Top Casualties

The Atlanta Falcons football team surprised me losing to the New England Patriots in the super bowl. We witnessed one of the best comebacks in football history.  Maybe the lesson to be learned is we should never say a “patriot” will lose.

I had the pleasure of touring Hickman Air Force Base in Hawaii last week.  We are a country of true patriots.  I noted the beautiful statues of the Missing Man Formation.  This tradition is an aerial send off performed to honor the memory of one who has died.  It has been carried over not just in the military realm, but has evolved into a tradition  honoring others who have lost their lifes.  One example is in football itself.  In 1999,  four Air Force F-16’s flew for the 12 college students who lost their lives in a tragic Texas fire on campus.

American students today are taught that we entered the WWII due to the Pearl Harbor attack.  Many do not know the full extent of the damage on the Hawaiian Islands.  There are memorials left on the bases and throughout the island where remnants are left for us to not forget that day.  The above such building is a reminder on Hickam.  The above was a hotel built for the servicemen that housed 3200 airmen.  It was the best barracks of its day and is now a national historic landmark.

I am honored to have served our military, but am very cautious in my mindset of keeping peace throughout the world.  It is my understanding since the beginning of 2016 we have lost only 16 military personnel due to being KIA (killed in action).  I hope our numbers remain low as this.  I know the ones losing their lives now are probably the best of the best our military has to offer as we are more in supportive roles across the world especially training those in other countries.  I love my country and I want us safe, but we should not be so stupid to think we are the only people that are great.  Many are great all over the world.  We have beautiful people in every walk of this world.   I hope and pray for the best for our country, but I sure do not want us the laughing stock of the world as we are right now.

 

 

Read ad the above for information you may not know about the damage before the US entered WWII.