Richard
Final Approach
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2005
- Messages
- 9,076
- Location
- West Coast Resistance
- Display Name
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Ack...city life
I took my wife out for breakfast over the wknd. An oldtimer walks in with his wife to do the same. On his jacket, on his cowboy hat, on his vest, and on his shirt visible after removing his jacket and vest he had the Army Air Cav emblem. His shirt was festooned with no less than 5 Cav emblems. That ol buzzard was all about Air Cav.
Why did that bother me? Like the man who openly wears his PH in public. Like the Pearl Harbor survivor with a PH vanity license plate. Like the man who never misses a chance in conversation to again inform you that he saw combat. Never mind it was only 2 maybe 4 years in a man's life who is now well into his 7th or eighth decade. Sure, it was a defining moment in that man's life...a turning point...a milestone....but surely there must have been something else since then.
But that isn't why it bothered me. I'm damn glad he did what did. And I'm proud of him for the doing. He was tested and he survived. He should be proud of that moment. So what's my problem?
Today it ocurred to me. I purposely passed on the opportunity to do some formation flying today because the lead pilot was going to be one of those men.
Yes, he fought bravely and was highly decorated. Yes, he was on top of his game and, yes, he did lead his squadron on bombing runs. And yes, he probably lived more in those few short years than most will in a lifetime. But that was a long time ago and I cannot again trust such a man to do what is necessary or at the right time. I no longer will give him the chance to prove to me that he doesn't have it anymore.
That man in the coffee shop reminded me of all the others. He was stuck in the past--glorious remembrances to him, deadly to the rest of us.
I could not think of an appropriate title for this. What I put pretty much sums it up for me. God bless these men and women but I cannot afford to be anything less than wary around them.
Why did that bother me? Like the man who openly wears his PH in public. Like the Pearl Harbor survivor with a PH vanity license plate. Like the man who never misses a chance in conversation to again inform you that he saw combat. Never mind it was only 2 maybe 4 years in a man's life who is now well into his 7th or eighth decade. Sure, it was a defining moment in that man's life...a turning point...a milestone....but surely there must have been something else since then.
But that isn't why it bothered me. I'm damn glad he did what did. And I'm proud of him for the doing. He was tested and he survived. He should be proud of that moment. So what's my problem?
Today it ocurred to me. I purposely passed on the opportunity to do some formation flying today because the lead pilot was going to be one of those men.
Yes, he fought bravely and was highly decorated. Yes, he was on top of his game and, yes, he did lead his squadron on bombing runs. And yes, he probably lived more in those few short years than most will in a lifetime. But that was a long time ago and I cannot again trust such a man to do what is necessary or at the right time. I no longer will give him the chance to prove to me that he doesn't have it anymore.
That man in the coffee shop reminded me of all the others. He was stuck in the past--glorious remembrances to him, deadly to the rest of us.
I could not think of an appropriate title for this. What I put pretty much sums it up for me. God bless these men and women but I cannot afford to be anything less than wary around them.
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