rapidfire
L Retiree Spotlight
t. Cmdr. J.R. Arthur, USN-Ret., landed safely on aircraft carriers hundreds of
times during his first career. This turned out to be pretty good train- ing for a future sleigh-driver. In retirement, Arthur enjoys bagpiping and he and his wife, Carol, tour the country as Santa and Mrs. Claus. How did you become a Santa? I started in 1998. The chaplain at the Naval Aviation Memorial Chapel in Pensacola, Fla., decided that because I’d grown a beard for my bagpiping and my hair was turning gray, I’d be a perfect Santa. What’s most reward- ing about being Santa? The stories from children really ensnare an old white-haired guy. … Santa
can be trusted in the eyes of the children, and you have to be accountable for that 24/7. Once you grow that beard … you can’t be seen chugging down a beer or smoking a cigarette. What do you do as military affairs director for Santa America? We coordinate with military bases to send Santas to Christ- mas parties, visit with wounded warriors, visit with children of deployed parents, and greet units returning home. We have more than 300 San- tas who visit chronically, critically, and — unfor- tunately — terminally ill children. How did the Navy prepare you to fill Santa’s boots? In the Navy I thought of myself as stone- hearted. But later on,
I found the compas- sion was already there. When you leave the service do you just become self-serving? I don’t think so. — Andrew Abernathy
Attention! Check out these military-related entertainment offerings.
DVD THE BATTLE FOR MARJAH (Athena, 2011) Written and produced by award-winning journalist Ben Anderson, The Battle for Marjah documents the Marine Corps’ dangerous operation against a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan. Embedded
with Bravo Company, Anderson provides an in- timate and sobering look at the realities of counter- insurgency warfare. The documentary originally aired on HBO.
FILM TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (Focus
26 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2011
Features, 2011) In the midst of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service. The film is based on the novel by John le Carré.
BOOK VELVA JEAN LEARNS TO FLY (PLUME, 2011) Author Jennifer Niven tells the fictional story of an inde- pendent young woman who looks to “live out there” and becomes a female pilot during World War II.
MO PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
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