You know, we are awash with individual and collective criminality,
incompetence and downright dumbfuckery in our government, and I just can’t with
it. So I’m digging into my archives and sharing a story told by Brian Shul, Maj.
USAF (Ret), of his days as a pilot of the world’s fastest jet, the SR-71.
Shul flew 212 missions during the Vietnam War. He was shot down and
crash-landed in the jungle, hid for days before he was rescued and suffered
such severe burns that he was first told he wouldn’t survive, and then that he’d
never fly again. After months in hospital, he passed his flight qualification and
went on to fly a variety of aircraft until he retired in 1990.
Among those craft was the SR-71 Blackbird, which was in service
from the 60s through the 80s; it was retired and briefly reactivated in the 90s.
The SR stood for strategic reconnaissance, and the Blackbird was outfitted with
a shedload of cool tech to accomplish that. In addition, it flew at speeds exceeding
Mach 3, and could outrun just about everything, including missiles.
Shul’s story isn’t really about any of that, except for the speed.
What it is about is that fighter-pilot willie-waving that I saw a lot of
on the fringes of an F-14 Tomcat fighter squadron. It’s a great story, and Shul
does it justice. Settle back and crank up the volume.
You’re welcome.
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