Seven Months and Change Until My Retirement Ceremony Debrief

Knock on wood, of course.  My list of high powered enemies is long, so there is no counting chickens in my case.  The knife fight in the phone booth continues.

Initially, I wasn't going to have a retirement ceremony, but somehow it just seemed wrong to not do so.  My career has been far too extraordinary and courageously American to just go quietly into the night.  So I explored the option.  Of course some do not agree, and they have a special invite to attend my ceremony should it occur.

I shot-in-the-dark asked a big name person that I respect if they would be my presiding officer.  To my surprise, they eagerly agreed to do so even knowing my controversial history.  That sealed the deal for me.  I'm going to have a ceremony.

My ceremony, if it ultimately happens, will include all opinions.  I don't want to end my career with a false rose-colored plastic event, when I have tried to spend my career telling the truth.  I'm not doing this for a gold watch.  And to paint my career, a publicly funded entity, as something without controversy would be disingenuous.  My career has been anything other than lacking conflict and those who might think my career is less than stellar deserve, and are invited, to show up and speak their minds.

This isn't a challenge or a line in the sand.  Show up and speak your mind.

Spears are welcomed.  Think of it as a career debrief where thick skins are required.  This isn't about fluff.  This is a debrief.  It's professional and all are expected to be adults in the profession of arms.  This is about letting the taxpayer know what went right and what went wrong in their investment in me, and it's about encouraging other airmen to learn from any of my mistakes as well as from any of my successes.

Let's honor the tradition of the debrief.

I will be sending out personal invites to those who have expressed the most disdain for your humble blogger along with those who I consider my comrades.  Of course even they disagree with me on one thing or another so that alone should make the debrief interesting.

Tony Carr will certainly get an invite.  If history is a guide, I do not expect him to show up.  Or if he does, he will show up then quickly run away while covering his tracks to make it appear he was never in the room.  Should that happen, I'll post a screenshot.

For those who don't get a personal invite, if you want to show up to the potential ceremony, contact me.  If you disagree with PYB online or me in person and if you have the courage to show up and face a retort, you are invited to do so.  Otherwise, feel free to email me any comments whether supportive or not, and I will put them up on the projector so that your voice is heard (and so that you don't have to face any response in person).

For those who show up with something to say, there will be a microphone waiting for you.  Whether supportive or otherwise.  For those who do not wish to show up in person but want to add their remarks, the email is WingedRyno@gmail.com.

It should be an interesting and valuable debrief after a mission bravely flown.  I will go out on a limb and suggest that nobody can doubt the courage of the mission.  Whether rounds were on target or not, remains to be seen from the debrief.  I'm going to wager my rounds were mostly dead on, fire for effect, direct.  The debrief, however, has yet to be conducted.

Again those who disagree with me are welcomed to show up and say that my shots were trashed, and they are sincerely invited to do so.  In fact, I highly encourage them to show up.  It will make for a better experience and discussion.

This blog post should be plenty of notice.  If you have something to say, you're invited to say it.  After my burden is complete, it will be rare that I speak of my service again let alone discuss it.

Again, knock on wood.  Faithful public service ain't no chump game, and the game ain't over.