Ummmmm, hi, guys -- remember me?
Okay, I didn’t get whacked by a rocket, but I *did* get roped into some extra work. Y’see, I’m the only instructor here who can teach both starched-wing *and* fling-wing stuff, but when the starched-wing guys go on mujas, then I'm the *only* academics instructor, period, end of sentence. Ooops -- mujas is the Iraqi word for “vacation”. Or “leave”. Or “git outta Dodge.”
Anyhoo, the new flight student class (the fourth one) got here just as was leaving, and the two starched-wing guys went on mujas the day *before* I got back upcountry. Hence, I got tagged to cover their classes. Did I mention we’ve got four classes of Iraqi cadets here, now? Plus the Instructor Pilot candidates?
Visualize a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.
However, today (okay, yesterday, by the time you read this), I got a break from teaching the new kids the mysterious ways in which airplanes manage to get into the air in 30-knot crosswinds.
Ta-daaaaaaa!
The First Class of the new Iraqi Air Force Flight School graduated today (yeah, yeah, yesterday -- whatever). Why call it Class 67? Simple – Class 66 was the last class to graduate from the *old* Flight School.
Seven years ago. In Tikrit.
Call it a concession to tradition.
And it really *is* a new Flight School. One thing the MSM was here covering in July and August – which you prolly didn’t read about – was the construction. The pic below only shows a small part of it:
Those buildings will be classrooms, student housing, cadre offices, simulator bays, maintenance workshops, computer labs – you name it. As soon as I get
Back to the ceremony. The place was overrun with Distinguished Visitors -- Ministry of Defense, IqAF HQ, CAFTT (the Coalition Armed Forces Transition Team, formerly *Training* Team), and Iraqi media. Interesting ceremony, too – it started with both the Iraqi and US national anthems, and I got a mild case of the startles when the AK-armed Iraqi security guy standing next to me transitioned from the Iraqi-style “Present Arms” during his anthem to a flawless US-style when ours was played. The DVs spoke in Arabic, which I couldn’t follow very well, but there were translators aplenty sitting with the Coalition contingent. Which is where I *wasn’t* -- I'd moved to keep the new Baby Class company in the bleachers. One of the kids nudged me when a DV started getting passionate in his address, and was interrupted by a standing ovation:
“He is saying that for the first time in our history, we are not doing things for one man, but we are doing it for all the people of Iraq. He is saying the US has showed us how, and we must not forget when we thank God every day, we must also ask him to bless the US.”
Then came something that *could* have gone badly – the Junior Class is responsible for the school’s colors, and immediately before the Class 67 cadets received their diplomas and swords, the honor guard from Class 69 formally passed the colors to the honor guard from Class 70.
I watched them rehearse on Friday.
*grin*
They’d evidently practiced a *lot* Saturday night, and it showed.
I couldn’t get a clear shot of each graduate receiving his sword (too many folks milling around getting *their* pix), but I did get the post-grad shot. This is something else that’s changed – a few months ago, putting their pictures in a public forum would have been a death sentence for them or their families. Right after the ceremony, they were each interviewed for Iraqi TV.
Ask any of these three brand-new pilots if the Surge worked.
Yeah, that's Class 67. There are only three of them.
They volunteered when it was a tossup whether they’d even live to graduate.
But there are eight in Class 68.
Twelve in Class 69.
And twenty-four in Class 70.
It *is* a new beginning.
Oh, yeah – the DV speaker who got the ovation?
He went through my IMC crash-proofing course back in April.
I couldn't show you *his* picture then either...
-- Bill
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