We used to keep our horses at a farm owned by an old WWII veteran. My dad knew him from the bar he frequented. This man was in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and many others. He was a Navy pilot and flew dive bombers off of the Aircraft Carriers Yorktown and Intrepid. During the war he was shot down over the Pacific 4 times! Most people that know me also know I read a lot of history. Well for me that started at a very young age. When I was in 3rd grade they would take us down to the library and let us checkout books. One of the very first books I read from these excursions was about Pearl Harbor and then one about Midway. One Saturday afternoon I was at the bar with my dad. He would "stop off" for a few cold ones and I would play pool or whatever till he was ready to go. This time he sat me on the stool next to him and introduced me to Ben. He told me, while making the introduction, that Ben flew planes in WWII. I asked him, "What kind did you fly?" and like most combat vets he was kinda hesitant to talk, but he said, "dive bombers". I piped right up and asked him, "did you fly the Douglas SBD Dauntless?"..... He did a double take, his eyes got wide and a huge smile came across his face, he about fell off his stool! He couldn't believe this 8 year old kid in 1978 knew what kinda dive bomber that he had flown into combat some 36 years on! It made his day! We sat there and chatted about planes and the war for quite sometime. He even invited me to come to his house the next time we were out feeding the horses. That day I made a buddy and I got to chat with Ben many times after that. He was always glad to see me. I did get to go to his house on another day and see all his memorabilia. He had retired from the Navy as a Captain. I don't remember all the medals he had won but there were a bunch. (recently I looked into his service and found that he was awarded the Navy Cross three times! And the Distinguished Flying Cross twice! Durring the Battle of the Philippine Sea he dropped his bomb load directly on a Japanese Battleship) After he passed they built a new Elementary School in my home town and named it after him. It sits on land that was his family farm. I guess I'm sharing this because now as a vet more than 30 years since my combat days. I realize more fully how it must have made him feel, that a young boy was interested, hell enthralled, by his service and his exploits. If you get a chance don't miss an opportunity to hear their stories. Pretty soon they will all be gone.... For more information on Capt. Benjamin Gifford Preston USN RET Ret. Please see the links below: valor.militarytimes.com/hero… navy.togetherweserved.com/us…

The pressure is still on at 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #LeMans24 given dramatic twists in the Hypercar class, a strategic battle over tyres, milestone moments for Genesis and razor-thin margins in LMGT3. Glory is still very much up for grabs in this thrilling 94th running of the race. 🗞️ Learn more: urls.fr/FTAy0Y #LeMans24 #WEC

Waiting for Zac Brown band !!!!

#SaturdayVibes #SaturdayMotivation Good Saturday #MEME #Funny

Heaven on earth.

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Eva 🖤🖤

Jennifer Lawrence

Congrats!

🚨EPIC scenes on the National Mall massive crowd gathered at the Washington Monument with a stunning rainbow overhead! God’s blessing shining down on America. Beautiful moment of unity and patriotism in our Nation’s Capital.

Every gentleman should embark on a big game hunt at least once

Michelle Pfeiffer

Swing Wing Saturday B-1 F-14 FB-111 Luftwaffe Tornado IDS

⏱️ HALF RACE ! @jota_sport is leading the race on the Cadillac V-series.R #12 Watch live now at plus.fiawec.com

F-14 Tomcat sobrevolando el Océano y dispuesto para ser reapostado por un avión cisterna.

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