10 Year Memorial Boogie
My big reason for visiting Texas recently was to attend the 10 year anniversary AOT Memorial Boogie. For those of you not in on the skydiving lingo - a boogie is basically a big jump weekend where skydivers all over gather for a weekend of jumping and socializing. Usually more planes, or unusual planes, are brought in and typically there's a dinner and lots of skydiving traditions.
Me, Mark, and Travis
Jonathan Warden - a friend through so many ways - skydiving, JoLynn's husband, Travis and Mark's cousin, part of the Warden family - incredible people who I had become close to in college.
Rob Puryear - pilot, friend, what a great sense of humor and fun, had to drag him out dancing though, he loved his car.
Mark Woodings - previous leader of the Texas A&M Skydiving club/teams, owner of the drop zone, my first skydiving instructor and mentor, so many friends and good memories have Mark and AOT at the center of everything.
Sarah Miller - a freshman who had joined the club with her roommate Carol. Making her first jump on student status. Beautiful and sweet.
Lela Futch - a tandem student who had been given the jump for her birthday by her brother.
This year is the 10 year anniversary of the crash. So this boogie is bitter sweet - a tough time in my life to think about - but great memories of my friends who died and a chance to get together with friends not seen in a while.
Jenny, Me, and JoLynn (and Pierce)Two of my very best friends - Jenny is Mark McHam's wife and JoLynn who was Jonathan's wife.
I've written down my memories of the crash below, but first I want to talk about the boogie this year... It was so wonderful to see old friends this weekend. Huge thanks to Kay, Jan, and the Spillers for organizing and hosting.
I left Abby with Mom and Dad in Georgetown. I arrived Friday evening and went straight to Meridon and Danny's house. They had gathered the College Station family - Muna, Sandy, Pop Judy and Travis's daughter Jayden, Debbie and John, Rex and his family, and Brad and his family. Travis, Mark/Jenny and their family, and JoLynn came a little later.
Meridon, Muna, Sandy
(Jonathan's mother, grandmother, and aunt)
While we were in college, every Thursday evening we would gather at Meridon and Danny's and be fed a great meal (a huge thing for broke skydiver college students) and have a Bible study. My first introduction to Bible studies. This was a group of people who daily demonstrated faith to me and taught me what it is to love God. They were my family away from family. 10 years later it was wonderful to see them again and feel that their love for me had never changed. I was welcomed back as part of the family.
Pop, Me, and Judy
Travis and Mark's parents, and still like parents to me. (Bill is Meridon's brother.)
Later in the evening Mark, Jenny, JoLynn, Travis, and I went to the Vineyard Court hotel to gather with our skydiver friends there. It is so strange that we are all married with kids now. When did we become the grown ups?
Me and Kay
Kay and John Choate took care of all of us younger skydivers. Sadly, John died from cancer a few years ago. Kay was major in organizing the boogie.
Saturday had us out at the DZ in the morning so that Mark and Jenny's kiddos could see the skydivers jumping. Tristan - Jenny and Mark's oldest - would say, "Hi Skydivers!" - so excited. And Mark would say, "Hey, I'm a skydiver." Hah! Guess it's not as impressive to an almost 4 year old without all the gear and actually jumping. :) None of us jumped this weekend for various reasons. For me, I promised myself a long time ago to stop jumping while I had kids dependent on me.
Me and Jenny (and Katherine)
Jenny was a fellow skydiver and club member/officer.
It rained in the afternoon and for the rest of the day. We spent a good deal of it at Sandy's house (Mark and Travis's aunt) just catching up. Late afternoon had us back at the DZ, but because of the rain the missing man formation flyover was cancelled. But we did group pictures, taps was played, and Jan gave a beautiful speech about all the different ways we say goodbye.
Me and Mike
Mike was a club member before my time. But was one of the "older" skydivers who kept us with us younger kids. Eventually married Jenny (the blond Jenny in the picture above).
Dinner and socializing in the evening. The boogie was sad and happy at the same time and there were several faces missing that I wish had been able to make it. It was also hard not to be jumping - I miss it so much. Give me about 18 years and I'll get back into it. ;)
Me and Jan
One of the original AOT skydivers. Jan was also my first official boss in my on campus job and like Kay and John took us youngsters under her wing. Helped organize the boogie with Kay.
The Reason for the AOT Memorial Boogie
Before I get into the crash, let me explain a few of the relationships. I dated my college sweetheart, Travis, through much of college. Though him I got into skydiving. Travis's brother, Mark McHam, and their cousin Jonathan were also skydivers and became good friends. Jonathan's wife JoLynn also became and has remained a very good friend. Jonathan's family (most of them) live in College Station (I mentioned above - Meridon and Danny are his parents). Ags Over Texas - AOT - was owned by Mark Woodings. It was my home drop zone where I made my first jump, learned to skydive, and had many good times.
My first jump at AOT
My memories of the actual crash are all over the place. The day was an odd combination of really fun and surreally awful. It started great - clear day, fun jumping with my friends. I made my 100th jump in the traditional way along with Brett and Greg. Skydivers will know what that means. If you're curious ask me about the story some time.
Sarah and Carol - two freshmen who'd just joined the A&M Skydiving club with us and were out for their first student jumps were there. We spent a good deal of the afternoon searching for Carol who'd landed off the DZ on her first jump. Jonathan and Mark (Woodings - McHam was in Florida at Nationals) did a low hop n' pop out of Duct Tape (the plane) when they located her and we drove in to get her. After bringing all the searchers back to the DZ and saying good luck to Sarah taking her first jump on student status (she'd done a tandum somewhere else before) Travis, Carol, and I headed to the Circle K to get some drinks.
Jonathan at the previous year's AOT Christmas party.
When we got back to the DZ maybe 10-15 minutes later there was smoke at the end of the runway. For absolutely no reason I said, "That's the plane." Travis said, "No it's not." Wish I'd been wrong.
After that my memory is a patchwork of images and moments... driving down the runway in my little pickup and hopping the barbed wire fence. Getting to the crash site and seeing the spot where the plane crashed burned to nothing - just parts of the wings left. Lela lying on the ground off to the side receiving CPR and thinking she was Sarah. Asking JB about who had been on the plane and then looking for them in the group standing there when he told me. Asking where they were and being told that other than Lela they were all still in the plane. Thinking they couldn't be - there was nothing of it left.
Taking Allison (Mark Woodings's girlfriend) back to the DZ and telling Travis about Jonathan and holding him. Waiting for JoLynn to arrive - she'd been called by not told why. Catching and holding her when we told her and staying by her side the rest of the day and evening as calls started going out to their family and friends. A lot of waiting while different people arrived at the DZ. Rex (Jonathan's brother) refusing to believe it was true. Getting cold because my shirt had been in the plane and I was only in a sports bra and shorts and it was getting dark.
Listening to Chuck tell about how as soon as the plane went down he'd immediately hopped on his motorcycle - the first to get there - and pulled Lela out even while the plane was starting to burn. He was able to tell us that no one was moving, no one was breathing, they were just gone.
Going back to JoLynn's house and being completely overwhelmed as people flooded in. Going to Amber's across the street both to escape for a bit and to tell her and Jim. Prayers in JoLynn's living room led by Danny. Older skydivers offering us a new home DZ as AOT would be gone with Mark. Maing sure JoLynn wouldn't be alone that night. I don't remember going home or going to bed.
Some of the Texas A&M Skydiving Club doing one of our money earning club activities - cleaning Jan's pond.
My memory gets even patchier after that - Going to the airport in Houston to pick up various people from out of town. Having to go to class in the midst of everything. Working with Jan on a joint memorial service on campus. Attending the funeral's - each one so different. Wearing ribbons for each person - the skydivers' ribbons in their jumpsuit colors. Laughing through tears at different stories of each.
Being amazed at the strength and faith shown by JoLynn and by Jonathan's family. Just a year earlier they had lost Jonathan's oldest brother Jerry Dan in an accident. At Jonathan's funeral, listening to a recording of Jonathan's speech at Jerry Dan's funeral. He talked about seeing him soon in heaven. It was like he was talking to us. Jonathan's ash jump over Coulter Field (where AOT was). The ash making an exclamation point in the air as it was released by Mark and Travis. My first jump after the crash. The amazing support poured out to all of us from the local skydiving communities. And eventually all of us moving on.
Another year of cleaning the pond.
It wasn't too long after the crash that the A&M Bonfire fell killing twelve. I moved to Austin at the end of that semester, finishing my last class for my degree at a community college there. A new drop zone - Skydive Aggieland - is now located at Coulter Field where AOT was - though not in the same hanger. It's where the boogie was held this year and it's good to know that skydiving traditions are continuing there.
Practice jump over Waller with my senior year collegiate nationals skydiving team - me (the purple arms), Travis (white arms), Brett (black arms), and Mark (green arms).
Witnessing JoLynn and the Warden's faith and the strength it gave them is the second time I've seen God in that way. The first was my senior year of high school with my best friend Jill when her mother was shot. Ultimately, witnessing faith in those two events are what led to my own faith and consequently the direction of my life since.
Our first Scrambled Ags (a boogie and scrambles competition) held at a new dropzone - all the Ag skydivers.
I don't talk about the crash much any more. Not many people in my circle these days know I'm a skydiver, let alone about the crash. It's too personal I guess, or maybe just too heavy a topic of conversation in general. But 10 years on it seems important to at least write some of this down. To know that I will never forget them.
The skydiving magazine published a memorial page as the back cover soon after the crash. The poem on it has always been one of my favorites as a skydiver...
"I have sent up my gladness on wings,
To be lost in the blues of the sky.
Because I have loved life,
I shall have no sorrow to die."
Miss you Jonathan, Rob, Mark, Sarah, and Lela!
More pictures at:
picasaweb.google.com/rgehbauer/10YearAOTMemorialBoogie
picasaweb.google.com/rgehbauer/Skydiving
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