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How did I end up on a military helicopter flying around the Statue of Liberty? To celebrate these soldiers' re-enlistment, of course.
As part of my Newsweek series "Unconventional," I traveled to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL), which happens to be the place where I began my own journey in the military more than a decade ago as a brand-new Navy Ensign. Back then, with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in full swing, the base was a hive of activity as members of the military prepared to deploy and long convoys wound throughout the roads of the base. Those days are imprinted in my memory, and it surprised me to see JBMDL now.
The base is still a hub, and an important one, but the focus is on the future. Young women and men, the next generation of warriors and soldiers, are carrying on age-old customs in a very new era.
The military is built on tradition, and for those who have worn the uniform, it is a tradition that always makes you stand a little taller. Today was about tradition mixed with a unique celebration—an aerial one.
As we stood on the hot JBMDL flight line in the shadow of two massive Army CH-47 Chinooks, I watched as the young troops recited their oath.
"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution...."
All of them had spent the last two weeks in the field practicing the trade of soldiering under a blistering New Jersey summer sun. They were tired, having subjected themselves to cycles of adrenaline and monotony, a familiar military pattern: intensity, followed by boredom, and then right back to intensity. Yet as they recited their oath, right hands raised, you could feel the wave of energy ripple through them.
Leading the ceremony was Brigadier General Christopher Cook, Commanding General of the 78th Training Division. Cook is soft-spoken with a youthful smile that belies his nearly 30-year career in the military. The General is a reservist, whose day job is working at AT&T, but he very much looked the part of a seasoned Army man on this occasion.
We meet in his office, and then make our way to the flight line. He hovers around the troops like he is genuinely happy to be braving the unrelenting heat to see these soldiers through an important step on their military journey.
"As the soldiers take their oath, they swear to the Constitution. What better symbol of freedom and of the Constitution than is to be able to fly and see the Statue of Liberty?" He tells me.
Then it's time for the flight.
Just like many of the soldiers flying with me, it was my first time on the CH-47 Chinook, the Army's largest helicopter.
"At least half of them. This is the first time of any helicopter... And then to be able to fly the Statue of Liberty is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them," Cook tells me.
From flying in a B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber to launching an F-18 Hornet fighter jet off the deck of the USS Ford aircraft carrier, filming "Unconventional" has gifted me with many unique experiences. I love them all. The commonality is that moment that I can't help but start smiling, excited as a kid getting ice cream. It's a smile so big that while on the USS Ford watching Hornets land, I managed to get a piece of rubber right in the kisser. Now in the back of the Chinook, the jet engines whine and the dual rotors slowly begin to spin—that smile returns. This is going to be cool!
But as much fun as it was for me, it was more than a mere joyride for our pilot, Warrant Officer Sonam Lhadon of the 244th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, who is just two months out of flight school. Lhadon is a prior enlisted soldier, having become a pilot and warrant officer after a career in military intelligence. Today her call sign is Freight Train 12, a title that dates back to Vietnam. "No Maverick, no Goose?" I ask, only half-kidding. "That's Navy," she replies deadpan. "We don't get to pick our call sign; the call sign is given to us."
The Chinook is loud. We are warned that without ear protection we could suffer permanent hearing loss in just a few minutes. Yet despite it being the largest and fastest Army helicopter, the constant vibration has a surprising reaction for some of the soldiers sitting alongside me. The adrenaline waning, many begin to fall into a deep sleep. Not me, though, that big smile is plastered to my face. I wave and give a thumbs up to anyone I can as Lady Liberty floats into view.
I always ask aviators—"Does flying ever get old?"
"Not in a helicopter," Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jordan Frizzell tells me. Frizzell is a seasoned aviator, who happens to be married to a fellow Chinook pilot. He is a maintenance test pilot for the Chinook, and he explains explains why he loves the giant helicopter. "Well, it's the best for multiple reasons. For one, it's the fastest. It's the biggest. It can haul the most cargo. But the real reason is because I'm Mr. Frizzell and it's the Magic School Bus."
On a day like this so steeped in tradition, it can seem like a standard issue experience for all those involved. The reality, however, is that each of these soldiers is deploying on an individual journey and everyone—including myself—walks away with a different story to tell.
In the words of General Cook: "They'll remember this enlistment for the rest of their life."
About the writer
Newsweek editor at large; former FBI double agent and the author of "How to Catch a Russian Spy"