On High

           Patrick O’Reilly, like many growing up in a Roman Catholic household, was taught to love God, go to church regularly, and to treat people with respect.

           Soon after graduating from college with a BA in World Religions, Patrick decided to follow his mother’s advice and join the seminary. His college degree combined with the education that he would receive through St. Peter’s seminary, would set him on his path toward priesthood.

           It was his first year in the seminary, and Patrick felt unsure of himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in God or doubt his faith; instead, he felt a void in his life. Something was missing; a piece of his soul felt empty.

           After a day of studies with the Catholic educators, Patrick returned to his room, knelt by his bed, and prayed to God for answers to his quandary. “Lord, God, please look within my soul and help me find the solution. I am your faithful servant and feel thankful for your presence in my life, but I am perplexed by the doubt in the path that I had set before me. Almighty Father, forgive me for my insecurities and help me find my way. Amen.”

           Patrick laid in bed in a darkened room on his three-foot-by-six-foot cot staring at the ceiling until the heaviness in his weary eyes had become too much and he faded off to sleep.

           When morning had arrived, the sun shone brightly through the shadeless window. Patrick slowly arose from his slumber and prepared himself for another day of classes. As he crossed the courtyard, a thundering noise caught his attention. As he looked up toward the sky, an F-16 fighter jet flew overhead at top speed. Patrick watched intently as the pilot maneuvered the $120 million aircraft with precision and agility.

           Patrick was brought back to a time in his childhood when he and his best friend sat down and watched the movie, “Top Gun” repeatedly throughout a single weekend. They would reenact scenes and created cardboard replicas of the F-14 and the Soviet MIG-29 jet used in the film. Patrick always wanted to portray Tom Cruise’s character, Maverick when they played. That was when he realized that God had sent him a sign. Patrick needed to fulfill his dream of becoming a fighter pilot.

           Instead of attending his next class at the seminary, Patrick instead went to the admissions office and explained that he needed to follow his heart and fill this void before he could dedicate the rest of his life to the church. With mixed emotions, he left the seminary and enrolled in the military.

           Basic training was difficult, but he pulled through and was now in better shape than he had ever been in. The Navy set him up with the courses that he would need to become a military pilot. He had to learn about the theory of flight, air navigation, meteorology, flying directives, and so much more. He began flight school while continuing with his other studies. It became an obsession with him. Sleep became an almost redundant tool. The only friends that he had were his classmates. Patrick planned to fly through his education and training at an accelerated pace.

           The flight simulator was entertaining to him. It felt like he was back in his teenage years racing around in cardboard cut-outs with his friend. The graphics in the simulator were fantastic. It felt so real to him. Once again, he excelled in his training and was now well on his way toward graduating a year sooner than expected.

           The base commander had heard about this astonishing new recruit and arranged a private meeting at the officers club. Commander Peterson had spent his entire adult life in the military. It was his passion in life. Patrick saluted him as he entered the room and then was offered to join him for a drink. Patrick explained to the commander that he abstained from alcohol and told him why. When the commander found out that Patrick chose to be a  Navy pilot over the priesthood, he was impressed.

           “I was born and raised Catholic too,” the commander began. “My daddy was a strict Catholic. I wasn’t even allowed to date until my high school graduation dance and even then, I was chaperoned. I chose the military to get away from my family, but I have to say, that strict upbringing prepared me for the life that I have led in the Navy. You need to stay disciplined in mind, body, and spirit. Of course, I think you already know that, right? I’m truly impressed with the feedback I’m getting from your training officers. You are a rare breed, son.”

           Patrick thanked him for saying so and asked if he had any suggestions or advice to pass on after such an established career. Commander Peterson simply told him to stay focused, keep his faith, and also have faith in himself. The rest, he said, would fall into place when the time was right.

           Patrick went back to his barracks that night with a refreshed sense of accomplishment. It felt good to him that his hard work was being recognized.

           0:500 came early and the cadets quickly took their places outside for morning inspection. The number of cadets had diminished by over half since he first arrived, and he felt that the numbers would continue to lessen as the training difficulty increased. Many couldn’t handle the physical demands, and others had trouble adjusting mentally.

           Patrick’s short stint in the seminary taught him patience and solitude. He was able to find inner peace at the military academy that many would never understand. It was as if God Himself was standing by and comforting him in the darkest hours.

           Patrick received letters from his parents almost every week. At first, they had a hard time understanding or accepting Patrick’s decision, but after seeing how well he was doing, they soon became proud of their only child. The latest letter stated that they were flying in for his graduation. This made him feel extremely good. He hadn’t seen his parents since he had joined the Naval Academy.

           During the graduation, while the cadets made their way toward the stage, Commander Peterson approached the microphone and spoke.

           “Thank you all for attending this graduation ceremony. The graduates have all proven to be excellent candidates for the Navy program and I look forward to overseeing your future progress.

           I have a special presentation. One that I had only had the honor of witnessing once before in my career. We have a graduate here today who has managed to break every training record in the academy’s history and has managed to do so in half of the normal time allotted.

           Please join me in honoring a young man who may one day be our next Top Gun, Patrick O’Reilly.”

           The entire crowd rose to their feet and began to clap and cheer for Patrick. As he stepped up onto the stage and saluted his commanding officers, he gratefully accepted his diploma and award from Commander Peterson.

           Unprepared, Patrick was then asked to say a few words, and reluctantly approached the podium.

           “Congratulations to all of my fellow graduates. It was a tough run, but now, with the knowledge that we all have obtained, we can do our country proud.

           Thank you to all of our hard-working and dedicated officers for the education and wisdom that you had bestowed among us all. I especially wish to thank our commanding officer, Commander Peterson for his tireless encouragement and belief in me.

            I want to thank God for guiding me toward this path when I was on my way to becoming a priest. I can now find myself closer to God in the physical sense as well.

           Finally, (looking toward his parents) I want to thank my parents who kept believing in me regardless of my drastic choices. I could not have done this without the love and discipline that you showed me throughout my childhood. I love you both very much.”

           Patrick’s mother sobbed into her handkerchief while his father just nodded and smiled with a look of appreciation and pride. Patrick returned the smile before exiting the stage.

           In the months and years to follow, Patrick continued to follow his dream and trained day-after-day until he qualified to fly a fighter jet. His childhood favorite, the F-14 Tomcat had been retired back in 2006, but he would now be sitting inside the cockpit of an F-16 Falcon instead.

           His fellow fighter pilots flew mock missions over land and sea until their wits were keen and their flight patterns were in-sync with each other. They were trained to work as a team and fly as a single entity. Each pilot should have been able to predict to movements of his or her wingman. Although the training seemed monotonous, it would one day prove to be integral.

           Patrick and his crew were out at sea in the mid-Atlantic when a call came in about possible hostiles flying into U.S. airspace. The flight teams were scrambled and the jets shot off like rockets from the flight deck. Patrick was made the flight leader for the mission.

           Radar showed three aircraft flying toward the coast of Virginia. ETA was two minutes until the possible hostiles would be visual. As they neared, Patrick could see that they were facing three fully-armed F-16 Falcons similar to their own, but with different weaponry. The insignia on the side of the jet indicated that they belonged to the Iraqi Air Force.

           Patrick opened up the channels to contact the jets on their frequency. When they refused to respond to the warnings, Patrick requested permission to fire a warning shot. It was approved. He fired off a few rounds from the jet’s 20 mm cannon just across the nose of the lead jet. The Iraqi fighters chose to engage and broke off into three directions trying to circle around to a better vantage point.

           Patrick quickly directed his team to break off into groups of two and follow the hostiles. Patrick and his wingman took pursuit of the lead jet. The radio was alive with activity as the Iraqi fighters caused havoc among the other jets. One of Patrick’s team took a few rounds to the fuel tank and was forced to retreat. Another was hit in the tail by a CRV7 rocket and the two pilots were forced to eject before the jet crashed into the ocean.

           Patrick soon was alerted of a bogie coming in fast on his right side. The Iraqi fighter had locked on to Patrick’s location and Patrick tried everything to out-maneuver his attacker, but couldn’t shake him. He could hear his co-pilot shouting in terror at him through his headset, but his mind instead began to block out all of the distractions and he found solace at such an unusual time.

           Patrick felt the presence of God and asked Him for his help once again. Warmth could be felt within his chest as the silence finally broke. The next thing Patrick could hear over the high-pitched tone of the weapons lock was one of his fighter pilots indicating that he was in position and was taking a shot. The Iraqi fighter jet burst into flames and plummeted toward the rough water below. Patrick and his team were out of danger. Rescue teams were en-route to retrieve the pilots who were still in the water and the rest of the squad returned to the ship.

           Later that evening as Patrick rested in his quarters, he took out his bible and began to read some of the scriptures. One that caught his attention was this:

           Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

           Patrick felt fulfilled by the works of the Lord. It was Patrick’s choice to leave the priesthood, but he knows now that God will always be with him when he is flying on high.