Dana Holder

Dgh4013@hotmail.com

Left USAFA in 72. Graduated from Kent State University in Dec 73 - While attending Kent, lived in an apartment building with a guy that was shot and confined to a wheelchair May 4, 1970 at the shooting. Married two high school classmates and was thinking of working my way through the class but have been stuck on #2 since 1974. Stepson (really just a son), Tony, is a Geek (his term - not mine) and still lives Ohio with his wife in their empty nest but with and the 4 Grandkids near them. Grandson #1 was a Combat Marine for nine years and is now a Fireman/EMT. Granddaughter #1 is married and staying at home raising her two kids wile hubby is a Fireman/EMT. Granddaughter #2 is in school to be a Paramedic, then wants to go on to be a Fireman/EMT. Grandson #2 works for UPS. Son Brian (also a real son, but spent a few more minutes getting his biology started) is back from Iraq after serving as a Crew Chief on a blackhawk that served as a taxicab for General Odierno and just retired after 21 years and surprised us by getting his degree in Aviation Technology Management and Safety all with no help from his Mom and I. Retired from my dream job as a flying salesman selling Aircraft parts for 35 years and accummulated just over 8000 hours, almost all in a light single engine Piper. I bought a 1968 Arrow in 1994 in Phoenix. Turned out to be one my father flew in 1977. It was his last logbook entry though he flew a little after that. Moved to a lake in 1996 and had The boat is at the dock, the airplane 2.5 miles away, a motorcycle is in the garage and Jennifer says if they build a golf course around our lake she will divorce me because, "He can't have it all." But God has blessed us all with more than we ever deserve especially if you know His Son. Jennifer and I moved into our condo in Cape Coral, FL in 2017 then lived full time on a 40’ Sailing Catamaran for about a year then sold the boat a live full time in the condo playing golf now twice a week and enjoying retirement.

Colonel Black called me into his office late in the school year concerned about the attrition rate and asked me if I thought I could do anything about it if he appointed me A Squadron commander. I told him I would try. Cadets and Cadet Candidates are some of the most competitive people I have ever run into, but all the mandatory competition seemed to be growing old so Jerry Dones, Steve Herder and I hatched a plan to encourage some "under the table" competition. That night Jerry and Steve hoisted me to the top of the flagpole armed with a can of red spray paint. The next morning everyone noticed the red ball on top of the flagpole and it must have caught on because the following morning it was a different color and the next several nights the ball was blue, green and red at different times each night. This was all in great fun until one of us came up with the idea to grease the flagpole. This time when we painted the ball red we slid down the pole rubbing it with lard from top to bottom. The next morning Old Glory was wrapped around the pole stuck in the lard. MSgt. Entwistle was the NCOIC that morning. When I walked by his door he casually hollered out, "Holder Babe, come in here." As his feet came off the desk he leaned in toward me and his mood turned gravely serious as he explained that some of his friends had died protecting our flag and all it stood for. He never accused me of anything but told me he would consider it a personal favor if somehow the flagpole was restored so our flag could once again proudly unfurl. That night climbing up a still greasy flagpole seemed like mission impossible until one of us figured out that a towel soaked in water and dish soap then tied at each end to one of the ropes could be shimmied back and forth from top to bottom. That pole was clean like never before but I have no idea if the episode helped with our attrition rate.