CarolynBG
Carolyn grew up an Air Force brat. Her parents, Thomas Peter Owen and Shannon O'Reilly Owen, were both USAF. Carolyn arrived after their third year of marriage, born at Elmendor AFB outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Shannon left the USAF at the end of her service commitment, and the family was subsequently transferred to Lnagley, VA, then to Mountain Home AFB in Idaho, Ramstein in Germany, back to Mountain Home, then to Nellis AFB in Nevada. Thomas flew several fighter platforms in that time and rose in the ranks to Lt General, and is currently stationed at Air Combat Command HQ in Langley AFB VA as the vice commander.
Carolyn's siblings are her three brothers, two of them older than her, one younger. Typical of Irish-American families they are all in service in some fashion. Thomas, the oldest, is a police officer in Boise Idaho. John, the next oldest is still studying to be a doctor, while Allen the youngest is in the Army, currently assigned to the 7th Light Infantry Division.
Family has always been important to Carolyn, and she is close to her brothers and parents. Family history is also important to the Owens. The family came from Ireland fairly recently, Carolyn's grandfather Thomas Allen Owen, having come to Ellis Island on the boat as a baby. In Ireland the family history goes back a long way, many of the family being soldiers, some being rebels. Many of the family stories include references to the fair folk and leprechauns and the hollow hills. Carolyn always thought they were great campfire stories and loves to hear them but gives them little credence.
As the only girl in the family Carolyn was something of a tomboy, more interested in shooting and airplanes than dolls, though her mother saw to it that she wasn't completely one of the guys. Her appearance, as she grew older, helped in that regard; Carolyn's always been quite pretty, even beautiful when she takes time to see to her appearance. This also meant there were always boys chasing her, adding to her parents' ulcers. She enjoyed dancing and gymnastics and in Idaho took an interest in figure skating, eventually rising to place second in the state competitions. College and flying, she went to Purdue University to study Aviation, took precedence though, and she gave up competitive skating. She still goes out on the ice for fun, however. A brief stint of modeling distracted her for a quarter at Purdue, but the dip in her grades alarmed her and she refused to pursue other opportunities that came along. Plus her parents were not approving of her appearance in the college's swimsuit calendar.
Her parents' disapproval, slipping grades and a truly frightening incident, that is. At an after-shoot party, someone slipped Carolyn a mickey. She woke up the next day, not knowing what had happened, but bruised, filthy and in a stranger's house. Medical checks revealed nothing seriously wrong, but the drug wasn't identified other than to show traces of meth. The drug incident is in her records and she occasionally goes voluntarily for testing. The incident, however, scared her thoroughly.
College was otherwise normal for Carolyn, and she graduated well up in her class with a degree in Aviation and an Air Transport License. Off to OTS where she graduated in the top 10 and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, sworn in by her father, of course. Next came pilot training, where she lived, ate, slept, and breathed aviation for a year and graduated top of the class. She chose the F-16 and went off to learn to fly it, and was put in a wild weasel squadron flying the F-16 CJ. Tactics and flying came naturally to her and she rapidly demonstrated the aviation instincts of a falcon. She was deployed to Iraq for three months and later to Afghanistan for six months.
During her tour in Afghanistan she and her wingman, Jim "Card" Thornton, where flying escort on a C-130 full of reporters. A new Taliban SAM installation picked them up and targeted the transport. Carolyn decoyed the missile while Jim destroyed the site, preventing further shots.
In the course of decoying the SAM Carolyn's F-16 was severely damaged and she was wounded by shrapnel. She managed to nurse the plane about thrity miles, to the next valley before having to eject. An AWACS had been able to vector her into the vicinity of an infantry company on patrol and she punched out less than a mile from them. The soldiers took her in and got her transported back to the air base where she was treated for her injuries. It took them about 5 days to get her to the base and in that time she formed lasting friendships. She still emails and calls and writes several of them. For their actions, Carolyn was awarded the Air Force Cross and Purple Heart, and Jim the Silver Star.
A third combat tour, again to Afghanistan, followed for Carolyn, and Jim. They were there a year this time and a close friendship developed into more. Jim proposed to Carolyn on their last day in theater, at the squadron's commander's call.
The squadron rotated back to Mildenhall, England, and returned to a normal training cycle. Jim and Carolyn decided on a holiday and explored Scotland. During the trip they ran into a small band of thugs. Jim had gone into a bed and breakfast to arrange rooms and the local bully boys mugged Carolyn and started trying to pull her clothes off in preparation for other assaults. Jim came out of the B&B and applied a cricket bat to the muggers, injuring them and driving them off for teh police to later collect at the hospital.
Carolyn transferred back to the US, with a Silver Star for another enemy air defense suppression feat, and a slot at Fighter Weapon School, and a follow on to change to the F-22. Thornton went with the squadron back to Mildenhall with another Silver Star for bravery in combat flying. About halfway through her term at the school, though, Carolyn got The Call. Waiting in the FWS commander's office were the commander and the chaplain. Jim Thornton had crashed into a ridge while on a low level training mission over Scotland. The accident was investigated and ruled to be CFIT, controlled flight into terrain. Carolyn was given a week's leave to attend the funeral and came back to the school brittle, cold, and deadly. She received the trophy for top graduate. Fighter Weapons School has no award for second place.
Following Fighter Weapon School, Carolyn was transferred to California, the base some miles outside of Prospect where Jim was buried. She's assigned ot the 93rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, flying the F-22.
