Todd Lesher

The bow of the carrier fills the windscreen, gray deck slicing through blue water as the F/A-18 skims low along the ship’s length, white wake streaming past just off the wingtip. From inside the cockpit, the ship is not a distant speck but a moving runway of steel, close enough that every antenna and parked aircraft seems to slide past in slow motion even as the jet hurtles by at combat speed. It is a pilot’s-eye view of how close naval aviation lives to the edge—and how controlled that edge really is. ⚓ Discover more at Trackpads.com and MilitaryAuthor.me 📬 From Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine — subscribe here → https://lnkd.in/gZ9CZQtN This moment sits on the shoulders of more than a century of carrier aviation. From straight-deck flattops with biplanes to angled decks and jet-powered air wings, each generation has pushed ships and aircraft closer together in the name of combat effectiveness. The F/A-18 family became the backbone of U.S. carrier air wings, replacing multiple specialized aircraft with a multirole jet that could fight for air superiority, strike targets ashore, and still come back to the same moving deck. Operationally, flying low past the ship is not just a dramatic shot—it echoes the energy and sight picture of the carrier break and approach. Pilots learn to gauge closure, lineup, and deck motion instinctively, reading the ship’s bow, island, and wake while staying inside tight altitude and lateral limits. In combat, that feel for the carrier’s motion is what lets them return safely at night, in bad weather, or low on fuel after missions far from the task force. The details inside the cockpit tell their own story. The heads-up display tracks airspeed, altitude, angle of attack, and distance, while the pilot constantly cross-checks instruments with the moving shape of the ship below. Every small control input smooths out turbulence from the carrier’s wind and sea state, and even a brief low pass demands the same disciplined scan used on a live landing—backed by endless practice in simulators and in the pattern. Scenes like this underscore the broader role of carrier aviation in national strategy. A ship that can launch and recover jets in open ocean, day or night, can move airpower without asking for basing rights or fixed runways. The F/A-18 has been at the center of that capability for decades, flying missions from humanitarian relief and presence patrols to combat sorties in multiple theaters, all launched from decks that look much like the one in your view. #MilitaryHistory #NavalAviation #FA18 #AircraftCarrier #USNavy #CarrierOperations #AviationHeritage #DispatchMagazine

It is always a pleasure when I make it to my hometown at Christmas in time to help out with shop with a cop. Thank you to my Aunt Deanne Worthy for always including me. Today 136 kids had the opportunity to shop with a member of the local Haralson County law enforcement community at Walmart in Bremen, GA.

Eliminating lateral movement is a tricky job, but someone has to do it. That someone could be you 👇

Today ends day two of my forensics 500 (GCFE) course, which has been amazing! Our instructor Ovie Carroll has been awesome, with his police humor and ability to lay out a topic in an easy to understand way has made the days fly by and the information stick in a meaningful way. It's like what was said in class today, he makes "forensics look easy". Thank you SANS Technology Institute for putting on this great week of courses! I am also super excited to finally be participating in my first netwars later this week. Caught me by surprise, but apparently if you go to a live class, netwars is now included. I can't wait to see how I stack up, but with the talent in my class, it's going to be some tough competition. What a great week of learning and growing!

What a week last week. I am extremely thankful to have been a part of the FOR500 live course taught by Ovie Carroll. I did have to give myself the weekend to recover and digest it all, as there were so many nuggets squeezed into a 6 day course. Including his course recap, which i will say was impressive in its preciseness and displayed his skills as ether an auctioneer or the person that reads the warning as the end of those medical commercials. It was awesome. This course really did provide so many useful topics and techniques ill be able to bring back to the shop. Here is a run down of what was covered: Windows Forensics and Data Triage, Windows Registry Forensics, USB Devices, Shell Items, Email Forensics, Event Log Analysis and Advanced Web Browser Forensics.  Like all SANS courses, its like drinking out of a fire hose with all the fantastic information coming at you, but I really enjoyed how it was broken up and kept the student in mind. For those looking at taking this course, i can recommend it enough, this has proven to be my favorite SANS course so far. Everything from the amazing students i got to work with, the eye opening information and the end of course investigation bringing it all together. Which i will say i am really proud of my team and the whole class in general for how well everyone did on that investigation, it was very impressive! Thank you SANS Technology Institute for this great course and putting this training event together!

You've heard the phrase "what would you do if you weren't afraid?" But what if fear signaled something good was happening? This week, after our "best of" episode with Lisa Orbé-Austin, PhD on impostor syndrome, I got curious about fear. And how it shows up when we don't have experience, credentials, or even skills yet. So being "found out" feels more real. In my experience, it happens often during self-reinvention. This fear is well worth it and you can work through it with a few strategies. Thank you Caru for "yirah."

Love this story❤️ "The pilot was standing around as I got out of my wheelchair to board my flight to Portland. He followed me and the flight attendant who volunteered to carry my bag. I fling myself into my seat. He quickly asked, "were you in the military." I replied "yes." He said, "Afghanistan 2010?" Again, although surprised this time, I said slowly "yessss." He then told me that he recognized me, my injuries, and my face. He told me he never knew if I survived or not. Marc Vincequere is his name. He flys w United now. Crazy small world. He was the pilot that flew me out of Afghanistan." Credit: Todd Love