The path had begun in Wurzburg Germany. The son was born to a couple reunited fleeing a common terror…Stalin. Its early stages were camp to camp in Germany then Delaware. The United States Army introduced the man to his wife she was from South Texas. Truth be told, her ancestors made a similar journey out of watchful eye a Court Jew given a land grant amidst the sandy soil north of Rio Grande South of the Nueces. Her family became attached scratching out a living first in farming then auto repair in the brutal harsh land of South Texas.

It was spring break 1989 mere months after a Christmas vacation where the now 40 year old plus Warrant officer saw points in Germany of his youth. He concealed his thoughts his feelings from his son. To the observer in Wurzburg it would have been a shocking revelation that this family of three had ties far closer to Europe then imagined. The story his older brother who had the Latvian accent mixed with Australia would have met with only some surprise. The man kept his thoughts quiet, while he was near where he had entered the planet. The story of a family running for its life a part of him. How it fit remained to his son a mystery. Did he so quickly embrace the lifestyle survival? His house was a mile or two from springs flowing clear into a river he liked to fish. His son had accepted gleefully a part of his heritage. The drive his wife went on through the south was to family he had become friends with a long the way. His wife could pass for white in the hills of Eastern TN. Through the south to family friends a bond began in 1970 the Latvian and southerner and his family had become tight. His wife and his son traveled from a mountain town on the border of Virginia Tennessee and Kentucky down to a semi familiar spot Ft. Rucker. The Texans were loud they were definitely Guardsmen from Texas combat vets from Vietnam even the one with the strange last name had the drawl. They were competing US Precision Helicopters Flyoffs their actions would be surprising filling all slots of the US team.

(did not make the team OH-58D competing Hanchey Heliport Ft Rucker 1989 I took the photograph)

Their mouths were quick to render the verdict they were far from civilization deep in the south. They were on the hunt for good Tex Mex there was supposedly a place on Ozark Alabama. The conversation was joined by two pilots deployed from Germany. The verdict :not good Tex Mex. The Ozark, Daleville, Enterprise Metro area despite being the home of Army Aviation still had yet to become truly civilized.  They were from Austin and while Robert Mueller their base was in the south Austin had quite large hispanic population and Tex Mex was loved element of life.  

He remained silent the thoughts and feelings being in the cockpit at the controls of a line of OH-58s joined by Mi2s in a flight over the Eiffel Tower before competing against the Soviets. The commentary in the living room while the tape rolled on TV: “Those have Allison engines, all women team.” In the facility loyal tough demanding mentor a senior man of the team. In the midst of the victory lap the world changed the Berlin wall fell. While in Chinook school almost 2 years later the land from which his father fled emerged as a free nation. His son’s oratory thrown away in a waste basket of a high school class room never to be said in competition rendered obsolete by the winds of history.