Greetings Loyal Airmen. This week, amidst the frantic holiday season, we wanted to talk about friends. There have been millions of jokes and witty sayings on how we can't choose what family we are born in etc.etc.etc.  That is pretty much up to God.  Whereas during our lives we in fact make our own family of those people we choose to associate with, to experience life with on a truly personal level. They are our friends and as we go through life, from childhood to those last senior years, most of us will either have a lot of friends or sadly too few. The Good Lord has truly blessed the Air Chief with many, many true friends, especially in the years since we retired and started up our Airship 27 Productions.  Way too many to name them all here, and at the risk of even trying and forgetting one or two. If you are a regular visit to this Flight Log, you've most likely seen many of them in pictures here. Today we're going to talk about three of them.

            
                                 Chuck Moore & “The Fozn”  Henry Winkler
Some five years ago a fellow named Chuck Moore invited comic book creators to set up their own personal forums on his new website called Comic Related.  The Air Chief took him up on that generous offer and all too quickly learned what a truly remarkable, decent, fun loving person he was.  Since then Chuck and the Air Chief have joined up at big comic cons like New York and small ones like Champion City this past year in Springfield, Ohio. Chuck is that rare individual who truly cares for others and defines what a true and good friend is.  Recently, he was at a con in Atlanta and had the pleasure of meeting actor Henry Winkler who played the ever cool Foznie in the hit TV series, HAPPY DAYS.  When Chuck sent us the photo above, we thought it was priceless, as it brings together two of the COOLEST guys in the world.

            
                      Kevin Noel Olson & Jiggy Comics
When my partner Rob Davis and I were in the middle of launching Airship 27 Productions, we ran into some problems with a publisher who chose to renege on deal to publish our pulp books.  Things looked really bad until one of our first writers, a guy name Kevin Noel Olson, suggested we contact his publisher, Cornerstone Book Publishers. He went to bat for us, helped make that introduction and now our partnership with Cornerstone is stronger than ever.  All thanks to Kevin's wanting to help us.  Since that time he has continued to contribute to our books.  He's a talented writer and has produced series of wonderful childrens books featuring a character called Eerey Tocsin.

               
                       Book # 2 in the Eerey Tocsin Series
If you know young people in your family who are big readers, the Air Chief can't recommend these books enough. You can find them at Amazon, Barnes & Noble on-line etc.  Kevin is another good friend who made so many good things possible in our lives. Check these books out, you'll be glad you did.

        
                            Smiling Rob Davis at Mid-Ohion Con
Finally, we had to mention the guy we regard as our Best Friend, our partner and confidant, Rob Davis.  The two of us first hooked up over twenty years ago via mail correspondence at the time we were both getting our comic book careers going.  Sadly, we were never able to get a project together off the ground back them. Time went along and we lost touch.  Then, by the hand of God, via the internet, we hooked up a second time when the Air Chief was just dreaming of Airship 27.  Without Rob and his talent, his work, support and enthusiasm, that dream would have remained just that, a dream

Earlier this week Rob had surgery to remove a cancerous organ.  We want to thank all our Loyal Airmen who prayed and kept him, and his family, in their thoughts.  We are so happy to report that all went fell, Rob was home two days later and is on the mend.  As he told me in an e-mail, the night before his surgery, “We still have a lot of great pulp books to get out.”  Yes, we do, Rob.  And the Air Chief thanks God every day for a friend like you. 

And so we end this with a little advice, never ever take your friends for granted, Loyal Airmen.  Be aware of the joy, richness and love they bring into your lives…and appreciate them daily.  It is truly a rich man who has real friends.  The Air Chief today is one of the richest of them all.

Ron – Over & Out!