On Veteran's Day, I meet a 22-year member of the Air Force at Abby's; I remember another Air Force Veteran, five years gone
Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 10:52PM ;)
On this Veteran's day evening, I stopped in at Abby's Home Cooking and had a cup of coffee with James Inch, who has put 22 years into the Air Force and still serves. He started out in Pennsylvania, where he was thrilled by A-10 jets and other aircraft he saw perform at military air shows. He wanted to fly, but his eyesight did not meet military standards, yet he had good mechanical skills, decided he would love to work on A-10's and so joined the Air Force.
He has served in Virginia and other places on the East Coast, The United Kingdom, Turkey and Korea - the only place where he worked on A-10's. Now, he works on F-15's and F-22's. In England, he met Martina, the woman he made his wife and they now have two sons, 16 year-old Jacob and Jonathon, 14. Martina works with Abby and has poured many servings of coffee into my brerakfast cup.
Both sons play football and other sports and love to hunt. James loves to hunt with them and to go their football games. Due to the demands of his service, he has not always been able to, but has made certain to do so as often as possible.
Given his long service, James can retire anytime. It is the thought of doing more things with his family that has him thinking seriously about retiring while the boys are still at home. Jacob, his oldest, is Army ROTC and is thinking seriously about enlisting after graduation. Whatever decision his boys make, James says he will support them.
When he does retire, he plans to stay right here, in Alaska - the place his British born wife has fallen in love with and has declared to be "home."
;)
As for the country he has served, "I feel that the United States is probably the best country in the world, it always has been. We are the country that leads the world, whether its a conflict somewhere or whether its the new age, the new technology, the United States is going to be a key player, it's always been a key player. We've got to keep it that way... We just don't settle for average, because average is the best of the worst and the worst of the best. Just like in sports. When it comes down to the fourth quarter and you've got two minutes on the clock and you've got to score, you don't put your second string in, you put your first string in. You play to win. You have to have that mentality to play to win.
"Our military- it's remarkable how far it has come in ten years." The different services coordinate together now in a way they did not back then... We're evolving, we're better every day. It's amazing. I guess the best way to put it is, United States, number 1. US military, Number 1."
Concerning Veteran's Day, "Here in Alaska, it's great," James says. "A lot of people understand what veterans really mean. But I do think there's a lot people in this world have forgotten what lot of people did awhile ago. We're not talking just about Iraq - that's important, too, but I think a lot of people have forgotten about Normandy, World War II, all of World War I." He believes many young people "would have a different perspective on life if they really knew what those guys did."
Just before we walked out the door, Abby gave him a hug. "Happy Veteran's Day," she said.
This is one veteran whose service I will never forget, and who, if I ultimately succeed at the different things I want to do in this life, will make certain his service will be remembered far and wide: my dad, Rex J. Hess, Sr., B-24 Navigator who flew many missions over North Africa and Europe and so helped to bring down Hitler's war machine.
I have mentioned his service before on my earlier blog and have posted these same pictures. I will do so again in the future.
;)
I grew up with this photo my sister Mary Ann showed him as he lay on his death bed in May of 2007. It was taken from his plane and could just as easily been of his plane - in which case this blog would not exist. Every time Dad flew, his life was constantly on the line. Once, a machine gun bullet struck him in the forehead of his flight helmet,spun it backwards on his head, knocked him unconscious and caused his pilot to think he was dead.
;)
It was scorching hot when we buried on a hill not from Salt Lake City. My soul burned with pride.
Reader Comments (4)
Thank you, Bill, for your words and images that honor the best among us who offer their very lives for our liberty -- today, yesterday, and tomorrow. In particular, thank you for sharing James and your dad with us as we remember our veterans and our freedoms.
Thank you Bill!
Thank you for the nice post Bill. I studied your dad's picture and could see a resemblance, but WOW...as I scrolled down I saw the beautiful young lady and thought it was your daughter! - then read it was your sister! She looked just like your Dad laying there. I see Margie in your grandsons, but your daughters look like your sister and Dad! Beautiful! Thank God for flight helmets!
You know, I have that picture of dad hanging in my classroom. My students ask me if it's someone famous. they think it might be Picasso or Bruce Willis. I tell them, "That's my Papa. He hangs there so I cans see him everyday." I also tell them that you took that exquisite portrait with available light, capturing a moment so expressive of who he was. Many of my
students try to draw him.