Focus: Why I Fight

By CDR Jeremiah Farwell, USN

First of all, I’ve never published anything. Although I do like to write (I’m a PoliSci-and-fly guy), I have never jotted down my thoughts, feelings, or beliefs beyond emails, change of command speeches, or my own journal. However, when I received the email from NHA soliciting input on the “why” behind serving, I knew I had to submit my answer because my “why” is something near and dear to my heart. It has shaped me, my leadership style, and my command tours. It started with two authors that I greatly admire - Simon Sinek and Angela Duckworth. Sinek’s “Start with Why” and Duckworth’s “Grit” are two books that heavily influenced how I approach this profession.

For context, I LOVE Naval Aviation and I LOVE the Rotary Wing Community and what we do. I have loved airplanes and flying since before I could even walk, and, after seeing the Blue Angels fly when I was just a kid, I was hooked. I have breathed Naval Aviation for as long as I can remember, and earning my wings of gold was one of the greatest days of my life (right behind my wedding day and the birth of my children). I fell in love with rotary wing aviation when I had my first flight in the TH-57, and I desperately wanted to be a part of the Air Wing as a helicopter pilot in the HS and HSC Communities.

My first tour in HS-14 onboard USS Kitty Hawk in Japan was an amazing introduction to Naval Aviation. The camaraderie that we shared was unshakable. I was blessed to work with, and for, some outstanding aviators and Sailors. I quickly realized that who we do this profession with is as important as what we do. Who we do this with gets us through the tough times, the challenging times, and the downright scary times in our profession.

As I progressed through my career, personal relationships with fellow Sailors became more important than the flight time. As XO and Skipper, I looked forward to some down time on the flight schedules. The ground time allowed me the opportunity to cruise through my shops and walk the other ready rooms to talk with and listen to Sailors and fellow aviators and cultivate those relationships. I spent hours up in the tower and even in Flight Deck Control with Handler (they’re a person too!) with a French press full of coffee and a smile to see how they were doing and how our teams could work better together. Those relationships proved to be extremely important to how great the squadron and boat got along and our success while deployed for almost 10 months.

As I look back over my career, I realize that it’s not the hours flown, number of deployments completed, countries visited, etc., that have kept me in and proud to serve (although they do help!) All of those hours and deployments brought hard times - time spent away from my family, time spent mourning close friends who paid the ultimate price, time spent agonizing over Sailors' issues, and the list goes on and on. Those challenging times have helped shape me into a better officer, aviator, husband, and father. They have made me a better leader, counselor, mentor, and listener to Sailors and their families. The reason I have gritted this profession out through the years at sea eating overcooked chicken and undercooked rice, the countless hours spent in a hot, sweaty greenhouse in the most challenging and hostile environments, the uncomfortable positions my back and neck have now adopted as normal, or the countless times my “I’ll be home for dinner” have turned into, “Sorry I’m late but something came up,” has always come down to two basic beliefs. First, service to my country matters. What we do is not only important to those we directly impact, but it is paramount to defending our great nation. There is no higher calling than service to God and service to country, and I find great value in that. Second, it is who I stand the watch with that has kept me serving. My brothers and sisters in uniform who are in the aircraft with me, the Sailors who stand in a two-hour-long chow line to get whatever is left over for Thanksgiving dinner, or the Sailor who steps into my office at 1700 on a Friday and says, “Skipper, do you have a minute?”

I grit out the hard times because they are worth it and you are worth it. We have to take care of each other. It is the only way we will successfully fly, fight, and win the next battle.