Military

Brian Shul uses photos and stories as a vehicle to tell an inspired story of hope, overcoming obstacles and daring to dream. From lying near death in the jungles of Southeast Asia to flying the world’s fastest jet, Brian shares his amazing journey in an unforgettable presentation that not only reveals fascinating details of piloting…

December 7, 2012, Lethbridge, Canada. Pilot ejects from damaged FA-18. Rockets blow away canopy. This is about 2 seconds before crash, shown below. (If you don’t have fast reactions, don’t fly these babies.) Canopy gone, now the solid fuel rockets blast pilot from cockpit with drogue chute opened.  Note left engine nozzle at rear is fully…

by LtCol George Goodson, USMC (Ret) In my 76th year, the events of my life appear to me, from time to time, as a series of vignettes. Some were significant; most were trivial… War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican…

by Thomas Conner, Ph.D., William P. Harris Professor of Military History, Hillsdale College The United States lost its last surviving veteran of the First World War on February 28, 2011. Frank Buckles, of Charles Town, West Virginia, passed away just a few weeks after his 110th birthday.  Born in 1901, he had enlisted in the…

Look carefully at the B-17 and note how shot up it is – one engine dead, tail, horizontal stabilizer and nose shot up.. It was ready to fall out of the sky. (This is a painting done by an artist from the description of both pilots many years later.) Then realize that there is a…

He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, “We have an H.R. on this flight.” (H.R. stands for human remains.) “Are they military?” I asked. “Yes,” she said. “Is there an escort?” I asked. “Yes, I already assigned him a seat.” “Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early,”…

Put this Bill Mauldin stamp on your envelopes …….. Bill Mauldin stamp honors grunts’ hero. He had achieved so much. He won a second Pulitzer Prize, and he should have won a third for what may be the single greatest editorial cartoon in the history of the craft: his deadline  rendering, on the day President John…

The Soldier stood and faced God,Which must always come to pass.He hoped his shoes were shining,Just as brightly as his brass. ‘Step forward now, Soldier,How shall I deal with you?Have you always turned the other cheek?To My Church have you been true?’ The soldier squared his shoulders and said,‘No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.Because those…