Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Veterans Day 2014



When I added it up, I realized it's been
45 years since I joined the Air Force in 1969.
Wow, that makes me feel old.
Of course I was just a baby then...
I joined because my family was extremely
patriotic and there was a war going on.
Both of my older brothers had already enlisted.

I had no clue what an Air Traffic Controller
did, but 8 months later I was one.

As the first female controller stationed overseas,
(18 months at Clark AFB in the Phillipines)
I was in an article in the overseas military
newspaper called The Stars And Stripes.
Today Air Traffic Control is full of women,
but being one of the first meant always being the
only woman at work or in meetings.

My father-in-law is one of the real hero's in our
family. He was at the frontline, in the trenches,
at the Battle of the Bulge during WWII. 

My own father lied about his age and joined
the Navy when he learned his older brother Sperry
(U.S. Navy) was captured and was being held in a
prisoner-of-war camp in Japan.

My dad died over 20 years ago, but here's a picture of
him as I remember him best, taken in the early 1960's.
He loved cigars and I think of him whenever I'm
lucky enough to catch a whiff of cigar smoke.
Yes, I love the smell of cigars...


I recently discovered the Government's
website for archived records and was able
to read about my uncle's prisoner of war
camp, Fukuoka POW Camp #1
(Kashii-Pine Tree Camp), which was
on the Japanese island of Kyushu.


If  you're interested in researching about
a family member's military records,
here's the website.

Happy Veterans Day!

Many restaurants offer free meals for
veterans in honor of their service. In our
area the following are a few of those
restaurants:

International House of Pancakes
Texas Roadhouse
The Rib Crib
Starbucks Coffee
Golden Corral



11 comments:

  1. You were a real trailblazer, Mom. And a hot ticket to boot.

    How did I never know you had an uncle who was a POW?

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  2. You sure were a cutie, Sugar! Good for you for being a ground breaker. Thank YOU and your family members for your service(s) in the military ! Blessings- xo Diana

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  3. We are indeed grateful for all those who served, and you look Marvelous!, thank you. Thank you for the link.

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  4. You are an amazing woman. I learn more about you every year. I want to say Thankyou.

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  5. What a stunner you are! Proud of you and your service! Thank You!

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  6. I remember these photos and thinking how gorgeous you are...the sparkle in your eyes is so pretty!

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  7. Thank you for sharing this. Great photos!

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  8. Very cool, Mom. As Jaimee said, you were a trailblazer and a hot cookie. :-) Thanks for posting this!

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  9. My husband flew 6 years in the USAF! What would pilots do without competent ATC? Thanks for serving. I like your blog by the way, and glad I stopped by.

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  10. That is so cool! My Dad was Air Force, My husband a Marine. We have so many nieces and nephews who are all branches over the last 15 yrs. I came over from Henny Penny Lane to check out your blog. I saw you mention a Texas Bakery and thought, mmm could be a fellow Texan.

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