Due to a shoulder injury I have not flown since November. I hope to be back in the air soon, but absence from the cockpit does not inspire much to write about. So, I thought I would share with you an article I wrote that was published in the Military History Journal of South Africa a few years back. But first, here's how I came up with the idea.
I was standing at a campfire beside my pastor, who was from South Africa. "Did you know my grandfather flew in World War I?" he asked. I didn't. His next question: "Would you like to read his letters to my uncle?" Of course I did, and when I finished I asked him if they had ever been published. He said no, and gave his permission to publish. How often do you get a chance to publish original history, never before revealed to the world? I was ecstatic. Here is the result. I apologize that it's long and that it is a series of jpeg images. Blogspot will not import pdf files. Enjoy.
Thank you for sharing this. To read the words of someone who nearly 100 years ago was flying machines made of fabric and balsa to save a country was very touching.
ReplyDeleteHope your shoulder is getting better. Do those wall climbs and find a tappers cane to do the side to sides!
Happy New Year!
It's most refreshing to read of a time when it was second nature to consider freedom and the fight against tyranny a higher good than life itself. Hope lots of folks read this.
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent piece of history!
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