**

Pa Paw eventually ended up buying a garage and my dad grew up working for him, not necessarily by choice, helping the family out. He actually had to quit school, if I remember right, in his senior year to help out around the house. He eventually went back and graduated, something he always took a great deal of pride in. Even through all the hard times, he never lost his sense of adventure. He was fascinated by aviation and dreamed of flying one day. He figured the only way out of east Texas, the only way he would have a shot at living that dream, was through the military.

At the age of 18 he joined the Army and shipped off to see the world. During his 19th year, Dad found himself in Kansas City, MO where he met a 16 year old girl named Patricia Gordon. They fell hopelessly in love and were married in October of 1959. My mother-to-be left behind her life as a teenage school girl and took up the mantle and title of Army wife. Dad had grown up dreaming of seeing the world and he and his new wife set about doing just that.

Over the next 10 years, they spent time in Formosa (modern day Tiawan,) Germany and a few other places. They saw every castle in Germany. I swear, I have the slides! Ok maybe not EVERY castle but damned if I can figure out which ones they missed. It was a different adventure every weekend but somehow it wasn't enough. Dad had another dream and damned if he wasn't just hard headed enough to go for it.

Because of that, he found himself at the age of 30 going through flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., competing against Soldiers in their early 20's. His reflexes were slower and he wasn't at the same level of physical fitness as his classmates, but he wasn't gonna let a bunch of snot-nosed flyboy wannabees bust his balls. So he busted his ass and graduated near the top of his class. He was an Army pilot and he was living his dream.

Dad spent time in Vietnam flying Cobra attack helicopters, a time in his life I've never heard him talk about. He came back and continued to serve. It was a good life being an Army officer ... and being an Army officer's kid. We moved to Fort Hood, Texas and spent five years there before his adventure bug got the best of him again. He put in for and received orders to the final frontier ... Alaska. It was the last real dream he had that hadn't been fulfilled yet. We loaded up the motor home and spent two weeks driving from Texas to Fairbanks Alaska. Talk about an adventure? Shit! It was a blast. (I'll post more pictures later, but their house recently flooded due to torrential rains and things are kinda spread out while repairs are ongoing.) Just trust me when I tell you we made more side trips and saw more esoteric shit on that trip than some people see in a lifetime.

After several years in Alaska, we were forced to leave. You wanna know why, look in the archives. You shouldn't have to go too far back. We ended up in Louisiana where we all still live today. Dad retired from the Army after 26 years. He then started a second career, flying helicopters offshore, flying medevac helicopters ... just flying. He retired from that job too and Now at the age of sixty*coughsomethingcough* is in a motorcycle club. He spends his retirement working on his four motorcycles and riding all over the country with a group of friends.

I was always proud of my dad because he pulled himself up out of what many people would consider poverty, although he never thought that and neither did I. He went for his dream and saw it realized, mainly due to his outright refusal not to let it happen. His hard headedness I guess you could say. I am proud of the service he gave to his country even if it started out as a means to an end. He fought this countries battles and for that I thank him. Everything I am today, admittedly not much, I owe to him (the good stuff, not the psychotic, erotic, self-delusional shit) Thanks Dad and Happy Veteran's Day. I love you.