![]() It’s not often that you can get away with it, but on National Nothing Day, you’ve got the perfect excuse. Turn off your phone, stay away from social media, take a nap. But the truth is we need to take a step back and relax- and basically, do nothing. In the middle of our hectic lives, there’s almost no time for nothing. That may sound like a big concept, but I think we can all relate. With the very idea of thinking of the concept of nothingness, you’re proving that it doesn’t exist. Today we celebrate deep thoughts and a bite of cookie history.Īccording to some philosophers, there is no such thing as nothing. Welcome to January 16th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Skip Vaughn is an editor at the Redstone Rocket at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.Would A Fig Cookie By Any Other Name Taste As Sweet? However there is still much work to be done." We as a nation have made significant progress in our relationships with each other. "And in that 50 years, if we need to engage in combat we've learned how to do that and at the same time significantly reduce the number of lives lost in combat. But our experiences in Vietnam certainly helped us be a much better military by the way of tactics, techniques and procedures than we were back then," he said. "Warfare certainly has changed very drastically from then until now. He shared his thoughts on this nation's commemoration of 50 years since the Vietnam War. ![]() They reside in Bluffton, South Carolina, about eight miles northwest of Hilton Head.Īt 78, Newton enjoys playing golf and is a member of the Air Force Association and the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. Newton and his wife of 31 years, Elouise, have a blended family of three sons and two daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He received his commission as a distinguished graduate through ROTC in 1966. He saw the Thunderbirds at an air show in 1964 and decided he wanted to join them someday. ![]() Newton grew up on a little farm in Ridgeland, South Carolina, and he entered Air Force ROTC at Tennessee State University where he was introduced to flying. to help right the wrongs that were here." I made up my mind I would come back to the U.S. It became clear to me democracy was the best thing. ![]() Because you could see how the people lived there and how difficult it was to be in a war zone. I came to realize very quickly even though we had a number of issues in the United States – racial tensions and folks marching against the war – it became very clear to me that the United States is the best country in the world. And so, particularly now, you're engaged in war. I had never been outside the United States before. First of all, this was my first time outside the United States. And there was good reason to be scared," he said.Īsked what he most remembers from that year, he said, "Well, a couple of things. "Let there be no doubt about it, there were times that I was really scared. Newton was the weapons system operator in the back seat of his aircraft. Usually, at least two aircraft flew together sometimes, there were as many as four. The fighters typically flew one to two missions per day, sometimes at night, in various weather conditions. During his yearlong tour, he flew five recovery missions to retrieve downed pilots. "Those missions were very rewarding because you knew you were helping your fellow Americans not to be overrun by the enemy, which would be North Vietnamese or Viet Cong," Newton said. to help right the wrongs that were here.'' The South Carolina native retired from the Air Force in 2000 as a four-star general. He became the first Black pilot selected to join the Air Force Aerial Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, in November 1974. He earned a Distinguished Flying Cross with an oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with 16 oak leaf clusters. Newton piloted an F-4D Phantom on 269 combat missions, including 79 missions over North Vietnam from April 1968 to April 1969. That was a critical decision, and I made the right decision," he said. After deep thought, Newton decided to go, as scheduled. He thought about the fact that he had orders to go to Vietnam and that he would be disobeying an order if he stayed home. against all enemies, foreign and domestic. He distinctly remembered the oath he had taken to defend the U.S. "What was really going through my mind, of course, was why should I be going to Vietnam to fight an enemy when I have an enemy right here in the United States," he said.
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