Fly with the Navy's Blue Angels!

Our friend George Drago sent this to me.  Enjoy the ride!  And keep an eye on the guy on the right of the frame.

Click here! (opens in new window)

Old Soldiers Can Still Run!

Yes, old soldiers can still run (sort of)!  My eldest son Pete (right above) and I ran the Race for a Soldier 5k on September 27^th in Gig Harbor, Washington.  Race for a Soldier raises awareness and money about and for our troops who are returning home suffering from PTSD and TBI after tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I have done nine 5ks since March 2008 and my times have been up and down between 39:09 and 53:16.   Today I just completed my tenth (this time in Seattle) with a time of about 41:00.  This one benefitted Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission.  I’m planning on doing one in December here in Kirkland.

Try one...you might like it!

Here is the mission and vision statements of the Race for a Soldier organization:

Our Mission is to inspire hope and action in the Community and provide access to solutions for Soldiers, affected by Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury, and their Families via professional services, challenging peer adventures, education and spiritual devotion.  And Our Vision is for every Soldier and their Families, a fulfilled life within reach of their dreams: our hope is for every American Citizen’s heart, the will to make it a reality.

San Diego, October 2015

It’s been a few weeks since I got back home from our 26^th annual OV-1 Mohawk Association reunion, this time in San Diego.  I look forward each year to renewing decades-old friendships face to face, and making new ones of guys I did not know while I was at the 225^th.  There were over two hundred men and wives at this year’s reunion.  It’s just fun to get together!  Here’s a list of the (by my count) twenty-two Blackhawks/Phantomhawks that attended:  Joe Beckham, Alex Berkeley, Don Bernstein, John Britten, Tom Cote, Joe Floyd, Larry Haglund, Steve Hammons, Felipe Hilburn, Arlan Lando, Bobbie Luthi, Gilberto Mendoza, Dave Nelson, Bill Page, Ben Perez, Ron Pitcock, Bob Riha, Steve Sachs, Ernie Serna, Rich Steinbock, Alan Summers and Gary Todd.  Helmut Haberl was on the reunion attendance roster, but I don’t recall seeing him.

This year John Bosch, the Association Reunion Director, put together some great events to give us a sample of what San Diego has to offer.  I took the tour to the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum and was amazed as I wandered with John Horvath and Sandy Wolfe on the flight deck, hanger deck and down into the bowels of this floating airport.  We met a former Marine from Tennessee in the gift shop who told us that he also had actually flown a Mohawk while he was in the Marines.  I forget the details, but it’s such a small world.  Maybe Sandy Wolfe or John Horvath remember because we were all together in the gift shop when we met him.  Oh, I almost forgot, I also got my annual airplane fix (even though it was a Navy airplane fix) this year!

An experience like touring the Midway and attending our reunion always causes me to pause and reflect on the achievements and sacrifices of those who have gone before me in other wars.  It also reinforces how important my relationships are with you I served with in Vietnam!

I hope you plan on being in Washington, DC September 22-25, 2016 for our 27^th reunion.  I plan on being there and would sure like to see you too!

Click here to see an album of photos...(opens in a new window)