Commodore's Corner

JOPA – Time to Take Charge

By CAPT Edward Johnson, USN, HSCWINGLANT Commodore

I’ve never been much of a golfer. Ask anyone who has played with me. They’ll tell you I keep score by counting the number of sleeves of balls I go through, and often face the humiliating experience of my tee shot not making it past the kiddie tees. In every round, there is one hole or even just one shot, which makes me think that, just maybe, I’m about to get better. Sprinkle in the pure joy of hearing the announcer at the end of an NHA Tournament call for “Al Koholic” (who, it turns out, is the perennial winner of the longest drive contest), and watching the foursome behind you gleefully walk up to their “best tee shot ever,” only to find it was a marshmallow deposited by yours truly, and I find I have a recipe that keeps me coming back and trying this infernal sport ONE MORE TIME.

As I enter the waning days of my active time in the rotary community, for we never really leave, I find myself becoming increasingly nostalgic. Yes, in part for good times and adventures past, but also for the future opportunity to influence and guide this ever-evolving community. I find, as I look back, that my career has also been like a round of golf. Every tour has had its share of frustrations and tee shots that don’t go past the kiddie tees, but it has also had at least one 300 yard shot with just the right hint of fade. Like the time, after being fished out of the drink having just lost tail rotor drive on short final to a DD that a young Airman from the HSL Det came up to me and said, “Gee whiz sir, I can’t believe you all risk your lives to bring us the mail.” Or the times I’ve watched JO’s and DH’s of mine become commanding officers, some for the second time (looking at you, 3D), and watching them truly blossom as leaders. There is just something special about rotary wing aviation. Maybe it’s that we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but not for granted either. Maybe it’s the deep connection to our Sailors that forms in small detachments and in our crews. Maybe it’s that we still think potty humor is funny. I don’t know, but what I do know is that it requires careful and thoughtful curation and nurturing.

Which is where you come in, JOPA. This is your community now. I challenge you to take a pragmatic and active role in shaping its evolution over the next two decades. To meet the threat of a peer competitor, Naval Aviation has had to rethink its roles and organization, and we must do the same. Not in terms of how we can use this reshaping as an opportunity for our own tribe to flourish, but in terms of how the unique capabilities of Naval Rotary Wing Aviation can be tailored to enable Fleet objectives and close critical capability gaps. Everything must be on the table. Learn the challenges that face our Nation today, how our Navy fits in, and how we can best adapt to enable the Fleet to meet the Nation’s needs. But also remember, the Fleet needs what only we can deliver. Without rotary wing, there is simply no “fight tomorrow.”

As you wade into this evolution, own what you control, stretch your wings, but always be aware of your limitations and work tirelessly to address them. Most importantly, do not be afraid to fail, try again, fail again, but fail better (Samuel Beckett said that). Always endeavor to make sure you’ve worked hard enough that when it comes time to leave the community, or the Navy for that matter, it mattered that you were ever in it. Your success, and our success, comes not in terms of the awards you earn, but in terms of the lives you touch. Keep looking for that “one great shot” in every tour, hold on to it and let it bring you back for one more round - we’re counting on you, so don’t F it up!