I thank our Father in Heavan for my Father on Earth

I couldn't see it at the time, but my father taught me great lessons by the way he lived.

He was a missile engineer and worked on such items as the Sidewinder missile and the Navy's Standard Missile 2 (SM2). Earlier he was part of the team that developed the Navy ASM/N2 Bat gluide bomb, which was a very early ( WWII ) RADAR guided munition. Several of the types missiles he worked on are on display at the Smithsonian extension on the grounds of Dulles Airport outside Washington DC.

He worked long hours and brought work home and still took time to be a father and husband.

One aspect of living that he taught me, both by his expectations for me and the was he lived was the importance of honesty.

If someone is living their life trying to 'get away' with whatever they desire at the time, they will likely be covering their actions up with falsehoods and misdirections. But if someone is guided by a strong sense of right and wrong, they will avoid the activities about which others may lie.

If one is honest, they will be also be circumspect about making promises too easily. This avoids situations where cuircumstances change outside of ones control make the fulfillment of the promise difficult, or may involve short changing another responsibility.

But once my father did make a promise, he would do all he could to keep it and fulfill it to the best of his ability.

There is much in my Father that in my better moments I try to imulate. I miss him, but am confident I will see him in the comming.
 
I thank our Father in Heaven for my Father on Earth
My Dad was career Air Force and was a navigator and navigator instructor. He took our family wherever he was stationed in the UK, Germany, traveled Europe during vacation, and parts of the United States.

Dad was deployed to Vietnam in 1968 and 1972 and flew the F4 Phantom. He retired a Major and went on to work in the aerospace industry in San Diego.

Both times I didn't know if he was coming back from Vietnam and was elated when he did.

Both Dad and my late Mom did the prayer of acceptance with me when I was 9 and raised their children in a Christian foundation in the home but with "old school" values especially the mistakes I made growing up.

Dad encouraged me to play little league baseball and learn the guitar which helped keep me out of mischievous trouble. In the worst moments as a teen filled with folly, Dad was there to give me firm discipline and forgiveness, but he was always there.

When I was 18 I broke away from the Catholic church and he (devout Catholic) and my Mom (border line Catholic and Protestant) were disappointed but accepting of my decision. My first ministry in the church was as a praise musician.

Dad will be 86 on July 6 and still attends Mass every Sunday and when we discuss the Bible. He doesn't read the Douay–Rheims Bible in the Catholic church and prefers to have the priest read and preach the gospel. However, he has been more open during the past 20 years when I discuss the Bible with him.

He still enjoys watching Ancient Aliens and discussing his view of the ancient pyramids and extraterrestrials to me. So I keep an open heart, listen and discuss with him. What am I gonna do? He's my Dad.

Happy Father's Day, Pop!
 
I thank our Father in Heaven for my Father on Earth
My Dad was career Air Force and was a navigator and navigator instructor. He took our family wherever he was stationed in the UK, Germany, traveled Europe during vacation, and parts of the United States.

Dad was deployed to Vietnam in 1968 and 1972 and flew the F4 Phantom. He retired a Major and went on to work in the aerospace industry in San Diego.

Both times I didn't know if he was coming back from Vietnam and was elated when he did.

Both Dad and my late Mom did the prayer of acceptance with me when I was 9 and raised their children in a Christian foundation in the home but with "old school" values especially the mistakes I made growing up.

Dad encouraged me to play little league baseball and learn the guitar which helped keep me out of mischievous trouble. In the worst moments as a teen filled with folly, Dad was there to give me firm discipline and forgiveness, but he was always there.

When I was 18 I broke away from the Catholic church and he (devout Catholic) and my Mom (border line Catholic and Protestant) were disappointed but accepting of my decision. My first ministry in the church was as a praise musician.

Dad will be 86 on July 6 and still attends Mass every Sunday and when we discuss the Bible. He doesn't read the Douay–Rheims Bible in the Catholic church and prefers to have the priest read and preach the gospel. However, he has been more open during the past 20 years when I discuss the Bible with him.

He still enjoys watching Ancient Aliens and discussing his view of the ancient pyramids and extraterrestrials to me. So I keep an open heart, listen and discuss with him. What am I gonna do? He's my Dad.

Happy Father's Day, Pop!
My 4 years (only) in the Air Force was as an enlisted Airman, and after Tech School spent it running computers in the bowels of the Pentagon. So, I have deep respect for those that have been and still are deployed and know that my experience does not approach theirs. While some take to military well, it requires quite a different level of commitment to handle the stresses of moving a family around (or spending considerable time away).

In my later years, I supported all the branches of service, writing computer code for Army, Navy, Marines, and a stint evaluating Coast Guard programs.

Getting back to my father, in my early years (up to about the age of 5 or 6 - late 1950's), my mother took me and my brother and sister to church while Dad stayed home. I did not find out until after he passed that he used to attend with mom but the congregation was strictly pacifist and had grave issues with his work, since he worked on military programs. They would probably disapprove of my career as well. Mom was involved with church organizations and continued going. Dad ensured that us kids were up and ready to go with her.

I only had a few conversations with him regarding faith, but I don't think that he was a scoffer, or an unbeliever, but his commitment was very much to his vocation. He did mention a conversion experience when he was young. One of the last faith centered conversations was when I was Baptized at the age of 17. He attended the baptism (not the same church that disapproved of his career), and since the Pastor said some kind things about me prior to performing the ceremony, Dad and I discussed stuff related to my spiritual journey.
 
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