New "Flight Leader"

Today, I watched the inauguration of President Obama. He has, of course, been the topic of many discussions, conversations, and debates as of late. I know that my father, while he was alive, had high hopes and support for Senator McCain. A lot of things have changed in the years since he passed away. But one thing would not have changed. Dad would support the President, no matter who he/she was, with all his might, mind, and spirit. The fact that Obama is an "African-American" would never enter the equation. I was talking to my wife, and related (again) the story about Mom and Dad looking for base housing at Davis-Monthann AFB: While looking at the housing map, a woman pointed to one address and said that they would not "want that house", because the neighbors were Negroes. Dad immediately said, "We'll take it".

This country has undergone a lot of change in the last 40 or so years. I remember, even as late as the 70's, seeing signs in the rural South that said "colored entrance", and "whites only". I hope that they were just "left overs" from an earlier era, and had no real significance. But I also remember, while growing up (and not only in the South), hearing racial slurs and epithets. I was lucky. I was never taught bigotry or prejudice. Through the years, some of my best friends and co-workers have been something other than "white". Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, African-American, Japanese, you name it. Every "color of the rainbow". I am grateful to my parents for raising me to look at the person, not the "box they are wrapped in".

I didn't vote for Obama, but I support and respect him and the Office that he holds, and he will be in my prayers. I believe that he is a man of integrity, a gentleman, a Fighter Pilot.

Sure could use those air miles

My sincere thanks and appreciation to Guenter Grondstein for allowing me to use his beautiful photographs.

As anyone in my family will tell you, I have become "obsessed" with finding out about the planes that Dad flew. The one that I have been able to find out about continues to thrill me. I discovered recently that one of the model kit manufacturers made a model of the F4 that has the tail number that Dad flew in Viet Nam. Now I need to find one or more of the kits. Evidently, judging from the stars on the left intake, this plane has had some interesting encounters besides the one where Dad and the newby picked up a round from ground fire. I couldn't even hazard a guess as to how many miles this plane logged before finally coming to rest, her last assignment: that of guarding the gate at Nellis AFB in Nevada. Before that, she served in the Hawaii Air National Guard. If I could have the "sky miles" she has earned, I could probably fly to the moon. And Dad logged a good portion of those miles. Cool.