Why I am Thankful.
In the US we celebrate Thanksgiving on November 25th a holiday that is shared in Canada (October 11th). It is a holiday for gathering with family and friends and enjoying our time together being thankful to God for our freedom and Blessings.
One of the traditions in my family is at our dinner table for Thanksgiving after our prayer, we talk about the things we are thankful for. Health, our family, friends, jobs things that many people forget to appreciate often enough.
This year, I am thankful for the DCS community and while that sounds a little corny to be thankful for a game (or sim) group, think about what it does. DCS brings together a group of people that are from all walks of life, all ages, all backgrounds and situations and brings us to our shared passion of aviation and especially military aviation. The roar of the engines in the F2 view as you scream by breaking the sounds barrier or the BRRRT sound of the A-10 as it melts tanks with the 30mm gun. Ever since I was old enough to look at the A encyclopedia, I have loved aircraft. I know you have that same love of aviation that I do.
I have made many friends in the DCS community over past few years and while it is silly that we spend our money on a game, flight controls, head trackers, VR goggles, modules, maps, computers, video cards, nvme drives and all the other items we "need". All so that we can spend hours learning how to drop bombs off a harrier or land an F18 on a carrier deck in bad weather, or shoot an enemy SU-33 from 78 miles in an F14. But, what comes out of it is the new friends and frenemies we make shooting each other down on public servers, or flying coordinated strike missions in Syria. We create this community, that I am thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!