ClassicCar

Thanks, Jeff. I wish there were another, more appropriate word than "happy," since most of us tend to recall with regret the friends and associates who we lost. And I have to add that we "flyboys" recognize that it's the guys on the ground ... in the jungle, on the desert, who deserve the greatest respect. Comparatively speaking, we had it pretty easy, excepting those unfortunate enough to end up as POWs (two of my squadron mates spent over 7 years in captivity).

I am with you on that one Park. However, easy is not the term that would fit most of the Jet Jock's I Knew. In my younger years I was an Air Trafic Controler. I spent a lot of time with the pilots and sent off a lot of formations of four only to have many not return. I sat in on a lot of flight debriefings with commanders who ended up writing letters to families and loved ones. It was always exciting when one of the lost flyboys would make it back to the unit but not often enough. There were some jobs that seemed easy; but my respect, like yours, goes to the troups on the ground. We would go over to the hospital and visit and help where we could. They were all heros and most paid a price that made me very thankful that I had a warm bed to sleep in and often a hot meal to eat.. Even if it was a MRE.