Saturday, January 5, 2013

Just Fancy Us

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.



    3 comments:

    1. 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.

      Hope your shoulder is getting better. Do those wall climbs and find a tappers cane to do the side to sides!

      Happy New Year!

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    2. 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.

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    3. What an excellent piece of history!

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