FightsOn is a grassroots movement, engaging a community to support and build a generation that rises up to identify and eliminate the enemy: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and addiction. As a fighter pilot’s wife, I have been privy to amazing tales told by some of the most dynamic people in the world. The stories are intense and thought provoking (and typically told at the expense of a fellow pilot wi
th a modicum of truth). While the stories usually involved flying, they also tugged and addressed the raw human emotion and behavior persistent during aerial combat – a fight for life and death. A pilot can weave a tale rife with danger and risk, but also triumph and success. During training and live combat, the goal is to eliminate the enemy while trying to ensure the safety of a fellow pilot at all costs. FightsOn is a term used when a pilot is ready for battle. I chose this as the organization’s name because I believe we are in a generational dogfight with teenagers and substance abuse. We all know the pain these enemies can cause and the lives that have been altered because of them. If we do not have a personal story of addiction, we know someone who does. I am looking for fellow ‘wingmen’ who want to join forces to educate and involve our kids, parents, and community in learning what it means to be in a dogfight and to have the awareness and willingness to call ‘Knock-it-off’ before it’s too late. We should not sit idly back and chalk this behavior to normal experimenting, rites of passage, or just a phase. The status quo does not have to be what it has become. Let us be known as the generation of parents who did not turn our heads to these issues because it is hard, excuses like kids-will-be-kids, or we did not want to acknowledge or see what was happening. The enemy is strong, but so are we, and our kids need to hear it. We do not have to strive for perfection, but we can strive for awareness, communication, and communities that face the truth and show up for our kids. Let us work together to eliminate the enemy while trying to ensure the safety of each other at all costs!
