James, Peggy, Mike, and I just arrived back in Utah. We attended Uncle Dee's funeral. It is an honor to call him my uncle. James was part of the honor guard, and presented De Anna with the flag. She said she O.K. until that moment. Tomorrow he will have a service in Utah with full military honors and a fly over. "Don't worry Uncle Dee, I will bring the camera". I want to type part of his obituary:
FLAMM D. HARPER
88, a retired u.s. Air Force lieutenant colonel, who flew as a fighter pilot in Europe during World War II and in Korea during the Korean War. He was assigned to the 479th fighter group where he participated as a pilot in the Normandy invasion, July 15, 1944. He went down in German occupied France where he spent 21 days behind enemy lines fighting with the British Special Air Service and French resistance. After World War II, Harper was one of 80,000 applicants to receive one of the 1,400 available commissions as a commissioned officer in the Air Force where he began piloting the F-86 Saber Fighter jet. In Korea, he was again shot down behind enemy lines making him one of three pilots to have escaped and evaded capture in two separate wars. He directed one of the first night fighter fighter-bomber raids in Air Force history which many believe to have contributed to the end of the Korean War. During his military career, he earned multiple decorations including two Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Purple Hearts as well as an honorary medal for his fighting with the French resistance during WWII. A quote was found on his computer which states: "The Honor of Men is temporary; The Glory of God is eternal. I wish I had served my Lord as faithfully as I have served my country". Flamm D. Harper
Well said, Uncle Dee, until we meet again.
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