Chapter 16 – Florida

Three Rivers SP, Air Force Armament Museum, Naval Aviation Museum

Tony drove the first leg of the trip to Florida; he and Ziva had checked their go-to travel website and determined that going to see the large squirrels was a feasible idea. The route that had been originally planned was not all that different from the new route taking the family down I-75 through Atlanta – obviously after morning rush hour – to I-85 south towards Montgomery. Instead of going all the way to the Alabama capitol city, the changed route had them taking I-185 to Columbus Georgia and then GA-27 to the southwestern corner of the state, crossing the Chattahoochee River just south of the Florida state line. The route in Florida ran along the west side of Lake Seminole, formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and the Woodruff Dam. Water flowing out of the lake formed the Apalachicola River which then flowed to the Gulf of Mexico. The park they wanted to visit to see the fox squirrels was off of that same road. From the city of Sneads, it would be a short hop to get to I-10 and head west to the planned destinations.

In Atlanta, the city skyline shone in the morning sun. When they drove past Georgia Tech campus, Rivka watched the campus buildings as they passed by. She noted the sign for the college and the large 'Buzz' the Yellow Jacket symbol.

"I'm going to live here someday," she announced to her siblings. "And I'm going to go to Georgia Tech. I just know it."

"Whatever," Anthony shrugged. "Time will tell, wont' it?"

"Yep!" she agreed with a grin, "It'll prove that I'm right. So there…"

Beth glanced over at her twin from the middle seat in the rear, "Some of us can't even see out the windows that much. But if you say so, I believe you."

Tali looked up from her tablet, "The Georgia State Capitol building should be coming up. It has a gold-covered dome with gold from this state. It says here that the gold came from Dah – long… No, Dah-lon-…" She tapped the text to speech button, and turned up the volume so the others could hear.

"Dahlonega," the voice said.

"Anyhow, the page says that the gold from the mines in that town was used to put a thin layer of gold leaf on the Capitol dome in 1958. The town of Dah-lon-e-ga was the site of the original gold rush in the US in the 1830s. The Capitol building originally had a terra cotta and tin roof when it was built in 1889," Tali read from the tablet.

"There it is!" LJ spotted the golden dome out the rear window of the minivan. "That's cool."

Soon the bustling city was left behind, and as the family continued south, they passed the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the south end of the perimeter highway (I-285), and the southern suburbs before the road wound through the more rural areas of middle western Georgia. A stop at a fast-food drive through in southwest Georgia provided lunch on the go as the family headed to the southwest corner of the state to cross into Florida. Tony soon found the turn for Three Rivers State Park, the Florida park the young man from the Kennesaw Battlefield had mentioned.

As he drove towards the park, the kids spotted two of the large squirrels in a field.

"Look! There's a cat," LJ had a view of the field out the window by his seat.

Anthony, who was in the seat in front of his brother also spotted the animal with the black face mask and large gray body.

"That's not a cat, LJ… I think it's one of those Sherman's Fox Squirrels. It's huge, bigger than our cats at home!" he pointed to the squirrel. "Ooh, look there are two of them!"

Tony pulled the van to the side of the road and the seven DiNozzos crossed to the field. They captured several images of the large squirrels with phones and digital cameras.

"Okay, we have seen the monster squirrels; time to head to our destination for tonight so we can see some military history tomorrow," Ziva announced as she climbed into the driver's seat.

On I-10, the five young DiNozzos quickly got bored with the lack of sights along the roadway. They all got out their tablets to read, play games, or watch videos.

Beth put it best, "Road and trees; and trees and road… BORING!"

About an hour and one half later, the five looked up as Ziva exited the highway onto the ramp for their overnight destination.

"Eglin Air Force Base," Tali read from the signs along the ramp. "Crestview; Niceville."

"What's here that we are going to see?" LJ didn't see anything interesting so far. "This just looks like a regular town… oh, and some traffic!"

"Well," Tony turned towards the back as Ziva stopped at the bottom of the ramp for the light. "That Air base? It's the largest in the world. Eglin was established in 1935 as part of an airfield in nearby Valparaiso. Post World War II, Eglin became a pioneer in developing the techniques for missile launching and handling; and the development of drone or pilotless aircraft," he read from a webpage on his phone. "Eglin is an Air Force Materiel Command base serving as the focal point for all Air Force armaments. Eglin is responsible for the development, acquisition, testing, deployment, and sustainment of all air-delivered non-nuclear weapons. The base plans, directs, and conducts test and evaluation of U.S. and allied air armament, navigation and guidance systems, and command and control systems. Severe-weather testing of aircraft and other equipment is carried out at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory. The base covers 463,128 acres; much of it undeveloped forest land.

"Eglin is home to the 96th Test Wing; the 33rd Fighter Wing – Nomads; 919th Special Operations Wing; Air Force Research Laboratory; 7th Special Forces Group, and Naval Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) School. The 20th Space Control Squadron of the US Space Force also has a presence on the base. A commercial regional airport shares part of the space with the military base."

Rivka listened to her Abba reading the information, "So… why are we going there?"

"Patience, mini-Ninja… I was just getting to that part," Tony chuckled. "We are going to start our day tomorrow visiting the Air Force Armament Museum on the west side of the base. From there, we will head towards Pensacola, to NAS Pensacola and the Naval Aviation Museum."

LJ perked up, "Will we get to see planes and jets?"

Anthony smirked at his little brother, "Duh, it's Air Force and Aviation; that means aircraft, silly."

Tali swatted her brother's arm, "Be nice, Anthony. LJ was just being curious. Besides, I'm sure Ima will download information about the museums to our tablets when we get to the place we are staying for tonight. Like she always does…"

"Ima, Tali hit Anthony," Beth called out as Ziva turned the van into the hotel parking lot. "Anthony was mean to LJ."

"AND Beth is a tattle-tale," LJ added loudly.

Ziva sighed as she parked at the entrance to the hotel and shut off th engine, "Abba and I are going to get us checked in, please try to keep your hands to yourself while we get our lodging for tonight." She gave each of her five the 'Ima glare' as she spoke.

Soon the family was settled into the six-person suite and adjoining two-person room with a king-sized bed on the top floor of the building. The two queen-sized beds in the suite were separated by a short wall from a living area with a sofa bed, chairs, and a mini-kitchen. Tali claimed the sofa bed, while the twins picked one of the queen beds, leaving the other queen for their brothers.

"We get our own suite," Rivka nudged Anthony as their parents wheeled luggage into the adjoining room. "Ima and Abba only have a room."

Anthony grabbed the remote for one of the televisions in the suite, "That means we can watch what we want on TV too." He scrolled through the channel choices and found a cartoon channel. He settled back on the bed to watch.

Ziva chuckled at her brood's conversations. "They are funny sometimes," she noted to Tony. "They get that from you, my little hairy butt."

"Be careful, they get their stubbornness from both of us, and you know they will pick up on silly things like that old pet name," he glanced through the open doorway between the rooms. "Last thing I need is one of them…"

Ziva put a finger over his mouth, "Do not repeat if you do not want the children to hear." She glanced at her phone to check the time. "Perhaps we should have dinner at that national chain restaurant that is behind the other hotel? We could even walk there from here and not have to go out in that traffic."

"The guy at the check-in desk said it gets better after six or so, but I'm okay with country cooking style food. The kids like the menu choices there also, so I say, let's go for it."

~Florida~

Tony herded the kids towards the van, which they had fully packed again before chowing down on breakfast in the hotel. The morning traffic had eased up considerably and the family took their time since the Armament Museum opened at 0930. Ziva had downloaded information about both museums to each of the kids tablets before dinner the night before.

"If anyone is still hungry, it's your own fault," Anthony grinned. "That was a great breakfast. We even got to make our own waffles and pancakes!"

"Plus bacon, sausage, and biscuits!" LJ added, patting his belly. "Ima, you sure do know how to pick the hotels with the good food."

A short and easy twenty-minute drive later, the kids' were wide-eyed as Tony parked the van at the Armament Museum. There were many aircraft around the outside of the building, including an F-15, and F-16, an SR-71 Blackbird, a Blackhawk helicopter, and a B-52. As the family walked across the parking lot to the entrance, the roar of jet engines had them all looking skyward. Two F-35 aircraft sped overhead performing maneuvers for training.

"That's so cool," Rivka watched the jets disappear beyond the tree-line. "I wish we could watch them take off and land. That would be awesome."

One of the groundskeepers overheard her, "They practice touch-and-go exercises for about two hours this time of day. If you go back towards the 123 cutoff, if you time it right you can see them come in to land and then take off at the other end of the runway. Love watchin' them birds fly; the sound of freedom…"

"Thank you for the tip," Ziva nodded to the man. "Maybe we will be lucky when we leave."

Beth called the others over to where she was checking out the memorial to military working dogs. "Abba, please help me read the words. I can read some of them but not all. I think it's really neat how the dogs are military too."

"To honor and remember all handlers and their faithful K-9 partners for their service and sacrifice. Faithful Partners – Guardians of the Night. Dedicated 2008."

Anthony read aloud from the information brochure that he grabbed from a display at the entrance to the indoor part. "The Air Force Armament Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the collection, preservation and exhibition of artifacts and memorabilia associated with Air Force Armament and its platforms of delivery. There are over 29 different aircraft that have found a home at the Air Force Armament Museum including an AC-130, B-17, B-25, B-52, P-51, A-10, F-15, F-16, F-100, F-101, and many other aircraft from the WWII era to the present. There are also several hundred pieces of armament to include a gun collection, bombs, bomblets, and missiles to include the Sparrow, Sidewinder, cluster bombs, Bunker Buster, and the MOAB. A 32-minute film on the history of Eglin Air Force Base and its role in the development of armament is shown continuously throughout the day."

"The MOAB?" LJ looked at his Abba with a question all over his face.

Tony grinned, "The Mother Of All Bombs!"

"Ooh… is that like a really big bomb? the curious four-year-old was now very interested.

Ziva showed him a picture on her phone, "We will see it in the outside exhibits shortly. It does look quite large."

She had the family gather by the logo sign near the entry area to the display hall. She was about to snap a few images with her phone when an elderly man came over and explained that he was a museum volunteer and he would be glad to take the pictures so Ziva could also be in them.

As the family walked into the indoor exhibit area, LJ stopped in his tracks and pointed towards the far end of the hall.

"A. Giant. Flag!" his mouth hung open, "It's huge!"

Tali pointed to a railing along the middle of the flag, "It looks like we can walk right near it too. We have to get some pictures with the giant flag. I've never seen one so big."

All of the DiNozzo kids, including the big kid liked the two simulation cockpits from trainers, the various munitions, and of course, the different aircraft on display inside the large building. Ziva was very interested in the history of the uniforms worn by the pilots and US Air Force personnel that lined the perimeter of the mail hall. Upstairs, they viewed more armament, images of the history of Eglin Air Force Base, and the giant flag. Tony estimated that each stripe was about two-feet wide and that the overall dimensions of the flag were about forty by twenty-six feet.

Outside, the family viewed the historical aircraft from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and modern eras. There was even a Soviet MIG-21. Tony was a bit surprised that the infamous 'Huey,' the UH-1 from the jungles of Southeast Asia was not as large as he thought it would be.

He posed with the MOAB and had Tali take pictures with his phone so he could text them to Tim McGee. Tim sent back an upside-down smile emoji. Tony snapped a picture of the descriptive information for his brother. The GBU-43/B MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast) bomb, nicknamed "Mother Of All Bombs," is a large, powerful, and accurately delivered high explosive weapon. The MOAB is the largest-ever satellite-guided, air-delivered weapon in history. The 21,600 lb MOAB is an improved replacement for the unguided 15,000 lb BLU-82 Daisy Cutter used in Vietnam and Afghanistan. MOAB is a guided bomb which delivers 18,700 lb of H6 explosive using a BLU-120/B warhead. It uses the KMU-593/B GPS/INS guidance system and is stabilized by series of fixed wings and grid (lattice) fins. The unique lattice fins offer excellent aerodynamic properties. It is designed to be launched from a C-130 aircraft, the MOAB is strapped to a specially designed cradle. Upon extraction from the aircraft the cradle is separated from the MOAB. The MOAB then proceeds to the target. The MOAB was developed, tested, and fielded by the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate, Air Armament Center, the 46th Operations Group, Detachment 1 at Eglin AFB, FL in concert with other agencies and contractors. Specs: length 30 ft; width with fins extended 10 ft; diameter 40.5 inches.

Around the back of the museum, a man, his son, and the man's grandfather were talking about the T-33 trainer jet from post-World War II. Anthony, LJ, Tali, and Ziva listened to the old man, who had flown one of them during his training for missions during the Korean War.

After a quick stop in the Gift Shop, with each of them finding a souvenir or two, including Thunderbird patches and caps, the DiNozzos headed back towards Crestview to get on I-10 west towards Pensacola. As Ziva drove past the northern end of the runway, she slowed so the kids could see the flight line and the aircraft in their protective sheds. Two F-35s approached from the north and landed as the seven watched from the shoulder of the road. Ziva tried not to linger too long as she didn't want to break any laws about parking on the shoulder to watch aircraft.

The family stopped for fast food in Pensacola before heading to the Naval Air Station gate. The kids used the Wi-Fi at the restaurant to read about the National Naval Aviation Museum while they munched on tacos, burritos, and nachos.

At NAS Pensacola, they learned that Naval Aviation Museum had just recently reopened for public viewing. It had been closed to all but DoD identification cardholders since a terrorist attack at NAS Pensacola in December 2019. Tony and Ziva showed both their driver's licenses and their DoD ids at the main gate.

The young seaman at the guard station noticed Ziva's NCIS id, "Are you here on Navy business, ma'am?"

"Not today; we are on a family vacation and hope to see the Naval Aviation Museum," she replied.

"Follow the signs, and stay on the public access roadways, please," he responded. "Enjoy your visit."

First up was an IMAX film The Magic of Flight showing perspectives from the cockpit of various Navy aircraft including the Blue Angels jets. The family then toured the exhibits of aircraft used by the US Navy, including a Grumman F-14, a flight simulator, and a VR Apollo 11 experience. Many of the exhibits reminded the DiNozzo parents of their days as field agents with NCIS. Ziva liked the flight deck simulator, but for Tony it wasn't as pleasant having memories of his time as Agent Afloat surface. The history of Naval Aviation was similar to what they had already seen at the Air Force museum earlier.

At the gift shop, Tony noticed the Challenge Coins for the many branches and levels of the US military. He grinned at his wife, "I bet they don't have SecNav's coin, like I do!" That was one memory from his Agent Afloat days that he didn't mind remembering. That coin had gotten him free drinks, food, and entertainment.

"You have a SecNav coin?" a young Navy officer and her parents overheard Tony's comment.

"Yeah, we," he pointed to himself and Ziva, "used to work as field agents on the MCRT for NCIS in DC. Got to work directly with SecNav, well, a former SecNav, many times. I did him a huge favor and got one of the coins directly from him."

As they exited the museum two hours later, the Blue Angels flew overhead on a practice run for the upcoming 4th of July air show.

"I wish we could see the Thunderbirds also!" Riv lamented. "Abba, does the Army or the Marines have any special presentation groups like the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds?"

Ziva checked that her picture on her phone of the Blue Angel flyover had come out okay as she replied to her middle child, "The US Army has the Golden Knights, a parachute team. I do not think that the Marines have an active team any longer. You can ask Grandpa Gibbs when we get home."

"But right now, we need to get in the van to head to our next state; NOLA, here we come!" Tony announced to all.


A/N I will unashamedly admit to being USAF all the way... Aim high... fly-fight-win!