exited through the back door. Saint shouted, “Sit down, Lieutenant!” but Sponge ignored him. The XO, seething, turned to Wilson.
“Mister Wilson, Lieutenant Jasper is in hack until further notice.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Wilson replied, eyes downcast.
“In his khakis and out of his rack.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Saint surveyed the room to assess the mood. The pilots were tight lipped and sullen. Few looked at him.
“This is nothing, people. We are in a dangerous business, and the slightest inattention to detail can be fatal. Our job is to execute the plan given to us by the admiral’s staff and by CAG. We do not question their actions.”
Wilson realized it was now his turn.
“When a decision is made by a senior officer responsible for any evolution, you do not question it. When we are airborne, the ship owns us. And when they need the advice of a squadron rep, they will ask.”
The pilots sat still, taking it, but they could not wait to leave. Wilson felt the eyes of the JOs, his JOs, watching him. He did not bolt out like Sponge, but he mentally condemned himself. Company man, that’s me.
“The CO is disappointed with our performance so far. My job is to ensure that the CO looks good and that VFA-64 is ready in every respect. So, let’s turn it around, now. Any questions?”
The room was silent. Nobody believed Cajun had chartered the XO to fix the ready room, much less confide in him. Nevertheless, Saint looked at every pilot to ensure his message was received.
