Military personnel put on impressive display of intelligence

A friend of mine used to be a carpenter on the set of the television show “JAG” and I remember him telling me how some of the scenes were put together.

They’d build these elaborate models out of 2-by-4s and plywood, then paint it that gun metal gray to look like an aircraft landing on a carrier or whatever. The actors were actually jumping out the back of a big box and by the time Hollywood was done filming, it looked like a rescue at sea.

Such is the illusion of Hollywood. But the aircraft we had a chance to see at Grant County International Airport last week was anything but. As I walked through the massive C-17 Globemaster, I was fairly certain you could fit the whole town of Moses Lake on board, along with Home Depot, a couple of car lots, Michael’s by the Lake and maybe even Dairy Queen. It was big; Russell Wilson might have trouble throwing the length of the interior.

It was one impressive aircraft, used to do anything from troop transport to cargo delivery directly to forward bases. As you walk through something like the C-17, it makes you wonder how the thing even gets off the ground completely empty, let alone fully loaded with Hummers and the articles of desert warfare.

But what I thought made the 50th anniversary of the Port of Moses Lake ceremony incredibly informative was the military personnel on hand to explain the functions of aircraft. Visitors were allowed to wander about at will, climb up into the cockpit, sit in the pilot’s seat, look on with wonder the inner functions of aircraft responsible for keeping this country safe. It wasn’t a presentation to see what they wanted you to see, it was open-ended look at how the aircraft works and its purpose.

I was particularly interested in the technological workings of the Navy’s P-3 Orion, which runs reconnaissance in tracking submarines, ships. I’m the kind of guy who’s happy just to be able to check the ball scores or email from the smartphone. So I’m not overly interested or impressed with technical jargon overkill. But the staff on board was able to explain Radar Technology for Dummies without making me feel particularly stupid.

In this day and age where the new crop of NFL rookies were born in 1994 and Kevin Durant was born eight years after I graduated from college, I guess their age shouldn’t be a shock. But the knowledge and expertise these young servicemen and women displayed led me to believe our country’s safety is in good hands of the 20-somethings.

There was one conversation on the KC-135 Stratotanker I thought typified the day. There was a young girl standing just inside the cockpit door talking with a service woman in her uniform. It was a quiet conversation, the service woman nodded, listened to the girl’s questions and answered them accordingly. I’m not sure whether the girl was used to being treated with such respect, but she was surely impressed by the conversation.

After the girl climbed down the ladder, I asked the service woman, “Doing a little recruiting?” The smile didn’t need further explanation. There are such opportunities for women in the service it doesn’t hurt to make them aware early and often.

It was a good day for military intelligence sharing with the rest of us what it means to be of service.

Rodney Harwood covers business and sports for the Columbia Basin Herald. He can be reached via email, businessag@columbiabasinherald.com.