Mike's always a big deal to us but recently he's been rock star at work too and he works too hard to not make a big deal out of him.
In June Mike was promoted to Lieutenant. Feels like just yesterday he was a NROTC student making a whopping $275 a month. Time flies- it really does. Great job, Sweetie.
As a pilot you're always getting/keeping qualifications. And, in the job where Mike is now you're working to be a HAC (helicopter aircraft commander). It's a lot of work which ends in a HAC check flight and a board of people sitting at a table asking you questions and giving you scenarios that you have to perform on the spot to answer- and answer right. Mike had a couple of mock HAC boards while he was deployed and knew in the next couple weeks he'd be sitting in front of his actual board. Well, last Friday Mike came home and told me that one of his peers failed his third HAC board and that was bad news. It messes up a deployment rotation (but that's another story). Well, the department heads needed someone who could make HAC and get a bunch of level three flights done by October. The only name that came up was- Mike Greenstreet. So, Mike went into study mode and was a fixture amongst his books. It's not just a book or two- it's like 1000's of pages of publications- it's all very specific information and whenever I see him memorizing such things I do not want to switch jobs with him.
Well, yesterday Mike had his HAC board- and he passed. He's a HAC. He did it. We're all very proud of him. He couldn't eat and could barely sleep and certainly couldn't talk about anything that didn't pertain to limits or hydrolic systems or a million other helicopter words I don't know. But, all of his stress paid off when he walked out successful. To be totally honest it kind of makes me laugh that the kids live such an oblivious life. He was stressing all week and they just flit and flutter through life without a care- it's good to be a kid.
Great job, Mike!
Now for the other story.....remember the guy that failed his HAC board three times? Well, he was scheduled to go to Italy for 5-6 months in October. Well, they needed a HAC to go and since Mike is now a HAC- that's right he's leaving to go to Italy for 5-6 months in October. That means that by the time next March rolls around he will have been gone 10 months out of 15- ugh. Aside from the leaving again this is a big huge blessing for us so I'm TRYING to focus on all the good....
- by going to Naples he won't be going out next year for 7 months on a ship
- We can go to Naples to visit him (although that means I have to fly over the ocean and if you know me you know I'd kind of rather pull off all my toenails than fly over the ocean)
- We get to skype every day- which the kids loved
Big things happening here, big things.
6 comments:
You're a lucky lady to have such a devoted husband, father & hard worker! Congrats to him & your family. It's so hard to be away from the ones you love. Yay for getting to visit this time!
Congratulations Mike! Brooke being in Naples will be worth the flight over. I would be willing to sacrifice and distract you on the flight. Just saying! LOL Hmm! Sailors in uniform in a foreign country, yeah I could enjoy myself there!
Very awesome, on that HAC thing I mean!
Congrats to Mike! I'm amazingly impressed by the kind of work he does and the way in which he seems, too an outsider of course, breeze through all of these challenges! I'm sure it has something to do with all the love and support it gets at home.
Safe travels to NJ and remember that the Italians call Naples the "Christmas city" and, having been there in early January, I can vouch for the fact that it is lovely then. When the time comes for you to get on the plane--or even think about the plane--I've got loads of advice for freaked out adults AND children.
P.S. I'm with Michelle, too, do you need company on this flight!?!
Wow, congrats!! Ok, and Italy would be waaaay cooler than Afganistan, right? ;) Sorry that he's going to be gone so much, though!!
Congrats on the promotion and making HAC - that's super exciting! I'm so sad for you that he is leaving again already, but I'm glad there are some up points to it. I'm very envious of you getting to go out there to visit him (not of the long flight with 2 kids, just the trip). I'm sure it's not worth him being away though...
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