Posted on 05/19/2005 10:16:55 PM PDT by AZHua87
5/19/2005 - FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFPN) -- Five numbers painted on the tail of a local parade’s float will pass by thousands of people, and they may not see what is between them.
A string of numbers can represent anything from how much money someone has in his or her bank account, to phone numbers or even ZIP codes.
71424 represents the life and love of a father.
Capt. Richard Doughty originally flew B-36 Peacemakers before becoming a navigator on KC-135 Stratotankers at Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas, in the late 1960s.
In May 1966 he had many things going for him: a loving wife, two sons and a young daughter. He had just returned from a deployment in Southeast Asia where he and the crew of his KC-135 received Air Medals for their efforts. He was also going to be promoted to major soon.
On May 16, 1966, in aircraft 71424, it all ended in a heartbeat
“I remember (a colonel) telling me what happened,” said Michael Doughty, one of the captains sons. “He told me that he was sitting on the taxiway waiting for a few B-52 (Stratofortresses) to take off and for Captain Doughty’s plane to land. When it touched down, its left wingtip hit the ground.
“I still remember the next day when Mom brought us all together and asked us if we heard the noise the previous night,” he said. “I was only 9 when I lost my dad.”
(Excerpt) Read more at af.mil ...
Thanks for the ping!
Good post!
God bless our men and women who serve in the military, and the loved ones of those who pay the ultimate price for our freedom!
*sniff*
Thanks.
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