Dad
My dad’s a great guy. His accomplishments are many. Listing them off is kind of intimidating, because apparently I did not get all of his genes in the pursuit-of-excellence category. Dude grew up on a farm in Kansas, so he learned the ethic of hard work and perseverance. He dreamed of flying from a young age and went into the Air Force via the ROTC program at Kansas State University. He got high grades in Mechanical Engineering, which I know is hard to do.
I tried to follow his footsteps to some degree in my first two years of college, when I pursued a degree in Aerospace Engineering. I can’t imagine working in that field now, because I got poor grades and needed to choose something else.
When he joined the Air Force, he made it as a test pilot. But he didn’t just fly and test some of the coolest and fastest new jets around, he got perfect scores on bombing tests and other skill tests that these pilots go through. I cannot imagine the pressure and talent that these results would require. Wow. Then, of course, there was combat missions in fighter jets and lower-to-the-ground planes like the twin propeller OV-10. Can you imagine coordinating air-to-ground support and having your cockpit and canopy sheild right in the front of the plane and having to fly at low enough altitudes to be shot at? Takes courage, skill and probably a little luck and divine intervention.
As a follower of Christ (a decision he made later in life, at age 35, which bucks the trend in repentance) he applied his mind and effort to learning the Scriptures. He’s a good teacher and often teaches a Sunday School class at his local church. As a retired man he learned to draw and regularly composes super accurate depictions that are impressive. The guy is amazing. I consider myself very blessed to have lived with him and being raised by him. If I’m half the man he is then I will be a blessing to those that know me.
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