The Colonel

Where is my big smiling beloved? Stan was always serious in his official photos. I don't know the date of this photo but it was after he became a Colonel, obviously. He became a Colonel in late 1975 or early 1976.
There is almost a smile on his next photo! Much more pleasant look this time. We wanted to have another overseas experience before all the children left home for good so we were excited when he received orders to go to Howard AFB in the Panama Canal Zone. We left for Panama in May, 1976 where he was the Commander of the MAC squadron at Howard and also the Theater Airlift Manager for Central and South America.

Stan was a Major when lived on Guam in 1968 to 1970. He was next stationed at Travis AFB in California for a year after which he had orders to fly C-130 gunships in Vietnam. He was away from home in Washington, Texas and Florida for training most of 1971. He was in Houston at the time he learned he had been promoted to Lt. Colonel. He left for Ubon, Thailand shortly before Christmas, 1971. He returned home in time for Christmas, 1972 after spending a year flying gunships along the Ho Chi Minh Trail shooting amunition trucks coming from the north to resupply the Vietcong in the south. We were soooo happy and soooo thankful to have him home safe and sound; and happy he was stationed again at Travis, this time flying C-141 planes.

I will never forget the day Stan came home from work early and he was grinning from ear to ear and I was asking WHAT? WHY ARE YOU HOME? TELL ME!!! He wasn't saying anything---just smiling such a big happy smile. Then suddenly I noticed the Eagles pinned to his lapel. He had been informed that he was now a Colonel!!! I don't have the words to describe our joy!