High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
John Gillespie Magee, Jr
Hard to believe it's been nine years...
Lex was the first blog I read every morning. The final one was tough for an awful lot of us. respectfully, Alemaster
ReplyDeleteSame here, on all counts.
DeleteIt was a sad day. A buddy who was also in Naval Air called me and said something had happened. We didn't want to speculate, but we'd seen this before. The silence on the blog was deafening, only broken sadly by Whisper. Lex is missed.
ReplyDeleteI remember it like it was yesterday.
DeleteI remember. 💔
ReplyDelete💔
DeleteIndeed...
Sending love to his family and fellow Lexicans. The loss still hurts.
DeleteI'm sure it always will, until we too enter the clearing.
DeleteI found his blog a week before that day.
ReplyDeleteI never would have found ya'll if not for him.
Honor and Strength, Courage and Faith!
¡Salud!
He was a great writer.
DeleteMarch 6. Remember. A great man died before his time.
ReplyDeleteTrue.
DeleteI never got to "meet" Lex here or elsewhere, but I'm sure I would have liked him.
ReplyDeleteMy condolences on the anniversary of his passing.
I know you would have liked him. He was a Good Man.
Deletedrjim - He was a good man.
DeleteYup, what Scott said.
DeletePeople at work tell me I was in a near panic, when his post did not appear, after a week of his posts telling us of problems with the plane, like the canopy not sealing. I was worried!
ReplyDeleteI spent the remainder of that day dazed and shambling around like one of the walking dead.
DeleteWrestling snakes in the cockpit was how he wanted it. As Sarge says, he was a great writer and story teller. I miss him and the commenters.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
Delete