Happy Wednesday, FighterSweep Fans! We hope your week is moving along as nicely as ours is. There’s a lot going on in our world at the current time, but we wanted to change up the pace a little bit and share this video with you.
We all know the score, and as we spoke of, it’s a very curious move for Putin to withdraw and declare “mission accomplished.” So if you would, look past the agendas and political rhetoric, look past the tangled mess of who’s on whose side in Syria, and just appreciate this clip for what it is: folks darn happy to be home after being in Syria.
It’s an interesting look at another Air Force’s redeployment or “homecoming traditions.” Not unlike our own celebrations when our servicemen and women return from their deployments overseas, you see the smiles, the cheering, and the warm hugs and handshakes.
A Russian pilot is welcomed home after returning from combat operations in Syria. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
There are photos to be taken, music to be played, and thanks to be given. I will say I’ve never seen any of our pilots crowd surfing or getting tossed up into the air repeatedly upon their return, but hey–whatever works!
There’s always a huge sense of relief when the main landing gear touches the pavement as the jets return, one by one.
You can almost hear a collective sigh of relief, as though the arrival has suddenly become real. It’s always a great thing when your loved ones come home unscathed. When the engines shut down, it’s time for speeches by your wing leadership, whose words will generally go unremembered and perhaps even unheard, drowned out by the joy and being back on your home soil. It’s time for the families and friends to celebrate.
(Featured photo courtesy of www.thesun.co.uk)