we all remember the draft of vietnam. i wanted to be proactive and have some control of the rudder that would steer my ship. although vietnam was approaching its height with the b-52 raids of operation arc light and linebacker II, i decided to begin wearing the blue air force uniform on july 4th, 1971, at the USAF academy in colorado. little did i know that those b-52s would break the back of the viet cong in 1972, resulting in the final release of our POWs in 1973. after four years of a college education second to none, i received my BS in math and my commission as a 2nd LT in the regular air force. once i completed one year of intensive jet pilot training in two aircraft, becoming proficient in formation and aerobatics, i received my first active duty assignment in that same b-52 that brought the viet cong to the peace table. in nearly 10 years of active duty service, i flew that beast of a bomber as a copilot, crew commander, instructor and evaluator. i met my wife of 47 years early in those academy days, as she had also enlisted in 1971. our real hero is our son, who is still an 18-year, active-duty first sergeant (E-8) in the USMC. he has spent 3 years of his life in combat, in the sandbox of afghanistan. during his second tour of duty, he was blown up by an IED, sustaining combat wounds and TBI, being awarded the purple heart. we value these warriors of today.

this is just a little note of encouragement on how this classmate recently exercised the fellowship muscle. my wife and i had two planned vacations to phoenix and clearwater beach that were booked well in advance of our ONE-DAY sale of our MN home of 37 years! we scurried for a new place to call home as we relocated to the nashville TN area. before we left for phoenix, we contacted classmate, frank mattucci, and his wife diane, who live within 30 minutes of our vacation resort. as a result of our work on the 50-year reunion committee, frank and i were eager to reunite. on two separate occasions, our wives and the two shamrocks met for great food, wine and fellowship. also, frank, john bovio and i even went a step further to attend the last game of spring training for the san diego padres and the old chicago white sox (i felt as if i was back on the south side). what a fun time! now, fast forward to the two weeks before we actually move into our rental home in nashville and that drive to the white sand beach of clearwater FL. our driving took us through atlanta and macon GA. once again, after working closely with two other classmates on the reunion committee, basil holoyda and gary didier, i couldn't wait to see them. usually, when i am on a mission to drive to a vacation destination, i am not prone to unexpected stops, especially since my wife had never met either classmate. nevertheless, we first gave gary a couple-hour notice to see if he would be available for a late lunch (oops, i forgot the time change, which made him really hungry and waiting). so, gary, my wife and i met for a wonderful sea food lunch and fellowship. a couple hours later, we were back on the road and a couple of hours from macon GA, where dr. basil and his wife pat reside. i left a voicemail, and to my surprise, basil's wife called us back, since basil was still at the clinic. she was so hospitable, and told us to feel free to stop by and spend the night. it was something we never expected, but we took her up on the offer. once again, we had the best time getting to know a total stranger over wine and fellowship. after our week and a half in clearwater, we repeated the same routine on the back side, fine dining with omaha steak tenderloin, grilled asparagus, baked potato and wine. we deepened the foundation of our new relationship, looking forward to the next time we meet, eager to extend the same gesture of friendship and hospitality. i just wanted to share some simple steps in taking this fellowship of 50 years to new heights. the sky is the limit, in which we can do things with and for each other. wouldn't it be even better if those that didn't come to the wonderful reunion, opted in to voluntary communication with other classmates, sparking renewed relationships. join our town hall now.