[DeTomaso] Veterans Day

[Dave]

Thank you Larry. I know you miss Chuck very much. That was a great tribute you wrote, thank you.

RIP Chuck.

IndyDave

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry - Ohio Time [mailto:Larry at ohiotimecorp.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 11:38 AM
To: 'DeTomaso Mail List'
Subject: [DeTomaso] Veterns Day

Today I would like to do a different Veterans salute, then my normal.
 
It's still the eleventh month, eleventh day and eleventh hour of Armistice Day.
 
Today on this day I would like you all to remember and think about one of our Pantera Brothers we lost this year. Chuck Adkinson from Columbus, Ohio.
Chuck and I became good friends from this list. It must be around 15 years or so. He took on a rust bucket Pantera, like me, and did 90% of all the work himself. Kirk and I would lend a hand and advice when needed but Chuck did it. He did it all from teaching himself to weld, stripping every nut and bolt off of it, to working on cars in general. He was always a bike guy. He did some flat track racing in his younger years. Must have had 4 or 5 bikes the last time I was down there.
 
Chuck served our country in Vet Nam, 9th Cavalry, enlisted December 14, 1967, flying Hueys then later Cobras. He continued his service after the war in the Ohio Army National Guard. The first time I went to his old house I past a VFW hall with a Huey on it roof. I asked him how did they get it up on the roof, "Simple I just landed it there". His love of flying was strong as he became a corporate jet pilot for the local utility. We would often talk/email back and forth when he was stuck in some airport in no man land USA. After his 59th birthday, (I think they retire you from flying at 60 in the service) he got called in service once again, going to Iraq. Even though flying helicopters for 40 some years the Army liked his corporate jet experience. They place him into a small business type turbo-jet plane, to ferry people and supplies to needed locations. I asked him what type of armament the plane had. "Flairs". Should his systems show that he is being tracked by radar he would deploy flairs to trick any missiles that may be on there way. I asked him how he likes shooting off flairs compared to rockets.
"Oh, its fine till you run out of flairs".
 
A few years ago he retired from work, sold his beautiful home, shop and Pantera 2113 (something he regretted) to move to Tennessee on a small farm.
He and his wife Sue have a love of animals and needed more then 5 acres. His plan was to build a new shop and make his dream car, '32 Ford, 5 window hot rod. He had a poster of the American Graffiti car on the wall. Chuck likes to work on a project maybe more then finishing. Journey and destination thing.
 
Unfortunately the plans of man do not outweigh the plans of God. Chuck was diagnosed with brain cancer one week after selling everything. He fought a battle like never before against an enemy like never before. After two years he lost that battle this summer at age 66. He was berried in Arlington National Cemetery this fall.
 
Reading many of his emails today over many years, the 9/11 email talked about enemies know and unknown. Truer then we can understand.
 
I am living with the regrets that all friends do, should have stopped down more often, should have made it to the motorcycle hill climb we talked about every year, should have, should have, should have. Please learn form my mistakes.
 
He would tell me "I was shot up, but never shot down". How true that was in so many ways.
 
So today please remember the people that serve your country, no mater where it is, and think well of our friend Chuck (Apache 34). God Bless you my friend.
 
 
Larry (Cleveland) Homolak