Nomad News-Vol.6-No.127

ME AND THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS SCRATCHED: One of my longtime desires was to jump out of an airplane. Time passed and I never got around to it until recently, thinking I best get it done before I get too old. If I was going to jump, I wanted to jump with the best so I contacted Senator Bob Corker, asking him to intervene with a request to jump with the U.S.Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team. Senator Corker wrote a letter, along with some accompanying material about myself, to the proper authorities. In due time I received a form to fill out. I completed the required information until I came to the final question. "Have you had or are being treated for the following..." One on the list was Cardiac. Having such a problem, I had to get a release from my doctor. I made an appointment for March 16. On March 14 I had a tightness in my chest after performing my physical therapy exercises. That changed the whole picture. My doctor decided to adjust my medication and then review the situation in two weeks. Then I received this comment from the good doctor: "You might want to think about this. It is going to be a tandem jump. What if you had a fatal heart attack or stroke, that person would have to live with it for the rest of their life." Now, I know I'm a little crazy. Not crazy like in crazy but, crazy in a goofy way. If I wasn't a little crazy, I would never have experienced all the fun I had in my lifetime. This was different. I'm not stupid. I asked the doctor to give me the papers. They now rest on top of the other clutter that occupies my desktop. One thing more. By backing off on this escapade, I have not forfeited my right to be, er, well, you know. (Copyright 2015-Andrew M. Dolan)