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Michael McLeod

Donna: I keep coming back to see that gorgeous photo you posted.

Michael McLeod

Dave: I've read your piece about getting fired on more than once now and every time I wince. I mean I just can't imagine seeing somebody shooting at me without wetting myself. frankly it's an effort to keep myself from tinkling a little just reading about it. Hell, I was freaked out when I had to be shooting an m16 myself on the firing range in basic training! No the targets didn't ever shoot back but still.

David Mitchell

Lesson Learned (and how!)

I frequent fast food places - about once or twice a week. I'm a fan of Chick Filet, Taco Bell, and sometimes Wemdy's.

But there is one I had never tried until the other night. 

Save youself a smal fortune. Do NOT go to Five Guys!

My small burger, small fries, and small coke was almost $21.00 !

Yikes!

James Hamilton, M. D.

Better Late Than Never 

Snow the day after Cinco de Mayo? Really, that is not unusual in Colorado Springs but, considering this year's paucity of precipitory snowfall, it was unexpected. And it is still coming down. Some schools have closed and traffic warnings have been posted. ☃️ 

Jim

Joseph D. McCarthy

Wonderful picture Jim.  I wonder if the Lord is telling you what to anticipate if you move back to the midwest (Columbus area).

I may have posted this before, but I remember a trip in the 1970's (July ) when we stopped in Colorado Springs area and traveled up the winding race track road to the top.  Shortly agter reach the top everone was notified to return to their cars, or the train/tram. to be escorted down the mountain because of a snow storm.

Michael McLeod

I've been blabbing a lot lately so maybe I'll slow down a bit but first I am so fired up about this horrific sloth story that broke here in orlando and made national news. At least a dozen of the animals died becuase of poor conditions at the cheap ass touristy destination in large part because they were being kept in a freezing warehouse. they are frigging tropical animals so that's equivalent to,say, locking a bunch of kids up in a house with no wintertime heating in sub zero temps..

Yes yes punish the shxxxheads that perpetrated this sleazy heartless tourist trap but sure hope folks at large take it as a moment to be compassionate about God's creatures. All of them. 

David Mitchell

​THE ARRIVAL OF MAJOR SMITH - A Breath of Fresh Air      

The departure of Major Johnston necessitated a replacement. Within a few days his replacement arrived. Our new CO was a Major Allan Smith, who turned out to be an old buddy of one of our previous COs, Major Bill Rittenhouse. (Army Aviation is a small club). Major Smith began to take charge in a quiet, but firm way. He didn’t seem to have any sense of humor, in fact he showed no sign of a smile, or even offered so much as a friendly greeting. This guy was all business. We figured they had sent to us this no-nonsense guy to lead us back to normalcy after the disruptive behavior of Major Johnston. Word got around that this guy was to be a strong “den-mother”- kind of necessary in an aviation unit with 35 young officers - mostly in their early twenties - and flying million-dollar machines in a mission that might be called combat clown cars.

(sorry about the font spacing ???)

            He was there about a week or ten days when we were scheduled to have our monthly  “safety meeting” - a casual meeting of all the pilots to discuss some various aspects of flight safety. We would meet in a relaxed atmosphere, partially dressed, spread out on the picnic tables out on our fenced picnic patio - a multi-use place where monthly group birthday dinners were held with steaks and beer for all that month’s birthdays - officers and enlisted men together.  

                 The enclosed patio, fenced between two hooches. Brick barbecue and 8 picnick tables inside.

            These meetings would last about an hour and were usually given by the “Operations Officer” - an experienced Captain in his late twenties. They bordered on interesting but were often closer to downright boring. And of course, they were mandatory.

 TBC

David Mitchell

​THE ARRIVAL OF MAJOR SMITH - A Breath of Fresh Air  ... conclusion

We were all gathered out on the patio and waiting for Major Smith. We thought it odd for this “by-the-book” guy to be late for such a meeting - especially his first one. He had said he would be giving the meeting instead of the “Operations Officer”. 

            Suddenly Major Smith walks through the gates of the patio fence wearing his broad brimmed cavalry hat, his jungle fatigue “blouse” (shirt), his boots and socks held up by his sock garters, and his white underwear shorts - no pants. There was a half second pause, some momentary hushed sighs, and then we all burst out laughing. I laughed as hard as I have ever laughed in my entire life. Guys were slapping one another, rolling on the concrete patio deck, and pounding the picnic tabletops. It must have lasted a good thirty seconds or more.

            He then launched into his safety lecture, mimicking the voice of a Southern revivalist tent show preacher and a trucker talking on his CB radio. Phrases like “C’mon back, Ya’ll?” And “Can I hear an Amen” - all with a strong hillbilly accent. He kept us chuckling for quite a while as he continued his lecture in those voices.  

            This quiet, strait-laced new Major had just played us!  And we knew it!

            But here is the interesting part. His lecture turned out to be one of the most interesting and useful emergency procedures that I had ever heard or even imagined - a downwind autorotation to a confined area - very complicated. And he made it incredibly simple. 

            In that one short evening, Major Al Smith had won our confidence and our loyalty. We started calling him “Preach Smith” after that night, and were all ready to go fly with this guy!

David Mitchell

Seems we've gone quiet.

Maybe they finnaly got bored of you and I writing about nothing at all ? 

Michael McLeod

whoa! Ben and Jerry''s Cherry Garcia ice cream!

I'm sure I'll do time in purgatory for gluttony at the rate I'm puttin this stuff away but it's worth it.

And yes it will be sad if this forum dwindles down to a coupla two three half-dozen blabbermouths like you and me. Oops you and I. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

As I have mentioned, we have been downsizing. That can be both not only a painful experience, but also a trip down memory lane. And that slows down the process because it makes it interesting.

Janet's secretarial side found some "stuff" as she was going through some old papers and documents that included a real "blast from the past": packs ofcarbon paper" . Now that was something we all had probably abandened when Xerox machines (think Columbus' Battelle Memorial Institute) came into existence. Remember all that black residue on your fingers after using that kind of copying?

Why did we keep such things!!! 😮

Jim

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mortal Enemies 

Dogs and deer do not get along well. To a deer a dog is like a wolf or coyote - a predator looking for a meal. 

While reading this morning's paper I heard a lot of barking from a neighbor's yard which is a good sign that deer were around. I grabbed my cell phone and was able to capture the action from a second floor window. One deer continued grazing on some grass while the other three watched the canine, obviously knowing that the fence provided safety. 

Jim

David Mitchell

 Jim,

I still have my old phone / fax / land line and answering machine.

David Mitchell

To all the Mom's on the Forum - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !

It has occured to me over the years what a heroic mother I had.

After a childhood full of relocations (Columbus 3 times - Minot North Dakota 2 times - Chicago once - and Augusta Maine once), she married and had two baby girls (I came later) when her 32 year old husband was drafted into the old Army Air Corps. They moved to Salina Kansas and lived in a one-room basement apartment while Dad trained with the B-29 crews.

                           Dad and Mom and my 2 older sisters (about 1943 or 44)

Then she said goodbye for several years as he departed with his unit to their first base in Kharagpur, India (near Calcutta). Aftet that they relocated to southwest China (near Chengtu), and finally to the island of Tiinian in the Marianas. 

I imagine that was really tough on my mother, but she was a strong woman.

Then, thirty odd years later, she said goodbye to me for several years when I entred the Army and went of to Vietnam.

                              Graduation from Flight School - Savannah GA - Dec 1968 

Then Dad left Mom (again, at age 59) to do his first tour on that AMA Volunteer Medical Tour and paid me that surprise visit in Vinh Long. **(still kicking myself for not getting a picture of Dad and I with some of my platoon buddies)

Then I went home for 30 days leave between tours and they said goodbye again. 

Then Dad went back for a second tour (6 or 8 week tours - not those  full military years)

When Dad and I were both finished and back home, Dad was considering another medical trip. It hit me how hard this was on my mom and I talked Dad out of it.

So this is my salute to a kind and strong mother. She is a hero in my book.

Joseph D. McCarthy

Jim and Dave these articles are for you.

The First EMTs were in Pittsburgh, PA .

You can tell from the second article that the Marines have a much bettor P.R. (read lobbyists) then the Army does.

David Mitchell

Thanks Joe.

The Army and Marine "Medevac" pilots (also known as Dustoff)  in Viet Nam were conisidered as crazy as we who flew those low level "Hunter-Killer" teams were. Althought we performed most of our own Medivac pickups, I had two encounters with Dustoff pilots tha were memorable. One ended well (including a bit of humor) and the other one end in a disaster.

The first one was a request from another unit to come help another Dustoff who was atempting to make a pickup under fire. We swwitched to their radio frequency so we could hear the conversation and figure out how we could help. 

The Dustoff was talking to the guys on the ground, in a wide open rice paddy area, and a couple of wounded guys that needed rescue. The approacing Dustoff was talking to the guys on the ground and the conversation went like this:

   (abbreviated and making up names that I don't recall exactly)

"Red dog one four this is Dustoff one eight approaching from your south. Request you pop smoke (clored marker smoke)".

"Dustoff, this is Red dog we are under too much fire for us to pop smoke"

"Red dog, this is Dustoff. If you're worried about too much fire when you pop smoke, you wait till we set this Huey down right in front of you, and watch how much fire that brings on you. I need that smoke to mark exactly where you guys are. Lets be quick."

a slight pause on the radio - - -

then Red dog comes back - " Roger Dustoff. Popping smoke at this time. Popping smoke at this time."

We aligned our Cobra gunships along the access between the source of fire and the path of the Dustoff. They were in and out very quckly.

 -------------

My only other direct involvement with a Dustoff pickup went horribly wrong - one Dustoff shot down - several dead - and finished with a fight between me and my arrogant "Backseat" (a jerk of a Captain who I had already disliked from before).  

--------------

Anyone who ever saw a "Dustoff" pickup under fire would understand their crazy reputation.

David Mitchell

One of my all-time favorites!

Michael McLeod

I'm trying to wrap my mind around the fact that we supposedly need $1.5 trillion dollars to stay safe from each other.

some frigging species we must be, to be so dangerous to each other.

Peace out. I love you all.

Michael McLeod

Of all the stories I ever wrote, this was the most important, because I hope it helped, if only in a small way,  with the healing and understanding that was so needed after such a terrible event.

https://www.orlandomagazine.com/the-healing-a-year-after-pulse/

Michael McLeod

Not sure what you mean by "downsizing," Jim.

Do you mean letting go of possessions, getting more lean and contemplative?

Michael McLeod

just checking testing testes,

David Mitchell

M/M,

 Intersting reference to "the boat".

I have made reference before to a group I joined about 12 years ago that gives Christian men's retreats - now all over the world. The most powerful and exciting spiritual experience I have ever encountered.

* (Not a Christian Nationalist movment)

It is caled "MARKED MEN FOR CHRIST" and we use a promo card tha asks if you are ready ro "Step out of the Boat?" (started by 2 Catholic men, but now multi-denominational)

this is the card

The card is outdated now. We are past 25,000 members including about 20 states and a large group on Slazburg Austria + Poland, Ukraine, Africa, Korea and the Phillipines. I've done most of them - including Cursillo - wondefrul) - but this tops them all by a mile..

** There is a womans group called "Womens Walk with Christ". It is much newer and smaller, only reaching about 3 states and Salzburg. Its an offshoot from wives of MMFC coming back so changed they wanted "in on this".

David Mitchell

Some of you may recall a shocking murder trial here in my neck of the woods about a Lawyer who murdered his wife and one of his sons. it was about two years ago. He was found guilty. And he also tried to have himself killed - it failed - and also probably covered up the death of a house maid.

Today this whole area is shocked to hear the news that his sentence has been overturned because od a mistrial.

The story is so crazy it's hard to grasp all the parts of it.

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Michael McLeod

thanks for that,mm