Saturday, April 07, 2007

british boondoggle

In one respect, this makes me sad. In another, I am grateful for the training I have received, and the legacy of the US Armed Forces. I think the British leadership needs to take a long hard look at their troops and make some changes. They have a grand legacy of their own, and this does not live up to it.


I am inclined to agree with Col. Jacobs. My grandfather was of the same mind also until he heard that they were threatened. At the Air Force Academy, we had to memorize the John Stewart Mill quote, and after seven years I still think about it. Last night the subject presented itself among friends who are also pilots, and conversation moved to Capt Lance P. Sijan. He is the man every airman looks to as an example of the embodiment of the Code of Conduct. We had to memorize the information about his evasion and capture. When he was shot down, on his 52nd mission, he sustained a skull fracture, mangled right hand, and a compound fracture in his left leg, yet he eluded capture for six weeks. Even after being aprehended by the North Vietnamese, he was able to overcome a guard and escape once again. Recaptured and tortured, then-Lt. Sijan did not talk. He lived the rist of his life in the Hanoi Hilton, and died there on Jan 22, 1968. Lt. Sijan was 25 years old. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on Mar 4, 1976 by Pres. Ford. I cannot say his name without reverence. There are many more stories like Sijan's we should know. Not as military members, but as Americans.

I have never been faced with something like these men and woman experienced, but if ever I am, I will think of Capt. Sijan and press on. Source

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posted by chic[k]pilot @ 2:37 PM   0 comments

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