(June 2011) I jumped down from Don’s red Ford 350 pickup and, with what I hoped was a disarming grin, sauntered up a gravel lane toward two men standing stolidly, feet apart, holding shotguns.
Don Harner wasn’t a pilot but was one of those people who have a lifelong love affair with airplanes. And there was a soft heart hidden under that crusty exterior. After retiring from the military, Don (to Mrs. Harner’s huge relief) spent a lot of time at Ohio’s Portsmouth Airport (PMH), devoting himself to airport gossip, critiquing landings and working on plans for the annual airshow. He deserved an “A” for effort but didn’t always score high in the “plays well with others” category. Like every other ex-Marine I’ve known, he was innately and irrevocably programmed to think and act like a Marine until his dying day.
