My Dad Is Cool

For most of my life, my dad has been an FBI agent. Whenever people we met or knew heard this, they would often say to me, "Wow, that's cool." I acted casual, probably even rolled my eyes a few times, but secretly inside I was proud of my dad. His job was pretty cool. Mainly he flew small surveillance planes out of Point Mugu, but occasionally he went around the country doing different training that included aerobatics or gliders. I remember one time he flew in a SWAT team on a helicopter. He rarely told us stories about what happened at work (probably thought we weren't interested), but sometimes when we were with other people he would begin to share some of his adventures. It wasn't until I was in college that I discovered the origins of a duffle bag I had used regularly for my sleepover things as a child. It was a money bag belonging to bank robbers that my dad helped apprehend.

A few years ago, my dad retired from being a special agent. He began a job as a helicopter pilot for Life Flight. They would help rescue people lost in the canyons, or transport the injured to the hospitals when the land vehicles simply weren't fast enough. Now he works for the Sheriff's Department. He still flies helicopters, but aside from finding lost hikers, and transporting the injured, he also helps put out fires, and get rid of illegal marijuana fields. He sends us pictures regularly of his adventures now, and I'm old enough to know it's not just his job that's cool, it's my dad.

A recent picture of my dad in his helicopter

My cool dad and his bounty of confiscated weed

P.S. One of the best perks of a cool dad with a cool job?
He lets you visit him at work and take awesome pictures.