a celebration of his life and the legacy he carries on.
in 1948 my papa joined the united states army air corps (the air force) and after basic training and rigorous testing it was determined that he had the highest iq of the 105,000 recruits. he was then selected for west point officer training. he knew he would have to break his promise to my granny so my papa refused to sign the documents pledging to remain unmarried for four years. he had given his word to his childhood sweetheart.
at 20, papa became the youngest technical sergeant in the air force. his unit was the first unit to fly combat sorties in viet nam. after he invented a much needed secret device for b-52 radars, he was awarded the air force commendation medal and the entire fleet was modified because of his classified invention.
papa was promoted to full colonel strolled the halls of the pentagon.
he retired in 1980 with over 31 years of service. the secretary of defense awarded him the highest peace time medal that can be given, the department of defense commendation medal. there is only one medal higher in rank and that is the war time, congressional medal of honor.
18 years ago, my papa was diagnosed with the incurable parkinson's disease.
his once paralyzed body, is now made new and the love he had for our Lord is passed on. i have so many memories with this great man and can still smell the fresh cut grass as i sat in his lap as we mowed the lawn. it was hard watching my granny and i cried some. i don't want to know what it's like to lose my best friend. 
we will miss you papa.
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