Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Yeager on January 29, 2003, 10:37:21 AM
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Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high unsurpassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
http://www.datamanos2.com/icarus_rising.html
Peace, Love
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In loving memory--Feb.1st, 2003.:(
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The Star Road
by Mercedes Lackey
When you sing of Columbia or the Eagle
And reach for the stars as your ultimate goal.
Recall who fell along the way,
For the star road takes a fearful toll,
The star road takes a fearful toll.
And it might have been Armstrong, Aldrin, Cernan,
Shepard, Carpenter, Cooper, or Glenn.
They all knew well the questor's fee,
And the star-road's paved with the lives of men,
The star road's paved with the lives of men.
For the price was paid on a winter evening
When "Fire in the spacecraft!" somebody said.
In smoke and flame, the shadow passed
And in Capsule Twelve three men were dead.
In Capsule Twelve three men were dead.
Forget not yet who paid the forfeit
To conquer the stars in the Eagle's flight.
"It's worth the price," they said who paid:
Grissom, Chaffee, and Edward White.
Grissom, Chaffee, and Edward White.
RIP: Husband, McCool, Anderson, Chawla, Brown, Clark, Ramon.
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Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Though the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!
Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.
Thou Who supports with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight.
Lord, if the tempered winds be near,
That, having Thee, they know no fear.
(variant, Eternal Father strong to save)
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Thanks all (dabbing eyes) :(
"and on silvery wings they flew to heaven"
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Let the sweet fresh breezes heal me
As they rove around the girth
Of our lovely mother planet
Of the cool, green hills of Earth.
The arching sky is calling
Spacemen back to their trade.
ALL HANDS! STAND BY! FREE FALLING!
And the lights below us fade.
Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps the race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet ---
We pray for one last landing
On the globe that gave us birth;
Let us rest our eyes on the friendly skies
And the cool, green hills of Earth.
-- Robert A. Heinlein
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Bump
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High Flight was written as a poem by a 19 yo "boy" in a letter to his parrents. He was stationed in Europe in 1942, was the pilot of a fighter (not sure which model) shortly after sending this letter home he died at the controlls over France escorting bombers on the way to Germany.
This poem was read at the funeral of my best friend that died January 29 2003 after spending 10 months in ICU. He was a flight paramedic with our company, on March 21 2002 the helicopter he was flying in went down. Crashing into a nearby lake at 130kts. The pilot (a 24 year army helo pilot, with over 10,000 hrs in helicopters and fixed wing, cesna 421b) was killed instantly, Gary (the nurse) was back at work in 2 months, Chuck(the medic) never left the hospital.
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The "High Flight" poem was used in a video tribute to my dad after his crash and death. He had over 30,000 flight hours, mostly as a helicopter logging pilot. His helicopter just stopped flying only 10 minutes before he was to land and come home on March 26, 2002. The co-pilot survived, but doesn't recall anything about the accident to include how he got out of the burning wreckage.
The John Gillespie Magee Jr. story is quite touching, too. Medicboy, he flew spits.
High Flight was composed by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an American serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was born in Shanghai, China in 1922, the son of missionary parents, Reverend and Mrs. John Gillespie Magee; his father was an American and his mother was originally a British citizen.
He came to the U.S. in 1939 and earned a scholarship to Yale, but in September 1940 he enlisted in the RCAF and was graduated as a pilot. He was sent to England for combat duty in July 1941.
In August or September 1941, Pilot Officer Magee composed High Flight and sent a copy to his parents. Several months later, on December 11, 1941 his Spitfire collided with another plane over England and Magee, only 19 years of age, crashed to his death.
His remains are buried in the churchyard cemetery at Scopwick, Lincolnshire.
How many can say they died doing what they loved?
usarmy
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One More Roll
by Commander Gerald Coffee, Hanoi, 1968
We toast our faithful comrades
Now fallen from the sky
And gently caught by God's own hand
To be with him on High
To dwell among the soaring clouds
They knew so well before
From dawn patrol to victory roll
At heaven's very door
And as we soar among them there
We're sure to hear their plea
"Take care my friend, watch your six
And do one more roll, just for me."
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High Flight...I love that poem,
and I just wanted to punt this thread because I think we should all take one moment to remember them.
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Ditto. Now, if only Yes could add some "Going For The One" era music to it. Now that would be amazing...
The Gates of Delirium (an excerpt)
Anderson/Howe/Moraz/Squire/White
Soon, oh soon the light,
Pass within and soothe this endless night
And wait here for you,
Our reason to be here.
Soon, oh soon the time,
All we move to gain will reach and calm;
Our heart is open,
Our reason to be here.
Long ago, set into rhyme.
Soon, oh soon the light,
Ours to shape for all time,
Ours the right;
The sun will lead us,
Our reason to be here.
Soon, oh soon the light,
Ours to shape for all time,
Ours the right;
The sun will lead us,
Our reason to be here.
I became a HUGE Yes fan in 1978...when I was 11 years old. Yeager!!
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I first saw Yes "In the Round" way back in 1979 at the Seattle Center Colliseum. It was my very first concert. I was 16. Been a dedicated Yessist ever since :)
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Thanks for letting me see High Flight again!
Its been a while since I have heard or recited it. When I was a cadet at the USAF Academy I used to recite it daily as a freshman (forced knowledge). I can still say it from memory.
Thanks for taking me back! Great poem!
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Hey guttboy,
Fast
Neat
Average
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OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friendly
Good
Good
Form O-96
GOD THAT BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES!
Class of 90.....37/38 Squadrons!
Are you in Maine? My folks live in Freeport.
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Class of 02 35/36 (they cut out 37-40 after my freshman year)
I'm from Maine, down near Portland, but I'm stationed at Lakenheath at the moment. Small world.
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What you doing in Lakenheath? I am flying MC-130s at Kirtland AFB...flew AC130s at Hurlburt after the zoo. Then went to Kadena for 4 years flying MC's....now at Kirtland.
WOW....class of 02....man now do I feel old....LOL.
How you liking Lakenheath? Its a nice base.
Stay in touch!
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BTW where near portland?
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I'm casual here filling an exec slot for the F-15C squadron. I start UPT in August (about time!). Hard to argue with an overseas casual assignment, even if it meant waiting a year for a start date.
Oh, and since you seem to know the area, I'm from over by Sebago Lake.
Sorry for making you feel old......sir. ;)
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btw, isn't it about 0-dark-30 in NM right now? You night flying this week by any chance?
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Hey....
Just got home...its 0330 now local time. I was sitting SOF (Supervisor of flying) for the wing. Crapola job....you will get your chance soon enuf!
I am flying Wed night and Friday I think. Online I'll be up sporadically this week.
I fly as TG12 on the Rook side...dont hold that against us.
Anyhow...I know Sebago Lake well....
Keep in touch! Email is shadow17th@aol.com
Cya soon!
Mike
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Lit up with anticipation
We arrive at the launching site
The sky is still dark, nearing dawn
On the Florida coastline
Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams
Floodlit in the hazy distance
The star of this unearthly show
Venting vapours, like the breath
Of a sleeping white dragon
Crackling speakers, voices tense
Resume the final count
All systems check, T minus nine
As the sun and the drama start to mount
The air is charged
A humid, motionless mass
The crowds and the cameras,
The cars full of spectators pass
Excitement so thick you could cut it with a knife
Technology...high, on the leading edge of life
The earth beneath us starts to tremble
With the spreading of a low black cloud
A thunderous roar shakes the air
Like the whole world exploding
Scorching blast of golden fire
As it slowly leaves the ground
Tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by the awesome sound
Like a pillar of cloud
The smoke lingers high in the air
In fascination
With the eyes of the world
We stare...
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Guttboy or mjolnir - Do you recall an instructor (basketball coach too) at the Academy, Major Englebretson?
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Sorry Midnight... the only Basketball coach at the academy I knew was Coach Minton. His son flew with me in Japan for 4 years. We were on the same hard crew.
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Major E. is my brother-in-law. He was asst. coach for the varsity b-ball team, and coached the JV squad. He was the only military member of the coaching staff during his time there (198? until about 1997) My nieces and nephews grew up on the academy grounds and attended Academy High School.
If Minton was the B-ball coach, he was the asst. coach when Mark played for the academy back in 1970-72. He requested Mark as his asst. when he was promoted to head coach. There were no officers on the coaching staff, so the Airforce created a new job title for Mark.. Military Liason to the Basketball Staff :).
He always said he had the best job in the Airforce. Retired now and coaching a local high school.
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I first saw Yes "In the Round" way back in 1979 at the Seattle Center Colliseum. It was my very first concert. I was 16. Been a dedicated Yessist ever since
lol I saw them for the Tormato tour (in the round)
and the Power Windows tour in Denver
was friggin awesome..
and the opening act was Steve Morse..
was the second best concert I think I've ever seen...
back to the business at hand..
thanks Yeager for the poem.. the best ever