Funny how your life can change just by opening a letter. I knew from the return address that this correspon-dence was special, for the manila envelope was labeled "Department of the Navy, Commanding Officer, Fighter Squadron Eleven". Inside was a letter informing me that I was being commissioned to create the 75th Anniversary painting for VF-11, the 'World Famous Red Rippers'. The oldest continuously-active flight squadron in military history, the 'Rippers' had plenty to celebrate, as they were also in the midst of workups for deployment on the first cruise of the Navy's newest super carrier, the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). The letter was signed by LCDR Paul 'Bear' Randall who became my liaison with the Navy and would also pilot my F-14 flight.
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机译：有趣的是，仅仅通过一封信就能改变生活。从回信中我知道这种通信很特别，因为马尼拉信封上贴着“海军部，第十一战斗机中队指挥官”的标签。里面有一封信，告诉我我受命为VF-11（“世界著名的红色开膛手”）创作75周年绘画。 “开膛手”是军事历史上最古老的连续飞行中队，值得庆祝，因为他们还在为海军最新超级航母约翰·斯坦尼斯（USC John C. Stennis）（CVN）的首次巡航进行部署的准备工作中。 -74）。这封信是由LCDR保罗·“熊”兰德尔签署的，他成为了我与海军的联络人，还将驾驶我的F-14飞机飞行。
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