'You never never leave your Wingman'

In the opening practice duel of the 1986 thriller, Top Gun, Maverick aborts a landing and re-engages to bring a jolted Cougar to a safe landing. Maverick’s tireless persists with ‘Pull up, just a walk in the park.. You’re okay Cougar, just stay on my wing and I will take you all the way in - just stay with me’ eventually works as a practically wrecked and seemingly irreversibly lost Cougar manages to eventually land safely. Thanks to the Wingman, the day is saved.

A small digression to familiarize the role of a Wingman. In air-combat, a Wingman is a pilot who flies beside and a little behind another pilot as they enter dangerous war-game situations. A Wingman essentially has the back of his ‘other’ Wingman and watches out for any threats in their blindside and helps them carry out the mission safely.

Today, as we witness many of our neighbors, family, colleagues and friends fighting a pandemic that has essentially assumed catastrophic proportions and raging velocity, the need to (virtually) put your arms around someone’s shoulder is possibly the easiest and the best we can offer. As many of us suffer themselves or are in fear of losing a loved one, the kind act of picking the phone to check in and calling or dropping a note of genuine word of solidarity is the small token with a huge impact. This will earn us the badge of a Wingwoman / Wingman.

Then there are some blessed souls who have gone a step further and compiled copious links, inventories, medical help and helplines neatly classed by geography to help those in need. And then the absolute league of legends who have arranged for an oxygen delivery, a plasma donor, an ambulance, orchestrated a make shift hospital in a vacant school or vacated a place of worship to do the same. They are the Wingwomen / Wingmen extraordinaire we need at this hour.

Quarantine is a very lonely - and frustrating experience - to be at home yet locked up without your kids / family, and let alone the prospect of being wagoned off to the hospital - or worse seeing a family member get infected and being wagoned off. The toll on mental health is of epic proportions. The impacted person can be very irritable and rebellious when spoken to - but extremely sad (and I dare say may feel macabre) if not checked in with.

If you know of someone who has tested positive and is in quarantine, or you know of someone who risks losing someone dear - I urge you to don the cape-less suit of a Wingwoman / Wingman and make it a point to check in with them regularly. Prioritize it as you would your prayers, your work and your sleep.

As Jester chides Maverick at the hour mark, ‘..You never never leave your wingman..’, it’s a great analogy that you may just do the finest act of humanity by being the reason someone decided to give life another chance - or at least helped someone weather the storm with an arm around their shoulder.

Peace - stay safe !