“It was a good day, in very shifty winds. In addition to his three gold medals, Ainslie won silver in the 1996 Atlanta games in the smaller Laser class. This would see him break the record set by Hogh-Christensen’s compatriot Elvstrom who won four golds between 1948 in London and 1960 in Rome. The wind here favoured the sailors over those who opted to go the other way, including Ainslie.Īinslie, 35, will have to beat Hogh-Christensen and other heavier rivals if he is to achieve a record-breaking fourth consecutive gold medal in 2012. The red-haired Dane made a strong start in both races and capitalised on this when he chose the left hand side of the course in the upwind leg of the second race. Hogh-Christensen said Elvstrom still followed sailing closely and his son-in-law works with the Danish team. “Ben might beat his record but I still think Paul is the bigger sailor.I hope I can protect his (Elvstrom’s) legacy,” Hogh-Christensen said when he came ashore after two impressive sails. Hogh-Christensen used his near 10 kilo weight advantage over Briton Ainslie to good effect in blustery conditions on the waters of Weymouth Bay off the south coast of England, saying he would do everything he could to defend the record of Danish sailing great Paul Elvstrom. I think that it is amazing how the “media” chooses our “heroes” these days - Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston & the like.WEYMOUTH, England (Reuters) - Denmark’s Jonas Hogh-Christensen nailed his colours to the mast of his Finn single-handed heavyweight dinghy on Sunday, beating reigning Olympic champion Ben Ainslie into second position in both the first two races. And that’s not right! Let’s give Shifty his own memorial service, online, in our own quiet way. No wall-to-wall, back-to-back 24×7 news coverage. And mine are brimming up now as I write this. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to make an old man very happy.” When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I’d take his in coach. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in coach while I was in First Class. “Yes… And it ‘s real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can’t make the trip.” My heart was in my throat and I didn’t know what to say. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said I was standing with a genuine war hero …and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I told him “yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what D-Day was.”Īt that point he said “I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem. do you know where Normandy is?”Īt this point my heart stopped. Quietly and humbly, he said “Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 …” at which point my heart skipped.Īt that point, again, very humbly, he said “I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. Making conversation, I asked him if he’d been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the “Screaming Eagle,” the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. If you’ve seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry.
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