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A Weblog by
David Scully


I Salute
      
My Hero
Colonel Lane
United States Air Force
Pilot
May 17, 2004 (Monday)
Colonel Lane may be a General now,
or retired, or deceased.
I don't know.

But I do know
that in the year or so
that I knew him,
he impressed me as one of
America's Finest.

He was stationed at Elmendorf AFB
in Anchorage, Alaska, in the early 1990's
and, in addition to his military duties,
he ran the Civil Air Patrol there.

He was especially active with
the youth in the Civil Air Patrol,
training them to fly gliders.
I remember speaking to him
in the BX there and he explained
that it was all about helping the kids
realize that they could do anything.

My daughter was about 12,
spending the summer there on base,
living with me out of the back
of my pickup truck.  She was
an "Air Force Brat" that summer,
and I was doing what I could
to sell her on the Air Force.

I was working most of the time,
driving a city bus, and I had her
set up in as many structured activities
as possible, including
the Youth Civil Air Patrol.

The summer sped by before she could
fly a glider, so I asked Colonel Lane
if he'd take her up in a Cessna and
let her fly it a bit.

"Of course, sure," was his warm
and instant reply. She got to fly
and I cherish the photo of them,
which I will post soon.  
(Being organized is something
I'm always working on).

But Colonel Lane was not in the least
organized-challenged.
I joined the Civil Air Patrol, too,
and attended a meeting over which
he presided, and the efficient,
decisive, organized manner
with which he dispatched business,
left me with my jaw somewhat dropping,
as if I had just witnessed
a 10th degree black belt
dispatch a dozen foes
rather matter-of-factly.

Colonel Lane, may it please you to know,
Daun is in her fifth year in the Air Force,
currently attending Airman Leadership School
at Travis.  She was, I believe,
2nd in her class at Shepard,
and was Airman-of-the-Year
in her job for her Region,
her first year at Travis.

It seems the question now
is not whether she'll make it a career,
but which path to pursue.
Yes, she could become a medical doctor.
After all, you showed them
they can do anything.

September 26, 2004
Daun made her first tandem jump.

Thanks.

Sincerely,
Dave Scully
                      


Posted by dscully at 07:77 PM     Top of Page
  

David Scully




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