Hi Brothers.
Fourteen years ago, QuickDraw (Eugene Hayes) and I were two of the three or four remaining Ducks still flying an earlier version of BMS. I was CO of the 309th, and QD was my Wingman. We are a couple of "old guys" (literally). I hadn't heard from him or reached out to him since 2015 (thanks to a few computer and life changes), but I discovered a saved email folder a few days ago and reached out to let him know that I was thinking of him. In the hope that you can mention him in your prayers, here is his response.
~BearForce 309th
Eugene Hayes
To:
BF
Sun, Dec 27 at 3:24 PM
Great to hear from you, BF. I too am beginning to look like a geezer and feel like one as well. Maybe we should form the Geezer Squadron? Just turned 74 in October. I'd love to get back to flying, but, unfortunately, my computer would not support the sim.
With regards to my health, I still have some ominous hurdles to clear. An aneurysm has been growing in my abdominal aorta and will have to be repaired surgically. The surgeon says it could be risky because of the possibility of complications during surgery. However, I figure that I am pretty tough having died twice last year while undergoing a biopsy that turned out negative. No, I didn't see any bright light at the end of a tunnel, but I made it through and woke up in the ICU at the VA Hospital in Miami. I also survived a stroke a couple years ago which only affected the sensitivity to touch on my left side. Otherwise, I am mobile, no problem with speech, and I am not drooling down my cheek.
In March 2017, I lost my wife, Denise, to cancer. It was a long hard battle for her that lasted more than a year. It was heart-breaking watching her waste away to nothing. After Denise died, I accepted my sister's offer to move in with her. It was hard adjusting to not having Denise with me every day, but now, I have become acclimated to being single again, and I don't think I want to change that anymore.
Sorry about all the downsides of the past few years. If I can ever get a computer capable of running the F16 sim, I will be back in the saddle flying on your wing. Promise not to fire in Sidewinders at you. Can't promise that I will not take out churches and residential areas though since my eyesight is not as good as it was. But I will be there trying my best to support the mission.
Great to hear from you, BF, and I hope that all is going well for you and your family. Please give my fondest regards to Cougar (last time I checked, he was the Wing Commander), and Bones as well as the entire Wing. I didn't recognize anyone else on the roster.
Gene "QuickDraw" Hayes
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