Sealed with a sacred promise

I, having been appointed a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;…

The foregoing was part of the oath of office that I administered to Trevor Evans last Friday. Trevor, a McCook High School graduate, along with 14 other splendid young men and women was graduating from the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Yes, included were several young ladies, all headed for service as pilots, navigators as well as other non-rated jobs including security, intelligence, logistics and the thousand other essential tasks carried out twenty four seven by those sworn to stand against all threats to our way of life.

By administering the oath of office, out loud and in front of God and everybody, I too was rededicating my own life to the same patriotic ideals freely adopted by every commissioned officer in the United States military since we have been a country. Each cadet stood in front of our precious American flag and each oath was administered by an active duty or retired commissioned officer. Stepping into the ranks of a commissioned military officer is a big set of shoes to fill; the oath is sealed by the blood of countless patriots who served and died in making this country the greatest that the world has ever known. … so help me God.

I was honored to be asked by Trevor to "commission" him. Probably he requested me because it had something to do with having him taught to fly several years ago. In the Air Force way of doing things, he will go off to Enid, Okla., to go through the complete Air Force pilot training program. Having already achieved his private license counts only toward having experience to learn more quickly than the students coming into the program never having seen the inside of an airplane. Also in the military tradition of "It is our way or the highway" there is only one way to fly! I did notice that one of Trevor's classmates will be training with the U.S. Navy before he returns to flying Air Force aircraft, an exchange program that in my experience has been healthy for all branches of the service.

Our speaker for this wonderfully formal military event was an active duty two star general, a man with actual combat experience having flown the B-52, B-1 and B-2. Gen. Przybyslawski made an interesting comment about the Oath of Office. He pointed out its uniqueness in society today. No corporate official in civilian life is required to make such a commitment. He didn't mention it, but all our politicians, at least on the national level, are sworn into office with similar words.

It is my opinion that, sadly, in the political world the oath is only words that are soon ignored. We in the military don't swear with our hand on a Bible, or a Koran, or whatever book of faith, the oath is sealed with a sacred promise solely between the new officer and his/her personal God. And God Bless America!

It is "Nursing Home Week" and I have to salute our own Hillcrest Nursing Home. It is truly a jewel in this community. Hillcrest is county-owned which allows it to operate as a "non profit," translating directly to lower rates.

It is truly a bargain for the residents who are fortunate enough to reside within its loving embrace of Peggy Rogers and her dedicated care staff.

The operation is overseen by board of trustees appointed by your county commissioners. For more years than I know, Hillcrest has been self-supporting with no infusion of tax dollars since at least 1959. The residents of Southwest Nebraska can be truly proud.

A personal note: I did my annual "bet your wings" flight physical this week and passed with flying colors. The older we pilots get the more of a challenge the flight physical becomes and of course if you don't meet minimum qualifications you don't pass and can no longer act as "pilot in command." In my case a year of effort to lose weight paid off because although a year older I am apparently in much better health than last year.

Even my eyesight tested better than a year ago -- go figure?

That is the way I see it.