I'm sure you've all heard about the C-130 that crashed in Afghanistan yesterday. My youngest son is a pilot and the safety officer for the squadron of the plane that went down. He is NOT on this deployment, but has previously completed three deployments to Africa and the middle east.

This hits a little too close to home. I know and have met a few of his buddies who are pilots in the 39th Airlift Squadron, my son called last night to tell me that none of the pilots I know were involved.

Pray for our troops

We just had some of them rotate there from Dyess AFB in Abilene. The four airman killed were from here. Please pray for them and their families.

My son is a 130 pilot at Dyess.

He has been selected to be an instructor pilot and will be going to training for that later this month. Otherwise he would most likely have gone on this deployment (he has been on three already).

Pray for the families

Prayer sent for the families.

The USAF has released a little more information.

The flight crew, 2 pilots and 2 loadmasters were from Dyess AFB, Texas
There were 2 security forces personnel on board from Hanscom AFB, Mass.

The security folks are there to provide security for the aircraft and crew when they land somewhere that isn't "secure", which happens quite often.

My son in law just arrived there last week and he fly's the 60 for the para-rescue jumpers. My daughter and baby grandson are living with us while is on this deployment and she has been trying to find out if Strek and his squad were on station at the time and if they covered the crash site. It appears to have occurred during their cover time. Prayers for all our people in harms way over in that hell hole. Glad Cody is stateside right now, wish all my kids were but they go where they are needed.

High Flight
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds—and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.
Hov’ring there, I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace where never lark or even eagle flew.
And while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod the high un-trespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

***