It's St. Patrick's Day and Guest Blogger Day!

Top 'o the morning to ye!

Today is a special day...we are supposed to wear green or we get pinched (actually, that doesn't sound so bad). Yes, I am bringing in some sugary green cupcakes to my daughter's classroom. And yes, today my husband, a big history buff, is giving a personal perspective on St. Patrick's Day. Let's give a hearty Irish welcome to my guest blogger, Steve H. Thatt!


I asked Cheryl if I could write a blog about St. Patrick's Day and she gave me "the green light." While Americans of all backgrounds enjoy celebrating the spirit of the holiday by imbibing spirits, our family prefers a more sobering favorite, green bagels and cream cheese, sold only in March, an example of unbridled capitalism and multiculturalism blended together.

Besides the obvious festive aspects of St. Paddy's Day, there is a deeply-felt side to the holiday for many Irish Americans which I found as a guest at a faculty party many years ago. Before the first round of drinks were consumed, one of my colleagues proposed a toast to the Irish who came to America starving and destitute, but overcame their misfortune to make major contributions in the fields of politics, public service, and industry. As she shared this history, she started to choke up. Others in the room of Irish descent were visibly moved as well. That night, there were toasts for Presidents Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan, the Boston Celtics, even Gumby and Mr. Potatohead.

When it was my turn to propose a toast, I raised my glass to Chris Magee. Now, if you don't know who Chris Magee is, you're not alone. Neither did anyone else at the party! In fact, most Americans have never heard of him unless of course you regularly watch the History Channel and saw a documentary on the Black Sheep Squadron, a legendary group of rowdy U.S. Marine Corps pilot aces who fought in World War II. But, "Wild Man" Magee, as he was known by his fellow pilots, not only did his part to win the war in the Pacific, he also played a significant role in the history of another nation.

After the war, he answered an ad looking for bush pilots to work in Alaska, but the employment office was located in Palestine, and Chris, along with other American volunteers, became a flight instructor and early pioneer of a small, fledgling flying club later known as the Israeli Air Force.

So on St. Patrick's Day when you're drinking a pint of ale, eating a green bagel, or waiting at a railroad crossing that an Irishman had built, know that one Chris "Wild Man" Magee followed a rainbow not to a pot of gold, but to a pot of chicken soup in a land far away.