Chapter 209

4/25/2009

Ch 209         B52  C130   B2                                                                         stumpie to stealth

TOP: I have a cousin (nameless) who had a very interesting life story as a military and commercial pilot. A year ago I had a chapter prepared in collaboration with him which was scrubbed due to "sensitivities".

CENTER: My college freshman roommate, (Jed) Jared Kennish figured he'd be drafted upon graduation so chose to enter the Air Force. Asked to be a pilot, thought he couldn't even spell pilot much less fathom operating such a machine. Ended up becoming a career decorated Brigadier General (Ch 207) and worked for the State Department as Deputy Director of PRT in Baghdad, Iraq after his initial Vietnam theater tour in the C130s (like cuz on top).

BOTTOM: Now comes Jed's son, pilot Capt Jared Kennish Jr flying the sophisticated yet beautifully lethal B2 Stealth Fighter Bomber at their Whiteman AF base in Missouri.

Without belaboring the point too much, I just find it fascinating to look back at life- not living in the past so much as learning from life's lessons. Chapter 207 under evolution is such an attempt to reflect, a 40 year perspective on the lives of my brothers/housemates (peace activists-soldiers-doctors-lawyers-professors-engineers, artists and ARCHITECTS) from college. Our little low rent co-op house with peeling paint only held about 20 students. They were not assigned by the University. We held group interviews and voted candidates in based mostly on character. We were self governed all sharing in the cooking and cleaning and finances. As 5th year senior, I was house President and university Resident Advisor required to offer "guidance" to sophomore Pete Zweig. I'd like to think that somehow I helped him attain his international status, but of course I didn't, it was all his own doing.