Something new at the Sidney Air Fair...

Although I can say I have already checked off riding in a hot air balloon (Pam and I did that for an anniversary present one year), I have never been part of a balloon crew before -- at least not until this past weekend. Now, I can officially cross that off my bucket list. It was pretty cool.

The weekend started off Friday night when we got to take a ride. I have to say, it was pretty smooth and very scenic. Our pilot, Rubin, said that he could have a new pilot ready to be tested in 10 hours of flying instruction. It takes a minimum of 40 hours of instruction in a fixed wing plane just to get signed off to take your solo test and then get your check ride. They still have to do pretty much the same safety stuff we do in terms of 100-hour inspections and annuals, etc.

After we returned to the airport, we set the balloons up again and they had what they call a "glow." Those are really cool -- these huge things all aglow with the propane burners shooting out flames and roaring away. Unfortunately my little camera isn't up to the task of capturing this very well for you.

But having seen a number of these, I can see why the old farmers in the earliest days of hot air flight thought they were horrible demonic things with devils flying them. In those days the farmers used to come out after the crew with pitchforks when they would land. Thankfully now they only come out in their tractor or golf cart with the wife and kids to see this way cool site.

As we were floating over near the interstate highway, we got close enough to the "Lost Corn Maze" to see what their design was this year. Ironically enough, it was a hot air balloon. Who would have thought.

My niece, Meredith, is a hot air balloon pilot and she had her "envelope" (that's the fancy name those pilots call their balloon.) there, but hers is a small one so she was only able to take her mom on the Friday night flight. But that's a good thing, cause her mom has never been flying with her in all the years Meredith has been doing this. Good for you, Carol.

As we were floating along, seeming to stand completely still while the earth moved below us, I remembered an old aviation joke which I just now converted to hot air ballooning.

A man flying in a hot air balloon suddenly realizes he’s lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts to get directions, “Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?”

The man below says: “Yes, you’re in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field.”

“You must work in Information Technology,” says the balloonist.

“I do” replies the man. “How did you know?”

“Well,” says the balloonist, “everything you have told me is technically correct, but It’s of no use to anyone.” The man below replies, “You must work in management.”

“I do” replies the balloonist, “But how’d you know?”

“Well”, says the man, “you don’t know where you are, or where you’re going, you expect me to be able to help. You’re in the same position you were before we met, but now it’s my fault.”

Hooah

HAMming it up at the State Park...

A relatively new contest for HAM radio clubs is the "Ohio State Parks on the Air." It is a contest of sorts where the amateur radio clubs throughout the state set up operations for a 12-hour period at one of the state parks in Ohio and operate their equipment. Although contacts are not limited to just operators in these parks and are likely to come from HAMs throughout the country, the objective is to make a contact with someone in each of the parks. This is sometimes more difficult than it sounds because the locations from which the HAMs have to operate in these parks are often down in valleys, or in areas where radio wave propagation might be hampered by forests, hills, etc.

In our case, the Shelby County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (S.C.A.R.E.S.) has some pretty nice equipment and the park where we set up operations (Lake Loramie, Ft. Loramie, OH) is a very nice and really pretty flat. Everyone has a heck of a time with cell phones over there, but it works out well for us. This picture shows one of the two mobile units we have. This unit also serves as a Shelby County EMA mobile command post in the event of a disaster which affects wide-scale communications.

The contest is actually a pretty cool way for us to talk with other HAMs in Ohio. A side benefit is that we usually draw a lot of curious on-lookers. These mobile communications sites are pretty impressive looking, and whenever people come wandering by to check us out, we give them a tour of the facility and explain our mission and how we support Shelby County. The units are capable of operating as stand-alone sites with the ability to communicate locally, long distances, around the world and via satellite.

Anyway, on the contest day, we were able to make contacts with 10 parks. After having said all that about our capabilities, you might think that this is a small number, and it probably is. The fly in the ointment was that it rained most of the day, and a lot of the HAMs didn't want to run antennas outdoors and get soaked, so some of them were operating on very low power with low range on their antennas. The weather also affected us in that we closed up operations at 3:00 p.m. I think the Ohio State Game had an impact on the willingness of a lot of the guys at various sites to tough it out the rest of the day.

Anyway, it was fun, and I got the chance to work the 80-meter band some. My antenna at home isn't set up for that band. I also cooked the hot dogs and brats on the grill that we ate for lunch. No sense in wasting a day at the park. While I was cooking, Grant (N8KZL) and Joe (KC6NLX) took a turn at calling and logging.

S.C.A.R.E.S. is a pretty active club in terms of Amateur Radio services. The very next day, we worked with the Sidney/Shelby County Applefest Parade committee and made sure all units in the parade were present and in place prior to the start of the show. There were probably a dozen members there who were able to maintain communications with the command unit and the parade officials.

For a retired guy, this is a pretty cool hobby. I sometimes sit up in my "shack" and just spin the tuner dial, day or night, wondering where in the world I'll end up. It's kinda like that Forrest Gump line -- it's kinda like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you're going to get.

Some experiences weave burlap into the fabric of our lives, and some weave gold thread; but both contribute to make the whole picture beautiful and unique.

Hooah

Healing Fields Talk from 9/2/10...

Last week, I was asked to be the Keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the Healing Fields. I know this might be a bit long in blog format, but I hope you'll read it and think about someone who is a Veteran who is a hero to you. Try to capture the reasons why this person might be a hero to you and then, tell him or her.

Also, don't be afraid to show your pride in being a veteran. I suggest some easy ways to do just that in this talk. Enjoy.

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YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS ORIGINALLY ASKED TO BE HERE FOR THIS OPENING CEREMONY, I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS GOING TO BE INTRODUCED BY JIM HALL, WHOM I HAVE COME TO KNOW THRU THE WWII/KOREAN WAR VETS TO DC WORK WE DO. HE’S ON THAT COMMITTEE WITH ME AND ON OUR LAST TRIP, JIM WAS DOING THE MAIL CALL. WELL AFTERWARDS, WHILE HE HAD THE MICROPHONE, HE MENTIONED TO THE VETS THAT I WAS AN “FBC.” AFTER HE SAID THAT, HE LOOKED AT ME WITH THAT BIG, INFECTIOUS GRIN HE ALWAYS HAS AND NOTICED A STRANGE LOOK ON MY FACE AND HE WAS PUZZLED. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAVE BEEN IN THE ARMY FOR A LONG TIME AND GENERALLY SPEAKING, ANYTIME SOMEONE REFERS TO AN OFFICER WITH AN ACRONYM CONTAINING AN “F” IN IT, THAT USUALLY ISN’T SOMETHING GOOD. ALL OF YOU VETS KNOW ABOUT A “FUBAR” OR A “FNG.”

SO RICH ….. THANKS FOR BEING SO KIND IN YOUR REMARKS.

SO HERE WE ARE, THIS EVENING, KICKING OFF A TRIBUTE TO AMERICANS WHO HAVE SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN SOME CAPACITY OR ANOTHER DURING THEIR LIFE. THESE NEXT 10 DAYS ARE MEANT TO BE A TIME OF HEALING, RECOGNIZING HEROES, AND GIVING THANKS. I KNOW THIS IS A MULTI-FACETED CELEBRATION, BUT MY PERSPECTIVE IS FROM A MILITARY POINT OF VIEW.

I KNOW WE CERTAINLY HAVE MANY, MANY THINGS FOR WHICH TO BE THANKFUL, ONE OF WHICH IS THAT GOD CREATED US TO SEE THINGS IN COLOR SO WE CAN LOOK AROUND AND SEE THE BRILLIANCE OF THIS FIELD OF HONOR …. THE BEAUTY OF HIS CREATION HIGHLIGHTED AGAINST THE STRIKING CONTRAST OF THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE.

I AM CURIOUS. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE HBO SERIES, “BAND OF BROTHERS.” IF YOU DID, YOU MAY REMEMBER ONE OF THE CLOSING SCENES WHERE DICK WINTERS WAS RECALLING SOME OF HIS MEMORIES AND HE SAID HIS GRANDSON ONCE ASKED HIM IF HE WAS A HERO. HE SAID, “NO, BUT HE SERVED IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES.”

WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE A COMPANY OF HEROES LOOKS LIKE? I SUSPECT THAT IT ISN’T MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE COLLECTION OF VETERANS I SEE BEFORE ME.

SOMETHING I HAVE LEARNED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS WORKING WITH VETS FROM WWII AND KOREA AS WE TAKE THEM TO WASHINGTON TO SEE THEIR MEMORIALS … THEY TOO NEVER REFER TO THEMSELVES AS HEROES … MOST OF THE TIME, ACCORDING TO THEM, THEY WERE JUST DOING THEIR JOB, OR THEY WERE JUST THERE. IN FACT, THEY’RE OFTEN A BIT EMBARRASSED TO HEAR THIS KIND OF TALK. THEY NEVER CALL ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES AND DON’T ASK FOR A LOT FROM OTHER PEOPLE, EXCEPT MAYBE FOR SOME RESPECT, AND SOMEONE TO LISTEN TO THEM ONCE IN A WHILE.

I THINK THE REASON THESE GUYS AND GALS OFTEN FEEL THIS WAY IS BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HEROIC DEEDS AND HEROES.

· HEROIC DEEDS ARE THE THINGS LEGENDS ARE MADE OF …

HEROES ARE THINGS STRONG FAMILIES AND SOLID COMMUNITIES ARE MADE OF.

· HEROIC DEEDS ARE RECOGNIZED WITH RIBBONS AND MEDALS…

HEROES ARE RECOGNIZED BY SONS AND GRANDSONS … BY DAUGHTERS AND

GRANDDAUGHTERS..

YOU KNOW, YOU SURE DO GET SOME GOOD INSIGHTS INTO THE PAST WHEN YOU TALK TO THE VETS ON THESE TRIPS. ONE OF THE KOREAN WAR VETS ON ONE OF OUR RECENT TRIPS TOLD ME THAT HE WENT OFF TO KOREA AND FOUGHT THERE FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS. HE CAME HOME AND GOT OUT-PROCESSED ON A WEDNESDAY AND WENT BACK TO WORK THE FOLLOWING WEEK. WHEN HE WENT THAT FIRST DAY, HIS FRIENDS AND CO-WORKERS SAID THEY HADN’T SEEN HIM FOR A WHILE AND WONDERED WHERE HE’D BEEN AND WHAT HE HAD BEEN UP TO. APPARENTLY THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HE HAD BEEN GONE OR THAT HE HAD BEEN IN A WAR FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS. THIS MAN TOLD ME HE THEN PROCEEDED TO WORK FOR THAT COMPANY FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS AND THEN RETIRED. HE THEN SAID TO ME: “PRETTY BORING STUFF, HUH.”

I SUSPECT HIS STORY IS TYPICAL OF A LOT OF VETERANS, FROM WWII TO TODAY. IT’S PROBABLY TYPICAL OF A LOT OF YOU IN THIS AUDIENCE TONIGHT.

HAVING SAID THAT, THOUGH, I THINK IT’S TIME THAT THE SENSE OF PATRIOTISM AND HONOR YOU MIGHT FEEL OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS IS TAKEN FROM THIS FIELD OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. I THINK PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE PRIDE YOU HAVE FOR HAVING SERVED … THE PRIDE YOU FEEL FOR BEING A PART OF THAT COMPANY OF HEROES. THE QUESTION IS THOUGH – WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS.

WELL, A LITTLE OVER THREE YEARS AGO, THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PUT OUT A DIRECTIVE THAT WAS SIGNED BY THE PRESIDENT THAT AUTHORIZED AND HIGHLY ENCOURAGED ALL VETERANS TO RECOGNIZE THE FLAG BY RENDERING A HAND SALUTE DURING THE PLAYING OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, OR WHENEVER SUCH ACTION IS APPROPRIATE -- SUCH AS WHEN A FLAG PASSES IN A PARADE.

THE DIRECTIVE ALSO PROVIDES FOR SALUTING DURING TAPS, REVEILLE, AND RETREAT. I THINK THE PEOPLE OF OUR COMMUNITIES WANT TO SEE IT AND NEED TO SEE US SHOWING OUR PRIDE AND OUR PATRIOTISM, ---

AND A VERY SIMPLE WAY TO START IS BY STANDING THIS FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE THE GAME WHEN THE BAND PLAYS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AND SALUTING THE FLAG. NOT A HAND OVER YOUR HEART – A SALUTE YOUR DRILL SERGEANT WOULD BE PROUD OF.

NO ONE IS GOING TO CALL YOU TO ATTENTION AND GIVE YOU AN ORDER --– YOU’LL HAVE TO DO IT ON YOUR OWN.

IF YOU DON’T --- IF YOU JUST STAND THERE AND DON’T DO IT-- -- WELL ----- YOU JUST DON’T , AND NO ONE WILL KNOW ANY DIFFERENT. THEY WON’T KNOW YOU WERE A VET.

BUT IF YOU DO -----------YOU’LL STAND OUT --- YOU’LL BE DIFFERENT FROM MOST OF THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU --- AT LEAST AT FIRST. UNTIL THE REST OF YOUR BROTHERS RECOGNIZE WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND JOIN YOU IN DOING WHAT HEROES HAVE ALWAYS DONE.

IT MAY NOT CATCH ON AT FIRST, AND YOU MIGHT FEEL A BIT AWKWARD OR EVEN EMBARRASSED – KINDA LIKE THOSE WWII AND KOREAN WAR VETS FEEL WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THEM AS BEING HEROES. BUT EVENTUALLY PEOPLE WILL TAKE NOTICE AND EVENTUALLY THEY’LL GET IT.

WELL IT HAS INDEED BEEN AN HONOR TO HAVE STOOD WITH YOU IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES TONIGHT. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CELEBRATION OF PATRIOTISM OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS …… AND I HOPE YOU REMEMBER THE TWO TAKE-AWAYS FROM TONIGHT’S TALK:

1. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A PERSON WHO HAS DONE HEROIC DEEDS TO BE A HERO --- TO SOMEONE, AND

2. YOUR COUNTRY HUNGERS FOR YOU TO SHOW YOUR PRIDE AND PATRIOTISM AND TAKE YOUR PLACE IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES.

AND REMEMBER …… TO THOSE WHO COUNT ………… YOU WILL BE RECOGNIZED AS A HERO BY YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR LIFE, NEITHER OF WHICH HAS TO BE HEROIC.

HOOAH

Field of Flags...

This past 10 days has been pretty special for a lot of veterans in the Shelby County area. The Shelby County Historical Society teamed up with some veterans organizations and put on a "Healing Fields" display. The common name for it is the Field of Flags, but it also included displays at the Historical Society which featured artifacts and displays from local Viet Nam War veterans, one of the traveling Viet Nam Wall displays, several memorial displays which included the names of service members killed in the various conflicts and wars since September 11.


The public was treated to a fantastic show on the opening day as somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 motorcycles escorted the "Wall" from the town of Wapakoneta to Sidney, a distance of about 30 miles. It was reported that the semi containing the "Wall" and the first motorcycles were in Sidney and there were still motorcycles waiting to leave at Wapak. The bikers rode two abreast -- what a sight...what a sound. Naturally, people lined the route and waived their flags.


Historical Society members sold American Flags to the public who could purchase one to commemorate the life of a loved one in the service, present or past. The intent was also to honor firemen, EMTs, policemen, and any other kind of first responder who might have been killed in the line of duty. Their original intent was to just break even at around 600 flags. However, they did real well and sold right around 1,200 of those Star Spangled Banners. It was a pretty inspiring and humbling sight.

Pam and I purchased a flag in memory of my dad, a Tech Sergeant in the Army (Artillery) during the Second World War. He and I talked some about his experiences in the War but I wish I had learned more from him. He had some pretty interesting stories about his unit's participation in the Normandy Invasion and how his battery supported the landings from on board a ship.

We also purchased a flag in memory of a friend, SPC Damon Winkleman, a medic who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. SPC Winkleman's dad and I served together off and on for about 20 years. He is one of the best friends I have. He too has spent a LONG time in the Army, and will soon retire.

The concept of a healing field is pretty special, especially in Shelby County. This area is so supportive of our Veterans. I hope these feelings are not lost in the future, because I don't think this will be the last call for our soldiers.

They (the veterans) changed the world ... They made the world a better place today. ... Make sure to tell others who they were. (Anon)

Hooah