Real Good Thing

Old Fart Sports Injury

2006-12-19T20:34:00.000-05:00

Since my assignment to the Pentagon I've been taking my health and physical fitness a little more seriously than the previous 40 years. I've been running regularly and lost about 20 pounds so far.

I've also been playing some volleyball and wallyball with the other members of my shop. And interestingly I have been really enjoying it. Unexpected because I never really enjoyed sports much before and especially not volleyball. But, I've been enjoying it and have been getting better at, learning to bump, set and serve. Learning to be more aggressive.

Perhaps a bit too aggressive. Monday morning we were playing and doing pretty well. Someone on the other team (thanks, Brian) bumped the ball to the corner of the net. I could see it was going to roll over to our side. I decided I was going to rush halfway across the court and push it back over. What I didn't see was that even if it came ove it was going to be out. I could hear about five voices shouting "It's out! It's out!" Unfortunately the rest of my brain was intent on stopping that ball.

I made great jump and hit the ball back over. Unfortunately I also collided with the post and when I came back down my ankle was a bit less than level. I could hear and feel some crunching going on in my right ankle. Fortunately that was the last thing I felt in my ankle for a while.

The guys got some ice and when I got to the doc in Flight Medicine he said it was a "mild to moderate" sprain. Tonight it's about twice as big as my other ankle, stiff as a board and I'd say it's a long way from mild.

Here's what it looks like now:

The worst part about this is that it's probably going to be at least a month before I can play again!

Wreaths at Arlington

2006-12-14T20:19:00.000-05:00

Today I had the honor of participating in the Arlington Wreath Project. For the past 15 years the Worcester Wreath Co. of Maine has donated Christmas wreaths to be placed on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. It was a fairly small affair for the first 14 years.

But last year an Air Force photograph and the internet changed all that. Thanks to one of those "forward this to everyone you know" e-mails and this photo there were about 600 volunteers this year.

Fortunately there were also 5,00 wreaths. My friends and I got to lay out about 6 of them each.

Read an article about this years wreath laying here.

Read about more about the Project here.

See an awesome video about it here.

Party with the Big Boys

2006-12-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

Tonight Kim and I feel like we must have made it to the big time.

Tonight we attended a Christmas party at the home of General Peter Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He and his wife have a beautiful home on Fort Myer, VA that overlooks the Potomac River and downtown DC.

Great food and good friends as well as a fantastic bluegrass trio playing Christmas carols. Yeah, if I could change one thing about my career I'd have gotten an assignment to the Pentagon way before 18 years.

AF Memorial Dedication

2006-10-21T14:51:00.000-04:00

Had a great time working at the Air Force Memorial dedication this past weekend. Got to get my picture taken with some real bombshells, too. These lovely ladies are WASPs (Women's Airforce Service Pilots). During World War II they flew airplanes in non-combat situations to free up the men for warfighting.

Incidentally, the photos on the wall behind us are of the same two ladies.

Korea - 1995

2006-10-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

When I was stationed in Korea in 1995 I spent a lot of time at the Osan Hospitality House. It was a place where Christians could get together for fellowship. One of the best things (besides the meals and cribbage games) was that there were nearly as many Koreans as Americans.

I am to the left of center in the blue, black & white shirt and just to my right is one of my best friends, Mike.

This is George and Lillian Davis, who ran the House and took care of all of us.

Another dear friend, Rick Maxwell, big-hearted biker.

When leaving Korea it was tradition to have your picture taken "riding the Mustang" (Osan's mascot) on the back of an A-10 fighter.

2006-10-03T15:02:00.000-04:00

Here's a picture from about 16 years ago.
Goodfellow AFB Honor Guard Airman of the Quarter.

And a picture of me with CMSgt Paul Airey,
first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.

2006-10-02T14:54:00.000-04:00

March 2004, NCOA Graduation

My hero & me.

June 2005, when I was working on the 8th Air Force Commander's Action Group. Good times.

2006-10-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

Lt Gen Bruce Carlson (8 AF/CC) & Me

Lt Col Bob Morris reenlisting me (2002)

67 WG/CC Col Bingle & Me

608 AOG/CC Col Smith & Me(NCO of the Year!)

Me at NCO Academy

My friend Clay & Me

2006-08-16T06:51:00.000-04:00

Choices And Consequences

2006-08-11T20:19:00.000-04:00

Sharon Osbourne, wife of rock singer Ozzy, regrets her decision to get an abortion at age 17. "The greatest regret of my life is the abortion after my awful first sexual encounter. Later, I had three miscarriages before giving birth to my three kids." (Daily Mail, Dec. 19).

You can level many charges at Sharon Osbourne, but she is brutally honest, and it is her vulnerability that makes her likeable.

"Everybody has something in the closet, and I reckon the best policy is always to be honest, then it can't come back to haunt you," she says. And she holds her hands up to her own "big mistakes". The biggest brings her to tears. "I had an abortion at 17 and it was the worst thing I ever did. It was the first time I'd had sex, and that was rotten. I'd always thought it was going to be all violins, and it was just awful.

"I was two months gone when I realised. I went to my mum and she said, without pausing for breath: 'You have to get rid of it.'

"She told me where the clinic was, then virtually pushed me off. She was so angry. She said I'd got myself in this mess, now she had to get me out.

"But she didn't come. I went alone. I was terrified. It was full of other young girls, and we were all terrified and looking at each other and nobody was saying a bloody word. I howled my way through it, and it was horrible.

"I would never recommend it to anyone because it comes back to haunt you. When I tried to have children, I lost three - I think it was because something had happened to my cervix during the abortion. After three miscarriages, they had to put a stitch in it.

"In life, whatever it is, you pay somewhere down the line. You have to be accountable."
- By JENNY JOHNSTON, The Daily Mail

Pentagon Happenings

2006-08-07T11:28:00.000-04:00

Some really cool things going on at the Pentagon in the next couple of months.

In a couple of weeks on Aug 23rd, Dr. Gary Chapman, counselor, speaker and author of "The Five Love Languages" will be speaking at a breakfast in the Pentagon Auditorium at 7 AM.

Obviously there will be a 9-11 memorial service to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the attacks by Muslim extremists. 184 innocent people were murdered here for simply being American. The multi-faith service will be held in the Pentagon Auditorium.

Immediately following the memorial service Records recording artists Selah will perform. The 4-time Dove Award winning group will sing their latest hit, "Bless the Broken Road."

Finally on October 6, 7-time Dove Award winners MercyMe will perform a concert in the Pentagon courtyard. MercyMe is most notable for their massive crossover hit "I Can Only Imagine." Their latest single is "So Long Self."

When It Rains, It Pours!

2006-08-07T11:27:00.000-04:00

Something my wife & I have both noticed about this area is the lightning and thunder. Now, we had some pretty heavy thunderstorms back in Texas and Louisiana but nothing to match these. I think we've yet to see a "mild" thundershower. When we get them they are full force. The volume and intensity is like nothing I've seen, at least not on such a consistent basis. It doesn't bother me too much since I've never really been very afraid of nature's light shows (wind and flooding is a little more disconcerting) but it tends to wake the kids up when it happens at 4 AM.

Which brings me to the one drawback I've found to using the DC area's mass transit system. Since my bus stop is about 1/2 mile from my front door I got pretty well drenched walking this morning. The good thing was I had my Gortex jacket and pants which kept the rain off. The bad thing it was warm enough that I started to create my own rain inside the suit. Worse was when I found out that my gym bag is not water resistant so I got to work out in shorts and shirt with a few wet spots.

But, if the occasional drenching at the hands of Mother Nature is the biggest complaint I've got about Virginia then life is still pretty darn good.

What If...?

2006-08-01T20:08:00.000-04:00

What would happen if the church stopped worrying so much about making sure that people know that we're "right", and started pouring our energy into being good to the world we've alienated? - Adam Ellis

Settling In...

2006-07-18T19:18:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted. I expected as much since I just moved halfway across the country, changed duty stations, and changed jobs. As I said in the previous post we left (after 10 years!) the first week of June. Took us four days to drive across the country to the D.C. area. Long days and hotel beds...nuff said! On the bright side I did get to visit with my big sister who lives in southern Virginia.

So, I got checked in to my new unit at the Pentagon, got a great house (at a good price) in the area, and started trying to navigate the mass transit/commuter quagmire.

Some bad things:
Gas prices - 3rd highest in the US after CA & HI;
Commuting - one hour commute on bus/rail as opposed to walking 2 blocks to the shop, thank God for mass transit as the highway commute would be longer;
Churches - they're very different in the North, after 10-plus years at a big, friendly congregation we are struggling to find somewhere where we can fit in and continue to grow and serve;
Unpacking - boxes everywhere.

Good things:
New job, new training, new people, high-visibility, travel;
Schools - my kids will be going to some really good schools now. (There's a reason Louisiana is in a tie for last place in education!)
Purging - after 9 years in one house we accumulated a lot of stuff. Got rid of a one-car garage full of stuff before the move and getting rid of even more as we unpack.
Looking forward to my new job, even though it means tons of training as it will be a lot of stuff I've never worked with in my career field. Should be interesting and exciting since I'm not only learning some new comm gear but I'll also be providing direct support to some very high level folks within the DoD. Not to mention the added bonus of lots of travel around the globe.
I'm sure it will get routine after a while but right now just coming in to the Pentagon to work every morning is the coolest thing I've done in quite a while.

Hopefully I'll be able to get back to more steady blogging now that things are settling down.

On Our Way!

2006-06-08T23:57:00.000-04:00

After 10 1/2 years with the Mighty Eighth Air Force at Barksdale AFB, La. I'm on my way to a new assignment at the Pentagon!

We finally left Barksdale yesterday afternoon after finally getting everything squared away. (Took about 2 1/2 days longer than planned. Thanks to Clay and Eric for their help in getting things wrapped up so we could get on the road.)

Spent last night in Memphis with our friends and brethren C & V at their gorgeous farm. He just retired from BAFB too. Drove nearly 400 miles to Knoxville tonight and on to Southern Va. tomorrow. Will be in the capitol area on Tuesday.

Memphis Pyramid

Hernando De Soto Bridge in Memphis

Knoxville Skyline

2006-05-18T22:41:00.000-04:00

My Creed
by Edgar A. Guest

To live as gently as I can;
To be, no matter where, a man;
To take what comes of good or ill
And cling to faith and honor still;
To do my best, and let that stand
The record of my brain and hand;
And then, should failure come to me,
Still work and hope for victory.

To have no secret place wherein
I stop unseen to shame or sin;
To be the same when I'm alone
As when my every deed is known;
To live undaunted, unafraid
Of any step that I have made;
To be without pretense or sham
Exactly what men think I am.

To leave some simple mark behind
To keep my having lived in mind;
If enmity to aught I show,
To be an honest, generous foe,
To play my little part, nor whine
That greater honors are not mine.
This, I believe, is all I need
For my philosophy and creed.

A Real Christmas Present

2005-12-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.

1 Timothy 2:4-6

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Nativity

2005-12-24T17:03:00.000-05:00

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!"

2005-12-23T15:28:00.000-05:00

"How many observe Christ's birth-day! How few, his precepts! O! 'tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments."

~ Benjamin Franklin

Give Thanks, America!

2005-11-24T16:58:00.000-05:00

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence ofAlmighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,and humbly to implore his protection and favors." ~ George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789

Today I am thankful for a loving and faithful wife who always always does her best to be all that God created her to be. Good and tender-hearted kids who are better than anyone else's and certainly better than I deserve. A vocation and calling that enables me to care for my family and to serve my country. The blessing of being a citizen of the most prosperous, benevolent and decent nation in the history of mankind. Thank you, Lord, for these and all my many blessings.

"There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American." ~ O. Henry

"And I do recommend that together with our thanksgiving, humble prayer may be offered to God, that we may be enabled, by the subsequent obedienceof our hearts and manners, to testify the sincerity of our profession of gratitude, in the sight of God and man; and thus be prepared for the reception of future blessings ... that the whole people may continue to be safe and happy in the constitutional enjoyment of their rights, liberties and privileges ..." ~ Samuel Adams, October 14, 1795, as Governor of the State of Massachusetts, in a Proclamation for a Day of Public Thanksgiving and Praise.

And finally from American poet and author, Joseph Auslander:

"Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more: Peace in the hearts of all men living, peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving."

Amen and amen!

The Real Gospel vs. The "Prosperity Gospel"

2005-11-13T16:57:00.000-05:00

I have always had problems with the so-called "prosperity gospel" and it's proponents, like Robert Tilton. The prosperity they seem most interested in is their own and their isn't much emphasis on the gospel, that is, the good news that Jesus Christ died to redeem us from our sins.
The latest "star" in this version of "Christianity" is Joel Osteen. Now, when I first saw Osteen on television his style was very charismatic - all "aw shucks" bumpkinism and "God loves yew!" There was a noticeable lack of real Bible teaching and no call to repentance. A lot of "God has a wonderful plan for your life," but missing the "No man comes to the Father but by me."

Brad Huston at "Broken Messenger" really tackles Osteen and his reluctance to preach the real Gospel. I urge you to go visit. Read his other posts while your there. You might learn something. At the very least it will give you something to think about.