"Step right up Folks. Step,,, right,,,, up and listen while I take you on a tour of a land now inhabited by the souls of times past. Where you will go alone to feel that time. Mesmerizations you can only find in a land far, far away. But, today, for only one thin dime, one tenth of a dollar, it will be revealed for you what the Gods of Aviation watch over."
"Sorry Sir. You need to ask the Little Lady to step outside. This trip is only for men in green who can hear the silence autorotation or the pulsation's of pending ground resonance. Who can grip a cyclic so hard, palm prints appear etched in the metal being grasped. Or, those who can work magic with blade tape or, can divine the workings of an actuator. No! this isn't for the gentler sex. For they have intuition but, not the gut feelings. So, if you'll just ask her to wait for you by the malt shop over there, we'll be moving along. You're tour is ready to start."
"As we pass through the curtain you will be handed a map. It's not just any map. It's one whose grid coordinates are etched in blood. For each square holds the souls of those who no longer are able to fly another one of life's missions. Their ticket stubs have already been punched and collected."
"If you look closely at the blue area within one of the red squares at the 3 o'clock position, you'll see the South China Sea. There, under the crashing waves and rolling tides, you will find those who have made their last gun run on a sampan. And, those who lost their way during a hard, driving, monsoon rain. For these are the ones that Neptune has selected to serve with him and be his chosen few."
"The squares of blood surrounding the mountainous areas contain the mythical granite clouds. They are deceivers. For they can take any form they choose when they choose. They've even been known to sing the song of the Sirens as they beckon crews to seek out the Landing Zones just beyond their wispy grasps. Never to hover again above the marking panels."
"While rice used to grow within the crimson squares you see marked below and to the west of Highway 1, metal grows there now. There we see planted the charred remains of a tail rotor, a landing strut, a radio. Over there is sheet metal with the fading letters "YL" marked in black over the green. And, just beyond the dikes that boundary that square over there, we see the twisted form of two rotor blades caught up in a never ending dance. The thunder of battle will continue to resound over these squares for ages to come."
"The squares with red hope in the form of a cross are those where time ran out. While man can patch machines over and over again to thrust back into the sky, a higher authority carries the repair capabilities surrounding a soul airframe. Within these squares, those with medical skills continued to fight for each and all who entered. Losing ever so reluctantly to the Grim Reaper those who've received orders transferring them to fly for another Command at a higher altitude."
"Now, as we end our tour you will need to turn in your maps to the gentlemen at the table on your left for use by the next tour. Then, as you egress the zone you will be handed a packet of memories. Memories and reminders of those who are unable to celebrate any further birthdays of our Corps. Or, to be with family during the Holidays. Within those packets are the aspirations of all who've had to stay inside the red grid squares. That's why each of you must carry the packet with you for the rest of your life. It's one of the ways we can convince ourselves it was worth it."
""Step right up Folks. Step,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"
Fast Eddy Creamer
vegasmarine1@adelphia.net