Will Grant Takes the Air Wing

Afterburn

This flow traces Will Grant's difficult transition from squadron aviator to staff leader responsible for directing the carrier air wing during a crisis.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Leaving the Vipers Leaving the Vipers from "Afterburn". Leaving the Vipers A promotion with a cost Will Grant moves from command of VF-95 into the Deputy CAG role.

Leaving the Vipers from "Afterburn". Leaving the Vipers A promotion with a cost Will Grant moves from command of VF-95 into the Deputy CAG role.

Leaving the Vipers A promotion with a cost Will Grant moves from command of VF-95 into the Deputy CAG role. The new position advances his career but separates him from the daily flying and close-knit identity of his squadron. Home life deteriorates His wife, Julie, struggles with the long deployments and his absences. Grant understands the damage but cannot easily reconcile family responsibility with the military career he has chosen.

Learning the Staff Burden Learning the Staff Burden from "Afterburn". Learning the Staff Burden Watching rather than flying Grant observes air operations and feels the weight of decisions that affect an entire wing.

Learning the Staff Burden from "Afterburn". Learning the Staff Burden Watching rather than flying Grant observes air operations and feels the weight of decisions that affect an entire wing.

Learning the Staff Burden Watching rather than flying Grant observes air operations and feels the weight of decisions that affect an entire wing. The displays and communications systems do not make responsibility easier; they make the consequences more immediate. Counsel from Magruder Magruder tells him that senior officers must accept work that keeps others flying. Grant is not yet comfortable with the role, but recognizes that command is not simply a continuation of his former squadron life.

The Contact Forces a Choice The Contact Forces a Choice from "Afterburn". The Contact Forces a Choice A patrol must be reassigned As unknown aircraft move toward the Bosporus, Grant has to send Dixie and his wingman to identify them.

The Contact Forces a Choice from "Afterburn". The Contact Forces a Choice A patrol must be reassigned As unknown aircraft move toward the Bosporus, Grant has to send Dixie and his wingman to identify them.

The Contact Forces a Choice A patrol must be reassigned As unknown aircraft move toward the Bosporus, Grant has to send Dixie and his wingman to identify them. He knows Magruder had recently advised keeping Dixie away from difficult zone patrols. Responsibility cannot wait The decision is made under a limited tactical picture and a narrowing window. Grant's role demands that he weigh an individual aviator's readiness against the needs of the whole battle group.

Coyote Directs the Response Coyote Directs the Response from "Afterburn". Coyote Directs the Response A sudden command shift With senior command ashore and the carrier under attack, Grant manages the air response.

Coyote Directs the Response from "Afterburn". Coyote Directs the Response A sudden command shift With senior command ashore and the carrier under attack, Grant manages the air response.

Coyote Directs the Response A sudden command shift With senior command ashore and the carrier under attack, Grant manages the air response. He moves CAP flights, reports hostile launches, and communicates with Magruder while the situation changes by the minute. Staff work becomes combat Grant's choices now determine whether aircraft cover the carrier, the threatened shore party, or one another. The job he once regarded as bureaucratic becomes the operational center of the crisis.

Authority Earned in Crisis Authority Earned in Crisis from "Afterburn". Authority Earned in Crisis A new role is recognized Grant becomes CAG as the chain of command changes after the attack.

Authority Earned in Crisis from "Afterburn". Authority Earned in Crisis A new role is recognized Grant becomes CAG as the chain of command changes after the attack.

Authority Earned in Crisis A new role is recognized Grant becomes CAG as the chain of command changes after the attack. The promotion is inseparable from loss and from the expectation that he will now direct the whole air wing. The former pilot remains present He misses flying, but uses his combat experience to support the group, plan rescue, and respond to attacks. The crisis does not erase his doubts about staff work; it demonstrates that he can carry its responsibilities.

Before the Black Sea deployment

Saturday, October 31, after the friendly-fire incident

Thursday, November 5, before the bridge attack is confirmed

Thursday, November 5, after attacks begin

After Admiral Tarrant is wounded