Wwii Fighter Planes
Wwii Fighter Planes
Wwii Fighter Planes
The arena or setting is at the end of WWII and the ensuing years. At that time in history, there was excitement and unity in this country which was profound and penetrating. People embraced their country, loved it immensely, admired its unity, and wanted to be involved.
Although the sadness for deaths of our young and brave could never be forgotten, the country experienced a vibrance with our victory in WWII; this feeling beginning with VJ Day. America became a country offering marvelous opportunities. The oneness of its citizens then was so beautiful. As an American, I felt called to do something – I considered returning to college for an MBA, but decided no. Rather, I wanted to be a participant right then, so I became a test pilot and tested the F4U Corsair which was the most able Naval/Marine fighter plane being produced at that time. In fact, the F4U Corsair, along with the Air Force’s Mustang, had established our air superiority in the Pacific.
Wwii Fighter Planes
Wwii Fighter Planes
Since the forties, our country has had its ups and downs…. Where are we now with that patriotism?
Flight testing was my first employment, other than my Navy years. After being a test pilot, I switched employment to “earth-bound” endeavors – being in business, getting married, and raising a family in Topeka and later in Denver, where I found the same post-War camaraderie…almost. And, I guess that “almost” pegs the beginning of what I view to be a U.S. camaraderie deterioration.
In the past sixty years, our country has witnessed many lows. I remember vividly when John Kennedy, our President, was assassinated on November 22, 1963; and within a few months, his brother, U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, lost his life also from an assassin’s bullet. What was going on? Certainly, we hadn’t fought WWII for a world that killed its leaders. Then Viet Nam happened, and we began fighting each other whether the war was right or wrong. And in the late seventies and through much of the eighties, an economic downturn hit, maybe as a wake-up call. That is one reason why I wrote my first book, a non-fiction, on “making sales happen.” At that time, everything began to slow-down, except for those “in the know.” Millionaires learned to become billionaires. But others, including me, had to work harder and be smarter and adjust our ways to survive.
Wwii Fighter Planes
Wwii Fighter Planes
On the bright side, fortunately these past sixty years have also marveled in peaks. With Kennedy came the creation of the Peace Corps and the idea of national service. Through wars, we continued to honor our fallen heroes, and I invite you several times a year to join me in visiting military cemeteries and paying homage to those who gave their all for our freedom, our heritage to live life as it should be lived “under God.” And then in our last Presidential election, an exhilaration and renewal was proclaimed due to the record number of voters who went to the polls.
In thinking about the times since WWII, there are similarities in the trend of a volatile time, but the key emphasis is on survival and never giving up. I believe the American people still have American dreams and, with adjustments, will persevere. So, can post-WWII patriotism be duplicated? Yes… absolutely Yes!
By Wayne Harding
Article Source: ezinearticles.com