John David
Posts: 373
Joined: 3/21/2002
From: Montreal, Quebec
Status: offline
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I'm sure by now, allot of you have come across this eye grabber:
" With this, my 6,000th post, I will be indeed putting myself out to pasture. I will be withdrawing from wargaming in the sense of larger efforts such as Mega Campaigns or other projects.
I'm not disappearing...well, I am for awhile.
Let me express my deepest gratitude for the camaraderie, love and support I've gotten from so many of you. In particular, let me offer my thanks to David Heath, a good friend, like a son to me. It was David who opened so many doors of opportunity for me, including getting to know and work with so many of you.
Call it a sabbatical if you wish. I will be back probably but for awhile I want to give some time to other things in my life.
I wish you all the best with SPWAW and your beloved gaming hobby.
Wild Bill Wilder"
What can anyone say to this man who has given so much to this hobby of ours.
Thank you? You've got to be kidding , right! Thank you!
How do you thank someone who has committed so much time, energy and especially love into so many projects and works that have enriched all of our experiences with these games?
How do you explain such strong feelings for someone that I, and most here, have never even met?
How do you thank someone who has touched so many, who has developed close relationships with countless people here?
What does one feel when you read how close Bill has got to David Heath over the years, that he thinks of him like a son!
Is anyone surprised of the feelings that this man evokes from so many when you have read any of the posts associated with this place. Just look at the countless threads and posts between Bill and the design teams of the Mega Campaign- Screaming Eagles, to get an idea of what these people think of him!
Well, he has decided to step back from all this, at least for awhile. All we can do is respect his decision and wish him the best.
I have had the privilege of corresponding with him, and have been honored that he chose to share some of his private papers with me. I could not bare the thought of loosing that communication link.
Thankfully, this will not be the case and many of us will continue to correspond with him.
I could go on for pages about him, but he is a very modest man, and I have already caused his cheeks to begin to turn a tad shade of crimson with embarrassment.
He is our Colonel! Although to be honest, that rank doesn't suit him. He's 5 Star material if I ever saw it!
However, I would like to fall back on a great Naval tradition as I close.
We always salute the Colonel during our communications with him. It is a tremendous sign of respect from us to him. It is one that he takes seriously as a constant reminder of how many he has touched and in such a deep way.
Well, saluting is nice, but it is a required action in the military. Yes, it is a sign of respect and even many times, affection, but as I stated above, there is a Naval tradition that to me at least, always seemed to come from the heart and not from some regulation. The kind of respect shown that often brings a tear to the eye as one's chest fills with pride.
The tradition of the Senior officers surrounding their leader. Although Bill is our Colonel, I know that this saying is apropos:
“Captain On The Bridge”
We'll all hold that posture, as he disembarks!
Take care my friend
JD
< Message edited by John David -- 4/7/2004 1:48:00 PM >
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The only thing good about war, is it's ending!
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Thank You! William Wilder!! - 
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