One of my favorite quotes by Chuck Yeager is “It’s the man, not the machine” which is in reference to dogfighting in an aircraft. This of course is meant to say that someone with a superior fighter plane could still be taken down by someone with an inferior one; that it is the operator in…
Author: Michael Hodges
RIP General Chuck Yeager
The man, the legend… Chuck Yeager has left us. He was an ace in WWII (“Ace in a day” in fact, downing 5 aircraft in a single mission), he was the first to shoot down a German Me-262 jet fighter in his propeller-driven P-51 Mustang, he was the first man to break the sound barrier…
The First SR-71 over North Korea
I came across this interesting little story posted by Linda Sheffield in her “Habubrats” group online: A few paragraphs from my father’s (Col. Richard “Butch” Sheffield) unpublished book.North Korea, November 22, 1969, SR-71 number, 972First SR to overfly North Korea and first to land in South Korea.Some years later General Minter told me that this…
Throwback Thursday: Nextel Motorola i580
I was sorting through some old stuff and found this little gem in a box; my Nextel Motorola i580 from back in the commercial electric contracting days. *chirp chirp* I miss those day of the PTT feature. It was very handy on-site for work, though on the flip side there was always the potential for…
The Past Master Symbol
The Past Master Symbol is a often seen but not so frequently explained Masonic Symbol. It commonly consists of The Compass, Sun, and Quadrant (or Protractor), and in most jurisdictions a Square.The Compass has a familiar interpretations for it is by the Compass that a Mason is reminded to keep his actions within due bounds….
Farewell, My Brother
A toast this evening to Bro. Howard Pressman, PM, who laid down his working tools and left us this morning. He was a good man, and not just a man but a Mason, and a very good one at that. He was heavily involved in our fraternity and always willing to go that extra mile…
Admiral Howe was quite the cheeky fellow
On this day in 1776, George Washington refuses to accept a letter from British Admiral Richard Howe. The admiral and his brother, General William Howe, were attempting to contact Washington without recognizing the legitimacy of his military title. Of course, what they really meant is that they did not accept the legitimacy of the American…
D-Day: God Bless the Greatest Generation
76 years ago today..They didn’t ask for safe spaces.They didn’t ask for therapy dogs.They didn’t cry about how it wasn’t fair. They didn’t give two shits about political correctness. They ran towards danger.They smiled in the face of hardship.They fought. For you.For me. A bunch of them didn’t come home.A bunch of them never saw…
That was fast!
“When Freemasons engage in any just and laudable undertaking they go hand in hand with unanimity and success generally crowns their efforts…” It didn’t take long after our Grand Lodge was defaced, a few Brothers from University Lodge No. 51 and one from Lodge No. 3 (my lodge!) came down to the Temple and cleaned…
I’m beyond livid.
A fraternity that does so much for it’s local community, and these animals do this…