Joe the Humanitarian

OK, since there's no new or exciting news from Joe other than he's on the way back, I'll tell you about his "big" present for Christmas.

You probably all know about his active duty service with the Air Force. There's a story behind this gift, and I'm probably totally botching it (I am fixing it - me, Joe). My apologies if it's wrong or I say something incorrectly. (Will correct details when Joe is back!)(I'm baaaack!)

Sometime during the Mogadishu famine crisis in 1991 (1993), I think, he was a loadmaster aboard a C-141 (The most awesome airlifter ever, C-141B Starlifter). His plane landed on a tiny dirt strip (Kismaayo, Somalia) there to deliver some rice (we literally had to do a fly-by to run ostriches off the runway!). About that time, they turned away the other C-141s because the strip (airfield at Mombassa, Kenya - our staging area) was too small (for the large & in charge C-141), but several C-130s were there to complete the mission. Joe has photos of himself physically handing bags of rice out the back of the plane to locals who needed it, as did the other 141 (we were the ONLY 141 in theater at that time) and 130s (the same as the whining C-130 crews).

Then, the Air Force awarded Humanitarian Service Medals to all the 130 (see whining C-130  above) folks, but not the 141s! They said he was not "directly involved in the humanitarian effort." He was always a little miffed about that. (Gigantically Miffed!)

Soooo....this year, I got him an honorary Humanitarian Service Medal (she really does love me!). I also made a little certificate saying it was not only for his Air Force service, but for service to his family, friends and others. I think that later we'll frame it up with the photos of him handing out that food.

I hope that doesn't offend any of you who are in the services. I asked Joe (after I gave it to him) if it was appropriate, and he said as long as it was stated as honorary it was cool.