Matron of the Blue

It's just another day at the office for the dedicated Air Force crew. They've had their briefing and now climb aboard the venerable B-52. They complete their checklists as they've done so many times before. The pilot throttles up to military power and down the runway they roar! The tired old bird flexes her wings as she climbs into the morning sky. This matron of the blue is more than fifty years old, yet she is still quite spry! She resembles America's noble symbol, the majestic eagle, as on high she soars! Maintaining peace is her profession, though she's suffered the scar of wars! Today's mission will take the crew to places they only dreamed of in school. Their arduous flight will last around twelve hours as a general rule. 'Tis ironic, they muse, that on this very plane that if the facts were known, Could be one that some of their grandfathers and fathers may have flown! Young men who when boys built model airplanes and dreamed of flight, Are now masters of machines never dreamed of by the Brothers Wright! "Service Above Self" is their battle cry - guardians of the freedoms we cherish, So much to each we owe for ensuring that from our land they will never perish! KC-135 Tankers met them along the route to sate the old raptor's thirst. Now, they lower the flaps as the setting sun greets them with a glorious burst! The smoking tires kiss the welcoming earth - the old warrior has done her duty. Home to roost - drooping wings will flex again at dawn, to reveal a thing of beauty! Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired © All Rights Reserved