RIP in peace Chuck Yeager
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- Start date
Great pilot - asshole human being.
Yes. From Review: Chasing the Moon finds engaging new stories to tell, reviewing the PBS documentary “Chasing The Moon”:
”Chasing the Moon’s discussions of astronaut selection and early PR campaigns for Apollo highlight the overlooked story of Ed Dwight, a fighter pilot who nearly became the first African American astronaut. Dwight had an outstanding military record, and the Kennedy administration was keen for NASA to have an African American astronaut. After passing his medical exam, Dwight was sent to Chuck Yeager’s flight school, the testing ground for potential astronauts. According to Dwight and a later investigation from the White House, Yeager pulled all the instructors into a room and ordered them not to speak to Dwight, not to interact or provide advice to him, and not to socialize with him outside of the base. Yeager’s reason was that he didn’t want ‘a colored guy’ to be an astronaut.”
I realize that someone else said that an African American who served under Yeager liked him. That does not mean Chuck Yeager wasn’t a despicable racist.
Yes. From Review: Chasing the Moon finds engaging new stories to tell, reviewing the PBS documentary “Chasing The Moon”:
”Chasing the Moon’s discussions of astronaut selection and early PR campaigns for Apollo highlight the overlooked story of Ed Dwight, a fighter pilot who nearly became the first African American astronaut. Dwight had an outstanding military record, and the Kennedy administration was keen for NASA to have an African American astronaut. After passing his medical exam, Dwight was sent to Chuck Yeager’s flight school, the testing ground for potential astronauts. According to Dwight and a later investigation from the White House, Yeager pulled all the instructors into a room and ordered them not to speak to Dwight, not to interact or provide advice to him, and not to socialize with him outside of the base. Yeager’s reason was that he didn’t want ‘a colored guy’ to be an astronaut.”
I realize that someone else said that an African American who served under Yeager liked him. That does not mean Chuck Yeager wasn’t a despicable racist.
Yeager was an ignorant, racist idiot. And Paki butt lover. Here's a great excerpt.
"It was the morning after the initial Pakistani strike that Yeager began to take the war with India personally. On the eve of their attack, the Pakistanis had been prudent enough to evacuate their planes from airfields close to the Indian border and move them back into the hinterlands. But no one thought to warn General Yeager. Thus when an Indian fighter pilot swept low over Islamabad airport in India's first retaliatory strike, he could see only two small planes on the ground. Dodging antiaircraft fire, he blasted both to smithereens with 20-millimeter (sic) canon fire. One was Yeager's Beechcraft. The other was a plane used by United Nations forces to supply the patrols that monitored the ceasefire in Kashmir."
"I never found out how the UN reacted to the destruction of its plane, but Yeager's response was anything but dispassionate. He raged to his cowering colleagues at a staff meeting. His voice resounding through the embassy, he proclaimed that the Indian pilot not only knew exactly what he was doing but had been specifically instructed by Indira Gandhi to blast Yeager's plane. In his book he later said that it was the Indian way of giving Uncle Sam "the finger" ".
Ingraham's suggestion that "To an Indian pilot skimming the ground at 500 mph under antiaircraft fire, precise identification of targets on an enemy airfield might take lower priority than simply hitting whatever was there and then getting the hell out" was met by withering scorn from Yeager.
"Our response to this Indian atrocity, as I recall," adds Ingraham (tongue firmly in cheek), "was a top priority cable to Washington that described the incident as a deliberate affront to the American nation and recommended immediate countermeasures. I don't think we ever got an answer?".
www.bharat-rakshak.com
"It was the morning after the initial Pakistani strike that Yeager began to take the war with India personally. On the eve of their attack, the Pakistanis had been prudent enough to evacuate their planes from airfields close to the Indian border and move them back into the hinterlands. But no one thought to warn General Yeager. Thus when an Indian fighter pilot swept low over Islamabad airport in India's first retaliatory strike, he could see only two small planes on the ground. Dodging antiaircraft fire, he blasted both to smithereens with 20-millimeter (sic) canon fire. One was Yeager's Beechcraft. The other was a plane used by United Nations forces to supply the patrols that monitored the ceasefire in Kashmir."
"I never found out how the UN reacted to the destruction of its plane, but Yeager's response was anything but dispassionate. He raged to his cowering colleagues at a staff meeting. His voice resounding through the embassy, he proclaimed that the Indian pilot not only knew exactly what he was doing but had been specifically instructed by Indira Gandhi to blast Yeager's plane. In his book he later said that it was the Indian way of giving Uncle Sam "the finger" ".
Ingraham's suggestion that "To an Indian pilot skimming the ground at 500 mph under antiaircraft fire, precise identification of targets on an enemy airfield might take lower priority than simply hitting whatever was there and then getting the hell out" was met by withering scorn from Yeager.
"Our response to this Indian atrocity, as I recall," adds Ingraham (tongue firmly in cheek), "was a top priority cable to Washington that described the incident as a deliberate affront to the American nation and recommended immediate countermeasures. I don't think we ever got an answer?".
How I Crossed Swords With Chuck Yeager
This piece is a "first person" account of an episode of the 1971 Indo-Pak war written a lighter vein by Adm Arun Prakash for Vayu magazine. He was on deputation to No. 20 Squadron, commanded by (then) Wing Commander CV Parker, MVC, VM. This IAF un...
So you two were close?Yeager was an ignorant, racist idiot. And Paki butt lover. Here's a great excerpt.
"It was the morning after the initial Pakistani strike that Yeager began to take the war with India personally. On the eve of their attack, the Pakistanis had been prudent enough to evacuate their planes from airfields close to the Indian border and move them back into the hinterlands. But no one thought to warn General Yeager. Thus when an Indian fighter pilot swept low over Islamabad airport in India's first retaliatory strike, he could see only two small planes on the ground. Dodging antiaircraft fire, he blasted both to smithereens with 20-millimeter (sic) canon fire. One was Yeager's Beechcraft. The other was a plane used by United Nations forces to supply the patrols that monitored the ceasefire in Kashmir."
"I never found out how the UN reacted to the destruction of its plane, but Yeager's response was anything but dispassionate. He raged to his cowering colleagues at a staff meeting. His voice resounding through the embassy, he proclaimed that the Indian pilot not only knew exactly what he was doing but had been specifically instructed by Indira Gandhi to blast Yeager's plane. In his book he later said that it was the Indian way of giving Uncle Sam "the finger" ".
Ingraham's suggestion that "To an Indian pilot skimming the ground at 500 mph under antiaircraft fire, precise identification of targets on an enemy airfield might take lower priority than simply hitting whatever was there and then getting the hell out" was met by withering scorn from Yeager.
"Our response to this Indian atrocity, as I recall," adds Ingraham (tongue firmly in cheek), "was a top priority cable to Washington that described the incident as a deliberate affront to the American nation and recommended immediate countermeasures. I don't think we ever got an answer?".
How I Crossed Swords With Chuck Yeager
This piece is a "first person" account of an episode of the 1971 Indo-Pak war written a lighter vein by Adm Arun Prakash for Vayu magazine. He was on deputation to No. 20 Squadron, commanded by (then) Wing Commander CV Parker, MVC, VM. This IAF un...
Boy, you really don't like Pakistanis, do you?Yeager was an ignorant, racist idiot. And Paki butt lover. Here's a great excerpt.
"It was the morning after the initial Pakistani strike that Yeager began to take the war with India personally. On the eve of their attack, the Pakistanis had been prudent enough to evacuate their planes from airfields close to the Indian border and move them back into the hinterlands. But no one thought to warn General Yeager. Thus when an Indian fighter pilot swept low over Islamabad airport in India's first retaliatory strike, he could see only two small planes on the ground. Dodging antiaircraft fire, he blasted both to smithereens with 20-millimeter (sic) canon fire. One was Yeager's Beechcraft. The other was a plane used by United Nations forces to supply the patrols that monitored the ceasefire in Kashmir."
"I never found out how the UN reacted to the destruction of its plane, but Yeager's response was anything but dispassionate. He raged to his cowering colleagues at a staff meeting. His voice resounding through the embassy, he proclaimed that the Indian pilot not only knew exactly what he was doing but had been specifically instructed by Indira Gandhi to blast Yeager's plane. In his book he later said that it was the Indian way of giving Uncle Sam "the finger" ".
Ingraham's suggestion that "To an Indian pilot skimming the ground at 500 mph under antiaircraft fire, precise identification of targets on an enemy airfield might take lower priority than simply hitting whatever was there and then getting the hell out" was met by withering scorn from Yeager.
"Our response to this Indian atrocity, as I recall," adds Ingraham (tongue firmly in cheek), "was a top priority cable to Washington that described the incident as a deliberate affront to the American nation and recommended immediate countermeasures. I don't think we ever got an answer?".
How I Crossed Swords With Chuck Yeager
This piece is a "first person" account of an episode of the 1971 Indo-Pak war written a lighter vein by Adm Arun Prakash for Vayu magazine. He was on deputation to No. 20 Squadron, commanded by (then) Wing Commander CV Parker, MVC, VM. This IAF un...
Fresh Air played the 1988 interview with Teri Gross and Yeager, and it was fascinating. Like most humans he was flawed, and we were sometimes only shown the censored version of that person, but, the dude could flat out fly. And, his courage in combat and in the testing program was unparalleled.
I'd agree with this portion. But he never lived it down that he was passed over for the astronaut core, mainly because he was considered to be a wildcard and less cultured human being (and probably openly racist).
Supposedly, his vision was at least 20/10...he always flew lead in combat because he spotted enemy planes before anyone else. The best story I remember from his autobiography was a time at Pancho's when he went into a back room where some of the other pilots were huddled around an old pot-belly stove trying to stay warm in the high desert winter. Yeager went over to the coal bucket and grabbed a handful and tossed it into the stove...then casually walked outside. He sat out there watching as the stove started clanging like a bell and the other pilots started diving out windows. Yeager had, of course, tossed a handful of bullets into the stove.
BTW, for a pretty good read, try "The Happy Bottom Riding Club". It's the story of Florence "Pancho" Barnes who was quite an adventurer, herself.
BTW, for a pretty good read, try "The Happy Bottom Riding Club". It's the story of Florence "Pancho" Barnes who was quite an adventurer, herself.
He was passed over because he didn't have a college degree. The only pilots from Edwards who were chosen were college-educated. Yeager wouldn't have even been considered. I always thought he should have been given a ride on the Shuttle over some of the other folks who went up. He would have appreciated that a lot more than being perched in a capsule on top of a rocket.
He deserved what he got. Recognition for breaking the sound barrier and ostracism for being an avowed racist. He deserved no rides either in the shuttle or any other capsule. He deliberately derailed the career of America's First to be Black Astronaut. Why would he get a free pass?
"I had always read that Yeager could be difficult. But now I see him as a racist, bigoted jerk who knew better. There is a saying from the movie Tin Cup where Kevin Costner says, “When faced with a defining moment, either you define that moment or you let that moment define you.” At this point in time, Yeager could have looked at the writing on the wall and said, “You know what, this racism stuff is stupid. These guys can fly. I’ve seen it. I am going to make a stand for what is right.” Instead he took the low road, crawled under the proverbial bar and said, “You know what, no matter what, I don’t like these guys or their kind and don’t believe our country has an equal place for them. So even if they are more than qualified to compete for every flying job out there, I am going to use my celebrity status and my back wood West Virginia blinders to impede the rights of other Americans. That is just how I roll.”
Yeager saw first-hand what Blacks could do in the airplane in both combat and peacetime operations. Yeager had to know it was the Tuskegee Airmen who won the first USAF Fighter Gunnery Meet in 1949 although the Air Force buried that reality for almost a quarter century. Although a very good pilot and one who will go down in history for his achievements in the air, in my book Yeager allowed his own myopic, racist, prejudiced world view to forever define him and that moment in 1963 as a little man with a crappy attitude.
Although not surprised, I was disappointed; very disappointed. Yeager should have known better but could not get out of the way of his own “stinking thinking.” He had an opportunity to stand for something beyond himself but just couldn’t pull it off. Obviously, he had too much prejudice and hate coursing through his veins. Some people who I have discussed this story with have fallen back on the old, “You have to understand, it was a different time.” No, I don’t have to understand anything of the sort. That is easy to say when you and your ancestors were standing on one side of the fence and mine were on the other. My father, one of the smartest men I have ever known could not go to his college of choice, the University of Tennessee, the land where he was born and raised, only because he was Black."
Yeager reminds me of Charles Lindbergh, also a pioneer and towards the latter half of his life a Nazi or Nazi sympathizer. He too got what he deserved. A public shunning.
"I had always read that Yeager could be difficult. But now I see him as a racist, bigoted jerk who knew better. There is a saying from the movie Tin Cup where Kevin Costner says, “When faced with a defining moment, either you define that moment or you let that moment define you.” At this point in time, Yeager could have looked at the writing on the wall and said, “You know what, this racism stuff is stupid. These guys can fly. I’ve seen it. I am going to make a stand for what is right.” Instead he took the low road, crawled under the proverbial bar and said, “You know what, no matter what, I don’t like these guys or their kind and don’t believe our country has an equal place for them. So even if they are more than qualified to compete for every flying job out there, I am going to use my celebrity status and my back wood West Virginia blinders to impede the rights of other Americans. That is just how I roll.”
Yeager saw first-hand what Blacks could do in the airplane in both combat and peacetime operations. Yeager had to know it was the Tuskegee Airmen who won the first USAF Fighter Gunnery Meet in 1949 although the Air Force buried that reality for almost a quarter century. Although a very good pilot and one who will go down in history for his achievements in the air, in my book Yeager allowed his own myopic, racist, prejudiced world view to forever define him and that moment in 1963 as a little man with a crappy attitude.
Although not surprised, I was disappointed; very disappointed. Yeager should have known better but could not get out of the way of his own “stinking thinking.” He had an opportunity to stand for something beyond himself but just couldn’t pull it off. Obviously, he had too much prejudice and hate coursing through his veins. Some people who I have discussed this story with have fallen back on the old, “You have to understand, it was a different time.” No, I don’t have to understand anything of the sort. That is easy to say when you and your ancestors were standing on one side of the fence and mine were on the other. My father, one of the smartest men I have ever known could not go to his college of choice, the University of Tennessee, the land where he was born and raised, only because he was Black."
Yeager reminds me of Charles Lindbergh, also a pioneer and towards the latter half of his life a Nazi or Nazi sympathizer. He too got what he deserved. A public shunning.
There is Never a Wrong Time to do the Right Thing
If you have been reading my column long enough, I am sure you already know one thing for sure; I love WWII history. Whether talking to folks at Orange Theory, meeting a new First Officer or basically most people I come into contact with, they quickly realize this. Give me WWII, airplanes, German...
www.alabamagazette.com
Chuck had some interesting stories I bet from WWII, being one of the first pilots who were shot down and evaded capture with the help of the French resistance. He was not supposed to be able to return to combat duty over the continent due to the fact that he could be shot down again and if captured by the Germans, he might reveal the identities of those who aided in his initial escape. I guess Chuck pleaded his case with ike and was reinstated to combat duty.
From Wikipedia:
World War II[edit]
Yeager enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) on September 12, 1941, and became an aircraft mechanic at George Air Force Base, Victorville, California. At enlistment, Yeager was not eligible for flight training because of his age and educational background, but the entry of the U.S. into World War II less than three months later prompted the USAAF to alter its recruiting standards. Yeager had unusually sharp vision (a visual acuity rated 20/10), which once enabled him to shoot a deer at 600 yards (550 m).[12]
At the time of his flight training acceptance, he was a crew chief on an AT-11.[13] He received his pilot wings and a promotion to flight officer at Luke Field, Arizona, where he graduated from Class 43C on March 10, 1943. Assigned to the 357th Fighter Group at Tonopah, Nevada, he initially trained as a fighter pilot, flying Bell P-39 Airacobras (being grounded for seven days for clipping a farmer's tree during a training flight),[14] and shipped overseas with the group on November 23, 1943.[15]
P-51D-20NA, Glamorous Glen III, is the aircraft in which Yeager achieved most of his aerial victories.
Stationed in the United Kingdom at RAF Leiston, Yeager flew P-51 Mustangs in combat with the 363d Fighter Squadron. He named his aircraft Glamorous Glen[16][17] after his girlfriend, Glennis Faye Dickhouse, who became his wife in February 1945. Yeager had gained one victory before he was shot down over France in his first aircraft (P-51B-5-NA s/n 43-6763) on March 5, 1944, on his eighth mission.[18] He escaped to Spain on March 30 with the help of the Maquis (French Resistance) and returned to England on May 15, 1944. During his stay with the Maquis, Yeager assisted the guerrillas in duties that did not involve direct combat; he helped construct bombs for the group, a skill that he had learned from his father.[19] He was awarded the Bronze Star for helping a navigator, Omar M. "Pat" Patterson, Jr., to cross the Pyrenees.[20]
Despite a regulation prohibiting "evaders" (escaped pilots) from flying over enemy territory again, the purpose of which was to prevent resistance groups from being compromised by a second capture, Yeager was reinstated to flying combat. He had joined another evader, fellow P-51 pilot 1st Lt Fred Glover,[21] in speaking directly to the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, on June 12, 1944.[22] "I raised so much hell that General Eisenhower finally let me go back to my squadron" Yeager said. "He cleared me for combat after D Day, because all the free Frenchmen—Maquis and people like that—had surfaced."[23] In the meantime, Yeager shot down his second enemy aircraft, a German Junkers Ju 88 bomber, over the English Channel.[24] Eisenhower, after gaining permission from the War Department to decide the requests, concurred with Yeager and Glover.[24]
Yeager demonstrated outstanding flying skills and combat leadership. On October 12, 1944, he became the first pilot in his group to make "ace in a day," downing five enemy aircraft in a single mission. Two of these kills were scored without firing a single shot: when he flew into firing position against a Messerschmitt Bf 109, the pilot of the aircraft panicked, breaking to starboard and colliding with his wingman. Yeager said both pilots bailed out. He finished the war with 11.5 official victories, including one of the first air-to-air victories over a jet fighter, a German Messerschmitt Me 262 that he shot down as it was on final approach for landing.[25][26]
In his 1986 memoirs, Yeager recalled with disgust that "atrocities were committed by both sides", and he said he went on a mission with orders from the Eighth Air Force to "strafe anything that moved."[27][28] During the mission briefing, he whispered to Major Donald H. Bochkay, "If we are going to do things like this, we sure as hell better make sure we are on the winning side."[27][28] Yeager said, "I'm certainly not proud of that particular strafing mission against civilians. But it is there, on the record and in my memory."[29] He also expressed bitterness at his treatment in England during World War II, describing the British as "arrogant" and "nasty".[30]
Yeager was commissioned a second lieutenant while at Leiston, and was promoted to captain before the end of his tour. He flew his 61st and final mission on January 15, 1945, and returned to the United States in early February. As an evader, he received his choice of assignments and, because his new wife was pregnant, chose Wright Field to be near his home in West Virginia. His high number of flight hours and maintenance experience qualified him to become a functional test pilot of repaired aircraft, which brought him under the command of Colonel Albert Boyd, head of the Aeronautical Systems Flight Test Division.[31]
From Wikipedia:
World War II[edit]
Yeager enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) on September 12, 1941, and became an aircraft mechanic at George Air Force Base, Victorville, California. At enlistment, Yeager was not eligible for flight training because of his age and educational background, but the entry of the U.S. into World War II less than three months later prompted the USAAF to alter its recruiting standards. Yeager had unusually sharp vision (a visual acuity rated 20/10), which once enabled him to shoot a deer at 600 yards (550 m).[12]
At the time of his flight training acceptance, he was a crew chief on an AT-11.[13] He received his pilot wings and a promotion to flight officer at Luke Field, Arizona, where he graduated from Class 43C on March 10, 1943. Assigned to the 357th Fighter Group at Tonopah, Nevada, he initially trained as a fighter pilot, flying Bell P-39 Airacobras (being grounded for seven days for clipping a farmer's tree during a training flight),[14] and shipped overseas with the group on November 23, 1943.[15]
P-51D-20NA, Glamorous Glen III, is the aircraft in which Yeager achieved most of his aerial victories.
Stationed in the United Kingdom at RAF Leiston, Yeager flew P-51 Mustangs in combat with the 363d Fighter Squadron. He named his aircraft Glamorous Glen[16][17] after his girlfriend, Glennis Faye Dickhouse, who became his wife in February 1945. Yeager had gained one victory before he was shot down over France in his first aircraft (P-51B-5-NA s/n 43-6763) on March 5, 1944, on his eighth mission.[18] He escaped to Spain on March 30 with the help of the Maquis (French Resistance) and returned to England on May 15, 1944. During his stay with the Maquis, Yeager assisted the guerrillas in duties that did not involve direct combat; he helped construct bombs for the group, a skill that he had learned from his father.[19] He was awarded the Bronze Star for helping a navigator, Omar M. "Pat" Patterson, Jr., to cross the Pyrenees.[20]
Despite a regulation prohibiting "evaders" (escaped pilots) from flying over enemy territory again, the purpose of which was to prevent resistance groups from being compromised by a second capture, Yeager was reinstated to flying combat. He had joined another evader, fellow P-51 pilot 1st Lt Fred Glover,[21] in speaking directly to the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, on June 12, 1944.[22] "I raised so much hell that General Eisenhower finally let me go back to my squadron" Yeager said. "He cleared me for combat after D Day, because all the free Frenchmen—Maquis and people like that—had surfaced."[23] In the meantime, Yeager shot down his second enemy aircraft, a German Junkers Ju 88 bomber, over the English Channel.[24] Eisenhower, after gaining permission from the War Department to decide the requests, concurred with Yeager and Glover.[24]
Yeager demonstrated outstanding flying skills and combat leadership. On October 12, 1944, he became the first pilot in his group to make "ace in a day," downing five enemy aircraft in a single mission. Two of these kills were scored without firing a single shot: when he flew into firing position against a Messerschmitt Bf 109, the pilot of the aircraft panicked, breaking to starboard and colliding with his wingman. Yeager said both pilots bailed out. He finished the war with 11.5 official victories, including one of the first air-to-air victories over a jet fighter, a German Messerschmitt Me 262 that he shot down as it was on final approach for landing.[25][26]
In his 1986 memoirs, Yeager recalled with disgust that "atrocities were committed by both sides", and he said he went on a mission with orders from the Eighth Air Force to "strafe anything that moved."[27][28] During the mission briefing, he whispered to Major Donald H. Bochkay, "If we are going to do things like this, we sure as hell better make sure we are on the winning side."[27][28] Yeager said, "I'm certainly not proud of that particular strafing mission against civilians. But it is there, on the record and in my memory."[29] He also expressed bitterness at his treatment in England during World War II, describing the British as "arrogant" and "nasty".[30]
Yeager was commissioned a second lieutenant while at Leiston, and was promoted to captain before the end of his tour. He flew his 61st and final mission on January 15, 1945, and returned to the United States in early February. As an evader, he received his choice of assignments and, because his new wife was pregnant, chose Wright Field to be near his home in West Virginia. His high number of flight hours and maintenance experience qualified him to become a functional test pilot of repaired aircraft, which brought him under the command of Colonel Albert Boyd, head of the Aeronautical Systems Flight Test Division.[31]
Gotta love it - every good turn deserves a slap in the face. Our culture really sucks these days.
Paki O'Meara butt lover? That's a real Paki bomb.Yeager was an ignorant, racist idiot. And Paki butt lover. Here's a great excerpt.
"It was the morning after the initial Pakistani strike that Yeager began to take the war with India personally. On the eve of their attack, the Pakistanis had been prudent enough to evacuate their planes from airfields close to the Indian border and move them back into the hinterlands. But no one thought to warn General Yeager. Thus when an Indian fighter pilot swept low over Islamabad airport in India's first retaliatory strike, he could see only two small planes on the ground. Dodging antiaircraft fire, he blasted both to smithereens with 20-millimeter (sic) canon fire. One was Yeager's Beechcraft. The other was a plane used by United Nations forces to supply the patrols that monitored the ceasefire in Kashmir."
"I never found out how the UN reacted to the destruction of its plane, but Yeager's response was anything but dispassionate. He raged to his cowering colleagues at a staff meeting. His voice resounding through the embassy, he proclaimed that the Indian pilot not only knew exactly what he was doing but had been specifically instructed by Indira Gandhi to blast Yeager's plane. In his book he later said that it was the Indian way of giving Uncle Sam "the finger" ".
Ingraham's suggestion that "To an Indian pilot skimming the ground at 500 mph under antiaircraft fire, precise identification of targets on an enemy airfield might take lower priority than simply hitting whatever was there and then getting the hell out" was met by withering scorn from Yeager.
"Our response to this Indian atrocity, as I recall," adds Ingraham (tongue firmly in cheek), "was a top priority cable to Washington that described the incident as a deliberate affront to the American nation and recommended immediate countermeasures. I don't think we ever got an answer?".
How I Crossed Swords With Chuck Yeager
This piece is a "first person" account of an episode of the 1971 Indo-Pak war written a lighter vein by Adm Arun Prakash for Vayu magazine. He was on deputation to No. 20 Squadron, commanded by (then) Wing Commander CV Parker, MVC, VM. This IAF un...
Funny enough you know he had an interesting instagram feed. He was traveling the world and then it just stopped. Prior to covid.
Yeah it was actually quite cool. I didn't know he had stopped though. I assume real life caught up and it was time for a job?
Yeager graduated Dwight from ARPS. After that, it was up to NASA...Yeager was undoubtedly a racist but he didn't end Dwight's dream of becoming an astronaut. Dwight was one of over 270 pilots trying to be part of the second astronaut cadre and he wasn't chosen. According to Deke Slayton who was running NASA's astronaut office at the time, Dwight didn't even make the top 30 and they only picked 14. Dwight was a favorite of JFK so he still hoped to be part of the third group but Kennedy's assassination ended that.He deserved what he got. Recognition for breaking the sound barrier and ostracism for being an avowed racist. He deserved no rides either in the shuttle or any other capsule. He deliberately derailed the career of America's First to be Black Astronaut. Why would he get a free pass?
"I had always read that Yeager could be difficult. But now I see him as a racist, bigoted jerk who knew better. There is a saying from the movie Tin Cup where Kevin Costner says, “When faced with a defining moment, either you define that moment or you let that moment define you.” At this point in time, Yeager could have looked at the writing on the wall and said, “You know what, this racism stuff is stupid. These guys can fly. I’ve seen it. I am going to make a stand for what is right.” Instead he took the low road, crawled under the proverbial bar and said, “You know what, no matter what, I don’t like these guys or their kind and don’t believe our country has an equal place for them. So even if they are more than qualified to compete for every flying job out there, I am going to use my celebrity status and my back wood West Virginia blinders to impede the rights of other Americans. That is just how I roll.”
Yeager saw first-hand what Blacks could do in the airplane in both combat and peacetime operations. Yeager had to know it was the Tuskegee Airmen who won the first USAF Fighter Gunnery Meet in 1949 although the Air Force buried that reality for almost a quarter century. Although a very good pilot and one who will go down in history for his achievements in the air, in my book Yeager allowed his own myopic, racist, prejudiced world view to forever define him and that moment in 1963 as a little man with a crappy attitude.
Although not surprised, I was disappointed; very disappointed. Yeager should have known better but could not get out of the way of his own “stinking thinking.” He had an opportunity to stand for something beyond himself but just couldn’t pull it off. Obviously, he had too much prejudice and hate coursing through his veins. Some people who I have discussed this story with have fallen back on the old, “You have to understand, it was a different time.” No, I don’t have to understand anything of the sort. That is easy to say when you and your ancestors were standing on one side of the fence and mine were on the other. My father, one of the smartest men I have ever known could not go to his college of choice, the University of Tennessee, the land where he was born and raised, only because he was Black."
Yeager reminds me of Charles Lindbergh, also a pioneer and towards the latter half of his life a Nazi or Nazi sympathizer. He too got what he deserved. A public shunning.
There is Never a Wrong Time to do the Right Thing
If you have been reading my column long enough, I am sure you already know one thing for sure; I love WWII history. Whether talking to folks at Orange Theory, meeting a new First Officer or basically most people I come into contact with, they quickly realize this. Give me WWII, airplanes, German...www.alabamagazette.com
Perhaps you're right but it was abrupt. Who knows? Ironically, no photos from Pukistan but some from India haha.
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