NC74392
New member
My Dad, Charles "Chuck" Wilkie, died last Tuesday. We had a military honor guard that presented my mother with a flag, fired three volleys of five, and played "Taps" that echoed eerily from a distant line of trees. Our church has a men's quartet that sang: "Eternal Father Strong To Save..." If you've ever seen "The Right Stuff" you know which hymn I mean.
He was a Fire Control Tech on the USS Philippine Sea (CVA-47) for the AA Fire Control Directors. He loved aviation and instilled that same love in me. He worked at Marshall Space Flight Center through Explorer I, Apollo, and Skylab. He retired From Chrysler Corporation at age 63. Ten years later, lung cancer and emphysema finally caught up to him.
He was my teacher, my baseball coach, my friend, my airplane buddy, my best man at my wedding, and a wonderful father. He was my Dad.
He was a Fire Control Tech on the USS Philippine Sea (CVA-47) for the AA Fire Control Directors. He loved aviation and instilled that same love in me. He worked at Marshall Space Flight Center through Explorer I, Apollo, and Skylab. He retired From Chrysler Corporation at age 63. Ten years later, lung cancer and emphysema finally caught up to him.
He was my teacher, my baseball coach, my friend, my airplane buddy, my best man at my wedding, and a wonderful father. He was my Dad.
