Sometimes it hits me really hard, and I honestly feel like maybe I have written about it before. There’s the elephant in the room, and every now and then I bump into it and it hurts. I first stumbled onto it when I walked inside a C-130 at the Chino Air Show. Richard’s dad had flown C-130’s and HC-130’s in the Air Force. It was overwhelming; it took my breath away. The military heritage of Richard’s family is poignant, and there have been great sacrifices made on behalf of our nation along with daring rescues. After growing up in the Air Force, he was excited for his future as a pilot. Richard only ever wanted to be a pilot—nothing else existed. There’s a picture of him at about 6 years old, he had been sick for days and his dad let him put on his flight helmet to cheer him up, and it worked.
His first year of college he was in the ROTC, where there was a path for a pilot slot. Then he served a two-year mission for our church. Upon his return military cuts had been made and the only pilot slots were being assigned out of the Air Force Academy. He was newly engaged to a woman with a young daughter, and the Academy wouldn’t be an option. He took a job as a parts driver and continued his studies in biomedical engineering. I often remark that he has the brains of an astronaut working at an auto dealership. He has built that job into a career and is now the CFO.
Standing on the deck of the USS Midway during Memorial Day weekend for the Top Gun 40th Anniversary was so fun, memorable, and historic. I wasn’t expecting to bump into it, but I did. At sunset there was a beautiful flyover right across from us, and I suddenly felt immersed in that dream—standing on a flight deck surrounded by airplanes… He traded it all for something far better: fatherhood.
