I feel for all the animals whom served in all of the wars. I visited England a few years back and saw the "Animals in War" memorial and it made a profound impact on me with it's simple phrase:"They had no choice".

Nice shots. Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller served aboard her as a Gunnery Officer.

Well, good for you! I'm glad we share the same enthusiasm, although from differing vantage points. I share your opinion of the prestige the position holds and would hardly consider the likes of Carlton Fisk, Pudge Rodriguez, Sandy Alomar and Thurman Munson as "lackeys". Enjoy the day

Glad you enjoyed your time behind the dish Steve. I did also, until my knees blew out from catching 3 times a week and double headers. I always felt that the most involved player on the field is the catcher...setting the defense, relaying signals, studying the opposition with the coaches and pitching staff to determine pitch sequences, loc and positions. I humbly suggest you research the origin and definition of the term "tools of ignorance". I refer to MLB.com:
Definition
"Tools of ignorance" is a nickname for the catcher's equipment.

Origin
Coined by catcher Herold "Muddy" Ruel, who played from 1915 through 1934 and Bill Dickey, the term is meant to point out the irony that a player with the intelligence needed to be effective behind the plate would be foolish enough to play a position that required so much safety equipment.

I played for a mid major program and was a student athlete with a scholarship. While I disagree with your assessment of my talents and intelligence, I am sure we can both agree that the incident was indeed unfortunate and could have been avoided. Enjoy the day!

I totally agree with Jeepdaddy's post. I donned the tools of ignorance and was a catcher in the high school and the college ranks and even then, when it was kind of "macho" to stand your ground and don't let them pass, I positioned myself inside the lines and in front of home plate to allow the runner the outside part of the plate...thus minimizing the risk of such a collision and more importantly, to shorten the length of the throw being made to me. In football, rules have been established to protect the receiver who is in an extremely vulnerable position, concentrating on catching the ball and being unaware of the defender and baseball has followed football's lead. Collisions have ruined the careers of players like Ray Fosse of the Indians and Daryl Stingley of the New England Patriots.
One final thought. I'm not saying to rush out and do this, but to those who haven't played the game or profess indifference, consider this. Turn your head 90 degrees to your right and have someone take a 90 foot running start and blast into you, imagine the pain. Thank you for letting me post and vent.

As a former catcher in the high school and college ranks, I say: "I care".

What a moving tribute to the missing by this gentleman. I applaud him. It reminded me of the Animals in War Memorial in London, England which I stumbled across while visiting London shortly after its dedication. There is a haunting inscription on the memorial that stayed with me to this day which can be applied here as well: "They had no choice."

This project was undertaken by a group of dedicated aviation buffs led by Tony Mazzolini in Cleveland, Ohio. They formed the United States Aviation Museum with the thought of bringing Doc back to life. I was a member of that group and worked with Tony and others to secure the rights to Doc. You would not believe the amount of "red tape", rules and stipulations that had to be overcome by a group of U.S. taxpayers to obtain an obsolete aircraft that was paid for by the citizens of this country! We had to first obtain and restore to static (non flying) condition a B 25 Mitchel bomber; which was found in Venezuela, dismantled and shipped to us in 2 sea containers. It was then assembled and restored to the condition the U S Navy requested and is now on display at the Naval Museum in Pensacola, Florida. The rights to Doc were then obtained and the long journey to flying condition began. While I wish we could have succeeded in bringing Doc to Cleveland, it was a huge undertaking and I am glad that the folks at Wichita stepped in as well as many countless volunteers could finish the task that we had begun. Great pictures! I have few of the "before" condition that I will share with all soon.

I always remember what my vet told me one time:"God takes our pets when he does because He doesn't want them to see us grow old."
My thoughts are with you and your pet.

Awesome. It brought back memories. A few years ago, my friend and I combined a trip to Normandy and timed it so we went to 3 airshows in England, Duxford, Shuttleworth and Biggin Hill.Talk about an adrenaline rush and octane overload! I'm involved with several airshows here in the Midwest of America and I can tell you that they can do things at shows in Europe that would make any FAA field agent have a major coronary!

Nice captures and if I might suggest, if you are able, come to Conneaut, Ohio in August for our annual D Day re enactment. Over 1500 re enactors portraying American, British, Canadian, Polish, French and German military and civilian, including a USO show, tanks, aircraft, landing craft and even a working German 88! Best part is that it is all free. There are endless photo opportunities.

Glad you enjoyed the tour. A good friend of mine is on the volunteer crew that keeps the Cod in shape and they take pride in their efforts. Did you happen to see the Martini glass on the Cod's scoreboard? It represents an event during WWII when the the Cod responded to a distress call from a Dutch submarine that had run aground on a sandbar. They rescued the crew but their attempts to free the sub from the sandbar failed and they had to destroy the sub to prevent it from falling into Japanese hands. To this day, surviving members of the Dutch crew, their families and Dutch dignitaries gather at the Cod on the anniversary of the event to remember and celebrate.

So sorry to hear that.
You might want to try this: http://www.militaryaviationmuseum.org/docs/Allied_Air_Power_UK_Tour.pdf
It's very similar to what we did on our tour.

A few years ago, a buddy and I took a 2 week trip to England and France. We went to Normandy for a few days, then returned to England. Basing ourselves in London, we took in 3 airshows...Shuttleworth, Duxford and Biggen Hill and still had time to visit many of the museums that have an aviation theme to them. We also toured East Anglia and visited some old 8th Air Force bases and museums. It can be done and it's worth the time and effort. We went through a Company called "Eagle Tours" from England and they will take good care of you.

Sorry for your loss.
My vet told me that "God takes our pets before us so that they don't have to watch us grow old."