A 5k (+30 pounds) THANK YOU to Our Troops

Happy Memorial Day (weekend), everyone!  Sometimes this weekend seems to be overtaken by vacations, BBQ's, and (if you're from Indiana like me) the 500.  While all of those things are fine and dandy, we cannot forget the REAL reason for our holiday:  the men and women who have given their lives from our freedom.  I wanted desperately to do something--anything--to honor these heroes, and I ran across a flier for a 5k being sponsored by a local VFW chapter, with all proceeds going to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.  Although all of my running buddies were either going out of town for the long weekend or very, VERY pregnant and Jonathan was working (of course), I decided to do it anyway.  Only a cause as important as this could convince me that a race in the late-May Vegas heat while pushing a jogging stroller was a good idea. :)

I very rarely include Matty on my runs.  Not only does he get bored easily, but my sturdy boy and the stroller combine for at least 30 pounds of extra weight.  Factor in the Mohave Desert heat and the ups and downs of Spring Mountain foothills and . . . well . . . you get the picture.  But, this kid ROCKED his first 5k.  Armed with his blanket, some water, and a baggie of goldfish, he was the perfect running partner (although, I wouldn't have minded if he pulled his own weight instead of me having to push it). :)

Random side note:  a "celebrity" appearance was made by this guy.  Don't recognize him?  Me either.  Apparently, he's the husband on the TLC show "Sister Wives," and he was here MINUS his three wives.  With the crowd of desperate, fame-hungry women who surrounded him, I don't think it would be hard for him to find a fourth.  Pathetic.

Anyways, I absolutely LOVE doing events that involve our military men and women and/or veterans.  Not that civilians don't appreciate our country, but you haven't experienced patriotism until you've been surrounded by those who have made REAL sacrifices for it.  Unlike most events, during the singing of the National Anthem and the subsequent moment of silence for local hero Marine PFC John Lukac who gave the ultimate sacrifice, people here really meant it when they saluted the flag or placed their hands over their hearts.  And the moment of silence was SILENT.  Actually and completely silent.  It was very, very moving.

I made Matty a promise that he could play at the park if he behaved during my race.  He made a few whines during the run (didn't help that the run was at one of his favorite parks and we ran right past the playground a few times) but, on the whole, he was amazing.  I was more than happy to head over and let him get out some energy after the race.

Yes, Matty, I'm sure that you most certainly need to cool off after your long, 5k ride. ;)

That water was COLD, though, and it wasn't long before we moved on the real fun.  And boy, did he have serious energy to burn off.

                                      

"You sure it's okay for me to go down the slide this way?"

Why in the world does Vegas find it necessary to put statues of giant yucky things in its' parks?  I mean, I know they're fake but still.  Let's teach the kids that's its okay to go up to things like giant lizards and snakes.  Giant rattler?  Didn't faze Matty in the least.

Love the "prehistoric" part of this park.  In Matty's words:  "WOW."

Thank you again to those who have served, are currently serving, or who have given the ultimate sacrifice for me.  Words cannot begin to express my gratitude and, although it may seem as if the world doesn't care, there are those who do.  You are never forgotten and never taken for granted.  God bless.

April and May Musings

Whew!  Spring has been an absolute whirlwind for our family, and it seems as if everything and nothing has been happening simultaneously.  I've been pretty bad at keeping up on here, so I'll just share some favorite pictures to let you in on a few details.

What can I say about Matty?  We are the midst of the terrible-but-not-quite-two's.  He has learned to say "NO" and says it with more force than I ever could have imagined possible from a toddler.  For the most part, he's a joy . . . but, when he does have an off day, it is COMPLETELY off.  I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  Anyways, here are some pics of the good days. :)

He built a fort with Daddy in the living room; he didn't think Mommy could find the entrance and laughed hysterically when I did.

It's hockey play-off time, and that means my husband has been itching to get out on the ice.  However, I keep reminding him that we live in the desert . . . so, for his birthday, he went and got some street hockey gear instead.  He was so proud that Matthew was so interested in all of it (although I did put a stop to the manic hockey stick swinging in the house REAL fast).

He took him to the local rink and, although he had a blast skating around and practicing his passing skills, I think he was a little disappointed that Matthew was more interested in chasing the puck around than taking notes on Daddy's "technique."  I had to remind him (yet again) that Matty isn't even two yet. :)

April also brought our good friend Brewha home from the desert, and he and his wife Shawna brought their kiddos up to Vegas for some post-deployment R&R and a long-anticipated reunion (even though Shawna had just been up to see me in February).  While the guys shared war stories and drank a few beers, I showed Shawna and the girls some more kid-friendly areas of Vegas.  

 We are also now entering the "rainy season" in Vegas (which is a total joke).  However, we had one week where it rained 3 times.  THREE!  My desert baby's reaction to rain this time around was a little more subdued.  Confusion, trepidation, and one very large "uh-oh!"

With the unbearable summer months rolling in quickly, I finally convinced Jonathan to get Matty something to play on in the backyard.  Well, actually, it was my amazing bargain hunting skills that finally broke him down.  ($260 brand new, found at a yard sale for $100, and my Korea-learned haggling skills got her to sell it for $75). :)  So, it's still hot outside, but at least now Matty has a place to play in the shade and within a 30 second walk to air conditioning.

In other spring happenings, we found out that Jonathan has been selected for Major (whoo-hoo!).  "Retiring" from the A-10 has been a rough road, but it was so nice to finally see someone recognize all of his hard work.  As for me,  I've been on a spiritual journey for several years now and, the first weekend of May, I made the choice to be baptized at our church.  It was a long time coming, but I'm so glad that I wanted until this time and this place to do it.  And no, it's not lost on me that I had to come to Sin City to wash my sins away. :)

                                                       

And so is our life.  Busy with everything and nothing at the same time.  Dreading the heat, but looking forward to what summer holds!

Heading West!

Our longest visit home (but what seemed like the shortest) inevitably came to an end; the Air Force was calling us west. So we packed up Jonathan's truck with our stuff (and really. . . how did we get so much stuff?!), grabbed Oskar, and hit the road for a 3 day trek to Las Vegas. First day: Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. . .

Oskar was the navigator for the first day. "Where we going guys?!"

Crossing the Mighty Mississippi. . . we're officially "out west!"

And Oskar was over the trip by this point. . .

Entering Kansas, the longest, most boring state in the U.S. I'm sorry if anyone from Kansas reads this, but you have to admit. . . there is NOTHING in Kansas.

This is the extent of what we saw in Kansas: fields and wind turbines. That. is. it.

Day one went quickly, and we made it all the way to Hays, Kansas before stopping for the night. The next morning, we got up and hit the road again, driving through an even MORE boring part of Kansas (is that possible?) before finally reaching Colorado.

We made a stop in Denver to visit one of Jonathan's friends before heading into the Rocky Mountains.

We ran into some crazy weather and then an accident that forced us off of I-70 and up a steep mountain road with NO RAILING along the side. I was too scared to even take pictures.

Because of the factors listed above, we only made it to the edge of Colorado on our second day, stopping in a little town called Fruita. It wasn't until the next day that we realized that stopping here was a good choice; there was absolutely NOTHING for 106 miles past that point. Utah is literally a wasteland. . .

By the third day, Oskar was completely over it. I think he was beginning to think we were going to drive every day for the rest of his life.

But can you blame him? There wasn't a whole lot to see in Utah. . .

Although even MORE inclement weather made for some interesting scenery for awhile. . .

Blink-and-you'll-miss-it: We were in Arizona for 23 miles.

And then, FINALLY. . . NEVADA!

Oskar was still not impressed, but the Nevada sun got to be too hot for him, even inside the air-conditioned truck. He gave up on sleeping ON the pillow and crawled underneath it to get some shade.

In my mind, I pictured Nevada to be flat and ugly. While I wouldn't exactly call it pretty, I was pleasantly surprised by the mountains.

We finally exited the interstate, popped over a hill, and there it was: Las Vegas. . . covered in haze and smog.

Welcome to Las Vegas. Bluh. We later found out that the local weatherman called this a "cool down." Yuck.

After arguing with billeting about losing our reservations, we finally got settled into an off-base, pet-friendly hotel. And not a moment too soon. My poor almost 8-months pregnant body was rebelling against the 3 day car trip. I had cankles (read: my calf and ankle merged into one body part) and my toes looked like baby carrots (according to Jonathan). It didn't help that I had cuts on the top of my feet from trying to break in a new pair of sandals. If you only saw this picture of me, wouldn't you think I weighed 200 pounds? Gross.

But anyways, we made it here safe and sound and in one (slightly larger) piece. Now the real adventure begins. . . house hunting!

Leaving the ROK. . .

My time on the ROK is coming to an end. Oskar and I have less than 24 hours left in South Korea. We're packing our bags and heading back to 'Merica, leaving my poor husband behind to tie up loose ends and deal with the stresses and headaches of out-processing. But, in my defense, I'm carrying precious cargo and, at six months pregnant already, nobody wants me to go into pre-mature labor on a Korean Air flight, do they? I am NOT a good flyer, and I think it's best to get this baby safely on US soil before my own stress causes him to pop out and say hello before he's completely done cooking.

Anyways, the prospect of leaving Korea and returning to the US for GOOD and not just a vacation for the first time in 4 years (and for the first time in our married life) has me nostalgic. I've started compiling a list of all the things I will and will not miss about the "Land of the Not-Quite-Right." Let's start with the things I will NOT miss, shall we?

1. Seoraksan Tower: While I feel blessed that we were able to procure on-base housing, which made life infinitely easier while living overseas, there are so many things I will not miss about the ghetto they call Seoraksan Tower. Just to name a few: broken elevators and the constant fear of getting trapped in one; insanely loud and inconsiderate neighbors (I'm talking to YOU, upstairs elephants); the constant presence of dog waste littering the hallways and areas surrounding the building (I will never, ever understand why some people think the big sign commanding people to clean up after their pets does not apply to them); the weird array of unwanted crap that people leave in the lobby of the building (NEWSFLASH: NO ONE WANTS YOUR USED UNDERWEAR! THROW IT AWAY! Anything else--take it to the Thrift Shop. That's what it's there for!); constantly leaking water pipes and the resulting loss of hot water/heat to fix it for the one millionth time; and the pile of garbage that accumulates every weekend because people are too lazy to walk 100 yards down to the dumpster.

2. Air Quality. Yellow dust is the most obnoxious thing EVER. Nothing like having a beautiful spring day that you can't enjoy because breathing the air will give you cancer. But that's not the only air quality issue. There's also that SMELL. Anyone who has ever lived in Korea knows what I'm talking about. I was warned before I got here, but I was not prepared for it. On certain days, the air is permeated with a odor that can only be described as a mix between kimchi, wet garbage, raw sewage, and B.O. Simply walking outside on some days is enough to make you dry heave. . . especially when you are in your first trimester and are essentially a walking gag reflex.

3. EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE. Enough said.

4. Korean summers and Korean winters. Korea has some of the most extreme fluctuations of temperatures I've ever seen. The summers are brutally hot and humid, and the winters are bitterly cold and windy. You really only get two good seasons, spring and fall, and they are WAY too short when faced with the torment of the coming months.

5. AAFES Taxi Drivers. If I never have to take another Korean taxi in my life, it will still be too little, too late. Although I have come across maybe TWO decent drivers, the rest are rude and unsafe. They drive WAY too fast, ignore traffic signs (one-way street? what does that mean?), and generally act like having to take you wherever you want to go is a hassle. They have almost run over my dog TWICE because they cannot WAIT for you to get out of the crosswalk so they can get on their way, paying no attention to the little wiener dog that often walks a couple of steps behind me. And despite calls to AAFES to complain, nothing changes. Every time I see them whiz through Mustang Valley, I can't help but think of Will Ferrell in 'Elf': "Careful! The black ones don't stop!"

6. Walking Everywhere. Don't get me wrong. I've always been someone who likes to take walks. But sometimes it gets tiring when you just want to check your mail. . . and you have to walk 15 minutes one way just to get there (especially when you are pregnant). In addition, everywhere you walk in Korea is up-hill and against the wind. I don't even know how that's possible, but this IS the land of the not-quite-right afterall. And don't even get me started on the monster hill leading up to Seoraksan Tower, which I don't have a choice but to climb if I want to get back home.

7. Shopping. There are so many little nuances in this category that I had to make it general. I will not miss shopping downtown. Although there are so many wonderful things you can find or get made for a relatively cheap price, I cannot stand the high-pressure of it all (if you even pick something up to look at it, the shop-keepers will start wrapping it up and ringing it up. "You buy? You buy." What? NO!). In addition, there's always the "Okay, this will be ready for you on Monday". . . . so you come back on Monday only to be told, "You come back. One hour," which means they haven't even STARTED on your order. Frustrating! And, maybe this is bad to say, but I can't help but feeling like I'm getting ripped off when I shop some places off-base. But, to be fair, I also will not miss shopping on-base. Although I am thankful to have a BX where we get tax-free American goods so far away from home, I will not miss how they never have anything you REALLY need, how very few of the salespeople speak English (except for the cashiers), and how crowded it is ALL THE TIME. But, what I will not miss the MOST in this category is grocery shopping. Again, I am thankful for the commissary and the fact that I can still get my over-processed American food while living in South Korea, but I will not miss the ordeal that is grocery shopping on this base. I am forced to either walk home from the commissary carrying a good 50 pounds of groceries (see 6. if you don't understand why this a bad thing) or take a taxi (see 5. if you don't understand why this is a bad thing) because we are only allowed one car, and I never, ever have it. And even when I do have a car, it's a pain to get all those groceries from the car to my 7th floor apartment. This either takes a cart (of which there is never any when you need one) or multiple trips up and down elevators that constantly break. Because of these options, I am normally forced to make multiple trips to the commissary to break up the load of things I have to carry. And, let's face, getting groceries is not fun anywhere, especially not when you have to do it every day.

8. Traffic. Traveling in Korea is almost impossible. The road system is out-dated and not nearly advanced enough to handle the millions of drivers on the road. This means a 30 mile trip will take you over an hour. As for Korean drivers. . . . well, some stereotypes exist for a reason. For example, this is the only place where I've ever seen someone STOP and go into REVERSE on the freeway. Not kidding.

9. The Dog Park. In so many ways, the off-leash dog park by the commissary has been a blessing for me. Oskar is high-energy dog who desperately needs off-leash time. And, after living in Germany without a yard OR a dog park, I am so grateful that there was at least SOMEWHERE I could take him to get all his energy out. However, I will not miss having to go down there every day and do a "poop scan" of the entire park before we begin playing to make sure there are no random messes that I will step in or Oskar's toy will land in (meaning the poop will then get on my hands or in his mouth.) He has been sick so many times since we got here, and I really think the dog park is to blame. Well, not really the dog park, but the irresponsible pet owners who refuse to clean up after their pets. What part of "pick up pet waste" do you not understand? If picking up poop is too gross or too hard for you, then you shouldn't have a dog. Leaving messes behind is unsightly, unsanitary, and unsafe. Dog feces can contain numerous parasites and bacteria that can infect other dogs AND humans. The dog park is not your own personal back yard or pet relief area; you are not the only person who uses it. *Sigh* I could go on and on about this, but I won't. Maybe it's not so much the dog park I won't miss, but irresponsible pet owners.

10. North Korea. Just because I'm leaving the ROK doesn't mean I don't have to worry about Kim Jong-il. But it is going to be nice that every time he decides to play his little game of "mine is bigger than yours," I won't have to cancel all my plans until his temper tantrum is over. An increased distance between myself and a mad man with nuclear weapons will never be a bad thing. However, I WILL miss quoting him a la 'Team America' all the time: "Ronery. . . I'm so ronery. . . "

Alright, so that's my rant about Korea. But, honestly, there are tons of things I am going to miss about Osan. No, really. So here's my list of things I WILL miss about the ROK.

1. Seoraksan Tower. Yes, this is also number one of my list of things I will not miss. I've really had a love/hate relationship with MFH. Despite all of the things that drive me crazy about on-base housing, it really has been a blessing. I love how convenient it was to get to anywhere on base from my house (see 6. above if you don't understand why this is important.) I love how safe I always felt in my home. I never thought twice about my safety when I was home alone or hesitated about taking Oskar out to go potty in the middle of the night. I love my neighbors (except for the elephants upstairs), especially the ones across the hall who have graciously put up with Oskar's barking for 2 years without complaint. There are so many wonderful people I have met just because they happen to live in this building. I love the ajumas who clean our building and greet me every morning with a smile and an "An nyoung ha seh yo!" I love being able to walk down the hall in my slippers and hang with out with my best friends whenever I want. It's like being in college all over again, but you get to have your family with you. When the weather is nasty (see 4. above), you can stay home in your pjs. . . but still watch movies or play games with great friends. I am really going to miss the Seoraksan crew.

2. Off-Base Restaurants. When I found out I was coming to Korea, I was worried I would starve to death because I am really not an "Asian food" kind of girl. But the downtown area right outside of the main gate has such a wide variety of food, I was never ever hungry. From Italian to Mexican to German to Turkish. . . they have it all. And although I am excited to get back to some of my favorite "chain" restaurants in the States, I will sorely miss the cuisine here.

3. The Fitness Center. Living in Korea put me in the best shape of my life. Not only because I have to walk everywhere, but because of the FREE gym membership. Open 24-hours, the gym was such a haven during the Korean summer and winter, not to mention all those yellow dust-filled days. Now I'm going back to the States and I'll either have to a) buy my own treadmill or b) pay for a gym membership. . . which means I'll probably just get fat.

4. Korean Spring. This has to be one of the most beautiful places to experience in spring. The temperatures start to warm up and the ground and trees explode with a gorgeous variety of colorful flowers. Now, okay, its no Keukenhof, but after suffering through the long, ugly, bitter Korean winter, springtime here is one of the most welcome sights in the world.

5. Small Town Atmosphere. One of the biggest complaints I hear about Osan is that it's like living in a fishbowl. It's a small base where everyone knows everyone else. . . and everyone knows everything you are doing at all times. I admit, at times it is frustrating, but most of the time I love it. I come from a really small town, and being here really feels like home to me. I love that I can't go anywhere on this base without running into someone I know (even if I did just roll out of bed or come straight from the gym. I think it makes us better friends if you see how I ugly I really can be.) I love that the people at the commissary know me by name and ask me how Oskar is doing. I love that I can go see Ms. Cho at the beauty shop and have her cut my hair exactly how I want it without telling her. I love that some of the waiters in Chili's know what I'm going to order before I even open my mouth. As weird as this may seem, sometimes this place really seems like a slice of the midwest across the Pacific.

6. Oskar's Rock Star Status. My dog is famous in Korea. Okay, well maybe not famous, but he is definitely a local celebrity. Wiener dogs are not very common in Korea, so the locals always make a fuss when they see him. They even think it's cute when he barks at them for making a fuss (he is not very nice to his "fans"). And even here on base, where Americans are used to seeing dachshunds, very rarely can we make it through one of his walks without people "ooh-ing" and "aah-ing" over my adorable pup. It always makes me smile, and it's been a great way to get Oskar socialized (before we got here, I think the list of people he actually liked was limited to about 5). And here's the kicker--there are so many people on this base who don't even know my name. I'm simply "Oskar's mommy." Yeah, my dog's a rock star.

7. My OB. I know this probably seems like a random thing to miss about Korea, but it's true. I absolutely did NOT want to be pregnant in Korea. My husband and I agreed that we would try to LEAVE here pregnant, but I wanted to be so early in my pregnancy that I wouldn't even have to see a doctor here before I left. However, getting pregnant happened right away after we started trying and I had no choice but to see the doctor here on base. Although I was apprehensive (read: panicked) about being pregnant for the first time, in a foreign country, and away from family, Major Kress immediately made feel right at ease. She answered all of my completely absurd questions, put up with my numerous freak-outs, and took the time to work with me through some medical issues that ended up being nothing instead of just automatically classifying me as high-risk and sending me out the door and up to Seoul. Although I have nothing to compare it to, I have been so pleased with the treatment I have gotten here, and I will forever be grateful to Major Kress and the rest of the Women's Health Clinic here for getting me through my first 6 months of pregnancy without having an panic attack. :)

8. Happy Quilt and the Flower Market. I know that shopping was on my list of things I will NOT miss about Korea, but these two places are the exception. Happy Quilt is a large, CHEAP fabric store here run by some of the nicest, sweetest people EVER and, although I had never sewed a day in my life before moving here (save for an 8th grade home ec class), all it took was one trip there to give me the sewing bug. I'm leaving here knowing how to make tote bags, aprons, book covers, skirts, and napkins---and it's all because of Happy Quilt. And the Flower Market? Well, the Flower Market is just heaven on earth. Millions of beautiful flowers (again for dirt cheap), sold by sweet little old Korean men and women. I would go to both of these places every day if I could.

9. Brian C. Margaritas. Although my time with Brian C. ended about six months ago (right about the time that little stick turned blue), his margaritas and the role they played in my time in Korea cannot be overstated. Let's face it: Osan is not the easiest place to live (see just a few of the reasons why listed above) and, every now and again, you need a stiff drink to help it all go down. The times I spent with the Friday night Chili's club were some of the BEST times I had here. I never wanted to push downtown or hang out the O'Club. I just wanted to sit at Chili's with my girlfriends, gossip, laugh, eat Classic Nachos, and drink Brian C. margaritas. I never knew it was possible for one person to spend $100 at Chili's in a single night until I moved here. So to Brian C., who makes the best margaritas at Osan, and the original Friday night Chili's club, Marlene, Stephanie, Katherine (and occasionally Nicole): I salute you. Next time we all meet up, Presidentes are on me.

10. The Draggins. Last but certainly not least. Where do I even begin? The Assam Draggins have been, hands down, the best squadron I've ever been a part of. I had kind of a rough transition to the fighter pilot wife lifestyle, and I never really found my footing at our last squadron. But from the instant I got to Osan, I felt like I was part of a family. I have never been so well taken care of by a group of people who were not blood relations. I never had a lonely holiday or felt abandoned during a TDY, and it's all because of this squadron. The caliber of people I have met through my time in the Draggins has been astounding; so many different people from so many different backgrounds thrown together into one of the toughest assignments in the Air Force. . . and yet we come together and make Korea a great place to live. When I got here, I was astounded by people on their way out who were so sad to go. . . but now I understand. It's the Draggins. When you leave, you're not going to miss Korea; you're going to miss the Draggins. You guys are what made Osan so great; I will miss the things on this list because of you guys (except for my OB. . . you guys didn't really have anything to do with that ;) ). Thank you for two great years. PIL SUNG!

25 PIL SUNG Weeks!

In celebration of making it to the 25 week mark in my pregnancy, I thought I'd share an article Jonathan's squadron commander wrote for the Osan website. There's been lots of confusion from my friends outside the Air Force (and from some within) about the random cries of 'PIL SUNG' thrown around in posts. Here, Lt. Col. Renner explains all. . .

Pil Sung! – A war cry echoing throughout the 25th FS

Commentary by Lt. Col. Stephen Renner
25th Fighter Squadron commander

5/10/2011 - OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Pil Sung! is the war cry of the 25th Fighter Squadron. Pil Sung! can be used to show approval or gratitude, as a greeting or salutation, and is a suitable closing remark at any squadron function. Furthermore, it is the response required of any Assam Draggin who hears the words "two" and "five" (or variations thereof) in close proximity to each other in a sentence. This will occur, of course, when directly referencing the squadron ("the 25th"), but can also be heard during weather briefs ("wind 2 to 5 knots"), when making appointments ("the office will open at 0925"), attending Wing staff meetings ("25% of your evaluations are late") and out-processing ("expect your orders in two and a half weeks"). Within the Draggins, finding ways to insert the squadron's numbers into normal conversation is considered a demonstration of keen intelligence and wit, and failure to use them in any circumstance in which they may be remotely accurate is poor form indeed. Innocent bystanders may find this tradition amusing or obnoxious. It may be both, depending on the circumstances, but the Pil Sung! war cry is also a powerful component of esprit de corps, and serves to connect members of the 25th Fighter Squadron to each other and our mission. Pil Sung! carries a message of identity, vision and commitment, and is for that reason worthy of further consideration. Osan is no stranger to squadron cheers -- everybody has one (or wants some, as the 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron would have it). Some are funny, some martial, and some are quite elaborate call-and-responses. All are on display during wing award ceremonies and all serve a similar function: to shape a common identity out of a disparate and transient populace. The U.S. Army has succeeded brilliantly with a two-syllable nonsensical utterance beginning with H (sound familiar?). In this regard, the Draggin war cry is no different. Giving a hearty Pil Sung! clearly identifies you as a member, supporter or admirer of the 25th Fighter Squadron. However, Pil Sung! has intrinsic value well beyond its function as an identifier: "Pil Sung" means "Certain Victory" in the shared language of our ally and adversary. The language is critical; it ties the 25th FS to this place, at this time, and gives lie to the notion that "the AOR" is somewhere else. The words are even more critical. "Victory" is our vision; it is a concise summation of the squadron's mission statement, "Defeat the threat and annihilate the enemy." The 25th Fighter Squadron is not in the exit strategy business. We believe, as Churchill did, that victory is necessary: "Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival." While victory is the core concept, "Certain" is no throw-away modifier. It reflects a sustained commitment to excellence in preparation and execution. While recognizing that true certainty can never be attained in any endeavor as complex as warfare, we also know that anything less than complete dedication will result in definite failure. Thucydides, like Churchill an honorary Draggin, wrote of the Spartans' confidence before battle in the Peloponnesian War: "For they had learned that safety was to be found in long previous training, and not in eloquent exhortations uttered when they were going into action." A strong sense of identity, a shared vision of success, and a common commitment to excellence -- these are values demonstrated daily throughout Team Osan. Consider the Draggin war cry a gentle reminder of your crucial role in the relentless pursuit of certain victory, and the next time your caramel macchiato bill tallies $4.25, reward yourself and the barista with a Pil Sung. Courtesy of http://www.osan.af.mil/news/commentary/story.asp?id=123255113.

Osan Air Power Day 2010

This year's Osan Air Power Day was actually two days--a Saturday and Sunday. However, since I had signed up for my first international 5k on Sunday (more on that later) and had a TON of homework to do on Saturday, I made a decision NOT to go. Plus, the Thunderbirds weren't coming this year. . . it was the ROK's Black Eagles (Korea's version of the Thunderbirds). But, to my delight, I realized I could see most of the action from my balcony while doing homework in between demonstrations. The pictures aren't as good as they would be if I was on the flight line, but you can't beat watching a world class air show from your front porch.

The show started out with some parachutists from the ROK's Air Force

Next up, those insanely loud "lawn darts." ;)

Now, THERE'S some sexy airplanes. . .

Even though I get to see the A-10 fly almost every day, I never get tired of watching it. . .

Next up, the ROK's Black Eagles. They were actually quite impressive.

This is one of the several times they went screaming past my balcony. . . I thought my windows were going to shatter.

Oskar watched the air show with me. . . he was NOT a fan of the Black Eagles. This was right before he jumped down from his chair and cowered between my legs.