Upstairs in General

In 1995 I was just out of the fleet. Working for the Commodore at the wing. I wrote at least a dozen instructions in that two years, between the Bosnia conflict and 7 months in Italy.

It always cracked me up. I would edit and edit and edit. Then my boss would say “Send it upstairs.”

We worked in a WWII bomb shelter.

Upstairs was where the Commodore’s administrative staff, his Chief Staff Officer and the Commodore spent their time.

I was a fleet lieutenant, as salty as they come. I turned 33 that year. These days I see 33 year olds as not much more than babies.

The Fatigue Life Expenditure Instruction is still used at the Naval Aviation Safety School. An example of how to handle a problem.

My name is nowhere on that instruction.