"Jim gets his wings once more"

Posted by Ikes Blog at 2/6/2009 6:43 PM
Categories: uncategorized
                                                                THE POWER OF FAITH, THE MAGIC OF DREAMS

  Jesus, the Christ, was credited with walking on water.  Now, whether or not he actually did or it was simply a mental picture claimed by His disciples, I do not know.  My wife, Patricia, an ordained minister and Doctor of Divinity, is a very spiritual woman teaching me many different ways to perceive every day occurences.  Even deams we have.  Sometimes I agree with her and other times rhe realist in me pretends to understand the "whoo-whoo" stuff to keep peace between us.
  But, this I do know.  Several nights ago I had a dream in which I was visited by a very dear and long time friend, "Jim" Helle.  His full name is James A. Helle.  What he was doing in my dream is not exactly clear but I do remember the two of us were reminiscing about our early days.  We first met in 1948 as young men thrown together fresh out of college entering into a new world as candidates in the Navy seeking our mutual goal to become naval aviators.  Because my last name begins with E and his H, odds had it that we became room mates.  We also ended up in the same pre-flight class and completed our primary flight training at the same time.  We even went to advanced flight training together and managed to be room mates.  But, the Navy put Jim into heavy flying boats and me into four engine patrol bombers.  We still raised hell together all during advanced flight training and received our coveted wings of gold together on the same day.   That time in both our lives was when the world was "our oyster," and life would go on forever.  But, we know it really doesn't.  Here's the story.

  In the morning I asked my wife if she had Jim's number.  I just wanted to talk to him and renew our relationship that had fallen aside for a couple of years.  These thing happen despite good intentions otherwise.  But, the day didn't turn out the way I wanted it to.  When I called the number my wife had given me I got a recorded message telling me to leave my number.  I did.  Several hours later Jim's wife, "Rita,"  returned my call.  "Of course I remember you, Ike."  The two of them had visited me several years earlier in Winter Haven,FL.  Jim knew I was a judge at the annual Lakeland Sun' N Fun aviation gathering and wanted to bring his son, " Jimmy," to the show.
  When I heard from her I asked to speak to Jim, she hesitated for a moment and said, "Didn't you know that Jim died over a year ago?"  I was stunned.  "No," I answered her.  "Nobody ever said a word.  I never knew."   After several emotional minutes between me and Rita she finally told me that Jim succombed to lung cancer.  It finally did him in.  I shared my dream with her and tried to tell her how unreal the whole thing was because in bits and pieces it covered more than sixty- years.  Like our Navy years, Jim being my best man, me getting him his first job in corporate aviation after we both left active duty, him having four daughters and finally a son after I sired three sons and no daughters.  It was a wonderful dream for me.  But, it was a dream.  Or was it?
  
  I chose to imagine that Jim just stopped by to finally say, "good bye."  I will spend time with my buddy again; but not in this life.  
These words are simply meant to honor a man I have always respected.  A man I will miss in this life, a brother naval aviator and finally, a brother QB.

  Captain "IKE"  
 

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