The T-38 Losses and Supporting Our Military Families

I have been watching and reading the news about the two recent T-38 crashes in which 4 aircrew have been killed in a week and having flown that plane for several years I can really empathize. Our prayers and thoughts for the families of the crews reflect the same concerns and feelings for our sad losses in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The pain is real and we all feel it in some way. I can remember when my father went out to the Sheppard AFB Runway Supervisory Unit at the end of the runway to watch me do some takeoff and landings. I felt a lot of pride and then a short time later a family doing the same thing watched their son’s plane crash in front of them. What a loss and what pain!

Why do we do these things that put us at risk? Psychologists have a great time trying to figure that out. A very high percentage of military personnel have a deep confidence in their own abilities and do not believe bad things will happen to them. We do our own self assessment and risk management (whether we know it or not) every day. But a deep motivation is the love of a country that provides so well for so many and includes so many basic freedoms! We should be willing to defend those freedoms and provide security for all of us.

My service started at the end of Vietnam and went through Afghanistan and saw a few other “actions” in between. What a tremendous change in support of the survivors of military service accidents/combat deaths I have seen. The increases in insurance and death benefits will never replace the person but they take away some of the life challenges that the survivors face. I think one of the biggest positive changes is the support of the American public that recognizes the sacrifices families have made in the service of this great country!

We are approaching Memorial Day at the end of May and let’s make it more than just the start of the summer and a three day weekend! I can remember marching in Memorial Day parades as a high school band member and now realize how the families of those who served and died for all of us must have felt! Better yet; if you know someone who has suffered an injury or loss, please provide that personal support they need! Thank you in advance!byColonel KonFriday, May 02, 2008Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:Afghanistan,benefits,Col K,family,Iraq,Memorial Day,Sheppard AFB,T-38