(Barley, Skid, Wrath, Big, & LITE Gray @ Korat AFB, Thailand)
After being on the road for a month from Alaska to Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and Hawaii I am ready to be in my own bed and with the girls back home. There are only so many beautiful beaches and interesting places that you can visit until you realize that the loves of your life should be with you and that you miss them. Not to mention that more than 3 hours in a single seat jet is long enough...try 6 followed the next day by 9!
(me flying w/an RTAF L-39)
Flying in Thailand with the Royal Air Force of Singapore and the Royal AF of Thailand was a great experience. The food was interesting and it was cool taking off from runways and bases that we built and used back in the Vietnam war. The history was pretty amazing! Flying the leg from Okinawa, Japan to Hawaii was also surreal as we flew directly over Iwo Jima and between Wake Island and Midway. The 9 hour flight and 8 refuelings gave me some good time to reflect on the events in that part of the world during WWII. My grandpa was stationed in the Navy at Enewetok Atoll and our route of flight took us just north of that area.
(one of the many refuelings over the Pacific)
(Nice sunglasses...at least you can't see the mustache!)
Now we are living the hard life in Hawaii flying with the Nat'l Guard here to help them get some better training. Traveling around the island and Pearl Harbor has been equally rewarding. This trip came full circle as I stood on the deck of the USS Missouri (where the Japanese surrender took place in 1945 in Tokyo bay).
(we took off 6am Monday morning in Japan and landed 9pm Sunday night in Hawaii...hence the sunset out the back of the cockpit)
I feel blessed to have the opportunity to serve the free world. I look forward to seeing my beautiful wife again soon and also my lovely ladies that are growing so fast!
(north shore: just feet from the golf course)
Hawaii has been wonderful. The north shore is awesome and the weather is great! Another week of flying with the HANG and then one more leg across the pacific up to the Last Frontier...and then finally I can hold those precious girls in my arms. See you in a week love.....
4 comments:
AMAZING. I really cannot comprehend the whole refueling in the air thing...crazy. what adventures! I realized while studying abroad as well, that it really is the people that you share the experience w/ that makes it amazing. Those girls are adorable, I am sure they miss their dad too! Have a safe trip home!
Those are amazing pictures! WOW! And great stories! The facial hair is different...haha! Glad to see Andy is loving what he does and keeping safe :D
AND THE TWINS ARE SO ADORABLE!!!
Daniel and I are in the same boat at this moment! He is about 5 hours away from us(Daniel says I can't say) and will be there for another week and a half.
Nice stache, Daniel's is getting pretty hairy too.....It's great keeping up to date with your family!
What a stud. Love the porn 'stache. Todd's jealous...of the flying and the 'stache.
p.s. Congrats on the new plane.
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