From sustaining operations to sustaining a tank

Ok, sports fans! First of all, thanks to Miss Medicina, I have discovered how to do a feedburner RSS feed. And, again, thanks to M for the shout-out. She is the first healing blog that I stumbled upon, and if you have any priest questions, I highly recommend you start with her site.
Also, Daffnae from wowsanggrail pointed out that I needed the Name/URL option in comments, so it has been added. I have updated the blog! Yeah! Now it has a "chicklet" and a picture, which I cleverly edited in powerpoint (lol), as well as an updated profile.

Now, to the point: There are astonishing principles that carry over between distinct areas of your life.
For example, yesterday I had quite the run-in with my "aircraft commander" (the more experienced pilot on a C-130). Well, has anybody ever had to contend with immature, abrasive, or criticizing leaders in a guild or raid environment? I imagine that most of us have. Well, in my profession, we don't get to pick our leaders. Much like you might stick with a guild for the raiding, despite terrible personalities, I get to stick with my particular aircraft commander (like it or not). Now, I'm still fuming IRL from the confrontation, because I hate confrontation...BUT I was amused because I have some similar memories from WoW. Military or MMORPG, everybody has an ego that can be trampled. Leadership is a valuable trait that you should appreciate when you find it in your "chain of command."

Some other time I'll make a full post on the organizational parallels between the military and a guild.

Today I want to draw a parallel between my job and my class! My IRL role as a copilot on a C-130 Hercules is to help get our bad-to-the-bone 1960's era trash-hauling machine from base to base. Our operations directly support, supply, replenish, or relocate troops anywhere and anytime (literally...I was flying last night on NVGs in the middle of the night and last week I was flying in the middle of the day). SO...what does that sound like on a macro level? To me, that sounds like we are major support players in this "game" we're playing here in Iraq. Now, what do I do in WoW? I replenish, support, and enable players and groups in whatever goal they are trying to accomplish! I think the reason that I've enjoyed playing a singular class for 5 years (or more) is that I truly derive pleasure from supporting, enabling, protecting, and working "behind the scenes." I could have been a fighter pilot (I could have played a mage) or I could have opted for special ops aviation (I could have been a rogue). I could have gone helos (those guys are nuts, so I think that's a lot like a warlock) or I could have flown UAVs (/spit) (that's like a hunter pet LOL).

This whole gaming vs personality vs career concept was introduced to me through a book called Now, Discover Your Strengths, which I think most WoW players would thoroughly enjoy.

Also, I want to say that sustaining operations in Iraq takes constant, planned, air-land schedules. Our daily schedules are incredibly paralleled to the way that a healer might queue up heals, shields, dispels, and HoTs. There are proportionally a lot more "dps" players in the military...AKA the Army, Navy, and Marines. Not a lot of "healers" though! And you can't kill the Lich King without healers can you? No, and you can't succeed in a major military operation without the same kind of support. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoy the role that we fill here...and I LOVE healing people in game.