A really great post, Jaeger.
I've been in Eeyore's shoes (not for work, but for family commitments) for most of my 5+ years in FSO. It is my team (squadron) that closes ranks and gets the job done when we have lower than expected numbers. Both squadrons I have flown with in this period have exactly the same attitudes. Squadron, Mission, Fun.
Last night I made it home from my son's last high school band concert about 5 minutes before launch. It was a near thing.
The remarkable part is that I got the last-minute mission brief and warm welcome all the way up to launch. We bantered and laughed all the way to T+50, it got quiet, the I16's arrived just as we started our attack, bombs dropped, Stuka's blew up, our escort sacrificed themselves, and nobody squeaked. Afterward, standing in my parachute harness, I looked back at V45's burning wreckage, I knew we had done good.
I suppose this is why I get a little grumpy when somebody describes me as a 'gamer'. Who really understands how focus on a goal, planning, and team execution could actually translate to activities outside of the game? But I ask, who could fail to understand the concept?
Looking forward to the next FSO to 'game' with the rest of you!
Oh. "You can get anything you want - excepting Alice - at Alice's Restaurant."
Ratsy