Who's packing your parachute?Dear Nadji, Every now and then I hear a story that is so great I just have to pass it on to the people I care about. Here it is: Who's Packing Your Parachute parachute, umbrellalike device designed to retard the descent of a falling body by creating drag as it passes through the air. The development of modern aircraft has led to many experiments in the aerodynamic problems of parachute design, with the result that the ? Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile sur·face-to-air missile n. Abbr. SAM A guided missile launched from land or sea against an airborne target. Noun 1. . Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters Jet fighter may refer to:
"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute." the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib bib - BibTeX in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said, 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor Person who navigates ships or assists in the conduct, maintenance, or service of ships. Sailors have historically received special treatment under the law because of the nature of their work. ." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving weaving, the art of forming a fabric by interlacing at right angles two or more sets of yarn or other material. It is one of the most ancient fundamental arts, as indicated by archaeological evidence. the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know. Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory--his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that's happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. I'm sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute!!! Sincerely, Ray Golden Vice President of Sales Prairie prairie Level or rolling grassland, especially that found in central North America. Decreasing amounts of rainfall, from 40 in. (100 cm) at the forested eastern edge to less than 12 in. Voice Services |
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