In the presence of heroes

Somewhere in my mind there has been a song that has played over and over since I was a child. The words go like this: There's a Star Spangled Banner waving somewhere in a distant land so many miles away. Only Uncle Sam's great heroes get to go there where I wish that I could also live someday. I'd see Lincoln, Custer, Washington and Perry and Nathan Hale and Colin Kelley too!

Colin Kelley, the only aviator in the bunch.

Wikipedia tells me that it was written in 1942 by Paul Roberts and Shelby Darnell's. The somewhere in the title of the song refers to an idealistic version of heaven reserved for the brave U.S. soldiers fighting the Axis powers, somewhat akin to the concept of Valhalla.

It wasn't Valhalla and it wasn't quite up to the "somewhere" referred in the ditty above but last Thursday Ann and I came close to the Nebraska version of hallowed ground. We attended the induction ceremony for this year's honorees into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame. New this year were the seven Savidge brothers who built and flew the first airplane in Nebraska. Three other individuals were honored, including McCook's own John Kugler. They joined other Nebraskans who previously have been honored for leading the way making great contributions in the field of aviation. Notables include Trenton's Gen. Harold Confer, a Mach 2 Thompson Trophy winner in the B-58 and who later flew the SR-71, Charles E. Taylor the gent that hacksawed out the crankcase and built the engine that the powered the Wright Brothers first airplane, a multitude of Tuskegee airmen, Gen. Curtis LeMay, and the list goes on. All are heroes in my chosen field of life's endeavor.

Seeing hot air balloons, and occasionally a gas balloon (the quiet ones), on a pleasant summertime evening seems to be a normal rite for those of who live around McCook. A pretty sight, those colorful balloons float majestically over our neighborhoods on a trajectory dictated by the whims of the wind. "Oh that is just John and his friends enjoying a nice evening" comes to mind. He may launch from the airport, one of McCook's many ball fields, the fairgrounds or even his front yard. Where he lands is dictated by the skill of the pilot and the vagaries of nature.

And then late summer we are blessed with a host of John's friends gathered here to party and fly their many boldly colored craft at the annual Balloon Blast. John is a gregarious kind of guy and has taken scores of friends, relatives and perfect strangers for rides on his magic carpet. The price for admission many times is helping prepare to launch, a fun-filled adventure itself. Many others hop in their cars to follow the path of the wind walking colorful giants to wherever they may return to terra firma.

Many hands then help pack the envelope back into its container, load the basket into the trailer and send it back to storage. There, like a jack-in-a-box, it will await the next lighter-than-air adventure.

Manned hot air ballooning dates back to 1782 when the Montgolfier brothers made the first ascent. Gas balloon development paralleled the hot air efforts and saw some use in the American Civil War. Huge dirigibles enabled commercial air travel and reconnaissance blimps saw World War II wartime use. What most people don't seem to realize is that the sport of hot air ballooning was almost nonexistent in the United States until the late 1960s.

John's dad Russ and brother Mike got interested in the sport and during that time frame purchased a hard-to-find envelope with basket and learned to fly. The next step was exploring the world of helium gas ballooning. That gas is a tad pricey but the Kuglers being in the farm fertilizer business had economical access to anhydrous nitrogen which in its gaseous form is also lighter than air. John did the research, developed the performance tables and led the way for the world using NH3 for a lifting gas.

Multi-millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett cast about the ballooning world for someone to teach him to fly hot air and gas balloons and settled on the guy with the best reputation in the field. Fossett had world records in mind and after multiple tries made the first around the world solo balloon flight. Helping with every launch, wherever in the world, was his mentor, our own John Kugler.

McCook has every right to be proud of this favored son, business owner and all-around good guy. He is now rightfully ensconced in the "near Valhalla" Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame!

And there are heroes of every other stripe in our town. This last week Linda Lafferty died and she will be missed in this community. Linda was a long time, 35-year clerk serving the public at the gas company. I can only imagine the many unhappy customers that she handled with a soft-spoken aplomb and delicate grace that came natural to her.

Most likely the majority left with a smile, knowing that their complaint was valid and this nice lady would do everything possible to right a perceived wrong.

Linda also led the way in doing outreach to the needy in our community. A leader in the Methodist Church, her latest project was called "Feeding His Flock." Her group of volunteers started by providing a monthly, free but warm and friendly, evening meal for anyone who cared to stop by. In a few short years the project has morphed into a weekly event that the day before her funeral last week touched more than 80 lives.

Each enjoyed a good repast laced with warm and friendly conversation with those who prepared and served it. Now she is gone but the torch has been passed and the important outreach will continue. I know that Jesus would be proud!

That is how I saw it.