RWB

For as long as I can remember I have had a deep seated admiration for the servicemen and servicewomen in our Armed Forces. While I have always been fascinated by anything involving the military, I have always favored military aviation in particular. When I was a kid, I had posters of fighter jets and helicopters on my walls and in my school notebooks. As soon as I was able to do so I joined the Civil Air Patrol. We would attend local airshows and I would watch in awe as the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels would rocket overhead. When I was in my early teens I can recall trips to visit my aunt and uncle in Washington D.C. During the day while they worked in the city, I would be released on my own recognizance to see the sights of our nation's capital. I would invariably spend most of my days in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum researching fighter craft, pouring over the specifications of aircraft carriers, and reading about the history of military aviation. Whenever I could find a documentary on television about anything from air power in World War II, the building of the first nuclear submarines for the US Navy, or anything involving the Special Forces, my world would stop for hours. My favorite fighter plane was the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. My favorite helicopter was the Boeing AH-64 Apache. I just couldn't get enough.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Boeing AH-64 Apache

When I went off to college at Texas A&M, I was recruited to join the Corps of Cadets. As an incoming freshman it was my dream to advance into the Navy or the Air Force and pursue a career as a military officer. While that dream never came to fruition - my time in the Aggie Cadet Corps was certainly complicated, to say the least - I do not look back with regret. My life took me in a different direction and I left college to pursue a life and raise a family in the private sector. I have been blessed beyond measure and am exceedingly happy with the life God has given me. Yet I continued to hold a deep seated respect for those who pursued their dreams of service to our country.

I've recently been kicking around the idea of somehow tying in my respect for the military with my running. I hadn't really come up with anything that had any traction until I went up to Leadville to crew for and pace my friend, where I saw a large contingent of crew from Team RWB. It certainly caught my attention and I looked into it briefly, and while the camaraderie of their team made an impression on me, I didn't really do anything about it. 

I was moved to action with the passing of my father-in-law this past November. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force from 1954 to 1975. I wanted to act in his honor, so I made contact with the local team representative to learn more. Since then I've been collecting information and deciding how to proceed next.

This past weekend at Rocky Raccoon, I was supremely fortunate to have as a pacer a young man currently serving in the Marine Corps who is also a member of Team RWB. This effectively sealed the deal for me. I'll talk a little more about my experiences with him when I finish my race report for Rocky Raccoon, but our 6 hours together crystallized my thoughts on moving forward with this plan. I've still got a few bugs to work out but within the next few weeks I intend to be a fully participating member of Team RWB.

I'm very excited and look forward to exploring new frontiers with the group!