HAC

So, I am getting really bad at this posting thing... Things have been really busy and so much has been going on that I can not find a way to express everything in words. However, I do have some great news from overseas... Jade made HAC this weekend. I believe it stands for Helicopter Aircraft Commander (he may laugh at me, cause I could be totally wrong), but basically the comes a point in their carrier that they have to become a HAC to keep flying. Jade was coming to that point. As I understand it, he basically has to go up against a room full of his superiors who are throwing difficult questions and scenarios at him which he has to quickly respond to in the 'correct' way. Doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun if you ask me. He has been preparing for this since he left for cruise in Jan, so it's a pretty big deal. He had a few murder boards (practice boards with peers) and felt like he did pretty well, so he was hoping to make HAC before pulling into Thailand, having a big weight lifted from his shoulders ready to party. However, the first board didn't go quite as well as he had hoped for... seems like a very stressful, high pressure situation, and he didn't pass. He is in the majority with this one as far as I can tell, it seems like it takes a couple tries for most of them to pass. But he had his second board this weekend, passed, has his check ride, passed that and was having his first flight as HAC today (I think, the days are all messed up)!

At our last FRG (family readiness group) meeting we began planning for homecoming! We are half way through cruise and we are all getting extremely excited for their return. We have been warned not to expect or plan too much for the first few days they get home, as the unloading process takes a long time and they will be very tired... and hopefully wanting to spend some quality time with us! 3 months down... 3 months to go!