He has no reason to demote himself for not getting into the 'flight' program...20/20 was the baseline, and that was the absolute benchmark. If I had to make this criteria today, I would be a 'fail'.

The "heroes" of his era had 20/10. Aces like Chuck Yeager owed his success to seeing the enemy long before they saw him. Pappy Boyington was no different, except that his history began before the official war declaration.

Vision was the baseline to flying combat. Nothing happened beyond that.

My guess is that your dad was vision impaired....

no. Go speed racer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9eCqwzAj...

Not the FIRST day.... the first day half of them are crying and trying to bolt out the door to their Mothers... they have to give it a it week or 2 before they start the indoctrinating. And then,.. I do my best to counteract all the damage. It's not a job for the meek.

I did not need to ask. got the joke immediately. we're kinda quicksilver in here.
I did not serve. But there are alot of Gulchers who have and do. My dad signed on as soon as he was 18 with the Air Force. He was stationed in Okinawa during the Korean War and made maps. He was seriously POed they did not want him to be a pilot. His boyhood heroes were the WWII pilots from his little hometown. Strong heroes. Imagine that. I often think of the youngest US generation and wonder. Who are your heroes? The media and the WH would have you believe members of the peace corps and government workers. I have no doubt they are teaching them that from the first day of kindergrten. LetsShrug has to deprogram them!

No leather gloves for duel baiting.

I felt it...before you posted.

Talk to your dad about his memories...I failed to do this with my father, and will always regret that. You have a chance to 'bond' on a level that can not be verbalized.

Take care,
Rocky

No need to "thank" me...all I personally lost was time. I actually enjoyed what I did, and that could have been from being 100% 'gung ho' about the mission. Speaking for my lost companions, I can promise you that they were also 100% aboard, and would have done no different. That is why they are so 'special'...total selflishness.

And 'thanks' for your concern about my nose skin! I was never in any real danger, and 'ready for bear'. The real bummer was finding all of his self-incriminating posts...this forum is a challenge for that.

I can't believe that you aren't asking 'who' the demigod is pining to own my real 'first place' appendage!

You are a true 'hoot'...!

I always have, and I always will. My Dad served in Korea, 2nd infantry, and came back. He's 80 now. Many of his fellow army buddies did not.

I will be happy and proud to honor your request.
Non Mooch

Well....that's meck of a hess! Oppressors everywhere! It's a wonder this planet hasn't imploded yet. Thanks for the lesson :)

thanks for your service to help keep us free. btw, good to know your nose didn't lose any skin!

it is if your government steals everything you make, harvest, rape and pillage. it is not about education it is about property rights. If 1 or 2 months after good deed doers come in and help to build schools, infrastructures-terrorists raid the village, or burn the village down, you will not maintain infrastructure. You live in constant fear that the more organized and productive you appear, the more you become a target. I can give you another example that is not so stark. In Mexico, few mexican homes ever look "finished." even if there is a nice shiny truck in the driveway. One reason, and I stuck to this awhile, is that there are not mortgages for houses. well, that explains alot of circumstances, but not all. finally, someone told me, it has to do with property taxes. Most mexicans do not pay income taxes. but there is a large tax affixed to FINISHED dwellings. If the property always appears half built, the authorities will not assess. It seemed to me that people just did not care. period. no, they were hanging under the radar.
think of the dark ages vs the Renaissance. you still had the same gene pool roughly.

Thank you :).........

I count you as a friend, and I thank you for the link.

I can easily lose your 'friendship', but I can't lose your thinking about our fallen friends...and that is what really matters.

Have a beautiful Memorial Day...and I will join you!

But...okay..here's how I understand this. Let's pick Ethiopia...they live in dust huts and have no food and dirty water etc etc. People have tried to teach them how to farm, how to not make babies and so on and it has made NO difference. Is THAT intelligence? I know you will correct me if I'm wrong...

yes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQQS8kF37...

This is the hardest 'holiday' for me...and I never handle it all that well. I tend to have more gin than tonic, and my skin gets so 'thin' that you could display me as the original "Visible Man" model kit.

I watch my neighbors fire up their Webers, and count the hot dogs and steaks, and totally miss the message. They count how many are hungry, and I count the friends that I will never see again....

My 'cross' to bear, and after all these years I don't see me getting any better at it.

Do me one favor, and silently 'thank' the ones I have never stopped praying for...no one will see, or ridicule you for the thought. And I will somehow know that you did.

some people believe that. in more wealthy countries , I would agree with you regarding poor decision making. but these broad, world wide over long periods of time issues, I do not agree. Too much correlation between countries/regions policies on economic freedom. Religious beliefs encouraging procreation have stronger footholds in countries with less economic freedom/standards of living as well. Look at Catholics, for example. Simply observing a nation's culture or how technologically advanced, standard of living, does not give you information on raw intelligence. I would say it's roughly the same anywhere. whether people use their intelligence.....well

Or feed yourself, for that matter. It's pathetic really. And a vicious cycle.

Much better reply! I like that very much.

She so did..

"...there's a couple of broken noses over there-or at least out of joint."

My nose is my second most perfect appendage...one that Apollo would kill for!

And I can promise you that it is in pre-DK post condition...no one laid a glove on me! (Insert keyboard 'wink' here, since I don't do keyboard faces.) I can spell 'LOL', though....

Now: the question arises as to which God envies my first best appendage. I submit that is is actually an American demigod whose name I will keep secret....

P.S. Let's not forget our fallen soldiers this day...Memorial Day is all about their memory.

People around me always say "have a nice Memorial Day!" I say...have a 'meaningful Memorial Day'.

I agree with you but as far as preventing extinction goes... It's necessity I guess, especially if the poverty stricken have simply given up on the idea of escaping from their circumstances. If they have no strategy, they are defeated, logic goes out of the window.

Humpf....I must be all backwards in my way of thinking... having babies ADDS to worry.

The 'need' to think has been removed from people's lives. Worry I think has two causes. One is the constant threat of creeping oppression from powers too great to overthrow, the other is fear of inability to deal with life. Surely instinct (in human terms) would be recognition of the fact that action is necessary to avert the cause of worry. "Shit, we're all going to die. We need babies! Lots of babies! Everybody make babies right now!" Yes, peppers are a fruit.

So it's all economically driven? I thought it had something to do with smarts. I never understood contemplating having kids if you (yourself!) can't feed them.... here, there, or anywhere.