Tuesday, November 11, 2008

To the 'Fly Boys'..."

...and the soldiers, the sailors, the Coast Guard, and the Marines

(My dad's flight notes above...the plane he flew below)

of generations past... ...and generations present.
You are honored here today, this Veterans Day 2008,

for your bravery and selflessness.

And, you are thanked...for all you have done...and continue to do.

May your have peace in your hearts

and

know that your efforts make a difference in our lives.

God bless!

Daily...over our home in Surprise, Arizona
we see the young F-16 pilots based at Luke Air Force Base, just south of us,
winging their way through the dry desert air, piercing the sky
through sunlight and clouds,
honing their skills and making themselves combat "ready"
for eventual deployment to areas of crisis and conflict world wide.
Every time they fly over we look skyward, take a gulp, and feel so proud of them.
There is certain power and beauty
in the flawless precision of their formations
and aerobatic maneuvers.
Yet,
my wish for them is for a future world
where their skills are no longer needed for war.

My drawing today honors the "Beauty of Flight"
and
celebrates the 50th year anniversary of the design of the peace sign
by
Gary Holtom...February 21, 1958

"If we are to reach real peace in the world, we shall have to begin
with the children."
~Gandhi

"My soul is in the sky." ~William Shakespeare


B/W PHOTO CREDIT: NATS
COLOR PHOTO CREDITS: USAF

14 comments:

Teri said...

Margaret, this is such a powerful, wonderful post! I am married to a former Marine.

We also have the flyboys over us from Davis-Monthan AFB.

Your Dad's notes and photo are just awesome!!!

Julie said...

What a beautiful post, Margaret! There really is an amazing feeling of awe that comes over you when those fighter jets go overhead! Here's to PEACE!!!!! Your Dad was a pilot, and my Dad was an airplane mechanic in the AF! God bless all of the past, and present veterans!

Jacky said...

Beautiful post Margaret. We celebrated "Rememberance Day" here in Australia today...

It was lovely to read such a beautiful post commemorating this day.

Laura Frankstone said...

How eloquent and moving. My father was a pilot in WWII. Your post makes me think of him in the cockpit, in his Air Force blue uniform, surrounded by blue sky, his own blue eyes striking the third, triumphant blue note----thanks for giving him to me today.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I agree with everyone about how moving this post is Margaret. All we are saying...is give peace a chance. Beautiful drawing too.

Anita Davies said...

I expect nothing less than deep, heartfelt emotion from someone as caring as you on a day such as today Margaret and I wasn't disappointed.
Beautiful post!

Leslie said...

This is jut wonderful, Margaret!!! What a tribute to the wonderful pilots- the photos are fantastic and the painting is, too!

Timaree said...

You had lots of pictures to share. That's great. I only had a couple so I told about the wars my family has been in. Not a pretty picture for sure! You can see my version here.

Serena Lewis said...

A beautiful and touching tribute, Margaret.

Anonymous said...

very cool - you ,make us proud as well - love, l.sis

Paula Villanova said...

Such a beautiful and timely post and beautiful photos. A wonderful tribute to the people in our military past and present.

Margaret Ann said...

Thanks everyone for your touching comments...I sit and read them with tears in my eyes and a smile in my heart. Bless each of you!

Chris said...

Thanks for posting these photos of your dad's. A great Veteran's Day remembrance.

Anonymous said...

we love our papa - he is the best and makes really good steak too! love, your granddaughters joya hope and jillian hope (7 years old:):))