Buzz Job

By Mark W. Danielson

They say one photo is worth a thousand words. This one can stir many or be limited to a couple. (As in Holy Sh . .!) My buddy recently sent me this photo of an F-4 doing a low pass over a Canadian lake. F-4 Phantoms are long gone from the US inventory, but they were sure fun to fly. It was very interesting to see how this F-4 looked from the boat’s perspective. You see, I made a similar pass over a guy standing in his tiny boat, and when I looked in my mirrors, the boat was empty. After sharing a laugh, my back-seater and I focused on our next turn point. Oh, come on -- it was funny! It was also unplanned. Too many years have passed since that buzz job, so I guess it’s safe to tell my side of the story. (Sure wish I could hear the Filipino’s.)

At the time, I was stationed with the 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, Korea, and was operating out of Clark Air Force Base in Luzon, Philippines, for the Cope Thunder “war games”. To understand how this happened, I always flew as if I was going to war, and saw no reason to operate any other way. On this particular day I was the “ground spare”, armed with six inert five-hundred pound bombs and a live 20 mm cannon. The “war” went on without me, but then they decided to let me take off, fly the low level, and drop my bombs on the target airfield -- solo. Very cool.

The sky was overcast with embedded rain showers; typical for the monsoon season. And since wars don’t care about the weather, I flew under the clouds, which got lower the further north I flew. I was comfortable flying at 520 miles per hour at treetop level under a seventy-five foot overcast until the mountainous terrain forced me up to my minimum safe altitude. The interesting thing about flying low and fast is you can see monkeys sitting in trees directly in front of you, but everything to the sides is a blur. That phenomenon is called tunnel vision.

I flew in the clouds navigating by an inertial computer until a hole appeared in front of me. Now over water, I dove for the deck, leveling at fifteen feet on my radar altimeter when directly in front of me was this fisherman standing up in his boat. If you notice in the above photo, the water below the F-4 is disturbed by the air pressure. I’m sure this was the also case with my fly-by. Most likely, the fisherman never heard me coming and was probably blown overboard by this air pressure, or if he heard and saw me, he may have dived overboard. Either way, he got wet. Too bad, so sad. Like I said, it wasn’t planned. Sorry, dude.

The rest of my low level was uneventful. When I arrived at my predetermined point, I pulled the nose up, climbed for a few seconds, then rolled over and pulled the nose around to the target airfield. After checking my dive angle and nose position, I released my bombs, pulled up, and egressed without knowing where the bombs hit. When I got back to base, I heard my bombs cut a nice diagonal through the targeted runway. (Remember, these were cement bombs dropped in a practice area. No one got hurt.) The best part was a peer in my sister squadron witnessed my “glorious” attack. It was truly one of my most memorable flights in the Phantom. Seeing this photo brought it all back.

Now, before you criticize, think about this – do you want fighter pilots who are trained to deliver ordnance in wartime, or pilots that fly at unrealistic altitudes and get shot down when they have to face their opponent? I thought so.

The Misinformation Highway

By Mark W. Danielson

“It’s a dangerous world we live in,” so everyone says. No doubt that’s true, but then name a time when it wasn’t. Just in my lifetime, the U.S. has been involved in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, countless “conflicts” in Panama, Somalia, Granada, Kuwait, and now Iraq, and Afghanistan. Of course, there are plenty of slaughters and terrorist acts occurring in other countries that don’t involve U.S. troops. But with many of these problems stemming from centuries of discontent, why is it that today’s world seems so gloomy? Perhaps the answer lies in today’s instant Internet messaging, or as I prefer to call it, the Misinformation Highway (MH).

The MH can breed stories of biblical proportions with lies and half-truths, and most readers are gullible enough to believe them. Why is that? Simply put, it’s because these readers tend to take whatever is published at face value and rarely check the sources. The Internet offers a wealth of information, but every reader must sort the facts from fiction.

The Internet’s biggest problem is it has few filters. Unlike journalism where the newspaper or magazine is held accountable for their story’s accuracy, anyone can post an Internet article on any subject, and people will believe it. Case-in-point on gullibility, a national car magazine recently ran a story claiming that our president was taking action against NASCAR sponsorships. But rather than its readers’ enjoying the magazine’s annual April Fool’s prank, they sent vile letters attacking the White House. The White House was in the dark until someone found a copy of the magazine. Soon after, the magazine issued a retraction.

Of course, correspondents can be irresponsible, too. Such was the case when I witnessed a news reporter make up a ludicrous story to justify the cost of chartering the airplane. You see, after landing on bare dirt in the Sacramento Valley as they had requested, I watched in amazement as this reporter talked to the camera about being surrounded by survivalists. His dramatic lies continued for a few seconds before he added how we couldn’t see the gunmen because they were wearing camouflage. Of course there were no survivalists, rattlesnakes, or even a jack rabbit, but mike in hand, he was completely serious while giving his bogus report. At the same time, I’m sure he knew his story wouldn’t be used for it had no merit. That event happened twenty-seven years ago, and yet I can still picture it as clearly it as though it happened yesterday.

Too often, our daily news is filled with emotion and mistruths. I was particularly disturbed by comments in a Wall Street Journal story about the recent FedEx MD-11 crash that claimed two pilots. While investigators tirelessly worked to sort out information gathered from the Flight Data Recorder, Cockpit Voice Recorder, and physical evidence, journalists, hell-bent on getting their story, sought out pilots willing to make statements that implied they knew the cause. Regardless of the story, no one wins from misinformation or accusations, so take whatever you read with a bucket of salt, and whenever you write something, make sure that your sources are credible. Anything less will come back to haunt you.

A Veteran's Salute

By Mark W. Danielson

Many conflicts have occurred during my lifetime. The Korean War concluded when I was born, and the Vietnam War ended just before I received my Air Force commission. Many more conflicts arose during my military service, and since my retirement, we have become involved in fighting two desert wars. While I was fortunate to have never fired a shot in harm’s way, many of my peers weren’t so lucky. So to those who have ever served in a combat zone, I salute you, and am grateful that America is now saluting you, too.

Until now, many of our veterans missed out on their nation’s respect. After World War II, Americans weren’t prepared for another Asian war, thus they showed little favor for its returning Korean War veterans. These soldiers fought under extremely harsh conditions, yet received little acknowledgement for their sacrifices. By the time we got involved in Vietnam, America’s youngest generation became adamantly opposed to war. Their opposition divided our country, and in many cases we saw extremists resorting to the very violence that they despised. I’m sorry to say that many from my generation spat on our returning Vietnam veterans. What made it worse was many of these anti-war protesters were veterans themselves; young kids who had been drafted and saw their teammates blown away and mangled. They were angry, and fought diligently to put an end the draft and the war. Ironically, their right to protest was actually a gift from those veterans who preceded them. America’s involvement in Vietnam was such an emotional issue that it took decades before our Vietnam Veterans were recognized for their service to their country.

Thankfully, the Vietnam War did abolish the draft, and modern weapons have made it possible to get by with a strictly volunteer force. But these volunteers are spread thin, and most are seeing multiple desert tours. Today, our National Guard and Reserve forces are in constant rotation, filling the gaps for our active duty forces. But the one positive aspect is Americans are now embracing their veterans. One Dallas man even formed a welcoming group to greet every returning desert war veteran as they pass through the DFW airport. Today, veterans receive honorable mentions at ball games, rodeos, and in Presidential addresses, and rightfully so. Today’s returning veterans can hold their heads high rather than duck in shame. It’s remarkable that this dramatic turnaround came within one or two generations. Our veterans should always receive positive recognition.

Two million people filled the spaces between our war memorials on the Capitol Mall during President Obama’s inauguration. Indeed, the Capitol Mall is sacred, but as significant as our national memorials are, one state chose to go beyond that to recognize its own veterans, and that state happens to be Indiana.

Indiana’s Civil War Memorial was their first monument to be constructed. Located in Indianapolis, this centerpiece incorporates a basement museum that explains their state’s involvement in the war. After World War I, the War Memorial was constructed two blocks away and General Pershing was there to lay its corner stone. (See photo.) This amazing building boasts a sanctuary, auditorium, museum, and numerous multi-purpose rooms. The sanctuary stairs are lined with the names of every Indiana veteran, with specific notations to those who died.

Sadly, the “War to End All Wars” didn’t achieve its goal, for less than two decades later the foundation for World War II was laid. To help end the war in the Pacific, the USS Indianapolis secretly carried the atomic bomb to the B-29 base in Guam. On its return voyage, it was sunk by a Japanese submarine; its resulting survivor tales mentioned in the movie, “Jaws”. Appropriately, the USS Indianapolis’ plight became part of the War Memorial, along with displays of the Korean, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars. Over the years, Indiana has expanded its veterans’ mall to include memorials for all of America’s wars. Appropriately, the national headquarters for the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion cap the mall’s end. But Indiana’s tribute doesn’t stop there. On Indianapolis’ river walk, a talking Medal of Honor memorial tells the story of each of its awardees, and further down, there is another tribute to the USS Indianapolis. No other state honors its veterans like Indiana.

Regardless of how or why our veterans served, it’s critical that we acknowledge them for defending our freedom. So the next time you see someone wearing a uniform, or perhaps a hat or coat that reflects prior military affiliation, take a moment to shake their hand and thank them for their service. Your reward will be a heartfelt smile, and perhaps a story worth listening to.