I met +MIA (aka Ernie) in the skies of DOS Air Warrior long ago.. before there was an AOL ..when ‘Windows’ for the PC was new
.. we ‘flew’ online on the Genie Bulletin Board system, the server at Kesmai allowed 30 people to fly and fight and we were all such geeks,
..configuring modem strings, joysticks, and delving deep into the history of WW2 air combat.
Epic battles were to be had every night and twice on Sundays.
Lifelong friends came from deadly rivalries ‘online’ over the years.
+MIA was there with us, trading bullets and words on the forums ..hangin out, enjoying all of it.
We were Warriors all.
It is hard to believe decades have gone by since then.
Along the way +MIA had a killer idea about a website dedicated to the pilots that were there in WW2
..his dad among them .. all living in the Bay area around San Francisco.
He contacted me about using some of the stuff I had done here and there and the idea grew wings
..we put together a heck of a memorial to preserve the history and stories of ‘those who were there’
..Axis and Ally alike, some epic stories reside there told by the men who lived them.
It was my honor to be part of the creation of the site. When +MIA asked how we should set it up,
I suggested anyone should be able to click on an image and download it for whatever use they wanted as long as credit was given to the artist
.. I hoped this would spread the word and educate people on at least this small bit of the history of WW2 in the air.
Make no mistake, this was Ernie’s baby and he did a heck of a job ..it is an excellent reference to this day.
+MIA passed away in April succumbing to the evil of our time, cancer.
Like a wingman shot down by flak ..he has gone down and his loss is felt deeply.
I will miss him.
-Frank P. ‘Gray Eagle’ Williamson
