After the Memorial Service on Friday morning, we headed over to the hangar with Julius and his family. We watched as Julius and the other wingees in his squadron were recognized for their hard work and given certificates for their various accomplishments.
Afterwards we took some photos by the T-45, the jet Julius' just trained on.
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| Nick checking out Julius' plane |
Following this small informal ceremony, we headed back to the Chapel for Julius and the others guys' winging ceremony. Each wingee was called forward, a loved one pinned their wings on, a family photo was taken, and that was it! Short and sweet!
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| The world's newest aviators |
I am not ashamed to admit that I teared up. This is a huge accomplishment. It's said that it's their second most important and most memorable life event (coming in after their weddings). If you know someone in the aviation community, then you know just how hard these guys have worked to achieve this. Those wings of gold are a symbol of the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that they've made for years. Those wings now signify they are true United States Aviators.
I could not be more proud of Julius and I am so happy I was able to be in attendance.
That evening, we all headed to their winging party and continued the celebration. We had a lot of fun and it was great to see so many other people whom we hadn't seen since the USNA days or since some moved on from Pensacola. And as always, it was great to spend even more time with Julius and his family.
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| Mr. and Mrs. Bratton |
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| Julius' niece, best hometown friend, and sister |
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| With the newest wingee, Julius 'Baby Cakes" Bratton |
The next day, Saturday, we needed to head back to Pensacola for Nick to study and prepare for his flights the next day. We ventured over to Julius' house then headed to his family's hotel to say goodbye. I am quite proud of myself because I held my tears in. This is probably the last time we will see Julius for a while. He reports to Lemoore, California to fly the F-18 Super Hornet (his first choice of aircraft) in just three weeks. It's hard to imagine that after seven years, we're finally parting ways. For the past seven years, he's always been there. The first four years I talked to him everyday and "saw" him frequently. These past two years we have been so fortunate to have him so close (just 3.5 hours). We saw him so often that we were pretty spoiled, (as far as military friends go), in our friendship. But now it was time for the "see ya later." I know we'll see him again. I'm told it's a small Navy and our paths will cross again. They better, that's all I have to say! No matter if our paths cross or not, we won't lose this friendship we have, because our bond is closer than that. Julius is family to us.
Julius started out as Nick's roommate during plebe summer and they quickly became best friends and then brothers. Julius has very much so been a huge part of my life the past seven years. All four years at the Academy, I could not have a conversation without Julius' mouth running in the background. At times when I'd call the room, Nick wouldn't be in there yet Julius and I would talk for quite a while. Any time Nick and I video-chatted, Julius' big ol' head was right there next to Nick's. He was always the third wheel, voluntarily, on our video dates. But I have no complaints about that. Because of Nick and Julius' closeness, Julius quickly became a close friend to me. There were many times I sought his advice or input on a situation. In a very short time, Julius became the little brother that God and my parents never gave me. He's much more than a friend to Nick and I. He goes far beyond what a friend is and we feel blessed to have him in our lives. He truly is family.
Likewise, his family has become family to us. Not only are we blessed to have Julius as a brother, but he has an amazing family who considers us family. We met his family during Commissioning Week (May 2011) and had an absolute blast with them. Christmas leave 2011, on our way through Tennessee back down south to Florida, we stopped by the Bratton Farm. They welcomed us (and our crazy pups) in their home, fed us dinner (and me margaritas) and let us relax for a bit. Now here we are a year and a half later, reunited and things haven't changed. Mr. Bratton refers to Nick and I as Julius' siblings and insisted on us being in the family photos. It was hard saying goodbye to them because it will be much more difficult for our paths to cross but hopefully we see them soon. I received a message from Julius' father just one day later asking me to keep him updated on Nick's winging because he'd love to come to it. And we most definitely would love for him to join us! Especially since Julius won't be able to attend :(
Overall, it was a great weekend spent with family, celebrating such a huge milestone in Julius' life. I might give him a hard time most of the time (that's what big sisters do, right?) but I love that kid to death and don't know what I'd do without him. He's played a huge role in our relationship, in my life, and most certainly in Nick's life. I could not have picked a better best friend for Nick and I am so happy they were thrown together in a room plebe summer. He's truly been a blessing in our lives and we are thankful we get to call him a best friend and brother.
Congratulations Julius. I know you don't need it, but best of luck in Lemoore. Be smart and stay safe. Thank you for everything these past seven years. It's hard to watch you go so far away, but we know our paths will cross again. Just as you do now, you will always have a room at our house. We love you.
Fair winds and following seas dear brother.
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