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Good morning, Netizens…
There have been times in my life which always stand out above other memories, and perhaps the glowing memories of my incredible friends are among the best memories that feed me, console me and keep me warm in cold times. This morning, I received one friend back safely from her trip to Disney World, and word of an old friend, Art Cline, who for a time has been simply listed as missing in action, who once played an important role in my life. Wouldn’t you know it that Jeanie of Spokane brought Art back into my fold of friends after he retired to Florida?
I admit freely I was fearful for Jeanie
when she left for Disney World. She was recently inducted into the
macabre otherworldly experience of kidney dialysis, and the thought of entrusting her
beauty and consciousness to strangers in a far-off state with her
health care scared the Bejesus out of me. So many
things could go wrong, so many different ways she could encounter
problems with her dialysis, and for a time she was so frail that I
simply worried. I have a license to sleep with my wife each night and a learner’s permit to worry.
What I didn’t know was that an old friend and one of my personal counselors, Art Cline, was staying with Jeanie, sleeping on the couch in a condo full of women (boy, doesn’t that sound salacious?), and each morning rising at 5:00 AM to escort Jeanie to her dialysis program, where he waited until she was done, then escorting her safely to the Disney World. While there is perhaps more to this story than I am being told, nonetheless despite Art’s having already won the Congressional Medal of Honor as a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam, they should now give him another award for service and honor to Jeanie.
I am so glad to have Jeanie back in our midst, that when I heard about Art I sat here and bawled because I am a sentimental old poop, and because, if I had it in my means to do so, I would have done what he did. There are facts and then there are myths and legends. Legend has it that Art single-handedly fought off the evil of the world and sent Jeanie safely back home to us and then left her in tears as he walked back out the door of life.
Jeanie, my God, but you have been missed! Welcome home!
Dave
999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201
P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210
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JeanieS on October 28 at 12:29 p.m.
Wow, Dave! Thank you so much. I think I'm still sprinkled with that princess dust that was covering everyone for a whole week. I definetly FEEL like a princess.
Yes, Art is one of those rare people who would run and hide if he read this - he is so unpretentious and humble.
We all went to dinner at Joe's Crab House (I think) and he told the waiter that we were all his ex-wives. We laughed when we thought that yes, indeed, we are all ex-wives - just not his. :)
And Mechanic Man was equally afraid for my safety and constantly admonished me - “You will NOT go into the parks by yourself.” (Which I did when I went to Disneyland.)
So we were constantly in a buddy system, never alone. But I would like a dime for every time one of us said “But she was just here a second ago - where is she?” And “she” would be any of the five of us in any five minute time span.
Glad to be home!
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martin hibbs on October 28 at 6:08 p.m.
Jeanie,
Welcome back! You've been missed.
Dave,
Without sounding too much like I'm raining on a parade….. Art is not a Medal of Honor winner. Nobody named Cline has ever won the medal. Those of us who have been there watch this sort of thing quite carefully. Sorry.
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Dave Laird on October 28 at 8:52 p.m.
Good evening, everyone…
I was wrong. Art did not receive the Medal of Honor. However he DID receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal for Valor, a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for Valor. Now he is properly marked in my database of improbable facts and figures. He is STILL my version of an American hero, along with a few others I have had the distinction and honor to walk with in this life.
Dave
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Jeffrey_Grey on October 29 at 4:27 a.m.
Dave,
In my book, a Purple Heart is all you need to be a genuine hero. (Hell, a Vietnam campaign ribbon on your medal bar is more than worthy of a sincere 'Thank you' as far as I'm concerned.)
And speaking of what it takes to be a hero, the courage to face dialysis with optimism and an undiminished zest for life works too.
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spokelooneh on October 29 at 10:46 p.m.
If Mr. Kline was directly responsible for saving the life or lives of someone during his service in Vietnam, then I would consider his actions heroic. If not, than his dedication and compassion shown in helping out Jeanie on this trip is far more heroic.
I know a Vietnam Veteran, a young officer who'd been in country less than 2 weeks, who was shot twice on the battlefield in an ambush, so were several of his unfortunate soldiers on that patrol. While in great pain, the Lt. was able to continue firing his weapon, killing and and forcing the enemy back from engaging. The others wounded in his patrol were disabled from being shot and helpless, one was KIA. This hero saved those soldiers' lives that day, his last in Vietnam, as it took him two years of hospitalization and intensive rehab before he was again fit for duty. He went on to become a 4-Star.
I don't consider SIMPLY getting hit (injured) by enemy activity to be heroic in and of itself. Some people are in the wrong place at the wrong time. I DO appreciate your service and your sacrifice.
But then, that's just me. I have a fairly high standard for heroism, as the giving of oneself to really help someone else out who is in dire need. As such, I know of no such thing as a sports “hero” for anything they've done as a normal part of their chosen sport. It's admirable if you're batting.400 and you hit the winning home run in the bottom of the 9th of game 7 to win the World Series, but it's not heroic.
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spokelooneh on October 29 at 10:50 p.m.
And welcome home, Jeanie. Your story brought a tear to my eye, and I am so glad for you that you got to take this wonderful trip with dear friends, despite your medical condition. That is quite a blessing.
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martin hibbs on October 30 at 4:12 p.m.
Lest I be misunderstood, I wasn't referring to Art, only Dave's misrepresentation. I have always known what honors Art won as “Ratpack 18” and stand in admiration of him and those who flew with him. I have several hundred hours of RVN helicopter time but not as a pilot like Art. I can tell you that those who flew where and when he did are a special breed.
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