Holy shit! What an amazingly beautiful tribute. Misty is truly the leader everyone wishes they had and wishes they were.
I’d also like to point out…you were the one who did all the work to get where you are today. Folks like Misty made sure you had the resources. You both are saints.
I’ve got a weird history with Misty. I met her at DINFOS, but that’s when she was JO3 Misty Trent. She probably doesn’t remember that first exposure to what I laughingly called my charming personality, but this was a young woman with fiery red hair, pretty cute, and zero time for an A schooler. The sass and fire were unadulterated in this version, and she left a definite impression (Since I remember this after 27 years, it was a lasting impression). Fortunately for me, I was a regular at the student det smoke pit, so I got a healthy exposure to the raw, freshly distilled Misty Trent.
The JO/MC community is/was very small, and one has a tendency to keep running into the same people, and right around the time I went to Fleet Hometown News and got loaned to PACEN, Misty showed up for something. I don’t remember what, but it was a good time, and there was a decent smoke pit session or two, along with Jimmy Lee, and I think Kevin Mills (most folks have no idea who these people are, but I’m reminiscing here)
Once Facebook became a thing, Misty was one of my early friends. I didn’t do this for career advancement or mentorship. I just liked hearing what she had to say.
Then she came to the TR. My Navy career had imploded just before she arrived, and there really was no way I was going to recover while I was still aboard. There might have been a path, and maybe I should have asked that question, but that isn’t where I was. Misty asked me a very important question, recognizing I was very close to retiring. “Who are you going to be when you’re just Dave and not MC1 anymore?”
I didn’t have a good answer for her. I didn’t have a good answer for myself.
Some people pick themselves up quickly when they’re down. They have some kind of internal switch that gets them to break momentum in one direction and move in a more constructive direction.
Not this guy. My depression has, at times, the gravity of a black hole. It is not sadness, which might be managed with a good cry and perhaps some friends to cheer a person up. It is an emptiness which saps my ability to act. It’s also very isolating.
Looking at it from a distance, I loathe that version of myself. Whiny, selfish, weak, and self-indulgent. I didn’t do the simplest part of my job, and I failed more.
Yes, there were mitigating factors, but Misty didn’t just wash her hands of me and cast me adrift. She helped me as much as she could, and she gave me what she could give when she could give it.
She might not have wanted to be my boss anymore (and you should have seen the side eye I got when I actually decided to re-enlist one more time, so I could hit 22 years), but she never stopped being a friend, and she never stopped offering help where she could.
Man, what a gift. This story, her leadership, your service, both of you… posts like these make this place what it is. Thank you Jason for sharing all these stories and their songs.
Reading something like this so deep and heartfelt makes me realize a couple things. 1 you're one fortunate son of a bitch 2 how important it to be open to a friend and mentors help 3 never stop trying to be like misty the impact is incalculable.
My musical buddies in the Condors have actually entrusted me to sing this for a while now, and it's one of our staples for gigs. It's not an assignment I take lightly. I know the song has a ton of meaning for me, and likely almost every single person of a certain age. And now I will undoubtably fold this story into what it means for me anytime we play it in the future.
You know you have done a great job when folks want to know the person you are writing about. You give them a glimpse and they want to know more. Mission accomplished. She sounds like exactly the kind of role model we need in the world right now.
Holy shit! What an amazingly beautiful tribute. Misty is truly the leader everyone wishes they had and wishes they were.
I’d also like to point out…you were the one who did all the work to get where you are today. Folks like Misty made sure you had the resources. You both are saints.
I appreciate you, my dear friend.
I’ve got a weird history with Misty. I met her at DINFOS, but that’s when she was JO3 Misty Trent. She probably doesn’t remember that first exposure to what I laughingly called my charming personality, but this was a young woman with fiery red hair, pretty cute, and zero time for an A schooler. The sass and fire were unadulterated in this version, and she left a definite impression (Since I remember this after 27 years, it was a lasting impression). Fortunately for me, I was a regular at the student det smoke pit, so I got a healthy exposure to the raw, freshly distilled Misty Trent.
The JO/MC community is/was very small, and one has a tendency to keep running into the same people, and right around the time I went to Fleet Hometown News and got loaned to PACEN, Misty showed up for something. I don’t remember what, but it was a good time, and there was a decent smoke pit session or two, along with Jimmy Lee, and I think Kevin Mills (most folks have no idea who these people are, but I’m reminiscing here)
Once Facebook became a thing, Misty was one of my early friends. I didn’t do this for career advancement or mentorship. I just liked hearing what she had to say.
Then she came to the TR. My Navy career had imploded just before she arrived, and there really was no way I was going to recover while I was still aboard. There might have been a path, and maybe I should have asked that question, but that isn’t where I was. Misty asked me a very important question, recognizing I was very close to retiring. “Who are you going to be when you’re just Dave and not MC1 anymore?”
I didn’t have a good answer for her. I didn’t have a good answer for myself.
Some people pick themselves up quickly when they’re down. They have some kind of internal switch that gets them to break momentum in one direction and move in a more constructive direction.
Not this guy. My depression has, at times, the gravity of a black hole. It is not sadness, which might be managed with a good cry and perhaps some friends to cheer a person up. It is an emptiness which saps my ability to act. It’s also very isolating.
Looking at it from a distance, I loathe that version of myself. Whiny, selfish, weak, and self-indulgent. I didn’t do the simplest part of my job, and I failed more.
Yes, there were mitigating factors, but Misty didn’t just wash her hands of me and cast me adrift. She helped me as much as she could, and she gave me what she could give when she could give it.
She might not have wanted to be my boss anymore (and you should have seen the side eye I got when I actually decided to re-enlist one more time, so I could hit 22 years), but she never stopped being a friend, and she never stopped offering help where she could.
This is "where's the word?" awesome.
Brilliant essay.
Man, what a gift. This story, her leadership, your service, both of you… posts like these make this place what it is. Thank you Jason for sharing all these stories and their songs.
Reading something like this so deep and heartfelt makes me realize a couple things. 1 you're one fortunate son of a bitch 2 how important it to be open to a friend and mentors help 3 never stop trying to be like misty the impact is incalculable.
Love you Brother
What a tribute! That’s the kind of tried and true bond that movies are made about. I wish I’d had a Misty in my Navy days!
Would have changed your life
My musical buddies in the Condors have actually entrusted me to sing this for a while now, and it's one of our staples for gigs. It's not an assignment I take lightly. I know the song has a ton of meaning for me, and likely almost every single person of a certain age. And now I will undoubtably fold this story into what it means for me anytime we play it in the future.
Buck, ya got a heart of gold
Excellent
Jeez Boats, you got me with this one. What a beautiful tribute.
A goddamn force of nature
You know you have done a great job when folks want to know the person you are writing about. You give them a glimpse and they want to know more. Mission accomplished. She sounds like exactly the kind of role model we need in the world right now.
Love this. Love Misty. Love you 💕⚓️