The White Cadillac

It was now May 1981 and I had returned to active duty. My family and I were living at the Pines Apartments in Indian Harbor Beach, Florida. I was getting my checkout in the OV-10 at Patrick AFB. This was an abrupt departure from the F-106. This was not an air-to-air mission anymore, this was air-to-ground. This was props and going slow and low. This was a big adjustment for me and I spent most of my waking hours studying this new aircraft and mission.
One afternoon I was at home sitting and studying on our couch, which was located to the extreme rear of our second floor, two-bedroom apartment. I had my Dash 1 open in front of me on the coffee table and in deep thought about my studies. My son, Chris, then 5 years old, ran up to me and asked me if he could go play with a friend and I blankly said sure go ahead. Now, I was deep in my own thoughts and barely knew Chris was even there, but he took off across the room at a full run and headed out the door and down the steps. His friend lived across the street from our building. Now about the time Chris began his descent of the stairs, I had a vision. I saw a white Cadillac coming very fast down our narrow street from a southerly direction (our apartment faced west) and Chris ran out to cross the road without looking and not seeing the car. My vision ended a brief second later with my son only inches in front of the car as it sped on its way. From where I was sitting in the apartment, I could not see the street because the south side of the apartment was a solid wall with no windows. I immediately flew off the couch, lept over the coffee table, and ran as fast as I could to the door, opened it and yelled, "Christopher!" I looked down from our balcony to see him come to an abrupt stop at the bottom step and look up at me. The white Cadillac sped by from the south right then.
My guardian angel had now saved my son's life, I was sure of it. I was and continue to be most thankful for that vision. I did not tell anyone about my visions at the time they occurred or afterwards, but for the next 13 years or so I would be trying to figure this all out. I had known many other pilots that lost their lives in the Air Force. Violent deaths in aircraft crashes that left very scant remains for their relatives to bury. These were for the most part young men, in the prime of their lives. Why hadn't their guardian angels saved them with a vision? Was I the only one with a savior? How was it that I had my guardian angel arrive just at the right time to help me control the aircraft with the blown tire, when only a week later another pilot had the same thing happen, but ends up upside down in a crash? Why should my son live while other men's sons die?
The answer, I believe, is that we are all part of God's universe. We are eternal beings, more accustomed to our spiritual plane than our physical one. We are parts to the puzzle of the universe and the energy, which makes it run. God allows us, his children, to come into the physical plane on earth to go through this extremely difficult life filled with one problem after another in order for us to grow and achieve a higher plane of existence. This life is a test of sorts and God wants us to pass it. He has a place for us in His universe and like a good parent, wants to see us achieve our highest selves. Our guardian angels are our connection to the other side and help us survive and meet His lofty goals for ourselves. They are with us all the time and are continuously giving us aid. It's just that sometimes they speak louder than at other times, because we really need to hear them loud and clear right then. It's obvious they know future events before they happen and a lot about airplanes. The information I received in my visions was exactly the right thing for me to take the appropriate actions. Most of the time we hear them as that little voice we all have that tells us right from wrong, what we should do in any particular circumstance, or not do. They speak to our spirits, to our hearts or as a gut feeling as we might say. We all have a guardian angel and if we open our minds to their close connection to us, we will hear him or her better.
The pilots that died and those sons that were not saved moved on to their spiritual existence because it was their time to go. Some things man just does not have the knowledge about. Only God knows the big picture. I obviously am not ready yet, I still have work to do here and when I've done my work, I too will move on and be in a better place, not as a reward, but to continue to serve Him in the best way I can.
None of us can know God's plan for us in its entirety, so that's where faith comes in, to have faith means to believe and trust that He knows best for us. I don't believe we all have to be of a certain faith, go to a certain church, or go around reading the Bible and preaching all the time to others. But, I do believe we are all on different levels and different places on the enlightenment path and we must each find our own way to Him.
I certainly have not been without sin. I think I've made my share of bad choices and still continue to stumble and ignore my inner voice, my guardian angel. So I say to my angel and to God, thank you for my visions to live. I certainly would not still be here today to tell my tale, nor would my son be here either. I only hope I can learn to listen better to that little voice, that gut feeling, because I know who it is now that's talking to me, urging me in the right direction.
Perhaps you can relate to some of the experiences here or had something similar happen in your life. If you had you know that it leaves an indelible imprint on your memory and your life. I think the fact that I can still remember these incidents in such detail, some of which happened over 25 years ago, while other in-flight emergencies I had are long forgotten is testament to that. I know that everyone does not experience visions, perhaps you might if it was needed, but we all have our inner voice and when we learn to listen better to that voice then we're that much better off and truly on the path to achieve God's plan in our lives.

The White Cadillac