RENDEZVOUS with ANNETTE

. In our vast and complex world sometimes like minded creatures find each other. Two creatures which feel the need for speed had a recent rendezvous. They are the GT and the F-4 C, but little did we know of the history of ANNETTE.

Faithful readers will recognize the Windveil blue Mustang GT and the faithful defenders of our country will recognize the McDonnell-Douglas Phantom F-4 C. Windveil encountered this beauty which is on display at the Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina at Charleston.

The crest with a hammer represents the U.S. Air Force 558th Tactical Fighter Squadron. A bit of research has revealed that First Lieutenant Buck Shuler, Jr. flew this F-4, named after his wife Annette, out of Cam Ranh Bay Air Base in South Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.

In November 2005, the son of the fighter pilot who flew ANNETTE after Buck Shuler was looking on the internet for a model of this aircraft. The last time they had seen the actual aircraft was at Davis Monthom AFB in Arizonia in the early to mid 70's and it was slated to be cut up for scrap. All he had hoped for was little diecast metal model of this aircraft, but to his great surprise he learned through the son of Buck Shuler, Jr., that ANNETTE had been preserved and was on display at the Citadel. It must have felt like finding a long lost family member.

When we encountered ANNETTE we were pleased to be able to share a moment with this beautiful aircraft. So often we look casually upon what we think of simply as machines and equipment without considering the human stories which are interwoven with them. ANNETTE has already written all of her stories which are now part of cherished human memories, the Windveil stories have just begun.