Monday, October 12, 2009

Here I go again! Wondering what on earth I can put as my signature photo for today. I'm sure by the time I finish writing, I will know.

My Tuesday started with checking the air pressure in my cars, as most days do. The two on front have slow leaks and need constant monitoring. They were both low today, the right one much more than the left.

On the way to work, the sun played peek-a-boo behind a cloud and some drops of rain fell on my windshield, but not enough to turn on the wipers.

I had an appointment at 9:30 to take the photo of Robert Hughes, a Tuskegee Airman for Senior Life's Salute to Veterans. This particular veteran lives in a Golf Club community, so naturally his street was impeccably landscaped. As I drove in, I saw all sorts of things I wanted to photograph, including his flag and the Bird of Paradise in bloom near his garage. He met me at his front door with a big hug and even though he'd already been interviewed by another writer, he wanted to share his story with me. That's the unfortunate aspect of having a writer and a photographer - one stop works in most cases and I always enjoy doing both at the same time - especially with veterans.

When the man started sharing his story and photos with me, I told him that I wrote the very first Veteran Salute for Senior Life about another Tuskegee Airman named Hiram Mann. He pulled out an email he'd printed out. It was from Hiram Mann, asking if the photo in it was indeed the same man who had been Hiram's flight instructor at the Tuskegee Institute all those years ago.

Now, how many people can say they have met not only a Tuskegee Airman, but the man who helped train him to be the hero he is?

Ladies and gentleman, I present Robert Hughes, Tuskegee Airman flight instructor!

posted by Unknown at 10/12/2009 08:55:00 PM