Seventy Years Later - Honoring the WASPs

They paid for their own pilot licenses, and when they died in the line of duty, for the transport of each other's bodies for burial. The Air Force refused to acknowledge or honor them properly, and forced them from their training positions, rather than let men with junior positions and fewer in-flight hours lose a position. They flew cargo, fighter planes, test planes, and moving gunnery targets. These women were the Women Airforce Service Pilots, and they were finally honored for their service today. Last year, the president signed into law a bill allowing the Congressional Gold Medal to be awarded to the surviving WASPs and the families of those who have died. Today, the women were on Capitol Hill to receive the awards. The WASPs were among the women who paved the way for all other women who have served in the military.

Thank you ladies - for courage, service and patience.

Loving the Iranian Bomb?

With apologies to all of my Air Force friends, only an Air Force officer could have come up with a apologetic for accepting a nuclear Iran (and only the NY Times would have published it). The strangest point in the whole ludicrous article?

'Third, Israel has made clear that it feels threatened by Iran’s nuclear program. The Palestinians also have a reason for concern, because a nuclear strike against Israel would devastate them as well. This shared danger might serve as a catalyst for reconciliation between the two parties, leading to the peace agreement that has eluded the last five presidents. Paradoxically, any final agreement between Israelis and Palestinians would go a long way to undercutting Tehran’s animosity toward Israel, and would ease longstanding tensions in the region.'

There are no easy responses to Iran's nuclear ambitions, but rolling over, or taking a lordosis position, are the worst of them.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is always fraught with emotion for me. I come from long lines of service members, men and women, on both sides of my family. Both my parents served (my father for a career in the US Navy and my mother for a short stint in the US Air Force) as did I and my sister (Air Force and Army (NG, Reserves and Active) respectively). On 9/11, friends of mine helped take down the plane in Pennsylvania, family acquaintances were in the Pentagon, and a close friend was working in the north tower in NY. Since then, over 500 service members that I've worked with, served with or been friends with have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Memorial Day is a true holy day (the origin of our word holiday) for me, and my husband and daughter faithfully attend services each year with me. I hope that this year, it is a holy day for you as well. Freedom is not free.