Sgt. Gee and Patriot One

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Pat and I heard a very interesting and compelling story from our daughter-in-law, Cindy, regarding members of her side of the family. The story is of her cousin, Ed Langerveld and her brother, Bob Langerveld  and a good deed they both had a part in. Ed Langerveld is the owner, President, and CEO of Century Aviation, of Klamath Falls, Oregon. A pilot, Ed is qualified to fly many types of aircraft and has logged over 18,000 flight hours. Bob is a retired Air Traffic Flight Controller who worked O’Hare Airport in Chicago, one of the  country’s busiest sites.  

This past August 29th, a suicide bomber set off a blast at the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan killing 13 Americans and 170 Afghanistan citizens. One of the victims was Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee. Gee’s home town was Roseville, California where she graduated from Oakmont High School in 2016 and then enlisted in the Marine Corps. She worked hard, advanced quickly, and loved her job in the Corps. Her casket and remains were flown to Sacramento where she was honored with a procession from the airport and into the city. She was further honored and her life celebrated by a memorial service in Roseville.

Sgt. Gee’s remains were to be returned to Washington, D.C. for her scheduled burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Unfortunately, her family couldn’t afford the cost of a flight to the East Coast which would be tens of thousands of dollars. When Cindy’s cousin, Ed Langerveld, heard of the family’s plight, he volunteered to fly the casket back to D.C. on his jet at no cost to the family. To Ed, a former marine, it was a matter of Marine Corps tradition to take care of fallen comrades and their families.

Captain Ed’s mission on this flight was to pay homage to Sgt. Gee, and he wanted his plane to be referred to as something more special than just it’s call numbers. He proposed to call the flight “Patriot One.” There was only a week to get everything approved, and Ed wasn’t sure how to go about it. He called his cousin, Cindy’s brother, Bob Langerveld, and asked him what to do. Bob said he would make some calls and get back to him. One of the men Bob talked to said the change in call name would be acceptable if it were spelled out in the “notes” section of the aircraft’s flight plan. Easy enough.

The jet itself was dressed up for the occasion. A local Klamath Falls company designed a label with a Marine Corps motif. The decals were placed on either side of the fuselage, beneath the cockpit windows. The plane was also named for Sgt. Gee and her name was added just below the decals.

The flight made its way across the country. All radio calls were made to and from “Patriot One.” As each Air Traffic Controller dealt with the plane and handed it off to the next sector, it was “Patriot One” all the way.

As Americans, we can all be proud of the job that was done. And, thank you for your service, Sgt. Gee, and Ed, and Bob. Rest in peace, Nicole.

Dave Thomas

11/4/2021

Bond Meets Bond

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The latest James Bond movie is in theaters now and apparently is doing well. That reminds me that I have a short James Bond story.

This was probably about 2005, give or take a couple of years. Pat and I were living in Keller, Texas. I had a mole behind my right ear that was becoming a problem. Quite often when getting a haircut, the barber would nick the ear, causing it to bleed. Wanting to get it removed, I mentioned it to my primary physician, Dr. Phillips, and he referred me to Dr. James Bond  who had an office on the Baylor Hospital campus in Grapevine, Texas.                                                                                                                                              I made an appointment and went to Grapevine. While being examined, I asked the doctor if he got a lot of kidding about his name. All the time,” he replied, “and I’ve got a little story for you.”   He went on to tell me that while in medical school, one of his best friends was a girl from California. After graduation, the girl doctor returned to California, to the Santa Barbara area, I think he said, but they kept in touch. After some period of time, Dr. Bond received a wedding invitation from his friend.   He flew to California and attended the wedding. At the reception, to his great surprise, he was introduced to Pierce Brosnan, who was currently starring in the James Bond action films. Dr. Bond and Brosnan joked about the name then visited for a while. Dr. Bond said that Brosnan  was as pleasant a man as he appeared to be.

Dave Thomas

10/24/2021

Hard to Believe

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From the older guy

It’s impossible for me to understand the nurses who refuse to get the Covid 19 vaccination. That’s like saying they don’t believe in their chosen profession. Every day they dispense pills and give injections. Don’t they believe in the science that produced these beneficial drugs?

What about the personal feeling? The doctors, nurses, and staff people have been working insane hours for months…They have been treating the unvaccinated   people that are clogging our hospitals and dying due to their own foolishness. Don’t the nurses have smarts enough to resent those people and not want to be like them? Is it that the nurses are so brain-washed by the Fox News crap and the Trump cult they can’t think for themselves? I used to think the big word in medicine was “Hippocrates,” but in this case, maybe the word is “hypocrite”.

Dave Thomas

October  6, 2021

Wondering

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Wondering

Sometimes I get tired of listening to the political nonsense, so I just sip my coffee and think about other important stuff. This morning I was wondering who figured out that the hide of a little animal called a chamois would be good for wiping your car off after washing it?

Dave Thomas 09/23/2021

This is Sad

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A bunch of local cops are saying that they would resign from the force before they would get a mandatory Covid 19  shot. Whatever happened to “Protect and Serve”? Cops normally protect themselves. An officer in hot pursuit would make sure his seat belt and shoulder harness were secure. A motorcycle cop would be wearing a helmet so his brains wouldn’t get splattered all over the concrete.  A SWAT officer or an officer headed for a potential shootout would wear a bullet proof vest. Now, however, these mutts refuse to protect themselves against a virus that has killed more than 667,000 Americans… That means they will not be protecting their spouses, children, parents, grandparents, or you, or I.  All I can Say to these guys is “Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out.”

Dave Thomas

9/11/2021

They Can’t Help It

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Okay, Kids, this is about your Mom/Grandma/Great-Grandma, Patricia Ann Lee. It was during World War II, and Pat was living with her Grandma, Maude Lee, in the small town of Eureka, Kansas. Pat’s mom, Melba Lee, was living in Wichita and working at Beech Aircraft as a “Rosie the Riveter” and supervisor.

First grade had been a snap for Pat. She had read her books before school even started, and enjoyed all she learned during that first year.

Pat was really looking forward to second grade. Her school was near home, so on that first day, Grandma Lee walked to school with her and got her settled in. It was only a couple of days before things started going sideways. It turned out that little Miss Pat had become a talker. She talked incessantly from morning to night, and had the rest of the girls talking and giggling all day long. The teacher got tired of trying to shush her, and moved her to a desk that was surrounded by boys. “I’m not sitting with boys!” she yelled. “Boys are dirty, and they stink, and I hate them.”

For the next couple of days, Pat went to school then came home and complained about the dirty, stinking boys. Then, on the way to school, she had a brilliant idea. Between home and the school, there was a lush stand of bushes. Pat ducked into those bushes and found that there was plenty of room for her, and that she was well-hidden. She settled in to enjoy her first day as a truant. At noon, she could hear the kids get out of school, so she, too, went home for lunch.

That first day went well, but was dreadfully boring. Pat took care of this problem the next day by taking books and coloring books to her hideout. Pat enjoyed this subterfuge for a couple of days, but then her teacher walked over from school and knocked on Grandma Lee’s door. After greetings were exchanged, the teacher said, “Pat hasn’t been to school for a couple of days. Is she sick?” That opened the ball, and the two women quickly figured out what was going on. “I’ll take care of it,” said Grandma Lee. “Well, what if she does it again?” asked the teacher. “Don’t worry,” said Grandma Lee. “I’ll take care of it,” she repeated. The teacher left, and Grandma Lee grabbed her yardstick, and went looking for Pat. After a few whacks, Pat decided that attending second grade might be a good idea.

I felt that it was my duty to pass this story along so you would have it for reference. If one of your kids is acting up , and your mind is filled with words like “stubborn,” “bull-headed,” “willful,” and “obstinate,” maintain your calm. You should cut them some slack. It’s in their DNA.

Dave Thomas

9/9/2021

Migrants- From the Older Guy

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I am sitting here drinking coffee and thinking about the migrants who attempt to cross our southern border. Some media outlets and the Trump mob portray them as criminals, thieves, rapists, and murderers. If you scrape away those ugly labels, you will probably discover that any bad people in the group would be in about the same proportion as you would find in the general population. With all those rotten labels stripped away, what’s left? Oh, my gosh, they are families! Yes, I see moms, dads, and kids. Ask them why they left everything behind and walked off into the unknown and they will tell you harrowing stories of the lives they are trying to escape. They will tell of corrupt governments, no jobs, no opportunities, no hope, and a chance that the children will be killed by drugs or the gangs that are pushing them. Those are certainly good reasons for fleeing their homes and sacrificing everything, but what do they hope to gain in the U.S.? I would guess that they want an opportunity to work and make a better life, to provide for their families, and to have their children grow up safe and healthy. Well, son of a gun, these people are just like us.

Dave Thomas

9/2/2021

From The Older Guy- It’s Time to Get Scared

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I’m 85 years old  today! Yes, who knew? I seem to be surrounded by big numbers now. My wife, Pat, is 83. We have been married for 63 years. Our sons, Russ and Doug, are 62 and our daughter, Terri, is 59. I can’t believe it.

I never had any dreams of longevity and never really thought about it much. I suppose that good genes had a lot to do with it, but there is another factor that should be considered. I have been a Type 1, insulin dependent diabetic for 56 years. Two of the requisites for living well with diabetes are exercise and nutrition. I have always exercised, and Pat and I attended several nutrition classes at Scripps Hospital and the VA. She has made it a point that we eat well and consume lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

In my lifetime, I’ve been through the Depression, World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, and the middle-Eastern Wars. Now, for the first time, I am really scared for our democracy and our way of life. In January of 2017, a new president and his administration took office, and it was as if an evil black cloud had descended upon our country. All of a sudden, power and money and greed were in the forefront. Hate and disrespect and criminal behavior were the new norm. What scares me is that half of our citizens have bought into this behavior. Wake up, people! To understand what is going on, you must read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.” It defines exactly what Trump is doing. Control the media, discredit those who object, and take over the minds of the people.

Our country hasn’t been perfect by any means, but we were working on it. Those who think that everything would be wonderful under the rule of the Trump regime had better rethink the situation. The rich guys, the top 1%, would prosper. The rest would suffer. Rules and regulations would be rolled back because they cost too much. Those things that protect our health and safety would be discarded. Diseases like TB, polio, cholera, and measles would return. The 1% guys won’t care because they will be living well.

I hate writing stuff like this. I’ve always been an optimist. I’m scared for my kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. Too many people have been sucked in by this evil bastard. God Bless America!

Dave Thomas

8/27/2021