Army helicopter school (Introduction)...

This is the introduction to a three-part series on Army helicopter school (Introduction, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three)...

One of the graces of our life has been my cousin, John DeWalt. When I was in Junior High School, John started at nearby Wheaton College. John was from Pittsburgh so the Bayly house eleven miles from Wheaton became his second home. Often he'd come out for Sunday dinner. After the kitchen was cleaned up, he'd spend the afternoon tossing a Frisbee with me. John was in Advanced ROTC and it was the sixties, so we knew John was headed to Nam.

Years later, John was present for the birth of our second daughter, Michal. He was single and childless, so holding her in his arms when she was only minutes old, he was moonstruck and asked if he could be her godfather? Of course, Mary Lee and I were very happy to say yes.

John took his work seriously. A single man, John gave himself to fatherhood with a devotion many fathers never reach. He assigned Scripture memory work...

And when he came for his visits, he quizzed Michal on both the assigned memory texts and general spiritual development. He indulged his taste in knickknacks by sending Michal an infinite number of little packages and, for years, his letters arrived several times a week.

John was an attorney who spent most of his career clerking for two justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Once I asked him if he liked clerking? He said he did and I asked "Why?"

"I love getting paid to tell the truth," he responded, and that day I learned something about the normal practice of law.

John is a good writer. Recently, I was reminded of one longish epistle he sent Michal some years ago which, for pure enjoyment, was never equaled. Michal found it and kindly typed it up so it could be posted. We hope you enjoy it.

Continue to Part One, Part Two, and Part Three of John DeWalt's "Army Helicopter School."