Last Saturday I was perusing the local calendar and I read that the oldest living Tuskegee Airman will be visiting the nearby Palm Springs Air Museum.
I thought, “How cool!” So Don and I grabbed some friends and made the short trip over to the museum.
I’ve wanted to go to the Palm Springs Air Museum since I moved to PS about a year or so ago. Periodically we’ve driven past it, and I say every time, “Let’s visit this museum someday.”
Well, Saturday was the day.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United States armed forces. During World War II, African Americans in many U.S. states were still subject to the Jim Crow laws.[N 1] The American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to racial discrimination, both within and outside the army. Despite these adversities, they trained and flew with distinction.
Astonishingly, even after the Tuskegee Airmen fought valiantly for our country, they still couldn’t vote for almost 20 more years!
Lt. Col. Bob Friend, 93, part of the first all-black pilot squadron to serve in World War II, flew 142 combat missions in Europe and is one of about 45 left of the 992 original Tuskegee Airmen.
Don and Karla with Lt. Col. Bob Friend, Tuskegee Airman
A P-51 Mustang, a fighter plane from World War II and the Korean War, was also displayed as part of the museum’s “Open Cockpit” events, in which people could sit in the plane’s cockpit and pose for photos.
The Tuskegee Airmen flew a variety of aircraft, but they are best known for flying the P-51 Mustang.
Here we are “flying” Bob’s P-51!
The Palm Spring Air Museum’s Collection
We also took the time to look through the rest of the museum. There were plenty of docents around to explain where and how each of the aircraft were used. The collection at the Palm Spring Air Museum is mostly from WWII, and is divided into the Pacific and European theaters.
What a fun day at the Palm Springs Air Museum!
The Palm Springs Air Museum is located at:
Address: 745 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Your son is going to be a burden on your family. Put him in a home.
Your son is always going to be a vegetable. Put him in a home.
Watch LeBron James in tears…
A lot of people said that we would never be able to do this, but if you want, you can do anything. – Connor Long, Sports Illustrated Kid of the Year
What if you didn’t pay attention to what they say?
27 People That Didn’t Pay Attention to What They Say:
Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade. He was defeated in every public office role he ran for.Thomas Edison’s teachers told him he was “too stupid to learn anything.”
Then he became the British prime minister at the age of 62.
He didn’t pay attention to what “they” say.
Thomas Edison’s teachers told him he was “too stupid to learn anything.”
Edison also famously invented 1,000 light bulbs before creating one that worked.
He didn’t pay attention to what “they” say.
Harland David Sanders, the famous KFC “Colonel,” couldn’t sell his chicken. More than 1,000 restaurants rejected him.
But then one did, and today there are KFC restaurants bearing his image all over the world.
He didn’t pay attention to what “they” say.
R.H. Macy had a history failing businesses, including a dud Macy’s in NYC.
But then they took a chance on Chaplin, who went on to become America’s first bona fide movie star.
He didn’t pay attention to what “they” say.
Marilyn Monroe’s first contract with Columbia Pictures expired because they told her she wasn’t pretty or talented enough to be an actress.
Monroe kept plugging away and is one of the most iconic actresses and sex symbols of all time.
She didn’t pay attention to what “they” say.
Soichiro Honda was passed over for an engineering job at Toyota and left unemployed.
AP Images
But then he began making motorcycles, started a business and became a billionaire.
He didn’t pay attention to what they say.
Vera Wang failed to make the U.S. Olympic figure-skating team. Then she became an editor at Vogue and was passed over for the editor-in-chief position.
One great thing about living in the Palm Springs area is the abundance of really interesting things to do. This weekend at our local Palm Springs Air Museum they are having a semi-event … not only is the guy part of our American history, but he was the voice of Skipper in the movie Planes … go figure, I’m still a kid.
UPDATE: Went and had a great time … met one of the Tuskegee Airmen and had our photo with him. Sat in the P-51 (tight fit) …
I have read the most interesting article today, that proves that YOU CAN MAKE A PROFOUND DIFFERENCE in someone’s life.Check this out…
When asked “Who is the person that impacted your life the most?” People mention all kinds of people from all walks of life. Friends, teachers, business associates, parents, etc. There isn’t really any pattern.
BUT, when asked “What did they do to have
that impact?” the pattern was clear. In almost every case it was a simple word of encouragement at a time when it was needed the most.Many of the people that had the biggest impact in someone’s life had no clue they made such a huge difference. Most likely they didn’t even give it a second thought, yet they did something that changed that person’s life.
We can all say a kind word. You just have to decide to do it.
How simple would it be to set a remind every hour of the day to call/text/tell someone somthing positive about them.
“People feel your influence countless times, in amazing ways you never notice. Just as the butterfly’s wings can change the weather, your tiny movements may create storms that shake the entire earth.” – Ken McArthur
What a great reminder that YOU ARE AMAZING.
Go. Remind someone else that they are amazing.
May your tiny movements create storms that shake the entire earth.
Between the power of the sun shining down on it and the temperature and the fact that relative humidity is very low (usually 6-8% at our 110 or so) … I filled this fountain earlier this afternoon and it is down by over an inch in that time … I hadn’t been paying too much attention to it over the last couple of weeks, but I did notice that today it wanted a drink. As I passed by the window a few minutes ago and saw how far down it was in such a short time, I had to post it.
If you live in the cool or occasional warm or even sometimes hot, this is the fun of living in the desert.
not only is the guy part of our American history, but he was the voice of Skipper in the movie Planes … go figure, I’m still a kid.
