sir.” “Fine oh Dave, have you got a moment?” “Good; sir.” “Yes I think our uniforms look good; they give us a professional appearance that “Dave, sends a positive image with the public don’t you agree?” – sir, I like the uniform.” “Yes Would you try to remember to wear it when you’re flying with us? Flip-flops “Good. and swimming trunks really present a poor image; don’t you agree?” sir, I…” “Yes glad we had this little talk you’ll be late for class. Have a nice day and call me, “I’m – Steedman.” sir uh, Steedman.” “Yes – What a guy! He could have reamed me a new grommet, or worse yet I could have been suspended. I was mortified; I thought I was being so cool. I never did discover who snitched, after that I never flew in anything but a uniform. SURPRISE Bill was a military helicopter pilot before hiring on with ONA as a first officer. He participated in the battle for Khe Sanh; one of the fiercest fought clashes of the Vietnam war. Because of the terrain it was a helicopter shooting gallery. Many a mother received a letter from the Department of Defense that her son would be arriving in a flag draped box. The devastating experience of such a human trauma affects people in different ways; some withdraw, others have bouts of depression. Bill became a happy-go-lucky extrovert he was – just glad to have survived the carnage and wanted to live every minute to the fullest. He and I became close friends flying the line.
“Fine sir.” “Good; oh Dave, have you got a moment?” “Yes sir.” “Dave, I think our uniforms look good; they give us a professional appearance that sends a positive image with the public – don’t you agree?” “Yes sir, I like the uniform.” “Good. Would you try to remember to wear it when you’re flying with us? Flip-flops and swimming trunks really present a poor image; don’t you agree?” “Yes sir, I…” “I’m glad we had this little talk – you’ll be late for class. Have a nice day and call me, Steedman.” “Yes sir – uh, Steedman.” What a guy! He could have reamed me a new grommet, or worse yet I could have been suspended. I was mortified; I thought I was being so cool. I never did discover who snitched, after that I never flew in anything but a uniform. SURPRISE Bill was a military helicopter pilot before hiring on with ONA as a first officer. He participated in the battle for Khe Sanh; one of the fiercest fought clashes of the Vietnam war. Because of the terrain it was a helicopter shooting gallery. Many a mother received a letter from the Department of Defense that her son would be arriving in a flag draped box. The devastating experience of such a human trauma affects people in different ways; some withdraw, others have bouts of depression. Bill became a happy-go-lucky extrovert – he was just glad to have survived the carnage and wanted to live every minute to the fullest. He and I became close friends flying the line.
ONADaveCaseMAVERICKPILOT1.docx