FinalBloodline

Back in the 70s the Colonel had a friend at Simon & Schuster who sent him the new releases every week. One afternoon a box dropped and I opened it. My eyes about fell out of my head. It was The Joy of Sex. All I remember now is the illustrations and the woman with armpit hair.

Coming Full Circle I came across this old photo of a TWA Super G and it stopped me. I flew on planes like this with the Colonel more times than I can remember. Back then, I never imagined I would one day work for the same airline. After the Colonel died, I wanted to honor him. I knew there was only one Colonel, and there was no way I could ever replicate his flying skills. So I chose a different path inside aviation. Even then, people in the industry — especially the old aviation crowd — would still compare me to him. They couldn’t help it. He was that big. I ended up in corporate security at TWA. I worked undercover, chased down fraud, and caught people who were stealing from the airline. I worked with the FBI, Interpol, the CIA, and local law enforcement. We had a lot of fun doing it. I never planned any of it. I just knew I wanted to stay in aviation somehow, in my own way. Life has a strange sense of humor sometimes.

Κεφάλαιο 5. Ο παππούς μου στέκεται στην Αθήνα και η μητέρα του τον καλεί πίσω στην Κω. Η φτώχεια τον κρατάει. Η σκλαβιά του νησιού τον τραβάει. Ενώ ο ποιητής πεθαίνει κάπου αλλού, η Κως περιμένει ανθρώπους που θα πάρουν όπλα και θα οργανώσουν τους νέους. Διαβάζω αυτά τα λόγια και σκέφτομαι πόσοι από εμάς περιμένουμε ακόμα κάποιον να επιστρέψει και να ξεκινήσει. Τα λόγια είναι δικά του. Οι επιλογές ήταν δικές του.

People told me my whole life I should write a book about my family. When the Colonel died in 1980, I held it together the way he would have wanted. I cleaned out his office, packed up the 8x10 photographs and everything else, and put it all in a trunk. I never opened his briefcase or trunk until this year. Looking at what was inside those trunks and that briefcase, I finally felt ready to honor him for the extraordinary man he was and for everything he gave back to this country. I don’t know if I would be writing any of this if I hadn’t found Substack. It feels like the right place to do it. These stories die with me. I didn’t want that to happen. Sky Shadows 2026

Meet Cricket, the Colonel's Mischievous Bay Horse Pet lovers on Substack, meet Cricket, the Colonel's mischievous bay horse from Sky Shadows. This open jumper would unlock his stall at night, leap fences, free the neighbors' horses, and lead wild gallops that left everyone battered. 3 AM calls: "Cricket struck again!" Mom (the animal whisperer) spotted a skinny sway-back at a show. "It's Cricket!" She bought him back for pasture life. Colonel: "What the hell, June!"

Throwback to my horse show days, rocking that plaid helmet on my trusty steed. But the real gem? Spot the Colonel in the background with those burgundy pants, keeping an eye on things like always. Family legends in one frame! 🐴

My mother, June Arnold, was a professional ice skater with the Ice Capades. Even off the ice, she had a way of stopping people in their tracks. This photo captures her walking down a bustling 1950s street. You can see the girls on the left whispering and staring, and the men on the right doing double takes. Her glamour and presence turned heads wherever she went.

Colonel’s Ice Rink Surprise Early 1960s, Creve Coeur, Missouri. Mom (June Arnold, pro Ice Capades skater) turned our carport into a solid sheet of ice so she could teach two-year-old me how to skate. The Colonel was… Link in my X profile. Go to Notes for full story.

Jack Valentine’s. Fort Lauderdale. Ice show on real ice. Produced my Donn Arden. Mom skated there before she ever met the Colonel. She told me they…. Link in my X profile. Go to Notes for full story.

The Colonel was sitting at a quiet yacht club bar in California when John Wayne walked in. He deliberately… Link in my X profile. Go to Notes for full story.

Chapter 5 will drop on Wednesday.

Αυτό το πήλινο δοχείο ήταν του παππού μου. Ο Ιωάννης Κοσσαρίδης έφυγε από το Ασφενδιού της Κω περίπου το 1907. Ακόμα έχω την κανάτα. Η ψηλή κυκλική λαβή και το κοντό στόμιο φαίνονται φτιαγμένα για καθημερινή χρήση. Ο πηλός είναι φθαρμένος και απλός. Έχει μείνει στην οικογένεια από τότε που έφυγε από το νησί. Ένα κομμάτι της Κω παραμένει εδώ μαζί μου.

Grok Colorized these classic shots of Dave Draper, my dad's cousin and the legendary Blond Bomber, bodybuilder and actor. He personally autographed this one for my son Storm: "Go Storm - long live Uncle Jean Dave Draper." Dave's big triumphs were 1965 IFBB Mr. America and 1966 Mr. Universe. The athletic fire runs strong through our Kossarides family tree - from my grandfather's trenches and my father's cockpits to Uncle Dave owning the stage and the silver screen.

These eight photos show the Navy jets he was flight-testing in the mid-1950s, including the…. Link in my X profile. Go to Notes for full story.

Country traffic jam.

Did you know I’m an avid horticulturist? I grow rare tropical plants.

“Mavilis, the poet, was killed. His last words were that he had the great honor of giving his life for Greece. Perhaps he would have lived long enough to see Ioannina from Driskon. Every stone he stepped on, he would bend down to kiss it.” Article link in X bio.

Κεφάλαιο 4 από το Από την Κως στο Croix de Guerre. Ο στρατός ετοιμάζεται να κινηθεί προς το Δρίσκο. Οι δρόμοι είναι στενοί και οι προμήθειες λιγοστές. Ο παππούς μου έγραψε αυτά που είδε καθώς ετοιμάζονταν. Ο σύνδεσμος είναι στο bio μου στο X.

My mother on the ice and the little figurine made in her likeness. She understood the show. You watch the performance, then you take a piece of it home. Rock concerts do the same thing now. She was already doing it.

Every Sunday I spend time at the VFW. This is the POW/MIA table. The empty chair, the reversed shot glass, lemon, the salt, the rose, the candle. Each item has meaning for the ones who never came home. I don't take it lightly. Neither does anyone else in that room. Some things are still worth showing up for.