With Bruce and Jo Bossart in Collinsville, Ill.

This couple was the first military couple I met when we drove to Rapid City, S.D. after our honeymoon-12 days of so after Tom returned from Vietnam-in 1969.  They were also the first Southerners I'd met.  She's a little short woman and she always said we were quite the pair:  I was great ole big and she was little ole bitty.  And it hasn't changed.  We last saw them on a trip through here 27 years ago-way too long.

When we got out of the car I immediately heard hundreds of cicadas chirping in their large trees-hadn't heard those for years.  While unloading the car, I was bitten in 3 places by mosquitoes or something and the bites itched for several days, no matter what I put on them.

We basically sat and visited, but were able to drive around Scott Air Force Base and then tour a VC-40 with their son who flies dignitaries around in them.  He'll retire this month after 26-1/2 years as an AF and AF Reserve pilot!  We fell in love with him the first week we knew them, when he was 2.  He convinced us we didn't want to wait long to have a baby.  Tom attended his Air Force Academy graduation in 1989 and was the first non-commissioned officer to salute him!  His dad retired as a Lt. Colonel and that is also "Little" Bruce's rank-two Lt. Colonel Bruce Bossarts on the same base at one time a few years ago.

One night we had dinner with Dan and Judy Matarrazo.  Dan was Tom's commander at Fairchild AB in Spokane, WA. in the '80's.