« Passing of Heroes | Main | Photos »
June 08, 2004
Style
A former RAF gunner certainly knows how to hitch a ride in style. The 86 yr. old New Zealander got on the wrong bus after the D-Day ceremony in France and ended up at a remote airport terminal. Being a resourceful chap, he found an important-looking official at the terminal, who made some phone calls & found him a ride.
The next thing the ex-RAF man knew, he told The Guardian, he was being driven "at more than 150 mph" to another airfield where two Gulfstream jets were parked. He was given a glass of what he said was "the best red wine I've ever tasted" before a vast cavalcade pulled up and Chirac stepped out.
"He came over ... I snapped to attention and gave him a little salute ... he put his arm round me. He said he would be happy for me to travel in one of the airplanes and gave instructions that I was to be driven to the door of my hotel in Paris," the veteran said.
It was the least he could do for one of New Zealand's finest, right?
Posted by Rita at June 8, 2004 07:32 AM
Comments
Wow! If only I were that lucky!
Posted by: yayaempress at June 8, 2004 09:05 AM
It'd be fun to be on a plane with Chirac wouldn't it? Just think of the questions you could ask. "So, about those Iraq oil contracts?" "How can you support the Kyoto treaty when you won't even clean up the Seine?" "What have you got to be so uppity about?" "Why are Parisians so rude?" "Why don't you people use deodorant?"
It'd be a blast.
Posted by: rita at June 9, 2004 07:38 AM