This was a sad week.
Last Sunday, 23 Aug, the world lost a hero, solider, and just a great man. His given government name Wendell Lee Collins. His friends knew him as Lee, I met him as Lt. Col. Collins. He was my ROTC detachment commander at Tulane University for a year and a half. I met him right before I left for field training at the end of my sophmore year. All I knew about him was that he was my going to be my new commander when I got back..., and he was a pilot. When I got back and started school again that semester I met him again. And subsequently was him at least 4 to 5 times a week for the nest years and a half. Col Collins taught me that being in the Air Force is cool. And being a pilot is even cooler. He told us as many stories as he could about his special ops flying days <-- those rocked!
I feel that Col. Collins kinda took me under his wing. I believe that he saw a lot of himself in me. He almost didn't get a pilot slot out of ROTC. I almost didn't get a slot. He went to pilot training at Laughlin AFB. I'm now going to pilot training at Laughlin AFB.
He commissioned me back in January of this year. He said that commissioning 2nd Lt's was the most important part of his job. And I'm just glad that he was able to commission me.
I called him once a week so far in my Air Force career. He was now my friend and mentor. I even called him the Friday before he died. He always sounded happy on the phone. He usually poked a little fun at me at things that I thought was important in life and told me just to calm down. It was always a fun time. he always had a smile on his face. he taught me to follow my dreams. He also reorganized my dreams. He was always honest with me, sometimes brutally.
He was less than a year from retirement.
It's crazy that he spent over 12 years as a special operations helicopter pilot. Has been exposed to live fire, wars, and who knows what other top secret squirrel stuff that he couldn't even talk about.... and he dies in a civilian plane crash! Under the most normal circumstances one would hope for. Life is crazy.
I'm really going to miss Col. Collins.
Fins up (He was a Jimmy Buffet fan.., and a Land Shark beer fan).
You can visit his obituary and virtual guest book at: http://drumfuneralhome.com/
His famous ending words... -"Cheers"
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This is just a wonderful write-up remembering Lee that I came across. Lee's legacy lives on with his students and his family. Lee's Mother and I have endowed a scholarship at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, in Lee's memory to be awarded to a student whose parent has served in the U.S. military. Cheers! Signed: G.R. (Granddad Ralph).
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