Among Friends

[MacDUFF]

@Kachina624

I posted this a while back...don't know if you saw it, but I thought that, of all the people on the forums (I believe you are retired Air Force, yes?), you would appreciate why it's one of my prized possessions.   My friend's Dad gave it to me...old Army Air Corps insignia...

Carry on!

[Kachina624]

@MacDUFF Indeed I did serve in the USAF.  If that hat was WWII era, someone has taken good care of it; it looks new. 

I imagine many of our younger posters don't know that during that period the Air Corps was part of the US Army,  but they had their own insignia.  They later became the US Air Force, a separate branch of our military. 

Have you ever seen this statue? 

It memorializes the women, mostly nurses, who served in Vietnam.  It was done by Glenna Goodacre, a Texas/New Mexican who did her work in Santa Fe and also did the Sacajewea dollar coin.  She used a University of NM student as the model for the coin. 

[MacDUFF]

@Kachina624

My friend's Dad took good care of it, but I don't know if it was a cap he actually wore during his service or not.  I practically grew up in their home (my 2nd family lol).  Up north, a lot of people have "unfinished" basements, where the beams are exposed.  He had nails in the beams where he hung his cap collection...seriously, I'm guessing he had at least 200 caps hanging all over the basement lol!   I seemed to be the only one interested in that particular cap, so he gave it to me.

He also had a smallish red wooden bi-plane hanging from the basement beams!  

I had not seen that statue...poignant and beautifully sculpted!   Not much, IMHO, can adequately express the courage, sacrifice, selflessness, and love of women who served/are serving in the armed forces in any capacity (especially, I think, docs and nurses), but this comes close.  (I have an unending fascination with female spies and code breakers, too!)   I looked it up 'cuz I wanted to see the other side of it.   My feeling is that the other "women" are offering support, praying, and mourning.   What do you think?

[Kachina624]

@MacDUFF  I think the one looking up is waiting for a helicopter.  They typically swooped in and picked up the injured.  I can't figure out what the other is doing.  Can't make out the detail.  It's a very strong,  poignant piece of art.