O.K., I will share my letter too. Please forgive me, I left out my full name and rank and signature block to protect my identity on the internet. But, here it is and a signed hard copy will be in the mail tomorrow.

Dear Mr. Johnson,
My name is _______________, and I am a recent retiree from the United States Air Force. I would imagine that you might be quite surprised to receive a letter from a female veteran, who was not a nurse or part of a pool of typists. My years in the Air Force were the best years of my life and it was an honor to serve during Desert Storm, Uphold Democracy (Haiti), Kosovo, and of course Iraq and Afganistan. But none of those wars/conflicts could even begin to compare in total to either WWI or WWII.

You are truly an inspiration Sir, and to be given the opportunity to write you in person in an absolute pleasure. I would like to thank you for your service to this great Country of ours, and being a true pioneer of the US Aviation era. Although the B-25 Mitchell has long been retired, what a great aircraft it was and personal favorite of two of our Nation’s 5-star Generals, President Eisenhower and General Henry Hap Arnold. I am certain you have many exciting adventures to share and some wonderful memories. I hope those memories are relived with your upcoming trip.

I would be amiss for not mentioning your Service with the Army Air Corps. You Sir, and all the wonderful men assigned to the Army Air Corps are responsible for the creation in 1947 of what is now known as the United States Air Force. People like yourself had the wisdom and foresight of Aviation’s potential as a separate Military Service on its own merit. And because of you the United States Air Force today is simply the greatest and most technologically advanced Air Force in the World with literally thousands of aircraft in its past and current inventory.

Thank-you Sir for being there at the beginning. Thank-you for helping pave that road for our Country’s aviation efforts. Several of us would say in the Air Force, “Sleep Well America”. Today’s Military as a whole is the reason that America can still sleep well. I would like to personally assure you that although many years have gone by, the Military you left is still proud, it is still strong and filled with the smartest, most dedicated warriors this Nation has to offer. They are all good citizens, and I retired very confident that our Military has been left to a new generation of very competent warriors…so Sir, please sleep well, and thank-you again for your Service to this Country. And God Bless the men and women that are out there serving this Country right now to protect the freedoms of us all. I hope we made you proud.

Very Respectfully,

My Personal Signature Block

Katie