Somos familia

Yesterday was the big reunion of airborne Spanish linguists. Waldo had posted on Thursday about how she was feeling ambivalent about going and I think my feelings were pretty much the same. I really wanted to see her and her family and to attend the dedication of a memorial to my friend Shane who was killed in action 7 years ago but I wasn't very optimistic about the prospects for the rest of the day.

I'll spare you the point-by-point details of everything and just say that I'm *very* glad I came out here for the reunion. There's something special about the bond I share with this group of people that transcends all of the varied paths we've taken in life. Most of the people attending were retired or active duty military - there were only a few of us who were one-term airmen - yet all of us were welcomed as much a part of the community as anyone else.

The president of the Association of Spanish Flyers, Espy, summed it up best at the end of his speech at Shane's memorial dedication when he said, simply, "somos familia." I've been blessed to be a part of a number of families throughout my life and I'm very grateful to be able to see that this one has survived all of the changes in my life as well.

Most of the day's activities took place in secured areas, so I couldn't bring a camera or my cell phone in. There were people taking pictures so I'll have to wait to post any until they get those pictures out to everyone. Whenever that happens, I'll either post them here or put up a link to where they're at.