Broken Wings: A Strong Heart

By Freddie McSears Jr.

Tragedy as defined by the [American Heritage Dictionary] is a "dramatic, disastrous and catastrophic event." The response to tragedy however is not as easily defined as the word itself. One may take many angles as to how one should respond to an inhumane event. The stress and/or outcome of such an event can cause depression, suicide, rage or regrettably more tragedy.

To respond to tragedy as to improve one's quality of life can be very difficult, but it is necessary. Ironically, it is easy to react in an aggressive manner because it feels good, but to respond with love is emotionally challenging. This book is written through love. It is not done through timidity, but rather with the intent to lift the hopeless and encourage those who open their heart to the content of its pages. This is a true story illustrating hard work, triumph, adversity, dedication, and commitment, to include a sincere foundation of character through uncertainty.

Life is not fair sometimes, but it is still life, and for that one should be grateful. The alternative is to not have life at all. Our action and reaction to living in this world can either prepare us or ill equip us to life beyond. No matter what your faith or belief, your spirit should live forever. Exactly how your spirit continues to live depends on you.

As you open yourself to the people in this book, Madeline, Jonathon, Peter, and Samuel, you will see they are similar to you. None were born with special privileges. They were all everyday people with a drive to fly though the heavens. Their journeys to become major airline pilots were more profound than actually being one. The journey to their goal helped them build the strength to sustain what they would endure after they reached their objective.

A pilot of a major airline projects an image to the general public. He or she is looked at as middle aged, well-trained, competent, responsible, intelligent, professional, arrogant, controlling, motivated, know it alls. The point you may not be aware of is what steps each pilot goes through on his or her route to earn a place in the major airline industry flying airplanes. We all have a tendency to look at the result with out appreciating the journey.

This book is an account of four individuals who endured controversy and, with a combination of heart and spirit, claimed redemption as their lives continued. This is NOT a prescription for every pilot, merely the story of these four. They started without prior knowledge of one another, but it would take them working together to persevere through the process of having the same tragedy impact all of them. Ironically, the impact happened at the same time while they were all located in different places.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Feb 3, 2009
• ISBN: 9781466956810

Freddie McSears Jr.

Freddie McSears Jr., who solely authored this book, is a God fearing man. He is a father, son, grandson, brother, friend, leader, motivator, uncle, nephew, cousin, cook, author, educator, accountant, bass guitar player, major airline pilot and artist of life. The events in this book are based on true events in the lives of the characters. Freddie McSears Jr. holds a Master’s degree from the University of Central Michigan. His undergraduate studies were completed at Delaware State University. He graduated from Frankfurt American High School in Frankfurt, Germany. He is currently working on other projects, one of which is a musical recording. Creating and learning about music, running, walks on the beach, various physical activities and hosting dinner’s are among his leisure activities. He has a reputation of being quite a cook.

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© Copyright 2006 Freddie McSears Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Note for Librarians: A cataloguing record for this book is available from Library and Archives Canada

at www.collectionscanada.ca/amicus/index-e.html

ISBN: 9781412067560 Softcover

ISBN 978-1-4669-5681-0 eBook

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10 9 8

CONTENTS

A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

FORWARD

THE SET UP

THE SEED

THE ROOT

THE FLOWERS BLOSSOM

CLEAR SKIES

THE STORM

THE SUMMER SEASON

THE FALL SEASON

THE WINTER SEASON

THE SPRING SEASON

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK

TOP OF THE MORNING

A HUMID AFTERNOON

SUNSET

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

MORNING DEW

TRANQUIL SUNSHINE (NEW BEGINNINGS)

THE PATMOS EXPERIENCE

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Image316.JPG

I dedicate this book to my Mom and Dad, and to all people who despite adverse conditions never gave up, especially when circumstances dictated otherwise.

Also, in memory of Eric Jones, a friend who fatally lost his life in pursuit of his dream to become a major airline pilot.

And being fully persuaded that, What He has promised, He was able also to perform. Romans 4:1

A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As you read through Broken Wings A Strong Heart, Freddie McSears Jr. takes you through a journey in the lives of 4 distinctly different individuals who after obtaining huge accomplishments in life are faced with devastation. The question is how will they overcome the sudden change in their life that will impact them for longer than expected.

Freddie McSears Jr. so eloquently shares the personal life and experience of each character. With incredible power, the story gains momentum as each character comes to life. What you will learn is that he opens up and boldly tells us his own personal story. There is something so sincere about him that touches the heart of anyone that has the honor of personally knowing him.

Freddie McSears Jr. is someone I’ve known for over 20 years. We met as teenagers in Europe and what a delightful person to know. I’ve always known him to be self-driven. What people may not have realized is that however attractive, popular and involved in extra curricular activities, he always wanted to be better than just good. This was exemplified in his academic focus.

I will not minimize the challenges that Freddie McSears Jr. has faced in life but I will say that I can attest that his family defies every rule of what a broken home can do to the children. Times were difficult and the road was bumpy, but he found joy! Amazing considering he attended 8 different elementary schools in 4 different states due to situations beyond his influence. His family is still strong and unwavering and the tribulations have not been in vain. He has recovered, just as you can for struggle is only for a season.

It is a time for celebration as Freddie McSears Jr. begins a chapter in his life. Now it is time for him to step out to the forefront as an artist. In his own words, "I want to try to give something good that crosses lines of race, age, churched and the unchurched, that people can relate to. People are faced with adversity in different ways and if this book can help people, if it can encourage them or inspire them….., then this book has been successful.

Broken Wings A Strong Heart marks the beginning of a long awaited chapter in the life of Freddie McSears Jr., the brilliant and gifted artist. He is truly a diamond in the rough.

Elena Morrison

FORWARD

Tragedy as defined by [American Heritage Dictionary] is a dramatic, disastrous and catastrophic event. The response to tragedy however is not as easily defined as the word itself. One may take many angles as to how one should respond to an inhumane event. The stress and /or outcome of such an event can cause depression, suicide, rage or regrettably more tragedy.

To respond to tragedy as to improve one’s quality of life can be very difficult, but it is necessary. Ironically, it is easy to react in an aggressive manner because it feels good, but to respond with love is emotionally challenging. This book is written through love. It is not done through timidity, but rather with the intent to lift the hopeless and encourage those who open their heart to the content of its pages. This is a true story illustrating hard work, triumph, adversity, dedication, and commitment, to include a sincere foundation of character through uncertainty.

Life is not fair sometimes, but it is still life, and for that one should be grateful. The alternative is to not have life at all. Our action and reaction to living in this world can either prepare us or ill equip us to life beyond. No matter what your faith or belief, your spirit should live forever. Exactly how your spirit continues to live depends on you.

As you open yourself to the people in this book, Madeline, Jonathon, Peter, and Samuel, you will see they are similar to you. None were born with special privileges. They were all everyday people with a drive to fly through the heavens. Their journeys to become major airline pilots were more profound than actually being one. The journey to their goal helped them build the strength to sustain what they would endure after they reached their objective.

A pilot of a major airline projects an image to the general public. He or she is looked at as middle aged, well-trained, competent, responsible, intelligent, professional, arrogant, controlling, motivated, know it alls. The point you may not be aware of is what steps each pilot goes through on his or her route to earn a place in the major airline industry flying airplanes. We all have a tendency to look at the result without appreciating the journey.

This book is an account of four individuals who endured controversy and, with a combination of heart and spirit, claimed redemption as their lives continued. This is NOT a prescription for every pilot, merely the story of these four. They started without prior knowledge of one another, but it would take them working together to persevere through the process of having the same tragedy impact all of them. Ironically, the impact happened at the same time while they were all located in different places.

THE SET UP

It was a dangerous piercing cold with a temperature of-15F and a wind chill of-25F. Snow flurries were in the forecast, but a steady snow shower was evident. It was 9:30 pm, and as Jonathon carried his grocery bags to the car he had no feeling in his fingers. He was one of four individuals in Minneapolis, MN to enroll in a typerating course in the Airbus 320 aircraft from the Americas Academy. A type-rating is an aviation qualification that allows an individual to perform the duties as the person in charge of piloting an aircraft in conjunction with being the decision maker in that aircraft. Most of the time, we refer to this person as the Captain of the crew. He and his fellow constituents could not pass on the opportunity to get such a qualification on such a sophisticated aircraft. As each left the store running through the cold with bags in hand, they all questioned their presence in Minnesota. A few months prior, they were First Officers flying in the right seat working for a major airline. Now after a lifetime of commitment and dedication, they found themselves jobless and attempting to increase their knowledge to be more competitive in the job market. Now they were committed to a 3-week abbreviated course that could leave a blemish on their record if they fail. They all felt fortunate because the Career Link, an affiliate of the unemployment office paid for the training. Unfortunately, failing the course meant a blemish on their record that could not be afforded by any of the participants during these turbulent times. They all survived 9/11 with their lives, but life afterwards as a professional pilot would depend on the choices they would make now.

Their airline laid them off for reasons blamed on the tragic events of 9/11. They were now known as a furloughed pilot, meaning; a pilot with no job. Speculation is that the airlines used 9/11 as an excuse to get rid of employees, but there is, nor ever will be, proof for that argument. This 3-week course was originally a five to six week course, but Madeline, the only woman in this group of four, proposed the abbreviated program that was approved by the Americas Academy. There were strict guidelines as to the experience level one must possess to be accepted into this course, and these four individuals surpassed that standard. The academy had never condensed a program like this before. These four people were a test case to see if it was even possible to complete.

The funds that would be given to the academy for this training was limited and therefore the training was tailored to accommodate the amount of money appropriated for each person. The expectation and performance by each individual was a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standard that would not be lowered at the time of evaluations to complete the training, despite the abbreviated course.

Jonathon was the first to the car, so he started the engine and turned the heat up full blast. He comfortably cuddled himself waiting for everyone else to get in the car. Peter, Madeline and finally Samuel threw their bags in the car and jumped into the warm environment. Samuel was driving because the car was rented in his name. He was talking about how he was used to driving in this type of weather because he went to college at the University ofWisconsin, in Madison WI. This weather isn’t bad once you get used to it, he said. Just as he made the turn onto the main road he stepped on the accelerator causing the car to do a 270-degree spin and come within inches of hitting a jeep. The Jeep continued to drive on, but the rented Grand Am, which was small in comparison, came to a rest just short