| Ghosts of the Past |

Here we are celebrating the birthday and glorious freedom of  our great United States of America. We live in an incredible country,  where anything is possible, if one is willing to persevere.

Case in point;  Will Counts recently graduated in business from  Thunderbird Global School of Management and set his mind to resurrect  the crumbling Tower, used during World War II for  flight training and control.  American and Chinese pilots were trained to fly, among other aircraft, the Stearman PT 17.  Will, in his indelible way and with Missouri fortitude, would not be deterred and set upon a path to preserve Thunderbird’s history and that of our country.

Karen and I, with much exuberance set to work as soon as Will gave us the go. I was enthralled with the history of the campus, right here in our own back yard, and could only imagine what would be recounted if walls could talk. These brave men, learning to fly planes made from fabric! Talk about flying by the seat of your pants.

We visited the job site Thursday in one hundred plus degree heat and took a few photos of the construction progress. It is very exciting to see our design and Will’s dream begin to take such defined physical shape. The space will be spectacular and a tribute to the men who preserved our freedom and to Thunderbird for having the foresight to save such a worthy piece of our history.

My father-in-law, Joemax Smith,  passed away this January. He was a World War II hero. These men changed our world for the better. The best of the best they are.  I pray The Ghosts of our Past stay with us always,  to remind us of how hard fought, with human treasure, our freedom has been. It is a fragile condition, and one we must be ever vigilant to protect.

Karen, is from Brazil and has taken such interest in learning about the history of our country while working on this project. She loves her native Brazil, but recounted to me over this holiday weekend that she can sum up America in three simple words, Fairness, Freedom and Friendly. I think that’s a pretty good description. I look forward to learning more about her beautiful Brazil.

So in closing, take a moment to thank a vet or acknowledge a soldier. It is because of them we can celebrate this day in glorious style. Karen and I wish you a Happy and Safe  4th of July.

As always, our goal is your success!