Pearl Harbor Day

Don't forget that on Dec 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Take a minute today to think about someone you know from that generation. I think about my Grandpa Frederick who was in the Army Air Corps and flew supply missions during WWII. I used to love to listen to his stories as we sat around the kitchen table, I think listening to him had a great influence on me joining the Air Force, maybe you don't know someone who served in the armed forces during that time, but think about someone from that generation, they all sacrificed.

Have a great day!

Time to wake up...

Hope this finds everyone doing great and getting ready for the holidays. I think I saw the other day that it is only like 48 or 49 days until Christmas....Oh Boy, I gotta get busy shopping! Well, I always say I will be better about blogging and we can all see how that is working out for me...I'll say it again, I'll try to be better. Lets see, how about a quick catch up since Sept.11th and then I'll get on my soapbox for a little while. I have been pretty busy at work helping to get the unit ready for deployment to Afghanistan as well as take care of day to day flying operations and keeping our people safe. I have been on a couple of short motorcycle rides with my family and friends and most recently, I have been experimenting with my camera some more. When I was in Spain, I met a school teacher who happened to be a very good photographer, her enthusiasm for photography made me want to take it up as a hobby and learn to take really good photos. When I got home, I bought a Nikon D60 and I am still trying to learn how to use it. I see that they have a 'Nikon D60 for Dummies book' and I think that might be the book for me. I did take the photo at the top of the post, it was at the National Historic Site in Fort Smith.

Let's see, what else is going on...oh yeah, I'm also working with my Dad and Uncle to put on a Triumph motorcycle even in April. The Ozark Mountain Rat Raid should be a great time. Check out http://www.ozarkratraid.com/ if you're interested in coming. It will be at The Hub motorcycle resort in Marble Falls, AR. Even if you don't own a Triumph motorcycle but are interested, you are more than welcome to come.

Now it;s time for my soapbox. If you've not yet been labeled a conservative radical or extreme right winger by Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats, keep reading and you just might be thrown in that catagory. ha ha It's seriously time for Americans to wake up. In recent elections, republicans won several seats, I hope that is a sign that America is tired of the current administration screwing everything up. I was recently watching Fox news, and they reported that some people were planning a protest of the current healthcare proposal and that Speaker Pelosi was going to block their entrance to the House. I like the quote the reported used...when she said "This is the peoples house!" Washington DC does not belong to Nancy Pelosi, it belongs to you and me, it's our house! Since I'm on the issue of healthcare, I am wondering, did we hear anything about this when the Republicans were in office...Uhhh...NO! That's because it wasn't an issue, the Democrats made it an issue. I also saw where Mrs Pelosi had the original wording changed so that members of Congress do not have to take the public option, Hmmm....if it's good enough for the general public, why isn't it good enough for Pelosi and congress? We need some people with common sense to run for public office, because right now our Country is on the next freight train to disaster!

Speaking of people running for office...my friend Mark Darr is running for Lt Governor. This guy has common sense and he listens to the people. I believe Mark will be a perfect match for this job, plus I want to be able to say to him "Ello Govinah" in my worst English accent! ha ha Seriously...Take a look at his website http://www.markdarr.com/ to see what he is all about.

I need to ask a question, because I'll be the first to tell you, I don't understand how big money works but why is the economy in the tank? Is it really in the tank or is that just what the media and the Democrats want us to believe? As far as I can tell, people are still buying things, companies are still selling things, so what's the big deal...maybe someone can explain it to me someday but it seems like the big wheel is still spinning just fine. Here is a perfect example of giving in to the hype. My dad works for a company, JW Measurement, they are an oil and gas company. The company is making money, in fact my dad recently recieved an order that would result in the company making about 3/4 of a million dollars off one sale, yet they closed the Van Buren store and put 4 people out on the street to look for jobs. Maybe I would make a terrible business person, but seems to me if my company was making money, I would try to keep people employed and grow my business? Just doesn't make sense to me!

So, I guess you can tell, how I feel about the state of our Country right now, I hope that if you feel the same, you will let your voice be heard during the next elections. People, "WAKE UP!" it's perfectly acceptable to voice your opinion when something isn't right. It's your right as part of that document that is slowly being thrown by the wayside, you know the one I'm talking about?...The Constitution of the United States of America. I'll leave you with one other photo that I took at the Historic Site. It's an old wooden flagpole and cannon that overlooks where the Poteau and Arkansas rivers come together. It's a reminder of the sacrifices that our forefathers made to make our Country great, hopefully the current day Democrats won't destroy it.

Take Care and God Bless...

Mike

NEVER FORGET!

This week will mark the 8th anniversary of the Sept 11th attacks. Never forget what happened on this day in 2001. Where were you on this day? I remember being in a class at Keesler AFB in Mississippi and having the entire base go on lockdown, no one came in and no one got out. I remember our instructor telling us what was going on throughout the day and finally letting us go to our rooms. I graduated a few days later from that school and I remember reporting back to my unit in the following days. We were tasked to stand up aircraft with live missles and for the next couple of weeks I slept in my office waiting for a phone call to scramble our jets to intercept any aircraft in our airspace that was unidentified. After a few weeks of this, I was told to prepare to deploy but that they could not tell us where we were going. I remember going to my mom and dads and breaking down as I mentally prepared myself to be away from my newborn son and my family. I later learned that we were only going a couple states away to Warner Robbins AFB to protect assets there. I was there for about a month with a small contingent of personnel from my unit, we worked out of an alert facility which is very much like an underground bunker with a ramp leading out to an aircraft parking area. We scrambled aircraft and flew combat air patrols over several major U.S. cities during our time there. Two of our pilots escorted an airliner to an airport when the aircraft failed to squak the correct frequency. My job was to sit in a small room with a direct telephone line to the air defense sector and wait for the phone to ring. When the phone rang, I took the scramble information, alerted the aircrew and maintenance personnel by sounding a loud siren, and started the process of getting aircraft airborne to intercept unidentified aircraft. I then tracked the aircraft through radio communication and fed that information to the air defense sector.

I don't recall all of this to glorify anything that I did, I am merely writing it down so that I won't forget all the details...it seems to become more "Fuzzy" as I get older.

After about a month of being in Georgia, my unit came home but our homecoming was short lived and we were once again alerted that we would be going to an undisclosed location. Once again I began to mentally prepare myself and once again we were sent just up the road to Whiteman AFB to protect assets there. I found myself living in the alert facility for 10-12 hours and sending aircraft to identify and escort unidentified aircraft. I recall one evening, it was around 10 pm and we were on alert, one of the pilots told me he was going to shower...about 10 minutes later, the phone rang and I sounded the siren to scramble our fighters. The poor guy had to fly a three hour sortie with soap all over his body, he had just enough time to slip on his flight suit and flight gear and run out the door. The pilot told me that was the most miserable sortie he ever had to fly! You see, we only had a short time to get our aircraft airborne...less than 15 minutes! That's fast when you take into account all that has to happen to get a fighter aircraft in the air.

OK, enough about that...I will just say that 9-11 really changed many peoples lives but those that serve the public really noticed a change in the way we do business.

So, where were you on Sept 11, 2001? Take time to reflect and remember. Think about those that lost their lives that day, think about the war and destruction that spawned from those attacks. Iraq, Afghanistan, the War on Terrorism, these are all operations that continue to this day...8 years later. Think about the men and women who are serving that didn't lose their lives that fateful day in 2001 but now sit in Iraq or Afghanistan trying to make the world a better place. The media doesn't often discuss the positive things that the United States has accomplished but I can tell you that Iraqi people have been allowed to vote, children are being provided places to go to school, and the Iraqi people are provided medical care that they otherwise might not have recieved. If you have any compassion for people, you understand that these are all great things.

I could go on forever about this, all I ask is that you take a moment to remember what happened on Sept 11th, 2001. 9-11-2001 NEVER FORGET!

I would also ask that you take a moment to remember our fallen and missing heros! Everytime I see the POW MIA flag, I think of all those that our Country left behind in the jungles of Vietnam! Vietnam Veterans were treated very poorly by the general population upon return from duty overseas. These men and women were merely doing what they were told by our elected officials and I believe that they should have had a hero's welcome when they finally stepped foot on American soil, instead, they were spit on and called baby killers. Many had nowhere to go or had severe difficulty in dealing with the mental images trapped in their heads. Imagine that you are faced with the choice to shoot and kill a young child or risk your entire squad being blown up because the enemy fights dirty and straps a grenade to a kid, It had to be a tough decision to make and I can't imagine having to make that choice! To all those who served in Vietnam, I say "Welcome home Brothers" "Thank you for your service!


Please take a moment to reflect today, not only on the events of 8 years ago, but about all the conflicts and those who sacrificed their lives for our Country.

~Mike~

Deja Vu

Well, I am finding myself back in New Mexico for training again for the next two weeks. I'm actually in the exact same classroom I was in just a few weeks ago! For those of you wondering, I did not ride a motorcycle out here, for those of you wondering why, please read my previous post! ha ha ha

So, the last class I was here for focused on accidents that were not aviation related. The next two weeks will focus strictly on aircraft crashes. So far the class has covered the same basic information as the last class. There are a lot of engineering terms and jargon to process to help better understand the forces at work on an airplane in flight and since I probably didn't get it all the first time I was here, it's a good refresher. There has been a little history lesson as well which I found interesting. For those of you not interested, please skip to the words "Start Here"!

I'll give you the brief version so as not to put you to sleep... In the last ten years 850 airmen have lost their lives in Air Force mishaps that's 1 death every 4.3 days...kinda hits home when you think about it that way, at least it does for me. In case you were wondering about the cost of all this, the grand total for all Air Force mishaps for the last 10 years equals 9.7 Billion dollars, that's about 2.7 Million dollars per day. I must admit that the dollar figures don't really phase me like they used to, especially seeing how our government is handing out Billions of dollars each day to bail out the auto industry, and pretty much whoever else asks for money...kinda makes me sick even thinking about it. What? You honestly didn't expect me to NOT throw something in about the out of control government spending did you? ha ha

Anyway, on with the history lesson. The first aviation fatality that was recorded was Lt Selfridge in 1908. The Lt was flying with Orville Wright when the aircraft crashed, killing Lt Selfridge on impact. The next bit of information really shocked me, during the years from 1943-1956 there were 20, 399 Aviation Training mishaps, this period of time was best known as "One a day in Tampa Bay" because there was at least one mishap per day during this period. That's a lot of damaged aircraft and hurt people, but when WWII was going strong, we had to get pilots trained in a hurry so I'm sure that instructors did the best they could with such a short amount of time. Since the inception of "Safety" in the Air Force we have significantly lowered our mishap rates, for instance, in 2008 there were only 40 aviation related incidents that required a safety investigation, that's quite a decrease from the days of "One a day in Tampa Bay"!

"Start Here" So, if you didn't want to read my boring history lesson, this is where you should pick up with the post...

Let me tell you a little about the class...Usually I am one of the higher ranking enlisted people in my class, this class, I am one of the lowest ranking people. I am in a class full of pilots including one full bird Colonel...quite a change for me! I actually like it because I don't have to be the class leader or anything like that, I just get to go attend class and when the instructor says "Go home" for the day, I have no responsibility....I Like it! So far class is going good, people are still a little shy and trying to figure out personalities but hey, it's only day 2. I figure by the end of the week people will be talking and getting along pretty good.

Tonight I went with J.J. to a pizza joint called Marios, it was some of the best New York style pizza I have ever eaten. This isn't any sissy pizza place, they make pizza's the size of a table at this place! I have never seen a pizza box as big as the ones they use here. It's incredible how big the large pizza is. Now, I have never eaten true New York style pizza from New York but it seems to me that this guy in New Mexico has it down pretty good...anyway, that's about all there is to report for now. I hope everyone is having a good week.

I would be remiss if I didn't throw in this one last fact that I learned concerning airplanes so far. For those of you who fly frequently, you will be happy to know that testing has been done and many of the large commercial airliners that we all fly in from time to time...well, the wings can flex up to 29 feet up or down before they break off the fuselage! I thought you might want to know that! Ok, I'll leave you to think about that one...just think 29 feet is a long way when you're talking about a wing of an airplane flexing!

Jeb, if you read this, I hope you are doing well my brother!

Take Care!

~Mike~

My Three Week Motorcycle Tour(disaster)

Wow..it has been a while since I wrote, maybe I have been inspired what with school starting last week? So this last couple of months have been a whirlwind. I was informed that I had to attend a training class at Kirtland AFB, NM which is located in Albuquerque, NM. I thought, what better way to get in a nice long motorcycle trip than by riding to my training class, little did I know that this would end very badly for the motorcycle. So...here's my story....

I left Greenwood bound for Dyess AFB, TX which is in Abeline, TX...Yes, I know this is the long way to get to Albuquerque, I have answered this question a million times. Anyway, I arrived at Dyess and got myself a room for the night, then headed out to find a bite to eat. The next morning I awoke to a spectacular lightning show, not exactly great weather for travel by motorcycle. A quick weather check, and I discovered that it was a small thunderstorm basically hanging over the base. I waited a couple hours and then hit the road bound for Kirtland by way of Roswell, NM. I wanted to see what all the hype is about the Alien stuff out there. I know, it may sound goofy but for some reason I always wanted to visit there. I rolled into Roswell late in the afternoon so most of the Alien tourist shops were closing up however, I did get to check out a few places and most were really cheesy! Here's a couple photos. After a quick look around, I headed out of town on a route to Albuquerque that was recommended by a convienience store clerk...If you are ever in Roswell, NEVER take directions from the guy that works at Allsups Convienience store. You'll get to Alburquerque but it's definately the scenic route.

I ended up taking a route through the mountains which ended up being ok except for the bike not running well. I did get to see Lincoln, NM where Billy the Kid had a big shootout. The town still looks pretty much like it did in the 1800's and is a pretty cool place to stop and look around.

After leaving Lincoln, I rode through Valley of Fires State Park. The weather was starting to get nasty so I didn't get to hang around too long. Basically it is believed that thousands of years ago there were volcanos in the area and I guess it's kind of hard to dispute the idea since all the rock in the area is black volcanic rock.

After leaving Valley of Fires and dodging some thunderstorms, mostly by sitting under an awning at a gas station, I ended up at Smokey Bear Historical Park. It's a neat little park dedicated to none other than Smokey the Bear.

As I mentioned earlier, my motorcycle started giving me trouble about halfway between Roswell and Kirtland. Several times I found myself sitting on the side of the road with a motorcycle that wouldn't run. I have to say, I don't think there is anyplace as quiet as the roadside in the desert. I finally arrived at Kirtland around 10 pm that night and I have never been so happy to be at my destination as I was that night. I promptly put the motorcycle in the shop the next day as soon as class was over.

I got the bike back a few days later and it seemed to be running a lot better. The mechanic told me that it wasn't repaired completely because the dealership didn't have the parts and it would take a couple weeks since they would have to be shipped from England. Guess that's the price you pay for riding a British made motorcycle.

I felt like going for a little ride during the middle weekend of my stay at Kirtland and one of the guys at the Triumph dealership recommended the "Turqouise Trail" its a really scenic ride through the mountains and makes a stop in Madrid, NM which is where the film "Wild Hogs" was shot.

The picture above is of Maggies Diner from the movie. It's just a movie set and wasn't part of Madrid until the movie was shot there.

Fast forward to the end of the week. My training class is over. I'll spare you all the boring details of my school that I had to attend, and I am now preparing for another long ride to Tucson to meet up with my Bros from the 188th for our Annual Training which was going on in Tucson, AZ . AT this year was a little different because we were flying some training missions to better prepare our aircrew and maintenance folks for our upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. We dropped live bombs, shot rockets, and shot live air to ground AGM65 (Mavrick) Missles. I feel sorry for the terrorist that decides to take a shot at one of our airplanes armed with these explosives.

So, my ride from Albuquerque to Tucson was very scenic but very troublesome. Below is a photo of some of the scenery, of course I had to get the bike in the photo, although at this point in the trip I would have gladly pushed it off the nearest cliff after lighting it on fire.

Anyway, back to the story...So, I left Kirtland bound for Tucson, this should have been about a 7 hour ride but turned into a 10 hour nightmare. About two hours after leaving Kirtland, the motorcycle began giving me trouble again and I once again I found myself sitting on the side of the road several times. I finally made it to Tucson and was greeted by the guys from my shop. We went to the restaraunt at the hotel and got some food and then I went to bed. I got up early the next morning and took one of the guys from my shop to the airport and then headed out to locate the local Triumph dealership. I knew they wouldn't be open but wanted to know where the shop was so that I could get the bike in as soon as possible. I found the shop along with a Denneys, where I grabbed some breakfast before making my way back to the hotel. The shop had the bike in and out in one day and I really thought it was repaired this time.

Daniel, one of the guys I work with, rented a motorcycle and we rode up Mt Lemmon. The Triumph was running great and I was convinced that it was finally repaired.

Mt Lemmon is really beautiful and we had a great ride. Below are some more photos from the ride.
This is part of the road we just rode up.

The ski lifts were running so Daniel and I jumped on for a quick ride to the top of the ski runs. It looks like this would be a really fun place to ski.

Of course, no trip to Arizona would be complete without a photo of a huge seguaro cactus!

So, the Triumph ran good the rest of the week in Tucson and on Friday I pointed the front tire East and headed for Arkansas. I was certain that my motorcycle woes were behind me. I had a decision to make when I got to the point where I could either turn North going back to Albuquerque or continue East into Texas. I chose to continue East, I mean, why not, the bike was running good, I was feeling good, if I pushed it up just a little, I could make it to Dallas and have a relatively short ride the next day..or so I thought. I decided that a little music would help me click off some miles so, I stopped and hooked up the Ipod. Armed with a little Van Halen, I was flying down the highway, "Uh, no officer, I had no idea that I-10 had a speed limit in Texas. What's that officer, the speed limit is not 90 mph" Seriously, I didn't get pulled over, but I did look down and catch myself doing 90 once which forced me to turn down the Van Halen...guess I was getting into the music a little too much!

Now for the bad part of the story that you've all been waiting for... I was just coming into Odessa, TX when I noticed a vibration that I hadn't felt in the handlebars before, I took the next exit which dropped me off the interstate at an abandoned truck stop. I turned off the music and the bike sounded funny so I turned it off, took off my helmet and restarted the motor, The motorcycle was making a terrible racket and the engine was knocking. I knew I had something major wrong but I was still out in the middle of nowhere so I made the decision to ride it until it just wouldn't go anymore or until I got to civilization. Unfortunately, the motor gave out before I got to civilization. You haven't lived until you have pushed a motorcycle the better portion of a mile. I pushed the bike to the next exit which had a convienience store and the manager was kind enough to let me leave it there overnight. I called a taxi and he took me to a fabulous, five star hotel, in Odessa, OK actually, he took me to the Best Western which I later found out was in one of the worst parts of town. I got settled in a room and called my dad to see what my options were, we decided that the best thing would be for him to come and rescue me with our trailer. He quickly loaded up and drove to Oklahoma City for the night, meanwhile, I walked to the convienience store next to the motel and had a great dinner of beef jerky and doritos and washed it all down with a coke. If Odessa is on your list of the top 1000 places you want to see before you die, I highly recommend crossing that one off the to do list and moving on. I'm not sure, but I think Odessa may be considered the armpit of Texas. Unfortunately, this was where my trip had to end, My dad and uncle came to my rescue the next day and I finally made it home safe and sound, albeit, in a pickup truck. I will say this, the southwest has some of the most beautiful scenery and I would definately do this trip again sometime on a different bike. Speaking of different bikes, I think I already have my next ride picked out, it's a Victory Cross Roads and is more in line with the style of riding I like to do. I like the sport touring motorcycles but a touring bike is more practical for me. I've owned one other Victory and I really liked it, now I just have to convince Andria!

Victory Cross Roads

I think Andria will probably tell me to stop looking at motorcycles and start looking at house plans! Oh well, doesn't hurt to check out the new bikes coming out for 2010 does it? Well, all this motorcycle talk has made me tired. Hope everyone has a good week!

Branson Vacation....and a million other things!

It has been a while since I last posted...Guess I have some catching up to do.

What a great weekend! We went to Branson, MO with some friends and their kids and we had a blast. Chuck has been a friend of mine since high school and he and his wife Misty have three kids, we always have a good time visiting with him and his family. So, as I was saying, this weekend we went to Branson. Friday, the girls all went shopping and the boys played laser tag, went to Bass Pro, and basically just bummed around. Saturday we went to Silver Dollar City and Lily rode her first big roller coaster, she seemed a little scared while we were on the ride, but when she got out of the ride, she screamed "That was awesome!" Today we checked out of our motel and went to eat breakfast at the Hard Luck Diner before heading for home.

OK, now for the catching up part. I guess lately I have had a little bit of a writers block, that and the fact that Summer seems to be such a busy time, has left me with little to say and little time to say it.

We have seen Lily graduate pre-school. I think she is excited about going to Kindergarten! She was excited to graduate and gave me lots of kisses afterwards. I would like to warn all kindergarten teachers at Westwood right now...Lily is coming!

After the graduation ceremony, my Dad and I headed off to meet the rest of the guys on the annual family motorcycle trip. The BS ride, as we affectionately call it, was a lot of fun as always and we may try to do a fall ride this year when the leaves are changing. We spent two nights close to Jasper, AR and spent our last night in Eureka Springs. As you can see below, we stopped by the Newton County Jail, Disclaimer: No one was actually "In" jail.

Thursday morning June 10th, I said my goodbyes to my brother in arms, Jeb Baldwin, he is deployed right now and Thursday several of the guys from our life group got together and had breakfast with him. I did read his blog and it appears that he made it to his first destination safely. Please Pray for Jeb each day! I know that he must have been experiencing many of the same emotions I felt when I left for Spain...it is really difficult to leave your family standing in the airport and take that final look back before you step through the door to board the first of many airplane rides. I know that God will be watching over Jeb while he is away and he will return safely.

Well, this starts another week of night flying. As much as I complain about it sometimes, I know it's necessary so that our pilots will be well trained for day or night operations.

I'll try to be a little better about posting, I know, I've said that before, right?

Hope everyone has a good week.

~Mike~

Andria's Big News!

Well, we are about to embark on a new journey here at the ol' Francis household. Recently, Andria applied for a job at the school as their Human Resources person. Tonight she got the call telling her that she got the job. We are very excited. This is truly a blessing as it will allow her much more time with the kids and will give her a job that I think she will truly enjoy. It will also allow us to hopefully build our house soon. God is good!

So, lets see...what else is new? Hmmm...In celebration of Andria's new job, i bought myself a gift. ha ha Actually, I bought myself a new handgun today. I did some horse trading last year and sold one so that I could purchase a new deer rifle. A lot of good that did me since I didn't even see a deer last season, unless you count the concrete ones my neighbor has in his yard!

Speaking of motorcycles, What that you say, no one mentioned motorcycles? Oh well, the word has been spoken so I should tell you that the Francis family BS ride is just around the corner. I highly recommend staying off the roads during the last week in May! Just Kidding, This years ride promises to be really fun. In June, my Dad, Uncle Tim, and I are all going to the Tail of the Dragon (North Carolina/Tennesee) for a Rat Raid. This should be a fun time and will produce some hilarious photos I'm sure. All the guys wear kilts to the banquet. Yes, yours truly will be sporting a kilt, motorcycle boots, and a motorcycle t-shirt. I'll post photos so you can all have a good laugh! In July, I am attending a school followed by one week of training in Arizona....sounds like a great excuse for motorcycle trip if you ask me. My plan is to leave here and ride as much of old Route 66 as I can on my way to Albuqurque, NM. Spend two weeks there at school and then go to Tucson, AZ for a week of watching our airplanes drop live bombs, which will be awesome! I haven't figured out my return trip yet but rest assured, it won't be the same roads that I take to get there, although I do want to somehow work a trip to Roswell in to see if I can spot any aliens! Where's the adventure in traveling the interstate the whole way, right?

Of course, there are many other reasons I am looking forward to summer. I hope to get the chance to take the kids on a little vacation of sorts, even if we just go to Branson. I am also looking forward to spending time with the people in my life group. Our church is cancelling Sunday evening services May through July so that we will have opportunities to get together. Our group discussed several options this past Sunday and we are going to try to use the time to get together, but also to teach our kids something about self less service for others. Possibly letting them bake cookies to take to the local nursing home or visiting with the elderly and at the same time teach them that the reasons for doing acts of kindness is not to get recognition for it but to do it merely to help others. I think it will be a great learning experience for kids and parents as well.

Well, I have rambled enough for today, sorry I haven't been posting as much...hopefully I'll get back to this on a regular basis again.

Hope eveyone has had a great week!