I'm sorry I won't be able to make it... But when I think about it, this is what I see:
Players will gather at an airfield in an otherwise empty arena to honor a fallen friend. The arena will have been set up so that the setting sun sinks slowly towards the horizon to the west and a low cloud base settles over the field like a mist.
On the runway three rows of seven tanks with their main guns at full elevation poised and waiting in silence while off in the distance a formation of P-47Ms in a tight fingertip strong right formation form up and align themselves with the runway.
As the gathering of friends wait and tell each other stories about WWhiskey and his past glory the approaching P-47s trigger the base alert-siren which had been replaced by the sound of a lone bugler playing taps. As the sound of Taps fills the arena, the formation emerges from the mist at low altitude and high speed. As they draw level with the tower one of the aircraft begins trailing smoke, then gently pulls up and splits off to the west and fades into the setting sun. At that moment the three rows of tanks fire their 21 guns into the air as the remaining P-47s hold their course leaving the open position where WWhiskey, their friend and wingman would have been. The final shots fall silent as the sun drops below the horizon, the sound of the bugles softly fade and the arena falls into darkness at the end of a fitting tribute.
This simple aerial salute is an expression of respect for the departure of a fellow gamer and warrior spirit who has shared countless hours enjoying virtual aerial combat and who has forever departed the flight line. Though simple and brief, it is the highest honor an Aces High Pilot can bestow upon a fellow player and a moving experience for everyone able to be there.
At the end, some of those in attendance begin to leave the arena, some linger as a last sign of respect and reluctance to say that final goodbye.
Those unable to make it know it will go something like that, and in a quiet moment will send their own respects, a final long slow salute.
Badboy
