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Snoopy Flying Ace

Coming in 2010:

As soon as I saw this, I immediately became 5 years old again, spinning this 45:

Speaking of Peanuts, you can now view the last 50 years of the strip for free online.

And you should.

-Otis

For The First Time In 12 Years

Gettysburg

I traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago.  The trip was a gift from my wonderful wife.  After returning from the San Diego Comic-Con I was feeling a bit down.  I didn't have a very good time at the show for various reasons (which is why I didn't write much about the trip this year).  And then after we got back home, I found myself sick as a dog for a week (apparently, I shook the wrong hand somewhere down the line).

I started to feel like I needed a vacation.

Usually, when I need to get away, a simple road trip does the trick.  So Leigh said I should go on one and proceeded to book me a hotel in Gettysburg so that I could spend four days relaxing, writing and seeing the historic Civil War sites (something she knew I had always wanted to do).

I must admit that I spent most of my time relaxing in my hotel room and writing.  It was exactly what I needed.  But I did spend a whole day exploring the town itself, which was amazing.  I highly recommend every American make their way to Gettysburg someday.  The Gettysburg National Military Park preserves many of the battlefields in practically the same state they were in during those three momentous days in 1863.  It was amazing to walk in the same footsteps of the soldiers from the North and the South.  I could really feel the ghosts of history all around me.

Here are some of the photos I took  . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This last photo may not look like much, but it's actually my favorite.  It's the view across the field towards the "Corpse of Trees".  It's the view that a Confederate soldier would have had during Pickett's Charge.  I spent two or three hours just exploring the areas on both sides of this field.  It was an amazing experience.  I'll never forget it.

I'll definitely be going back someday.  I only saw a quarter of the area, at most.  There is so much more to be seen and experienced in Gettysburg.

-Otis

7 Dec 1941

Tuesday Morning

Six years ago today I awoke to the sound of raised voices.  They were coming from the common room in my dorm at Coalition Compound, located on the grounds of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.  I was getting some much needed rest after a long night on mission, but the sound coming from beyond my door was too loud for me to sleep, so I decided to find out why a usually quiet common room was suddenly sounding like a party.  I pulled on my flip-flops and shuffled out the door to see what had ruined my sleep.

I was still rubbing my eyes when I turned the corner and looked at the TV, just as the other 20 or so servicemen and women in the room were doing.  What I saw on the screen didn't immediately register.  It looked like a movie.  Two tall buildings were on fire and billowing smoke was pouring out of gaping holed in their sides.  "The World Trade Center," I thought, now fully awake.

"They got the Pentagon too," said someone next to me to no one in particular.

I immediately knew who "they" were.  I had been briefed on terrorism related threats in my pre-deployment training back at Langley Air Force Base.  I had been given a brief history of the terrorist acts against my country and those who wore the same uniform as me.  I had heard the stories about people from my squadron and their experiences at Khobar Towers.  And I knew the name Bin Laden.

But just like everyone else, I didn't believe that it could happen.  I certainly never considered the possibility that what I was seeing play out on the TV screen in front of me could ever occur.

The world changed in that moment.  And I knew that my life would never be the same.

-Otis

Remembering The Greatest Achievement In Human History - July 20, 1969

The last men to make the trip did so in the year of my birth.  In fact, they were in transit as I was being born.  I'm thrilled to know that we're finally going back and that I may finally experience the joy of seeing a human set foot on another world.

-Otis

D-Day: June 6th, 1944

This is what sacrifice looks like, through the eyes of someone who was there:

Never forget.

If you haven't read Stephen Ambrose's amazing book about the Allied invasion, go HERE to buy it.  Seriously.  Do it now.  After you've read it, there's no way you'll ever forget.  I took this book with me on my flight to Air Force Basic Training in January of 1999 to remind myself that no matter how hard things got for me during those six weeks of boot camp, it would never be anywhere near as bad as they had it on that day back in 1944.  The greatest generation was an inspiration to me then, and they remain that to this very day.

-Otis