A Memorial for Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, 2008, it's time to take a pause and remember that Freedom isn't free, and there are those who paid the ultimate price so that we may enjoy our lives and enjoy the freedom we have here. My father was one who paid the ultimate price, and this is dedicated to him. Commander Thomas Paul Frank, was an A-7 pilot who made his first flight during war in Korea, and his last flight in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam. He was not shot down by the enemy, though, his enemy was the sea. The salt in the sea, to be exact. You see, his multi-million dollar plane which was launched off carriers on a regular basis, had a nosegear that was made of salt corrosive metal. Over time, the salt ate away the metal on the part of the plane that attaches to the catapault that launches the plane off the carrier. Four planes had been launched into the water before my father's plane. But we were in a war and accidents happen. Then the day arrived for the accident to happen to my father's plane. The plane was launched off the Carrier the Oriskany, and my father's plane was launched at full speed and flipped into the water off the end of the Carrier. His official cause of death was drowning, but it should have been stupidity. There are a lot of dead heros out there whose official cause of death should be stupidity. But they are heros out there who gave their lives so we can live ours free. Whether you agree with the current war or not, take a moment to thank those that give the ultimate price.

When I first came to Fallon for my interview, one of the first things I saw as I was driving into town was an A-7 on a stick in front of the local Chevy dealership. That was a sign to me that I was home. One day at work, I was talking with a patient about how we ended up in Fallon. I told her I wanted to move west to be able to have horses in my back yard, and the plane was one of my signs that I had found the right place. Especially since it was the plane my father was killed in in Vietnam. As it turned out, this patient's husband was in charge of taking the plane down to repaint it, so she said she'd have her husband put my father's name put on the plane. She kept her word, and now as I pass this plane every day on my way to work, I am reminded of the price of my Freedom, and I always thank a vet. WWII Vets are getting fewer and fewer these days and a little thank you can make their day!

Thanks, Dad!