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Memorial Flight in honor of WWKat (Art Stacy)


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I surely didn't expect to see this when logging on...

S! WWKat

I know you're in a much better place now.

Rest in Peace.

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I am stunned and devestated.

I have been flying/working the last 4 days and I'm still away from home as I have a one day cycle to do tomorrow.

I just got the news at 2330 on the 8th. Of course I would have loved to have taken part in the Memorial - at least sitting on the ramp.

WWKat was the first Wing Walker I ever flew with on a RB Server back before I joined the Wing Walkers. He covered me while I used a Morane as a bomber - probably on Sensei's Server. Later Art and I used to get on Team Speak in the mornings and shoot the breeze. I had hoped to get a chance to see him on a layover in New York but it never worked out.

SandMan and Cephas you have done very well in honouring our dear friend and commrade. I know Art appreciates it.

Salute WWKat! Flying with you so many years ago was the spur that had me apply to the Wing Walkers. Thank you for that, so much. I will miss you Art. God Bless you.

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A couple crudely done screen-shots from the Missing Man formations flown in honor of WWKat. I hope to get better shots available soon, plus movies and TS recordings.

From Wednesday evening, showing the line-up of II./JG1 and Wing Walkers members present on the observation deck :

wwkat_mem1_guests.jpg

wwkat_mem1_guests2.jpg

Thanks again to II./JG1_Klaiber for gathering up some of his pilots to help us honor WWKat. Your generosity and thoughtfulness are deeply appreciated. ~~Salute!~~

We ran a second Missing Man formation this evening. GreyFox, IceWolf, and 2GvSAP_Chief were in attendance, as well as many WW members. WWProfessorFate made a special, and much appreciated, appearance despite it being extremely early in Germany. Thank you sir!

Here's a couple quick shots from tonight's session:

wwkat_mem2_1.jpg

wwkat_mem2_2.jpg

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Thank you for hosting last night I was feeling pretty somber during the whole event. I didn't know Kat but I may have spoken to him during one of the WWBattles this year.

I hadn't seen the WW Skin until I joined the server last night. It reminded me of the Blue Angels for some reason. Maybe Angels was the right thing to be thinking about.

I hope Art's family is ok and it says alot about him attending and participating in his daughters wedding. I'm sure they will have good memories about that.

Hope to see you all soon in the virtual air.

Salute WingWalkers!

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I just found out about this. As many of you know, Kat was the founder of our squad, MEOW. I have made a post in the private section of our forum with a link to this topic. On behalf of our squad, please accept our condolances. We will miss you greatly Kat.

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Hello, I am with the squad MEOW (Military Experts of War) http://www.meowworld.com
KAT was the founder of this squad back in 1999. He and a few other gentlemen formed MEOW and it still is very much alive today.
We at MEOW will miss Art very dearly as it was this man who brought so many of us together. I see here too he has many who will miss him. We join you all in this time of greif.

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I am also a MEOW member and we will greatly miss our founder, leader, commander. S! Art! May you find freedom and peace! My condolences and regards to the family as well! Kat{MEOW}, WWKat has created a family of strangers, yet he has never been a stranger to one.

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~~Salute!~~

It goes without saying that Art's touch was felt by many. He had many interests, of a wide variety. I'm grateful that the Wing Walkers were part of his life, as he was part of ours.

From my own perspective, I always enjoyed his gravelly voice, ready laugh and constant frustration at the injustices of our world. Maybe it's odd to "enjoy" another's frustrations, but Art always managed to give the worst stories of our age a perspective that was usually comic and so ... so his own.

On the other side of that, there are the times when he would be so happy about the good things he came across, you couldn't shut him up! A New Yorker excited about something is a difficult person to get a word in edgewise with. ;)

Art lived life, he loved life, and -without ever trying to- he made sure he's a memorable part of a lot of other lives. I feel priveleged to have known him, in that peculiar way we can these days, without ever having met him in person.

Art, I hope you'll forgive the bad imagery and choppy video effects, but here's a little look at how highly you are regarded amongst the Wing Walkers.

SandMan's Wing Walker Salute to WWKat video <-- .wmv video at about 10mb

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Once a Kat...

In silent flight he banks to wind,
Turns to survey the line,
A fleeting thought of where he’s been,
A smile at what’s left behind.

He dips his wing at us,
In a final wave good-bye
Then as any good pilot must,
He turns to front to fly.

We are left here on the ground,
Looking up to this man Kat
But those that know have found,
We have always done just that.

A leader, a soldier, a treasured friend.
Lives touched and bonds made,
Won’t be broken nor can they bend,
Even if memories fade.

So, listen for his drone in the sky,
For a Kat never leaves us, we know
No matter where he may fly,
No matter where he may go

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I have just returned home from NY and will probably turn around later this week to attend Art's ashes being scattered in the ocean by the generosity of the USCG. It is what Art wanted and the USCG is making it happen.

I want to personally thank everyone for their kind words, thoughts and sentiments posted on these forums. It helped fill some of the void inside me and his family. Either Brian or Irene may post later in the week to express their gratitude personally.

As usual, the WW performed magnificently in Art's honor and I think it a wonderful idea to have some memorial award given out to deserving WWs each year in memory of Art. You do him proud and he will be remembered as he was - a kind, compassionate friend to the Wing Walkers.

Who would have thought years ago that a cyber-community playing a game could have such meaning in our lives. True friendships are formed with faceless people in a digital medium that last a lifetime. I am honored and fortunate to have been a part of such a community.

I thank you all.

With fondest thoughts and love I remain,

Your friend,

Frank

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Im sorry to hear about him my condolences to his family and hope everything is going well. My blessing to everyone in the squad, his family and friends. Sorry for this being alittle late but I just got back from flordia. I understand what it is like to loose a family member and a friend. My mother in-law passed away in Januray. My blessing again to everyone. Hope to see you all in the game soon.
Ma_Putzky UTF

P.S. I hope you have a game in memory of him and if you do keep me post on it I would like to be there.

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Hello all, this is Art's son Brian. I apologize for not posting sooner, but it's taken me quite some time to figure out what I wanted to say, and I still don't really have any idea.

On behalf of my family and myself, I want to start by saying thank you. Not just for the kind words and the thoughts and prayers on our behalf, but for truly being friends to my Dad. WW was an important part of his life, and he thought very highly of all of you and the time he spent here. His WW coffee mug and later his WW wings were treasured possesions. When my Dad first became unable to make it up the stairs to his pc, he asked me to help him find a cheap laptop so he could stay in touch with his online friends, his support group he called you. I brought him my laptop the next day and he thanked me every visit after that.

The missing man formation was a wonderful tribute, and still brings tears to my eyes when I watch Sandman's video. I can only imagine the emotions you all must have felt executing it. Thank you.

For myself, as an avid online gamer, I understand the bonds that form within our little cyber communities, and yet I am still overwhelmed at the outpouring of compassion and love you have all shown. Over the past week I have many times come here to read your stories and well wishes and taken comfort from them. Thank you again.

We put his BoaterEd flag, his Conch Republic flag (both off his boat) in his coffin with him. Between the two of them were his WW wings.

S! Wing Walkers, you are truly a magnificent group of people and I feel fortunate to have even a small connection to you.

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... Once & Always ...



Thank you, Malthus, you honor us with your presence, just as we were honored to have your father in our company. May he rest peacefully, surrounded by his treasured possessions, and the memorys we all have for him.

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