Over the years my family and friends told me “Hey Sal, why don’t you write a book about your family and your long career as a Marine and commercial helicopter pilot?” So, I asked myself? Who would be interested in reading my stories? One day I had nothing better to do, so I sat down with pencil and paper and made a bunch of notes about my life experiences. Good thing my pencil had a good eraser. After almost 90 years on this planet who am I? Well, my foundation is my family. My marriage to my wife, Loretta, for sixty years gave me the freedom to follow my dreams. Unfortunately, she passed away several years ago and I miss her Love and support. She gave me four wonderful children and now I have a family of nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren who are the love of my life.
As I continued to write my story, which I titled “Beneath the Blades” I focused on humorous situations in my long career flying helicopters and eighteen different aircraft as a Marine. I was also a commercial helicopter pilot for twenty years in NYC, Flying and land passengers to and from the Pan Am building and the twin towers at the World Trade Center. My hope is that whoever reads my book of an insider look at the often-quirky experiences will have a laugh or two and a smile on their face.
Meanwhile, I seem to gravitate towards people who do not take themselves seriously and who enjoy a laugh or two throughout life’s journey. One example is our mostly men and one woman (Terry) 40-member Senior Racquetball Club. No, I don’t play racquetball, but they do accept nonplaying members to join our group. We get together every Friday at a Bagel shop for coffee, just to bug each other. We also set aside one day, every month, to celebrate birthdays over a six-foot hero, pizza, and birthday cake. Every January of a new year, racquetball playing members are invited to dress up for our Mardi Gras day to celebrate the fact that we made another year. After all, our oldest playing member, Bernie, is 96 years old. As you can see, this is how Happenstance and Luck plays an important role in my life.
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