Monday, May 3, 2010

Top Gun - courtesy of the Dubai USO and Navy League

Normally, I hate being a taxpayer - but this week was not one of them.  Sure, roads are nice, sometimes our legal system works out, and hey - everyone enjoys filling out census forms, but the real action is when you can kick back, have a beer, and watch the sunset on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
Mind you, I felt a LOT safer standing next to an F/A-18 Super Hornet than I usually do in Dubai, and for that, tax dollars well spent!  Besides, when your wife is out of town, you have to do something to occupy your time - it was either this or actually going to the gym.
Some fun facts:  The USS Eisenhower (pictured here with our friends Maurice and Gemma, who come free with every carrier purchase), was commissioned in 1977, carries two nuclear reactors, 60 aircraft, and a little over 6,000 sailors.  Typically, they don't let civilians command the whole ship, but since I asked nicely:
All in all, an amazing evening (they even had snickerdoodles - thank you very much, Navy chefs), and it was a pleasure to be a part of it.  This was also a special occasion, as the having the Eisenhower Strike Group in port was the launch event for the Navy League in Dubai, as well as a USO Event.  If you're living overseas, and have that little extra change in the pocket thanks to lower taxes, I highly recommend you donate to the USO or host for the Navy League when they're back in port.  Otherwise, they may never let me back on one of these things!

1 comment:

udjim said...

If you want to keep Katie from ever leaving town again, just tell her that they had a little auction on the Eisenhower and you bought a little something...