The
Ravens were an elite group of pilots who flew light planes, little single-engined Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs, in Laos during the Vietnam War. They flew low, sometimes just over treetops to locate targets and mark them with smoke rockets, radio for fighter bombers to come bomb those targets, then they stayed over the targets to control operations and assess the damage done. The only protection from bullets they had was a steel plate under their seats. It was extremely dangerous work and they had higher casualty rates than any other military unit in the conflict; although there were never more than 22 of them at any given time, they had a high turnover rate. As volunteers they were plainly heroes for taking the risks they did. See
www.ravens.org for more details.
I had the privilege and honor to know a Raven, a fine man and good friend named Wayne Abbey. After all the thousands of bullets that were fired at him, I was with him when he died of natural causes at home in his bed. He died peacefully and was mentally prepared and accepting of it. I hope my own death will be so peaceful and positive.
Wayne was one of those guys who was loved by almost everyone who knew him. He'd give you the shirt off his back and was such a trusting soul he hadn't once locked the doors to his house I shared with him, in the 15 years he had lived there. In retirement he liked to spend part of every year working as a cook on a fishing boat in Alaska, and the rest he spent skiing. His favorite ski resort was Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico ( see
www.skitaos.org ) where he was known not just for skiing shirtless in shorts sometimes but mainly by being loved by everyone who met him. His friends at Taos Ski Valley even named a ski run in his honor after his death. That's the kind of man Wayne Abbey was, and in my opinion the world could use a lot more men like him. A whole lot more.
After Wayne's family members took what they wanted from his estate they told me I could have anything personal of his they'd left behind. Consequently I have preserved his Raven dress uniform since 1995 as a memento of the valor and courage which well represented the Wayne I knew. As I've gotten a little older I've come to realize that this tangible memory of Wayne's heroism deserves a home that will survive me, like at a museum or with a serious collector and preserver of antique artifacts of this type. Wayne's uniform will NOT be sold for it to become somebody's Halloween costume, but only to someone with the intention and means to preserve and protect it in Wayne's memory.
The model in the photos below is six feet tall so Wayne's uniform looks a little short on him. It is in very good condition with only minor defects; a missing zipper handle on one arm sleeve (though the body of the zipper is still there and functioning), and the red lining on one of the arms needs to be pinned up or something because it is falling a little bit out of the sleeve. Other than that you can see from the pictures that it is in very good condition. The red scarf which snaps in the back is in very good condition as well. There may be some minor defects I haven't detected but nothing else significant. It's almost as if Wayne took it off yesterday.
Please note that you can click on any picture to see it enlarged.
