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Praetorium Honoris

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Missing?

United States Air Force Memorial, Arlington, Virginia
(Source)
The three memorial spires range from 201 feet to 270 feet high and appear to be soaring; its array of stainless steel arcs against the sky evoke the image of "contrails of the Air Force Thunderbirds as they peel back in a precision 'bomb burst' maneuver." Only three of the four contrails are depicted, at 120 degrees from each other, as the absent fourth suggests the missing man formation traditionally used at Air Force funeral fly-overs. (Source)
A few of you have queried over the years as to why certain individuals, who are very deserving of being on the masthead, are not there. Why are they missing? Did I forget them? Did I not know of them?

So I'm taking a bit of a break from my "Who They Are" series to explain my "criteria" for who gets included on the masthead. If my somewhat emotional and disorganized reasons for putting someone on the masthead can be dignified with the term "criteria."

First off, when I started, only Lex was on the masthead, along with some cool (at least to me) picture. Here's the first iteration -


Note that the blog title, Chant du Départ isn't there. Back in the day I let Blogger take care of that (hey, I was a rookie). Since then I put it in myself. I like my font and font color better than that which is provided by default.

Now I had thought that Lex had always been on the masthead, a quick check of the Header Archive reveals that not to be the case. I moved his photo over to the sidebar, where it remains. He went back up on the masthead in one of my periodic redesigns. It's something the Air Force taught me - Bored? Reorganize.

At any rate, when Lex went back up on the masthead, so did eight other guys. Men who had impressed or influenced me in one way or another. Over the years, more folks were added, often because I read about the individual and it had an effect on me. Sort of a personal connection, if you will.

So what are these mysterious "criteria" I mentioned earlier?

As this is an aviation-oriented blog, you don't see anyone up there who is not involved with aviation in one way or another. As with all "rules," there are four exceptions:
Arnaud Jean-Georges Beltrame - The colonel of Gendarmes represents my anger with those who denigrate the French for an alleged lack of bravery. He is also the only policeman on the header. Though underneath Lex and Buck there is a black rectangle, divided horizontally by a thin blue line. If you think that "thin blue line" represents those police officers who have fallen in the line of duty, you would be correct.
    Peter Wang, Alaina Petty, and Martin Duque Anguiano - All were members of an Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at their high school. These three brave young people died when their school was attacked by a crazed maniac. Their story hit me pretty hard, both daughters did JROTC in high school. I know kids like those three, that they died in such a fashion struck me to my very core. They had to be included.
      But for the most part the guys on the masthead (mostly men, the young lady being an exception as noted) are Air Force (not necessarily aircrew - after all, I was Air Force, the three non-pilots belong up there, as you'll see in the near future), or Navy, or Marine pilots/backseaters. Which is why guys like Pat Tillman aren't up there, even though he walked away from a very lucrative NFL career to enlist in the Army after 9/11. Perhaps he should be, there are two baseball players up there. Personal connection is why they are there, Mom is a Red Sox fan (as am I, sort of, I follow baseball, seldom watch it on TV, because, well, TV) and Dad was a Yankees fan. Jerry Coleman and Ted Williams belong up there, major league ballplayers who were Marine pilots in two wars. (Though Ted Williams started in the Navy, his military fame was gained with the Marines in Korea.)

      Though I acknowledge the heroism of our nation's enemies in the many wars we have fought, you won't find any of them up there. Though aces like Erich Hartmann, Manfred von Richthofen, Werner Voss, and Sakai Saburo would fit in, they were the enemy when their fame was gained. For the most part, with one exception, the folks on the masthead are American.

      Though I respect those who fought for the South in the Great Unpleasantness of 1861 to 1865, though they were Americans, you won't ever see a Reb up on the masthead. Though Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson are deserving, they took up arms against my country. I understand, I do not condone, nor really forgive. Respect yes, much as I respect the accomplishments of Erwin Rommel and Erich von Manstein. They were the enemy. Enough said, debate in the comments is welcomed and encouraged.

      I have had readers tell me that "Hey Sarge, you forgot so-and-so!" Trust me, I didn't forget anyone, especially not the 2,852,901-plus American men and women who have died or been wounded in the wars fought to preserve and protect freedom. I never forget their sacrifices, I remember them, every day. As the poem says - At the going down of the sun and in the morning, I will remember them.

      So that's some of the thought process behind the who's who of the masthead. There are so many who are deserving, those so honored (small beer though it be) touched me personally in one way or another. Will more be added? Hard to say, I hope not. For more reasons than I care to enumerate. One note though, notice the background colors of the portraits? Black means that the individual is deceased, green means they are still alive. Only two portraits are green.

      (USAF photo - TSgt Peter R. Miller)
      For those who have passed, "May their memories be a blessing."

      Amen.



      26 comments:

      1. Oh Lord do you remember the fuss when they decided to raise that monument to the men and women who served wiith the Air Force? Arlington was my second home and the place where I always could go and they would let me in. I think at this point it is almost unimaginable the fuss that was made by men who knew better (Jim Webb!) I finally visited the monument with my father a couple of years ago on a cold and blustery winter day.

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        1. Well, to be fair, originally they wanted to erect the memorial in the same area as the Marine Memorial (Iwo Jima). A lot of retired Marines and residents in the area were up in arms about that, and yes, probably a bad spot.

          Having seen both, the Air Force Memorial stands in what to me is a perfect spot. (I also read of the hubbub of people getting upset that there were getting to be too many monuments in DC. Idiot, it's the nation's capital, the monuments should be there.)

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        2. The funniest comment back when the Air Force Memorial was being considered in the Senate came in response to Ted Stephens, the Senator from Alaska who had flown the Hump in the war, and he was pushing hard for the Arlington Heights location. An unnamed Senator, who was a Marine, told him "Go take your own Fire Trucking hill."

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        3. Hahaha! Sounds like something a Marine might say!

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      2. I cannot fault any of your choices. There others I would like to see, but it is your blod, and yourchoice! You also seem to have run out of room!

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      3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugeniusz_Horbaczewski let me recommend an entry... his whole service was a story, but his last fight that makes outstanding example:

        On 18 August 1944 Horbaczewski led his squadron of 12 aircraft over France on a 'Rodeo' mission, despite being ill with flu. The Poles, using an element of surprise, attacked a group of 60 Fw 190s of Jagdgeschwaders 2 and 26, over an airfield near Beauvais. Horbaczewski quickly shot down three Focke-Wulfs, but went missing during the dogfight. In 1947 the wreck of his Mustang with his body was found crashed near Velennes (Oise).[1]

        Exact circumstances are unclear; he was probably shot down in combat by an aircraft of II./JG 26. The Poles were credited with shooting down 16 aircraft in this encounter, with the only loss their Squadron leader (according to German documents, eight Fw 190 of JG 26 and four of JG 2 were destroyed).

        Polish squadron of 12 meets 60 FW-190? They attack, confirmed bring down 12 of them for a loss of one...
        Sqn 303 gets most fame, but by 1944 there were over dozen squadrons in Polish exile AF, each doing their best to avenge 1939

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        1. Not to mention the Poles who fought at Cassino and elsewhere against fascism.

          Not much room up there, but you've given me an idea, stay tuned, though it might take a few weeks.

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      4. Much like the "too many monuments" argument, there's only so much space, so one must pick and choose the ones that are significant to you. Your blog, your rules. I don't think there are any up there that shouldn't be there, although there are certainly many others who would be equally deserving.

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      5. Well, it's your circus, so they're your... heroes. Ha! You thought I was going to put my foot in my mouth again. Wait... Hey. Darnedit.

        Seriously. It is your blog. If we wanted to add all sorts of people, we can get our own blogs, because, you're right, space is at a premium. If you do ever want to do more, you could always do one of those linked pages like the Acronym page (which I think needs realphabetizing) but, well, that's a whole nother kettle of fish (or whole belly fried clams.)(See. Been checking up on all the old posts. Only had clam strips, never whole belly, now I wanna try.) And if you do a Page of Heroes, you can also explain all the little things in Canton on the photos, other than obvious ones like The Medal.

        There have been lots of heroes and aces and SHWF pilots, tankers and such mentioned in the past pages. Those pages alone are a treasure trove of notable people.

        Keep up the good work. Very inspirational. After all, it inspired me to write a post about one of my heroes.

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        1. Whole belly clams, the breakfast, er, dinner of champions.

          Page of Heroes...

          Hhmm, this sets ideas a swirling in my fevered brain!

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        2. I swear, once I get my commission check for all the ideas I've given you and juvat, well, I'll just put it with all the other rubber checks you've bounced my way. :)

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        3. You could make a big rubber ball!

          There, I gave you an idea. We're even, or something.

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        4. What???? The starboard rower gets commission checks? Where's the Union Steward? Tuna! Tuna! Organize a strike immediately!

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        5. What'd you do, Sarge, hit Beans in the head with the butt of your whip? Or maybe the pounding of the time-keeping drum has driven him mad?
          As far as the post, I disagree with you in some spots, but that's neither here nor there. Your blog, you run it your way. I'm appreciative that it's here.
          --Tennessee Budd

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        6. Hahaha! Might be the sea air disagrees with him.

          As to agreeing/disagreeing, I expect folks to disagree now and then. Keeps things interesting it does.

          I'm glad you're here.

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        7. Nope, not been struck in head for over 6 years. As to madness, well, I plead the fifth.

          I like sea air. It's sea air combined with gas or vomit fumes and excessive rolling that I do not appreciate.

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        8. All of which are highlights of a trireme's oar deck.

          Not that I'd know anything about that.

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        9. Sarge pays well, if your currency is Fish and Chips and Ale at Aiden's pub. Hard to collect, but well worth it.

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        10. And that's ale aged in bourbon casks, nothing but the best for my lads!

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      6. I know that memorial is on a hill, but that last photo is great in that it "towers" over the Pentagon, as if the jets were actually overhead doing that maneuver. Well done by the designers and the photographer.

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        1. Yes, I love that photo. As many times as I've driven by there I've never stopped, we were always on the way to somewhere else. I need to make an effort to get there, there are elements of the memorial I've heard of but haven't seen. Like Billy Mitchell's name having been taken off of the MoH plaque (someone thought he had received it, he had not). And the statues of the AF Honor Guard.

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      Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
      Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

      NOTE: Comments on posts over 5 days old go into moderation, automatically.