Yesterday I went to the Air and Sea Show in Miami Beach. Out of a bright blue sky, the sun pounded the roads, sidewalk and sand. Ocean Drive was a strange juxtaposition, with one side of the street smelling like pot, twenty-year-olds shuffling without direction, and loud bass and cheering in the bars, while the other side of the street was a military village of servicemen in fatigues and ground and air equipment. Party on one side of the street. Business on the other.
I crossed over to the Army Special Forces and Rangers tents alongside tanks and helicopters. It was a calm display of skill, toughness, and order. Men in their twenties with sharp haircuts wore fatigues and sunglasses and the backs of their necks glistened with sweat. People wandered off the beach into the event. Tan, leather-skinned middle-aged men in speedos held weapons and posed for photos. Three-hundred-pound girls in thong bathing suits stood at the Ranger tent and I watched as Rangers admirably talked to these girls as if they were serious people. Fathers with young children climbed into helicopters. The back of one man’s shirt read, “Fallen But Not Forgotten,” over three columns of names.
The sun and heat were relentless. Barely five minutes passed before sweat drooled down my scalp and my jeans adhered to my legs. Then the bomber fly-bys started and who cared about the heat? Sheer power, mastery, and virtuosity that we rarely see these days were on proud display. Exhilaration and thrill moved through my blood. I was in awe of what human beings—our American military—could accomplish. Jet engines roared low and loud, bombers appeared out of nowhere, streaked across the sky, turned and flew upside down, and then disappeared into the clouds. Stealth indeed.
It was a show of excellence and sheer toughness. Not a rainbow flag in sight. No trans anything. There was no one I could not easily and immediately identify as A Man. It was the military the way it should be: a tough, highly skilled, and determined fighting force.
This event was a break in the clouds. I’m not a pessimistic person but am clear-eyed about what is happening in the United States and our trajectory based on history. What other nation has allowed itself to decay and come right to the edge of descending into socialism, and then rescued itself in the nick of time?
Could we be the first? I’d like to believe we still have a chance, that we can ensure the mechanics of a genuine and fair voting system where rising support for Donald Trump is translated into legitimate countable votes, and that true leadership can restore our nation to what it was even just five short years ago. I picture a day in November with the American flag flying, when our jets re-fuel, our engines roar, and we ascend back to a place of credibility, might and excellence.
Such a nice article, well written , great attention to details and straight to the point in the final part . Love it!