Jack Bailey:  

Updated on July 8, 2023 Spring has sprung in Texas and we were about to float away. But now summer is here and we have severe heat and 100 degrees to contend with!🤠 It brings me to consider that parts are parts, and the older I get the fewer original parts I seem to have.. Ha! I had my first major overhaul in June of 2022, and now I’m trying to break in a new right knee. The disturbing thought is that once I get fully functional on the new one, the other knee gets replaced too. This will make me an international personality since the replacement knees are made in China. This getting older is becoming a daily project.😃 However, we’ve survived another year, Now over 57 years since we graduated! Where has the time gone? Hopefully this year will see improvements over 2021 and 2022 for us all. It appears we have a new threat to challenge our longevity and we all need to be careful and safe to survive the scourge of COVID 19 and Monkeypox with their varients. I’m a history buff. As we work through troubled times let us pause to honor ALL who have and are serving our great nation, Military and Civilian/Public Service as well. We recently commemorated the 77th Anniversary of the end of WWII. I have a project that entails flying US flags over both the USS Arizona Memorial and the battleship USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and presenting the flags with certificates to WWII veterans, thus commemorating both the beginning and the end of WWII. The legacy of the heroic deeds of all who served then and today is invaluable and unredeemable to our way of life. When I came home from my 3rd tour in Vietnam, (I didn’t volunteer for any of them), in 1973, I was fortunate enough to receive the Colorado Scholars’ scholarship to supplement the GI Bill. I finished a BS in Aviation Management in June 1975, and assumed a new assignment flying with Frontier Airlines based in Dallas, TX. My flying career, both military and civilian, enabled me to go to so many historic places on this planet. This undoubtedly enhanced my personal experiences and gave me a greater appreciation for the dedication and sacrifice of our forefathers, our peers, and our siblings. I am proud of all who served from our generation, as well as those who serve today. Those who are first responders are invaluable assets to our society as well. It is a pleasure and privilege to tell all that my son, Colonel Bryan Bailey USAF, has completed a Harvard Fellowship and a Pentagon assignment to assume command of the 911th Airlift Wing (C-17s). My daughter continues to educate our grand children in the public school forum and is co-owner with her husband Kyle of a UPS Store. I renew my deeply felt thanks to those who enabled us to come together for our previous reunions. #50 was monumental and their efforts are greatly appreciated. What a life it has been! The past 57 years have come and gone like the Wyoming wind! It's hard to believe that it has been over a half century since we walked the stage at Storey Gym! The 50th Reunion was GREAT! THANKS AGAIN TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE IT HAPPEN!👍 Life has been fast and furious since '66. I've had a full military career, Commander, US Navy Retired, the Only Master Army Aviator in the US Navy, (that's a story in itself); A diverse airline career, Captain, Frontier and Continental Airlines, Retired. I’ve flown over 50 different models of aircraft and helicopters. Additionally, I volunteered as a Federal Flight Deck Officer. Armed, Federally Commissioned law Enforcement Officer, protecting the flight decks of the planes I flew, post 911. Most importantly I’ve enjoyed a very rewarding personal life, a wonderful 35 year marriage, 2 great kids and 3 really neat grandkids. Retirement came 19 years after our 20th ...Expand for more