"Our goal of the misson that day was the Ruhr, a land of mines and furnaces, with a cataract of thick black smoke..."

My favorite lines in this poem, for reasons that will become obvious, I think, as you read it. (Hint: There's a wonderful double use of the word, cataract.)

My second favorite? These:

we turned on a wing
and wheeled west toward home
with the late sun lighting up the heavenly landscape of clouds,
brighter than I had ever seen it before.

A single lifetime can bring many varied dangers. Yet each is similar. The feelings and responses they evoke are alike. Each may lead to greater sight and insight. But we must be present to them, engaged in them, not mere observers. When this happens, dangers can also yield blessings.