Old Glory on the stern of the USS Mason (DDG 87), Port Canaveral,
April, 2003.
I don’t have a “flyable” flag any longer… and no place to really fly one, even if I did… which is a break from long-standing tradition. I still have two flags in my possession, but neither is suitable for display. Or rather, I choose NOT to display them. The first is the flag that draped my father’s casket; the second is a small flag in a shadow box with mementoes from my USAF career. My father’s flag is folded and put away for safe-keeping, the shadow box flag is…well, in the shadow box.
But I AM celebrating Flag Day. I hope you are, too.
I received an e-mail from the Air Force Association this morning announcing the selection of USAF’s Twelve Outstanding Airmen for 2007. Congratulations to:
- SrA Linn Aubrey, Medical Laboratory Journeyman, Lackland AFB, TX, AETC
- SMSgt Tammy L. Brangard-Hern, Personnel Superintendent, Randolph AFB, TX, AFDW
- SMSgt Ronald A. Colaninno, Security Forces Craftsman, McGuire AFB,
- TSgt Jeremy L. Griffin, Fire Protection Station Chief, Patrick AFB,
- SSgt Matthew J. Hefti, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Craftsman,
- SrA Matthew C. Hulsman, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Apprentice, Elmendorf AFB,
- TSgt Sachiko D. Jones, Lodging Manager, Royal Air Force
- SSgt Jonathan C. McCoy, Pararescueman, Pope AFB,
- SSgt David Orvosh,, Combat Control Journeyman, Pope AFB,
- SSgt Richard W. Rose, Jr., Aerial Combat Photographer, Charleston AFB,
- MSgt
- SSgt Geoffrey M. Welsh, Military Working Dog Handler,
Each and every year since 1956 AFA selects 12 outstanding enlisted members to represent the “best of the best.” I quote:
“AFA initiated the Outstanding Airman award in 1956 to recognize outstanding enlisted personnel for superior leadership, job performance, community involvement, and personal achievements. AFA honors the Twelve Outstanding Airmen at a special banquet held during our Air & Space Conference in
You can read a short history of the program here. Biographies of this year’s honorees haven’t been released as of yet…I’ll follow up when they are.
Speaking of awards… Don’t miss the 2007 NHL Awards show tonight at 1930 hrs (Eastern) on Versus. It should be a great show, and if there’s ANY justice at all in this world, Nick Lidstrom will win his fifth Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman.
Short post today. The weather looks like it’s gonna be cooperative, so it’s off to wash, polish, and wax the Green Hornet. I may be back later.
I NEED to fix my flagpole. I have a tall one in the frontyard (my childhood dream was a house with a flagpole in the front yard. This one used to be a base for a large satellite dish back 20 years ago. I stuck a long pipe into the larger pipe and cemented it in and voila, flagpole), but the rope broke and came unthreaded. We don't have a tractor or anything tall enough for someone to climb up on it and rethread, so gotta wait til hubby has time to rebuild the whole darn thing.
ReplyDeleteI gotta say that was pretty inventive of you to make a flag pole out of the old satellite dish pad, Jenny.
ReplyDeleteI never had a "real" flag pole at any of my houses, just those little mount-thingies (brackets? not fully caffeinated, yet) by the front door that held a small flag. But now I don't even have that any longer. {sigh}