"Captain Robert Sutcliffe - WWll Fighter Ace"

Robert Sutcliffe passed away on January 30th, 2009, leaving a loving family and 89 years of incredible memories behind. In many ways, he was just a normal Joe. He loved his wife and kids and grand kids. He loved his country. He worked hard and built a great life. He was a gentle soul who spent many hours, crafting stained glass figurines and hand-carved birds... creating one unique bird each year. Robert also loved to fly his Piper Cherokee and took many trips with his wife of 65 years, Jane, to their summer place on Lake Winnipesaukee.

But from 1942 to 1945, Robert Sutcliffe was a warrior. Robert, you see, was a member of this nation's "Greatest Generation." The ones who grew up in the Great Depression and then sacrificed so unselfishly throughout the chaos and calamity of World War Two. Without their bravery, only God knows what may have become of this planet, caught in the vice grip of The Japanese Rising Sun in the Pacific and Nazi Germany in Europe. After the war, these same guys and gals came home and worked - hard - and led this nation into amazing prosperity. As they have drifted off into retirement, so too has this nation drifted off...

"The campaign in New Guinea is all but forgotten, except by those who fought there. Battles with names like Tarawa, Saipan, and Iwo Jima overshadow it. Yet Allied Operations in New Guinea were essential to the U.S. Forces liberation of the Philippine Islands from Japanese occupation. Without the battles fought and won in New Guinea, the Central Pacific Front may well have crumbled." (Gordon R. Sullivan, General, U.S. Army)

Look at the photos above. That's 1Lt. Sutcliffe and "Brown Eyes," his incredible P-47 Thunderbolt, in which he became a Fighter ACE in New Guinea in 1944. The following is a portion of an actual war correspondent's dispatch, from New Guinea, on March 19th, 1944:

"U.S. P-47 Thunderbolts caught a Japanese "Ki.43" fighter over Wewak. 1Lt. Robert Sutcliffe, of the 342nd Fighter Squadron, shot it down. Sutcliffe sighted about 16 Japanese fighters at 7,000 feet and led his flight of 4 P-47's in chase. He flamed an enemy fighter on his first pass at only 20 yards range. Then, at speeds over 400 mph., Sutcliffe and his wingman zoomed up for another pass, but the Japanese fighters had fled. At the end of the day, Sutcliffe returned to base with his fourth confirmed kill."

His wife, Jane, and his three boys, Robert, Peter, and David and their wives... as well as his sister, Mina... Along with six grandchildren... and six great grandchildren, will miss him dearly. And so should all of us. His son Peter and his wife Priscilla are friends of mine. Peter tells me his Dad will be buried in a Veteran's cemetery in New Jersey... where WW ll vets are being laid to rest... every 30 minutes... 5 days a week! May God rest the soul of Captain Robert Sutcliffe and his comrades-in-arms. We owe them a debt of immense gratitude... and we had better learn the lessons they teach, before they are all gone.

www.RealEstateForHeroes.com

"Serving Those Who Serve"

http://www.realestateforheroes.com/

So, check it out... The center photo above is the military unit patch of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, US Army. For 17 years, I wore it proudly on my uniform's right sleeve... a spot reserved for only a unit you served in combat with. That would be in 1968-69, in Viet Nam, where I was a platoon leader. Forty years ago, now... on another planet... in another world.

It was there, however, that the concepts of service and loyalty and mission achievement were born for me. I "did my 20" and having started out as a Private E-1 with a high school diploma, I left the Pentagon as a Major with a BS from the University of Tampa and a Master's Degree from Georgia Tech. Not bad for a small town boy of humble origins. And, like the recruiting poster said, I "Joined the Army and Saw the World!"

But now, I WAS A CIVILIAN AGAIN! When I was getting out, I thought I'd end up with one of the "Beltway Bandit" corporations. But I really wanted to break away and be a "real" civilian. My boss/mentor at the Pentagon was a very senior guy and had fixed me up with Hughes Aircraft - Great money and benefits, but that "civilian" thing kept calling me. I told him I thought I wanted to be a Real Estate Broker. My lament was that I didn't know if I could ever "sell" anything. "Hogwash," he said, (He really used another word of similar meaning, but this is a family blog)... "You've done a great job here at the Pentagon selling your ideas, haven't you?" Well, that did it. I got my Real Estate License in 1986 and haven't given much thought to Hughes Aircraft. As an aside here, the office I worked in at the Pentagon?.. Right where the plane went in during the terrorist attack on 9-11. I can only imagine...

So now I've got to say I've had a great run - and don't have any plans to stop. A year or so ago, I decided to re-energize my real estate business. An amazing trainer, Michael Russer, aka "Mr. Internet," ( see: http://www.michaelrusser.com/ or http://www.onlinedominance.com/) ) encouraged the pursuit of a "target market," - one that could be served with unbridled passion and enthusiasm. One that you knew something about - a subject matter expert.

It all came rushing in - "Serving Those Who Serve" - That was it! When you talk about Military, you also think about Firefighters and EMT Rescue folks. In the same breath, it's Law Enforcement officers of all types. The common bond? All of them "Walk in Harm's Way." That "Band of Brothers and Sisters" stuff you hear about? Believe me, it's real.

As time went by, it became obvious to me that there were two other types of "Community Heroes" to add to my service sphere: Teachers and Nurses! Maybe they didn't drive a tank or carry a gun or run into burning buildings, yet they faced challenges of an enormous nature... And they served us in an amazing way.

So there you have the beginnings of: www.RealEstateForHeroes.com. If you - or someone you know - is a Military Veteran... or Active or Retired Military, Fire/Rescue, Law Enforcement, Teacher or Nurse... This is for them. It's good ANYWHERE IN THE USA. All they have to do is Call Me First, before they engage in substantive dealings with another real estate professional. It's a program that provides some great benefits, networking, rebates, discounts, camaraderie, counselling, and professional competence.

There has not been a better time to BUY REAL ESTATE in the last 40 years! Prices are crazy low and mortgage rates are so attractive. I'm here at RE/MAX Oceanside if you need me! If you are one of these deserving community heroes, What Are You Waiting For? Be advised: When the market starts to recover, hang on to your hat. It will do so with a vengeance! Click Here:-) http://www.realestateforheroes.com/

"What RE/MAX Oceanside is Thinking"

I've been succumbing to the lure of CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News. I was mesmerized by the ugliness of the political campaigns (not the process, mind you, just the campaigns themselves). All the political and economic chaos are enough to make one understand the mindset of a bridge jumper. A little game I've been playing has produced predicted results: Eighty percent (80%) of news stories in the morning paper are negative in nature... The Economy (real estate down, job losses, low retail numbers, GM/Ford/Chrysler woes, inflation, recession, bank failures, fat cat bail outs, plunging dollar, food prices, national debt, Social Security, etc.), war, murder, rape, a host of felonious behaviors, unethical politicians, child abuse, genocide, wild fires, hurricanes, collapsing school buildings in Haiti, terrorist attacks in Mumbai (for you old folks - that used to be Bombay), and on and on. It seems the only good news lately is that Georgia Tech beat Georgia this Saturday.

Back in 1956, Earl Nightingale turned a simple "pep talk" to his employees into a "Gold Record" sensation. His recorded talk was titled, "The Strangest Secret," and in a nutshell the "Secret" was that: WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT! So I'm thinkin'... "What am I thinkin'?" For that matter, what are we all thinking? You know the current answer is not good... and if we don't change it, that "Goin' to Hell in a Handbasket" scenario could get pretty real.

Nightingale wasn't the first to glom onto that concept. As far back as the tenth century, B.C., Solomon wrote in Proverbs, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Various versions on the theme were developed by Aristotle, Plato, Augustine, and a host of other philosophers. Fast forward a dozen centuries and we've got Henry Ford's famous, "Whether you think you can... or you can't, you are most likely right." And, who could forget: "So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key." ~The Eagles, "Already Gone"... Good stuff! To loosely paraphrase the masterpiece book, "As a Man Thinketh," by James Allen: How and what we think not only decides our very character, but is comprehensive in every facet of our lives. A man is literally the sum of all his thoughts. Our choices are the fruits of our thinking. The vision that we glorify in our minds... this we will build our lives by... this we will become.

So, where am I going with this? I'm a Real Estate Sales Agent. I've been a Broker for 22 years and on the planet for 63. I get how businesses and the economy function (MBA from Georgia Tech, thank you very much). I'm not ignorant of the fact that the market is not sizzling, but I know for sure that property is selling every day in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach and all over Flagler County. And guess who's selling a lot of it? RE/MAX is! The media would have you believe that NOTHING is moving. That is just plain WRONG! Nearly 150 properties have SOLD in the Flagler MLS in the past 30 days. And RE/MAX agents account for over 1,300 sales sides sold in our local MLS system. The lion's share of these have been sold by my company - RE/MAX Oceanside. The simple truth is that RE/MAX agents are older, more experienced, hold more professional designations and broker licenses, are more tech savvy and more productive than most of our peers. That's not just us that says that... These are facts known to the NAR (National Association of Realtors).

Want to know why this is? Because RE/MAX agents don't spend a lot of time looking in the rear view mirror. We look at things TODAY and realize: "It is what it is." If it's challenging news, we say, "So what? Now what?" Changing to accept new realities is our way of doing business. ""In September 1932, against the backdrop of a great and deepening Depression, presidential candidate and New York governor Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Americans "must recognize the new terms of the old social contract." Today, amidst the currents of global economic transformation (and a slumping US housing market), our challenges are no less substantial."" (TIME, 7/28/08)

Despite these challenges in the current market, we at RE/MAX Oceanside have made a conscious decision - a choice - to be a source of light, as others choose to stumble around in the darkness. In 1986, my first Broker gave me some powerful insight: "No matter how sophisticated the consumer may be, they are looking for a strong, experienced, successful agent to lead them through this complicated real estate process... regardless of good markets, or bad." In a football game, the outcome most often follows "momentum shifts." If there is a fumble or an interception or a sack in the Red Zone... you want to be the team which prevails. If you are going to be a buyer or seller in the 2008-2009 real estate game, we can bring you the momentum shift you need to prevail.

Well, did you read the paper today? So, what are you thinking?