Rekindling friendship meant the world

In many ways, the relatively recent inclusion of various social media platforms in our lives can be a good thing.

In my personal experience, it’s enabled me to track down and find old friends and family and for a former U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Pacific Fleet sailor, former shipmates.

For anyone who has ever served in uniform, you’re fully aware that the bond you make with fellow service members is a close-knit, special kind of bond you have with no other.

At a young age, we were thrust together with total strangers from all walks of life and, especially when we deployed on long overseas missions, we became dependent on each other.

For those of us who discharged years ago, we all went our separate ways, and even though we said we would stay in touch, in reality, life and all of the pressures that go with it ensured that few of us actually did stay in touch.

Now, we can find each other and the reconnecting has been warm, heartwarming and rewarding with few exceptions.

For me, one such recent reconnection is a former air traffic controller colleague who originally hailed from Alaska.

He had returned to Alaska and, up until a couple of years ago, I’d lost track of him.

We found each other on social media and reestablished our contact and friendship as if no time had lapsed.

He constantly invited me to visit his remote cabin in Alaska for some rest and rewind.

Just recently, he messaged me was going to his cabin and chided me that I needed to get up there before we both get too old to be able to make the trip.

I said I would indeed be there as soon as I retire and don’t have time constraints.

This morning, at 1:42 a.m., his wife messaged me from his phone.

My old friend had passed away in his cabin.

I’m shocked, heartbroken and oh so aware of how social media cuts both ways.

It sure was wonderful to reconnect, but now I’ll never get to the cabin.

My friend, a healthy 61-year-old corporate air ambulance pilot and retired FAA air traffic controller has departed this mortal coil.

The only consolation is that he was at his favorite place on earth when he wasn’t in the clouds flying medical supplies all over the North Slope of Alaska.

Goodbye, old friend; I will regret not accepting the invitation to visit to my dying day.