thomsen.

When I was nine years old, I had this premonition that one day I was gonna be one of the best US fighter pilots in the world (I grew up in the Air Force, so I'm a Air Force brat!). My favorite movie growing up, and still is today, Top Gun. I can still remember it like yesterday when my father would blast his speakers so loud to hear the theme song of Top Gun. I can even still remember him dancing and doing Air Guitar to the song. It will and always will bring a smile to my face.

You don't even have to try to guess who my favorite characters from the movie are. I'll flat out tell you right now! Tom Cruise as Maverick and Anthony Edwards as Goose. I'd be lying to you if I said that I can recite line by line the entire movie, but I can't. Although, I can say that I have many favorite lines that I love to say when I'm watching the movie!


My father, God Bless Heart, knew that one day that he would have to tell me the truth of why there might not be a possibility that I might not be able to fly for the US Air Force. I think I was around twelve or thirteen when he sat me down and explain that due the strict physical fitness test and the requirement that you had to have perfect vision and perfect hearing to be able to fly. I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to say. I think I kept saying, "Why? Why? That's not fair?".  I went from utter happiness to utter disappointment and sadness faster than you can say Pinocchio.

Yet, yesterday, I found out that it didn't some some young man who was deaf and who had already trained in the ROTC! National Association for the Deaf (NAD) posted a video in which Senator Harkin from Iowa had a conversation with Defense Secretary Panetta in which, Senator Harkin would like to see a pilot program that would be available for citizens who are deaf who would like to serve their country! How awesome would that be!

Senator Harkin: And that was allowing people with disabilities to serve in our Armed Forces. We had a unique case of a young man who had gone through ROTC in California, had done extremely well on all of his tests, all of his scores and stuff, but was denied entry into the military because he was Deaf. And I explored with you at that time perhaps having a pilot program, bringing people in to the military who could, who could add to the defense of this country.

Nevertheless, I still have the dream to fly one day (prolly within the next two-five years). It might not be on a US fighter plane, but I wouldn't mind giving it a try sometime :-) (Hey, if they make the age up to 34, I'd be down for it!) Right now, I'll just settle for a two-seater plane. I'll tell you what I'm gonna do on my first flight in the air: I'll be blasting Highway to the Dangerzone as loud as I can.

Here's alittle treat for ya (no subtitles, I know! I'm bummed, but here's the lyrics if you wanna check them out!):