I received this e-mail this morning and believe it will make for interersting reading by all.
Subject: Boeing Test Pilot in Europe
No comment needed.
-------------------------------
January 4, 2005
Today, during an afternoon conference that wrapped up my project of the
last 18 months, one of my Euro colleagues tossed this out to no one in
particular:"See, this is why George Bush is so dumb, there's a disaster in the
world and he sends an Aircraft Carrier..."
After which he and many of my Euro colleagues laughed out loud and then
they looked at me. I wasn't laughing, and neither was my Hindi friend
sitting next to me, who has lost family in the disaster. I'm afraid I
was "unprofessional", I let it loose -
"Hmmm, let's see, what would be the ideal ship to send to a disaster,
now what kind of ship would we want? Something with its own
inexhaustible power supply? Something that can produce 900,000 gallons
of fresh water a day from sea water?
Something with its own airfield? So that after producing the fresh
water, it could help distribute it? Something with 4 hospitals and lots
of open space for emergency supplies? Something with a global
communications facility to make the coordination of disaster relief in
the region easier? Well "Franz", we peasants in America call that kind
of ship an "Aircraft Carrier." We have 12 of them. How many do you have?
Oh that's right, NONE. Lucky for you and the rest of the world, we are
the kind of people who share. Even with people we don't like. In fact,
if memory serves, once upon a time we peasants spent a ton of money and
lives rescuing people who we had once tried to kill and who tried to
kill us. Do you know who those people were? That's right Franz,
Europeans. There is a French Aircraft carrier? Where is it? Right where
it belongs! In France of course! Oh why should the French Navy dirty
their uniforms helping people on the other side of the globe. How
Simplesse... The day an American has to move a European out of the way
to help in some part of the world it will be a great day in the world
..." The room fell silent.
My Hindi friend then said quietly to the Euros: "Can you let your hatred
of George Bush end for just one minute? There are people dying! And what
are your countries doing? Amazon.com has helped more than France has.
You all have a role to play in the world, why can't you see that? Thank
God for the US Navy, they don't have to come and help, but they are. They
helped you once and you should all thank God they did. They didn't have to, and
no one but them would have done so. I'm ashamed of you all..."
He left the room, shaking and in tears. The frustration of being on the
other side of the globe, unable to do anything to assist and faced with
people who could not set aside their asininity long enough to reach out
and help was too much for him to bear.
I just shook my head and left. The Euros stood speechless. Later in the
breakroom, one of the laughing Euros caught me and extended his hand
in an apology. I asked him where he was from, he said "a town outside
of Berlin." He is a young man, in his early 20's. I asked him if he knew
of a man named Gail Halvorsen. He said no. I said "that's a shame" and
walked away to find my Hindi friend.
For those of you who may not remember, Gail Halvorsen was the transport
pilot responsible for the "candy drop" during the Berlin airlift. They
called him the "Candy Bomber" as he dropped goodies for all the Berlin children.
Matt Archer
BOEING
Flight Operations
Transport Test Pilot
Subject: Boeing Test Pilot in Europe
No comment needed.
-------------------------------
January 4, 2005
Today, during an afternoon conference that wrapped up my project of the
last 18 months, one of my Euro colleagues tossed this out to no one in
particular:"See, this is why George Bush is so dumb, there's a disaster in the
world and he sends an Aircraft Carrier..."
After which he and many of my Euro colleagues laughed out loud and then
they looked at me. I wasn't laughing, and neither was my Hindi friend
sitting next to me, who has lost family in the disaster. I'm afraid I
was "unprofessional", I let it loose -
"Hmmm, let's see, what would be the ideal ship to send to a disaster,
now what kind of ship would we want? Something with its own
inexhaustible power supply? Something that can produce 900,000 gallons
of fresh water a day from sea water?
Something with its own airfield? So that after producing the fresh
water, it could help distribute it? Something with 4 hospitals and lots
of open space for emergency supplies? Something with a global
communications facility to make the coordination of disaster relief in
the region easier? Well "Franz", we peasants in America call that kind
of ship an "Aircraft Carrier." We have 12 of them. How many do you have?
Oh that's right, NONE. Lucky for you and the rest of the world, we are
the kind of people who share. Even with people we don't like. In fact,
if memory serves, once upon a time we peasants spent a ton of money and
lives rescuing people who we had once tried to kill and who tried to
kill us. Do you know who those people were? That's right Franz,
Europeans. There is a French Aircraft carrier? Where is it? Right where
it belongs! In France of course! Oh why should the French Navy dirty
their uniforms helping people on the other side of the globe. How
Simplesse... The day an American has to move a European out of the way
to help in some part of the world it will be a great day in the world
..." The room fell silent.
My Hindi friend then said quietly to the Euros: "Can you let your hatred
of George Bush end for just one minute? There are people dying! And what
are your countries doing? Amazon.com has helped more than France has.
You all have a role to play in the world, why can't you see that? Thank
God for the US Navy, they don't have to come and help, but they are. They
helped you once and you should all thank God they did. They didn't have to, and
no one but them would have done so. I'm ashamed of you all..."
He left the room, shaking and in tears. The frustration of being on the
other side of the globe, unable to do anything to assist and faced with
people who could not set aside their asininity long enough to reach out
and help was too much for him to bear.
I just shook my head and left. The Euros stood speechless. Later in the
breakroom, one of the laughing Euros caught me and extended his hand
in an apology. I asked him where he was from, he said "a town outside
of Berlin." He is a young man, in his early 20's. I asked him if he knew
of a man named Gail Halvorsen. He said no. I said "that's a shame" and
walked away to find my Hindi friend.
For those of you who may not remember, Gail Halvorsen was the transport
pilot responsible for the "candy drop" during the Berlin airlift. They
called him the "Candy Bomber" as he dropped goodies for all the Berlin children.
Matt Archer
BOEING
Flight Operations
Transport Test Pilot
