Randy L. Losey
This picture was taken in 1980 after I received
the Air Force Commendation Medal. Next to me is the love of my life. In February
of 2002 Melody and I celebrated 21 years of marriage.
I have to admit that I have somewhat of a
selfish motive for creating flyARIA.com. Let me explain.
In 1999 Melody, my children, and I, visited the
ARIA 328 Memorial at the Wright-Patterson AFB Memorial Gardens. This visit was
difficult for me, just as all of the previous trips I had made to the Memorial
had been. The objective of this visit was to take pictures of the Memorial to
place on the internet. I wanted, no matter where I was, to be able to read the
names off of the plaque.
On a prior visit to the Memorial, I remember
walking up to the plaque and started reading the names. I was shocked with
disbelief when I read some of the names. The names on the plaque hadn't changed,
it was me.
In 1992 I was involved in a major traffic
accident. I was struck head on by a runaway boat on a trailer. It seems that the
person towing the boat forgot to install the safety chains. It was like hitting
a wall at 70 miles an hour. The hull of the boat ended up inches from me inside
the cab of the van I was driving. It has been a slow road to recovery since
then.
I was upset with myself that I had forgotten
the names of some of these men. Crewmembers that I worked with and explored the
World with.
This site allows me to remember the good and
the sad times and to keep the ARIA history alive.
Randy L. Losey |
