Archive for October, 2009:
I had been at Craig AFB in Alabama for several years and saw many men return from tours of duty in Viet Nam and Thailand. They had all worked on “real” fighter jets, not just the T-37 flight trainers I’d been working on since Tech School. Many of them got quick promotions because of their experience on the front-line fighters of the day. I decided it was time to move on and get more experience on fighter jets so I submitted a request for reassignment. We could request certain locations in the US or overseas or we could just request to be sent anywhere in the world. The latter is what I did. A couple of months later I got an assignment to Korat Royal Thai Air Base.
I was single at the time I made the reassignment request and when I got the notification of my pending assignment. Soon after I got the assignment notification I met Deborah Smalley, who would become my wife after just 13 short weeks of courting. We got married on June 17, 1972. Three months after getting married Deborah became pregnant. Three months later, just after Christmas, I left for Thailand. Before I left I delivered Deborah to her parents’ house on Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota where her father was stationed. I left North Dakota a day or two after Christmas. I flew to California where I stayed at Travis AFB for a day or two to wait on a military contract flight. I then flew from California, through Alaska (a few hour stop-over), on to Guam, and then to Clark Air Base in the Philippines. I stayed at Clark for another couple of days and then flew on a C-141 Starlifter to Siagon, Viet Nam. We let some troops off and unloaded some cargo and then continued on our flight. Those of us who weren’t being stationed in Viet Nam were not allowed off the airplane so I was never truly “on the ground” in Viet Nam. We then flew to Takli Air Base, Thailand, and then on to Korat.
I arrived in Thailand on New Years Eve, 1972. It was a tradition to have the years of your service in Thailand sewn into the back headband of your military hat while in the country. As I had arrived on the last day of 1972 I could honestly put 1972-1973 on my hat.
My first permanent duty assignment after Tech School was Craig Air Force Base in Selma, Alabama. Getting the news that a boy like me from the North would be stationed in the Heart of Dixie was quite a shock. Frankly, I was a bit nervous about it. I remembered very well the scenes from television just a few years before of the race problems in Selma. I remembered seeing Alabama State Police on horseback beating Civil Rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus bridge that crossed the Alabama River at the main street of Selma.
There was one black guy that I’d gone through Basic Training and Tech School with. His name was Eugene Hardy. He was from somewhere in New Jersey. We both got assignments to Selma. I think he was even more nervous about the assignment to the Deep South than I was. As it turned out, it wasn’t a problem for either of us. Eugene was a big, handsome guy and the sweet Southern girls really went for him.
I traveled from Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas, to Selma on a Trailways bus. It took over twenty four hours to make the trip. It was a terrible bus trip. I didn’t have much money with me. We stopped for several hours in Shreveport, Louisana, in the middle of the night. I was very hungry. I asked someone about a place to eat and was told there was a Krystal hamburger place just a block or so away. I’d never of heard of this chain but set out to find it and get some food. When I got there and saw the menu posted up on the wall I was excited. Hamburgers were just ten cents and a bowl of chili was only a quarter! I excitedly ordered a hamburger and a bowl of chili. Boy, was I surprised when I saw that the hamburger was only about two inches square and the meat patty was only as thick as a piece of cardboard from a packing box. The bowl of chili was about the size of a regular cup of coffee. I soon figured out that Krystal was famous for their food. It tasted good so I ordered several more hamburgers and another bowl of chili.
After I ate I got back on the bus for the second half of the trip. We arrived in Selma mid-morning the next day. I called the base for a ride from the bus station to the base. I’d arrived at my new home for the next almost three years.
I was transferred from Basic Training to Aircraft Maintenance Technical (Tech) School at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX., in December 1969. I traveled by bus from San Antonio to Wichita Falls.
When we filled out paperwork to request a career field at Basic Training, I applied for Missile Maintenance. I thought missiles and rockets were the field to be in for the future. Also, I thought I’d get assigned somewhere up North as a missile maintenance guy. I wanted to be near Pennsylvania because that was where my girlfriend, Kathy Bozman, was. I was very disappointed when I was given aircraft maintenance. I knew I’d do well in any maintenance field because of my experience working on cars. Once I got the assignment to aircraft maintenance I resigned myself to it and put my heart into learning all I could.
Knowing God by the things He made
(Spiritual explanation)
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…”
Romans 1:20a
This verse from Romans is set in the context of ungodly and unrighteous men having no excuse not to know God. This famous section of Scripture is often used to point out the sins of others, especially unnatural sexual acts, but among other sins it also includes the sin of disobeying parents (Rom. 1: 24-31). When we remember Romans 3:23, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of god…” we should realize that Romans 1:18-32 applies to all of us!
In the Greek the word “attributes” in verse 20 is added to help us understand what Paul is talking about. The Greek word “aoratos” is translated as “invisible attributes” or “invisible qualities” or “invisible things” in different translations. The point is that the invisible nature of God is clearly seen and understood by everything He made. God told Moses that no one could see His face and live (Exod. 33:19-23). We will never be able to see the face of God in this physical life. However, Romans 1:20 assures us that we can see and understand the invisible nature of God by looking at all of His wonderful creation. So if we want to see the nature/attributes/qualities/things of God, we only have to look around us.
This is really good news for us because by seeing the nature of God we can begin to know Him and when we know Him and choose to be one with Him we have the promise of eternal life with Him.
Knowing God by the things He made
(Physical explanation)
A man explains to his family how we can know God by the things He made.
Husband: I’m constantly amazed by how much our God loves us.
Wife: What do you mean?
Husband: Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God and the Son He sent (John 17:3). God shows us how much He loves us by giving us all of His wonderful creation in order to know Him.
Wife: But how can we know God by just looking at the things He made?
Husband: First of all, because we can see the creation around us we can believe there is a Creator. And, because everything we see in creation has a design behind it we can believe there is a Designer.
Wife: OK, I’ve heard those cute sayings before but what did you mean when you said we can KNOW God by looking at the things He made?
Husband: Many of the religious leaders and teachers of the world would like us to believe that we have to go to them to learn about the existence of God and His will for us. They will point to the Bible and insist that we can only know God from what was written in the Bible and then only when they explain it to us. I don’t buy that line because that’s clearly not what Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome. At the beginning of his letter to the Roman church Paul told them that no one could make the excuse that he didn’t know God because everything that can be known about God is clearly visible in His creation (Romans 1:18-20).
Wife: So when we see flowers and trees and birds and animals we can know about God? How does seeing these things help us know God and get closer to having eternal life with Him?
Husband: Yes, everything in creation helps us know about God. Looking at plants and animals helps us to know there is a Creator who can create wonderful things. Also, when we see the life cycle of plants and animals we see the physical representation of spiritual things. Just as there is birth and life and death and continuing generations among the living things, so there is in the spiritual realm.
Wife: Is it just with physical things that we can know God? How about things such as family, relationships, church groups, and the like, can these things help us know God and have eternal life?
Husband: Indeed! In fact Paul is very specific about how physical marriage helps us understand the relationship between Christ and the church in Ephesians 5, starting in verse 21.
And this is eternal life…
(Spiritual explanation)
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3 NKJV
Have you ever considered the definition of eternal life? On the same night He was arrested, at the beginning of His great prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus gave the definition. He said that eternal life is to know God and Jesus.
There are two realms of existence: the physical and the spiritual. We and everything in this world are of the physical realm. God, His kingdom, the angels, and His Son are in the spirit realm. There has always been a tension between these two realms. While we live in the physical realm God wants us to pursue knowledge of Him in order to live forever with Him in the spirit realm.
God loves us so much that He doesn’t leave us to have to guess about Him. In Romans 1:19, 20, the Apostle Paul explains it this way, “…what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…” In other words, God gives us everything in this physical world so we can know Him and spend eternity with Him in the spirit world.
The question we need to ask is, “What does it mean to know God and Jesus in order to have eternal life?” Is it enough to have knowledge about God and Jesus in order to have eternal life or is there another kind of knowledge?
Knowledge can be of two kinds. There is physical knowledge that helps us know about the world around us. We know steel is hard and cold and we know little puppies are soft and warm. We can feel, smell, taste, touch and listen to gain knowledge of most things in the physical world. Some physical things are more difficult to know about and require research and experimentation. Scientists continue to experiment and explore in order to know more about this physical realm. There is spiritual knowledge of God that leads to eternal life. Things in the spirit realm are also difficult to know about. There is much confusing information coming from the religious world today. Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on the teachings of any contemporary man or religious system to know about God or to know God. God has given us life and everything in this physical realm so we can see and know Him, if only we have the will and the eyes to do so.
And this is eternal life…
(Physical explanation)
A man explains to his family how we can have eternal life by knowing God and Jesus.
Child: Dad, what is eternal life?
Dad: Most people understand eternal life to be living together with God forever.
Child: But I know everyone dies when he gets old or when he gets sick or when he has a bad accident. How is it possible for anyone to live forever?
Dad: We believe there are two kinds of living. Right now we live in the physical kind of living. When we die, the way you talked about, we believe it is possible to live forever in a place that isn’t physical but spiritual.
Child: Do you mean in a place with ghosts and goblins?
Dad: Well, not exactly. The Bible tells us a little about this place. We know we will be aware of where we are and of others around us. We know God and Jesus will be there. We know everyone who put his or her faith in God and Jesus while in this physical life will also be there in the spirit life with God and Jesus forever. There will be no hate and no war and no pain with God. Everyone who lives with God and Jesus in eternity will be forever happy and will want to thank Them for everything They did to make eternal life possible.
Child: You mean no more homework, no more bullies, and no more bad things happening like we see on the TV news every day?
Dad: Yup, that’s what I mean.
Wife: Honey, eternal life is certainly something we want our whole family to have. How can we help our children live their lives in this physical life so they can be with us for eternity with God?
Husband: Well, the Bible tells us that eternal life, or rather the way to have eternal life, is to know God and the Son He sent. Because God is Love, He made it as easy as possible for us, His physical creation and His children, to know Him so we can live with Him forever. He made this physical world and everything and everyone in it so as we live our lives day-to-day we can see Him and His love in all His creation. It might help you to understand what I mean if you remember this: God gives us everything in this physical realm to help us understand and know everything in the spiritual realm—and especially to know Him.
Wife: So if we see God, or the handiwork of God, in everything and everyone He made then we’ll know about Him and that will give us eternal life?
Husband: That is only part of what it means to know God to have eternal life. The knowing of God that leads to eternal life is really more than just a knowledge of Him and what He’s done, it’s a knowing of Him that is spiritually intimate—a knowing that makes us one with Him. When we have spiritual oneness with God we will have eternal life with Him. This physical creation helps us know about God so we will want to pursue the deep, intimate spiritual knowing of Him that will give us the eternal life we all want.
October 10th, 1969, was a very big day in my life. It was the day I took my first airplane ride. It was the day I was finally free of the problems at home. It was the day I joined the Air Force.
I was sworn-in, along with a group of other young people, at the Pittsburgh Military Recruiting Center. We went in a bus to the Pittsburgh International Airport and got on the plane. I remember sitting in the rear of the airplane, on the right side, by the window. I had a clear view of the clouds and ground.
I was dating Kathleen (Kathy) Bozman at this time. I remember writing a letter to her while I was on that first airplane flight. I was awe-inspired to be able to look out the window of the plane and see the tops of the clouds. I remember describing them to her. I told her they were so white and fluffy. It looked like I was looking down on a vast field of fluffy cotton.
We got to San Antonio Airport late in the evening and to Lackland Air Force Base well after dark. The Military Training Instructor (known to all basic trainees at “The T.I.”) came onto our bus as soon as we stopped on the base. He began screaming at us immediately. None of us knew what to expect so we just grabbed our bags and ran out of the bus. He told us to “form up” in a line with our suitcases in front of us. We all tried to look military but we were just a bunch of scared young men in civilian clothes standing in the dark and being yelled at. The T.I. went up and down the line and yelled at anyone who hadn’t placed his suitcase directly in front of himself. Welcome to basic training!
Our bus had stopped in front of a chow hall (that’s a place to eat for those of you who were never in the military). The T.I. told us to go inside, get a tray, go through the line, tell the chow hall workers what we wanted, and then sit down and eat. He told us we had twenty minutes. I was near the end of the line. The food actually looked good and I took quite a bit. About two minutes after I sat down and started to eat the T.I. began yelling for us to quickly get back on the bus. He was standing near me so I told him I hadn’t had time to eat. He said that was too bad and that I had to get back on the bus. I told him I thought we had twenty minutes to eat. He yelled that the whole group had only twenty minutes to eat and that I’d better get my ……. er…ah….self back on the bus. I did.
I had been working at Sheets Gas Station on Marion Hill (between New Brighton and Allendale) since I was a sophomore. When I graduated I applied for and got a job at the Sears Automotive Center in the Northern Lights Shopping Center in Baden. I was hired to install new tires and to repair flats. I had learned how to do this very well at Sheets’ so I had no learning curve.
I was always a hard worker so the bosses were pleased with my work. I worked in the tire department for a month or so and I was making pretty good money—about $100 a week—which was really good for a manual labor job for a boy right out of high school in those days. One day the new boss (he had been one of the top mechanics and was promoted to service manager) called me over to one of the maintenance stalls. He said one of the head mechanics had an accident the day before and wouldn’t be able to work for a month or more. He pointed to a one or two year old Ford and to a stack of boxes in front of the car. He said, “That’s an air conditioner. Install it in that Ford.” In those days most cars didn’t have air conditioning and it wasn’t even an option from the factory on most models. He said he’d watched me work and he knew I was a quick learner. He told me to read all the instructions and then start installing everything. He told me he or another mechanic would advise me if I needed help. By the end of the day I had the air conditioner installed and working.
For the rest of the summer I either installed air conditioners or did other types of repairs on cars, such as installing exhaust systems, changing shock absorbers, replacing brakes, or replacing starters and generators/alternators. I was learning a lot about auto mechanics and I enjoyed the job and the money. I learned lots about tools and auto maintenance/repair during this time.
Near the end of the summer people stopped buying air conditioners so I continued to do other maintenance or I changed tires. Then they told me business was slowing down so I’d have to go to part time if I wanted to stay. Going to part time, as well as some issues at home, convinced me to look for something else to do with the rest of my life.
I attended NBHS from 1966 to 1969.
The class of ‘69 has a website at: www://www.newbrightonhigh1969.org.
Thanks to Rick Francona for making and maintaining the site.
Older Posts »
Recent Comments