MORE THAN AN AIR SHOW
10 NovA Few Thoughts
Patricia Franklin
I’m sitting on the deck at my son’s house on the prairie near the air force base. I am enthralled watching the “air show,” as I call it, when I am with my grandchildren. The four air force jets are doing their “touch-and-go routine” and flying in loops above and around us as I thrill at the sight of their take-offs, landings and spiraling into the sky, a sight I never tire of every time I visit. My grandchildren just shake their heads and try to figure out why I am so excited. It is commonplace to them and they are so used to it that they do not even notice or hear the sound of the thunderbirds above them as they play below in the safety and security of their back yard.
I have always loved, appreciated and felt very humbled by our military. I lived through World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. I remember when I was young and watched newsreels at the movie theater before there was TV, and saw our troops fighting under unbelievable conditions. I remember when I was young sitting on the porch for hours and watching a huge convoy of military vehicles passing by on their way to practice maneuvers for defense of our country, protecting our freedoms and making us safe. Even now when I am home sitting in my own backyard, and when the wind is right, I can occasionally hear the sound of guns firing on the army base 20 miles away and I feel safe.
One of my greatest thrills was right after 9-11 when my daughter and I were driving up past the air force base to visit my son. As we drove past the runway, we could see one of the jets coming in for a landing. As it approached the end of the runway for the landing, it was very low and we were right underneath it. My daughter looked up and she said “Mom, the plane is loaded!” She could see that it was loaded with bombs underneath and ready to fire if necessary (whether they were live or not we did not know), but it was a very thrilling and impressive sight. Neither one of us felt at all threatened, but very secure and safe with the military on the job.
I do not understand those who complain about the noise of the jets over their homes or land, or the traffic congestion when following a convoy along a busy road, or the NIMBY mentality that you hear about today. All I can think of is that I am very grateful, appreciative and feel almost a reverence for these wonderful men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives for our safety. I can sometimes feel tears in my eyes as my knees buckle at the sight of a military parade or uniform. I am proud and yet humbled thinking of the hard work, discipline, commitment, and their willingness to brave anything for their love of country that leads these men and women to make the selfless decision to join the military and be prepared to fight and die for us and our freedoms.
May God Always Bless Our Military and the United States of America!
Air Show… (Photo credit: naathas)
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2 Responses to “MORE THAN AN AIR SHOW”
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Old Things R New 
Thank you for those wonderful thoughts.
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This is a fine blog, appreciative of national security and very well written.
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