Flying Fast Jets Is a Dangerous Business (In Memoriam)

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  • Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
  • Remembering Jinxx and Bama, two American heroes who gave their lives in the service of their country on this Memorial day 2024. www.herocards....
    sofrep.com/fig...
    The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
    Views presented are my own and do not represent the views of DoD or its Components.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 306

  • @brandspro
    @brandspro 4 місяці тому +69

    My father’s crew chief stood on the ramp at Cam Ranh Bay on September 3rd, 1966, and waited for his Phantom to return. It never did. My father Capt. Clifford S. Heathcote Jr., and his backseater, the squadron Flight Surgeon, Capt. William P. Simmons lost their lives in the hills outside Nha trang that day. No one knows what happened. My mother buried my father, and five days later gave birth to his only child. Her tears never dried…
    Remembering also: Roscoe Fobair, 45thTFS 15thTFW, the first victim of a North Vietnamese SAM on his final mission before rotating home.
    William Burman and Joseph Onate 45thTFS 15thTFW, lost when they failed to pull out of a dive on the Avon Park range in Florida.

  • @georgecooksey8216
    @georgecooksey8216 4 місяці тому +71

    Thank you for the beautiful tributes to David Mitchell and Blair Faulkner. God bless these men and their families. "Freedom is never free" - should be the first and last lesson taught in any civics course.

  • @tomzahler6169
    @tomzahler6169 4 місяці тому +65

    My great uncle Donald C Zahler. He was a tail gunner in a B-17 and was killed over the skies of Berlin on March 6, 1944. Freedom is never free......

  • @lee.gallagher
    @lee.gallagher 4 місяці тому +48

    We lost an RAF pilot, Mark Long, a couple of days ago over here in the UK, in a tragic crash while he was flying a Spitfire as part of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which he had been a part of for four years. Not someone I’d ever met or known of personally but given the subject matter of the video I thought it might be worth mentioning and was incredibly sad to hear about it. RIP Mark Long🫡

    • @traildogisla
      @traildogisla 4 місяці тому +4

      Came to post this 😢

    • @georgecooksey8216
      @georgecooksey8216 4 місяці тому +10

      This tragedy made news in the States. He was a very good man. Peace and love to his family. Per ardua as astra.

    • @justingaskins3440
      @justingaskins3440 4 місяці тому +1

      Love yall

    • @faridz7376
      @faridz7376 3 місяці тому +2

      Everyone remembered him on Duxford air show. Respect to him.

  • @KjosephB
    @KjosephB 4 місяці тому +73

    My dad was a commander in the navy on the nuclear submarines, and passed away 22 years ago today. Bless all the people who lost their lives serving this country.

    • @annazavarzina6145
      @annazavarzina6145 4 місяці тому +6

      Mine was, too. On Soviet nuclear submarine. For 30 years. God bless him still alive, talked to him on the phone today. Sorry, for that they always aimed at Miami.
      One thing I know: only very special men choose to do this kind of job. I remember he was saying, “okay, I’m going to work”. And he would be back in 10 months. (Mom was complaining he was glowing in the dark) :)
      SO MUCH RESPECT TO ALL ♥️🫡

  • @usmcbn
    @usmcbn 4 місяці тому +17

    I flew A6 Intruders as Marine Bombardier Navigator in Vietnam. First tour at Chu Lai in VMA (AW) 533 we lost Steve Armistead and Chuck Finney on a night interdiction mission in Laos. Later, aboard USS CORAL SEA in VMA (AW) 224 we lost Scott Ketchie (BN) but rescued his pilot Clyde Smith on an interdiction mission in Laos. Then Roger Wilson (Pilot) bombing the Nam Dinh thermal power plant. (His BN Bill Angus spent 9 months as a POW.) Finally Joe McDonald and Dave Williams on a daylight armed reconnaissance in North Vietnam. I have their POW/MIA bracelets and think of them almost every day. Semper Fi Brothers

  • @lasselafjell558
    @lasselafjell558 4 місяці тому +28

    Hi and greetings from Norway. I was member of UPT class 67F, Laughlin AFB. I would like to pay tribute to my very good friend from that class, Jose Santos who died in an F4 over North Vietnam a year after our graduation. A really great guy who will never be forgotten. I've lost 20 comrades in my 40 years of flying, and remember them all, but Jose stands out as a really great guy who deserved to live longer than he did.

    • @dextermorgan1
      @dextermorgan1 4 місяці тому +1

      Hello! Greetings from America! Sorry about your friend.

  • @bengaze4739
    @bengaze4739 4 місяці тому +27

    Mover as a former RAF pilot I want to thank you for your service and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on this memorial day they will never be forgotten 🙏🙏🙏

  • @MultiPedroAndrade
    @MultiPedroAndrade 4 місяці тому +24

    R.I.P. Squadron Leader Mark Long, Eurofighter Typhoon pilot, died on a Spitfire from the British Memorial, on the 25th near Coningsby, in the UK...

  • @86poulin
    @86poulin 4 місяці тому +11

    C.w. As a prior Army vet and now an airline pilot, I always on this weekend when I'm flying, do my announcements outside the cockpit and always ask for a moment of silence before we depart. God bless our troops, may the angel flight bring us to where we belong.. Take care .

  • @alasdairmunro1953
    @alasdairmunro1953 4 місяці тому +11

    Remember the RAF Pilot who died this weekend when his WW2 BBMF Spitfire crashed near Conningsby UK.

  • @sppd33398
    @sppd33398 4 місяці тому +11

    Great message Mover. Today I remember two Marines I served with who later died in F/A-18 mishaps. Capt Anthony “Chum” Slick and LtCol Henry “Rip” Van Winkle. Semper Fi, Chum and Rip. You are not forgotten!

  • @DonHuff
    @DonHuff 4 місяці тому +14

    Godspeed Jinxx and Bama. Solemn day. Appreciate you sharing your memories, Mover.

  • @Ilgenfixit80
    @Ilgenfixit80 4 місяці тому +18

    I have a B-2 pilot friend who is now a T-38 instructor at Sheppard AFB. He was friends with the pilot who was killed in the T-6 ejection last week. Much too soon a memorial day for his family.

    • @bobbyb.1743
      @bobbyb.1743 3 місяці тому

      Tragic for all and the small Wichita Falls community as well.

  • @mjcandy9153
    @mjcandy9153 4 місяці тому +11

    The man who got me into aviation and who has been a steady role model for how a fighter pilot behaves was Dale "Snort" Snodgrass. I first met Snort at the Oceana Air Show in 2000 as a 5-year-old who was infatuated with the F-14 Tomcat (I still am infatuated with the Big Fighter, I'm slightly older now however) and he was this larger-than-life personality who was walking down the flight line high-fiving everyone at the foul line and he gave me a huge high-five and I told him how much I loved the Tomcat, he asked if I knew what a Tomcat looked like. I pointed to his F-14 Strike Fighter patch on his left sleeve. He got this huge grin and gave me his patch a while later. I was in sporadic contact with him until his death. He was a phenomenal human and from what I've been told, a fighter pilot's fighter pilot.

  • @geofslagle410
    @geofslagle410 4 місяці тому +29

    May we be worthy of their sacrifice. Every day, in all that we endeavor, never forget. Capt GB Slagle.

    • @geofslagle410
      @geofslagle410 4 місяці тому +1

      @@adilaziz5385 the sacrifice of their lives.

    • @geofslagle410
      @geofslagle410 4 місяці тому +3

      @@adilaziz5385 where ever you call your native land , just go there and appreciate it , if you can. Your insolence is not solicited nor enjoyed in this venue.

  • @Wiz99999
    @Wiz99999 4 місяці тому +11

    Jonas Calhoun and Connor McKim were two buddies of mine who passed way before their time. Jonas, unfortunately never commissioned, however, was a year out from graduation; Connor commissioned and was in flight training.. he wanted to be a C-130 pilot. RIP.

  • @Karnakthemagnificent
    @Karnakthemagnificent 4 місяці тому +11

    My son lost a good friend who was his instructor at UPT. My son went on to fly F-22s and the two of them kept in touch, talking about flying together after his tour of being an instructor pilot was done. During a training flight in the T-38 the aircraft suffered an equipment problem, the student survived, but not his friend. He is buried at Arlington.

  • @gusm2752
    @gusm2752 4 місяці тому +6

    Thank you for this video Mover , incredibly moving and heartbreaking stories.
    Thank you for your service
    RIP ALL OUR FALLEN MEN AND WOMEN. THANK YOU FOR OUR FREEDOM. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

  • @MillicentSquirrelHole
    @MillicentSquirrelHole 4 місяці тому +8

    Thank you. Legacies honored. My family? an uncle.. USAF B-52 driver and a nephew.. USMC Hornet driver, now both retired as Lt. General and a Colonel. Memorial Day honored and thank you for your service.

  • @tomr5238
    @tomr5238 4 місяці тому +12

    Thanks for your remembrance and reminder that "Freedom is not Free."
    Remembering today the souls of Navy AC 602 "Closeout 602" - E-2C lost July 1992. Rest in Peace Brothers.

    • @Benjammmin3
      @Benjammmin3 4 місяці тому +1

      My father’s name was painted on that bird. He’s only ever talked about it once. I often thought about that while seeing the Hummers on the roof. Fair Winds

  • @jameskelly8506
    @jameskelly8506 4 місяці тому +12

    I retired from the 162nd in Tucson, we lost four pilots in three months in 1974. We always remember.

  • @sunhawk61
    @sunhawk61 4 місяці тому +12

    19 million veterans are today enjoying the day with their family in remembrance of the 750 thousand who gave their life for freedom in the last 250 years. We all know 1 or more of these men and women, who gave all.

  • @martins.28
    @martins.28 4 місяці тому +6

    Very well said, Mover! I'm deeply grateful to all those who serve in the military and protect our free world. As a German, I'm well aware that without the bravery and sacrifice of so many Allied soldiers, I wouldn't be living in a free country today. And today it’s especially the US military who protects that freedom. Our government takes this far too much for granted, but I don’t. And I want to thank each and every one who serves or has served in the US military from the bottom of my heart!

  • @Boots3862
    @Boots3862 4 місяці тому +6

    Thanks. Very moving and very appropriate. We must keep their memories alive, and live in a way that honors all of them. 1LT Bernard Barasch USAF, LTC William "Wild Bill" Podol USMC.

  • @johngilbert6036
    @johngilbert6036 4 місяці тому +12

    I am a Vietnam Vet that served with 4th Infantry, the flyers there were always there, both fixed and Rotor wing to help pull the slack when we got in a bind. The fact that I love airplanes only made it that much cooler. On Firebase Digger we had F-100s, F4s and many helicopter gunships give us a hand. Even had a Supply Slick (HUEY) help a patrol that was hit JUST OUTSIDE AND UP THE MOUNTIAN from the firebase until the Gunships arrived. Pilots took risks for us on the ground and we do not forget.

    • @Cam_88
      @Cam_88 4 місяці тому +4

      Thank you for fighting for us. Too many people don't appreciate people like you.

    • @knight1706
      @knight1706 4 місяці тому +1

      In case you don’t get it enough, welcome home.

  • @alanholck7995
    @alanholck7995 4 місяці тому +6

    The toughest duty I pulled in 21+ years in USAF was casualty notification officer. In this case the rumor mill did get there first, so the family did know it was coming, but it didn’t make it any easier.

  • @bks252
    @bks252 4 місяці тому +9

    Great tribute. I did a service yesterday in church. I lost too many friends in the Apache both in training and combat. Remembering them honors their legacy. ATTACK!

    • @jameslynes9647
      @jameslynes9647 3 місяці тому

      My son-in-law is currently flying Apaches in northern Iraq. Should be home in a few weeks.

  • @Buzzkill-wn7tf
    @Buzzkill-wn7tf 4 місяці тому +5

    Great memorial and great stories--rough, but touching. From Canada thanks for their service.

  • @Delta2Oscar
    @Delta2Oscar 4 місяці тому +2

    Capt. Jessica Marks USMC
    1st. Lt. Travis Manion USMC
    Sgt. William Clevenger USMC
    Sgt. Bradley Atwell USMC
    Cpl. Eric Towner USMC
    Cpl. Andrew Brownfield USMC
    SPC. David Perez US Army
    Lcpl. Devon Seymour USMC
    Lcpl. Adam Charles Conboy USMC
    Til Valhalla
    Semper Fidelis

  • @shaunroberts9361
    @shaunroberts9361 4 місяці тому +2

    SGT Joshua M. Hardt. Was at Camp Keating when hell broke loose. They made a movie over this also....

  • @markconner5569
    @markconner5569 4 місяці тому +5

    God Bless and God Speed “Boo” Major Brett Bekken was killed on April 21, 2004 when his F/A-18 Hornet crashed in the California desert during a training mission. He was on a two-plane formation exercise when the accident occurred. Major Bekken, a 1989 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, was a member of VFMA-112 based out of Fort Worth, TX..

    • @markconner5569
      @markconner5569 4 місяці тому +5

      What hit me hardest was your initial thought that “Jinx” was going to be recovered. My exact thoughts when I learned “Boo” was missing.

  • @reggierico
    @reggierico 4 місяці тому +5

    I was a gunship pilot way back in the 80's/90's. I flew AC130H on active duty with the 16thSOS at Hurlburt field and AC130A with the reserves over at Duke field. We lost two Spectre gunships during my time. One was a shoot down during Desert Storm, killing all 14 crew members. The other was supporting the operation in Somalia in the early 90's. This was an in bore 105mm detonation and the aircraft somehow managed to crash land in the water just off shore. Tragically, 8 of the 14 crew members perished in that accident. So, 22 lost squadron mates is not small number and it has been a burden we've all carried for over 30 years. I still think about them often and have gone through the typical survivor's guilt associated with these losses. It is an honorable thing to remember their sacrifices, especially during their anniversaries and Memorial Day. Thanks for your post. Well done.

  • @travispower2683
    @travispower2683 4 місяці тому +3

    So sorry to hear about your friends. I lost a friend from HS in a 15 over Scotland.

  • @ToddBurgess
    @ToddBurgess 4 місяці тому +6

    Memorial Day can be a hard day for people going through some stuff because of what they did previously in their lives. If you are one of those people take it easy and take care of yourself today.

  • @dswiger
    @dswiger 4 місяці тому +7

    Thanks for the heart felt & personal stories. As a Vietnam Veteran working with FACs as a radio op, we had our share of losses among our pilots. Over 300 were lost in combat situations, flying low & slow to save the grunts on the ground. We are having our last reunion, our "fini flight", this October at Ft . Walton Beach.

  • @thedamnyankee1
    @thedamnyankee1 4 місяці тому +4

    My first cousin, USN Hospitalman Lucas Emch. FMF Corpsman. KIA on March 2, 2007, in Al Anbar Province, Iraq

  • @billyyoung8052
    @billyyoung8052 4 місяці тому +2

    Great video, Sir. Much appreciate the thoughtfulness you took in putting it together. Thankful for the service of those men and their families sacrifice. Likewise those on the ground like my friend Roberto Arizola, intel, Iraq May 2004.

  • @darkenedskiesahead3670
    @darkenedskiesahead3670 4 місяці тому +4

    R.I.P. Jinxx, Bama, and all those we've lost! Just shows doesn't matter high time or low time incidents/accidents are just going to happen... so enjoy life while you can and be ready for when Mr. Black knocks on your door. “Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back.” ― Marcus Aurelius

  • @eazymoneyracing
    @eazymoneyracing 4 місяці тому +5

    The Crew of Shell 77, Capt Voss, Capt Pinckney, and TSgt Mackey. They were some good folks that will be missed forever

  • @JBSmoke1
    @JBSmoke1 4 місяці тому +11

    Those that gave all will not be forgotten.

  • @nathanwheeler2047
    @nathanwheeler2047 4 місяці тому +3

    Nickels on the grass for those that paid the price. Remembering Melvin “Butch” Brown flew helicopters in Vietnam

  • @Tiger313NL
    @Tiger313NL 4 місяці тому +5

    Our Royal Netherlands Air Force always flies a missing man formation over the US War Cemetery in Margraten on the American Memorial Day (our own memorial day is on May 4th).

    • @athuddriver
      @athuddriver 4 місяці тому +2

      Thank you for your support and remembrance.

    • @Tiger313NL
      @Tiger313NL 4 місяці тому

      ​@@athuddriver Remembering those we owe our freedom to, is the least we can do.

  • @martinboycott-brown1994
    @martinboycott-brown1994 4 місяці тому +5

    Earlier today I looked out of my window in Cambridge (UK) and saw a tanker and two f15s flying over, and realised they were going to the American cemetery at Madingley. It is a sobering place to visit.

    • @georgecooksey8216
      @georgecooksey8216 4 місяці тому +2

      It's a beautiful and peaceful place. Utmost gratitude to the British people for taking such excellent care of those young men who gave everything they could possibly give.

  • @robd2184
    @robd2184 4 місяці тому +4

    RIP to all your brave aviators . Over here on the other side of the Atlantic , we’ve just lost an RAF pilot flying a Spitfire of all things. Per Ardua ad Astra .

  • @ronhudson3730
    @ronhudson3730 4 місяці тому +5

    I have never served in Canada’s military but I have utmost respect for what they and you and your. Colleagues do for all of us. I have had the pleasure of having several excellent mentors and I have a lifelong affection and respect for them. God bless them and all who serve, have served, and have made the sacrifice, for us.

  • @andersed1
    @andersed1 4 місяці тому +2

    My dad lost more squadron mates in accidents in peacetime than he did in two tours flying F-4’s in Vietnam.

  • @cfisher11
    @cfisher11 4 місяці тому +4

    Thanks for taking the time to honor your Comrades and our veterans who have served. I remembering a friend from martial arts who was killed in Iraq.

  • @bigd4366
    @bigd4366 4 місяці тому +3

    I still miss Lex, after all these years. A great man, he had every right to a quiet retirement, but couldn't stand to *not* fly, and was never happier than when he got back in the air to train the next generation in the Kfir that he would later be lost in.

  • @craigcalder7264
    @craigcalder7264 4 місяці тому +5

    Remembering the fallen is just as important as supporting the guys and girls serving today.Rest well brothers and sisters

  • @tjdearing4176
    @tjdearing4176 4 місяці тому +3

    Thank you for your service, and I am sorry for your grief. My dad was a retired Navy Captain who flew F8's off the Kitty Hawk during Vietnam. He was active duty reserve for the vast part of his time in service. He, too, lost many good friends during the war and his career. You guys do much to make other countries think twice, and I thank you for it.

  • @thebigbilltheory4388
    @thebigbilltheory4388 4 місяці тому +4

    Well done and tasteful. Thank you for your service and I’m sorry for the loss of your fellow patriots.

  • @Warhorse500
    @Warhorse500 4 місяці тому +2

    Sadly, it's not just the fast movers. My grandfather was a B-24 pilot late in WW2, then transports in the years following---C-124s, and C-133s. The C-133s developed a rep as "Widowmakers"; Granddad always said the props were mismatched to the engines. For those of you wondering, the C-133 was more or less a super-stretched C-130. Granddad's best friend at the Dover C-133 squadron, Frank Hearty, went out on a checkride as the check pilot, out of Dover in 1961. The a/c disappeared off radar at SHAD intersection...they found the pieces of the aircraft in the ocean 24 hrs later. MAJ Frank Hearty, RIP sir.

    • @richardbowles7690
      @richardbowles7690 4 місяці тому

      My Dad was a C-133 driver. We were evacuated from Saigon in 1962 where he had a small unit, there. I became a mechanical engineer after hearing so many stories of the problems with Dad's bird. If the C-133 had 4-blade props like the C-130s, things would have been better. It was the prop tips going supersonic on the -133s that caused them to fracture, with too little time to feather or recover from prop tip piercing the pressurized fuselage.

  • @stephenhogg2472
    @stephenhogg2472 4 місяці тому +2

    Having spent the majority of my service in EOD I have lost mates “on the job” and during GWOT have lost more as both active service and especially as contractors. We few, we merry few. We band of brothers, for he how sheds his blood with me this day shall always be my brother.

  • @runfastforaliving2728
    @runfastforaliving2728 4 місяці тому +2

    Had a classmate who was killed during an oil burner just before he was due to be married

  • @vtcyclist
    @vtcyclist 4 місяці тому +3

    Nickel in the grass to Capt. Michael McGuire, Maj Frank Bennett, Maj James Magnusson.

  • @woooster17
    @woooster17 4 місяці тому +2

    We in the UK have just lost an outstanding gentleman and pilot, Squadron Leader Mark Long, in a Spitfire fatality. Mark was an ex Typhoon pilot, and had spent 4 years as a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight pilot displaying the Spitfire and Hurricane…
    Even flying aircraft that are meant as flying memorials to heroes of the past, we have lost another modern day representative of ‘The Few’
    RIP Sdn Ldr Mark Long, RAF..

    • @georgecooksey8216
      @georgecooksey8216 4 місяці тому

      He was a very good man. Peace and love to his family and mates. Per Ardua Ad Astra

  • @briancarleton5619
    @briancarleton5619 4 місяці тому +3

    Beautiful piece. I never served but grew up on Keesler AFB as both my parents were civil service out there for 30 to 40 years respectively. Thank you for your service and letters of LOVE to Valhalla for those we've lost.

  • @Metoobie
    @Metoobie 4 місяці тому +3

    Damn good video, Mover. Good for the soul.
    RIP Capt. Jennifer Casey, RCAF.

  • @billbrockman779
    @billbrockman779 4 місяці тому +3

    My Georgia ANG wing lost a Phantom and crew at Townsend Range in the mid 1980’s. I will never forget the missing man formation over the burial ceremony.

  • @sharizabel2582
    @sharizabel2582 4 місяці тому +2

    A good friend and classmate from Okla State, Keith Sands. After graduating we both flew fighters. He flew the Viper. I was flaying the Raven when we flew combat together over Bosnia. He was stationed at Aviano and we spent a few pints catching up. Later I deployed to the ROK in the Strike Eagle and attended his memorial. He was night flying off the west coast out of Kunsan when he ejected. Unfortunately, his Nogs crushed into his eyes. They found him partially into his life raft. Still haunts me to this day.

  • @johnwilbur6414
    @johnwilbur6414 4 місяці тому +1

    Thanks, Mover.
    Men I knew in the AF who died in the air:
    Kevin M.
    Nick S.
    Jeff O.
    Jorge A.
    Eric H.
    Men & women I knew in the AF who died too young:
    Tony H.
    Colonel L.
    Maj. Z.
    LtCol. Z.
    Lloyd H.
    Denzel H.
    Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. May perpetual light shine upon them.

  • @yewhuiphoa9654
    @yewhuiphoa9654 4 місяці тому +1

    In 2004, a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-16C crashed about 90 nautical miles south of Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, in the Barry M Goldwater Range. The aircraft crashed at about 2141 hrs on Wed, 19 May 2004, Arizona time (1241 hrs, Thurs, 20 May 2004, Singapore time).
    The F-16C was assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base as part of the RSAF’s Peace Carvin II detachment at the Luke Air Force Base which was started in 1993.
    LTA Brandon Loo Kwang Han (aged 25) was killed. A Board of Inquiry concluded that the incident was due to human factors, saying the pilot could have experienced gravity-induced loss of consciousness or spatial disorientation, which resulted in his inability to recover the aircraft from an inverted position.

  • @joelbeske1504
    @joelbeske1504 4 місяці тому +2

    Former Navy and Army here; my WAARNG unit, 1/303 Cav lost an officer in 2000 during a tank training evolution at YTC.

  • @NCLong
    @NCLong 4 місяці тому +2

    Good content...I've been thinking of the crewmembers, several of which I knew, of Yukla 27, who perished after their aircraft ingested a flock of Canada geese and crashed. I worked on the E-3 aircraft (radar) for 16 1/2 years.

  • @josephstevens9888
    @josephstevens9888 4 місяці тому +1

    I would to remember Spc. John Amos of the 25th Infantry Division who was killed in action in Kirkuk, Iraq in April 2004.

  • @DustySweetroll
    @DustySweetroll 4 місяці тому +2

    Sometimes it feels like the true meaning of the day gets lost in the fray; I appreciate you taking the time to share and focus on the legacy of our fallen heroes. I can't even begin to imagine how it must have felt to lose friends and squadron members. Wishing you a meaningful Memorial Day, and thank you for your service.

  • @rynopot
    @rynopot 4 місяці тому +1

    Dave Stock. Died flying an Electric Lightning at an airshow, at the South African Air Force's Test Flight and Development Center in November 2009.
    He had a hydraulic issue - I filmed his fateful display on the Saturday afternoon, wondering why there was such a flow of fluid from just under his engine exhaust. I was over on the other side of the airfield, there was not enough time for me to alert anyone. when I saw it, I thought it was weird, but obviously did not think anything was really wrong.
    It was a shock to see an airplane go into the ground - even though it was a few miles away. Everyone just saw the black cloud of smoke - but the ejection seat failed because the canopy's rockets failed - so it buggered the entire ejection sequence.
    He flew the SAAF's Mirages and Cheetahs, and was a Test pilot, hence flying the display in the EE Lightning.

  • @Spike_au
    @Spike_au 4 місяці тому +2

    This was a really heartfelt and touching tribute. You can see it still hurts to this day, I'm sorry you lost your friends.

  • @PeteVA-212
    @PeteVA-212 4 місяці тому +2

    Mover, excellent tribute! Just lost another squadron mate who "Flew West" yesterday. "Throw a Nickle on the Grass...!"

  • @AlperenDoganCimen
    @AlperenDoganCimen 4 місяці тому +1

    Cengiz Topel was a Turkish fighter pilot in the 1960's. He was flying over Cyprus due to a warning flight made by TURAF. His airplane's been shot from the Greek side of the island and ejected. After that, he was found by Greeks and endured lots of torture. At the end he was brutally killed by hitting a giant nail on his head.
    Captain Topel is mentioned as the first airman martyr of Republic of Turkiye.

  • @johnshannon9
    @johnshannon9 4 місяці тому +2

    Mover, that was a very fine tribute to your friends who left too soon. Thank you for your heartfelt telling of their stories.
    I want to honor a fellow airman who I served with for about three months on an OIF deployment to Balad AB, from which we returned in May 2007. I was in the 301 MXS at Carswell Field, TX and we were on our rainbow deployment with a mix of active duty and AFRES/ANG units, as was typical. This man volunteered to extend his deployment for an additional 60 days, as there was a last-minute vacancy in the ANG unit that was coming over to replace his unit, the 147 FW from Ellington Field, TX. He and I became buddies and made the midnight chow runs, especially on Tuesday nights/Wednesday mornings when it was Mongolian stir-fry night. It never disappointed any of us! 🙂
    Due to the sensitive nature of his passing, I will only refer to him as John, as I cannot be sure that his family would want me to post his rank/full name. I'll err on the side of their privacy.
    We returned home from Balad, with the obligatory few days at Al-Udeid AB (and beer!) then we came home via a chartered MD-11. We had to deplane about 100 Army soldiers at KIND, and then we headed south to KDFW. John was able to secure a flight home that night to KIAH, even though he wasn't scheduled until the following day. My civilian job was with American Airlines @ KDFW, so I was able to reach out to a manager who changed John's ticket. We had time for one quick beer (that means two!) in the parking lot of the terminal (my brother came prepared to greet us with some cold libations!) before he had to head back inside for his flight. After a couple of serious hugs, he was on his way home. John was about 5 inches taller than me, and he squeezed the crap outta me! It was the last time that I saw him. I kept in contact with him thru occasional emails, but since his unit was transitioning to the Predator mission due to BRAC, his position was eliminated. After that, he struggled for some time, trying to make peace with his circumstances. But in late 2008, he lost his battle with his inner demons.
    I will never forget the pure fun that John was. When the Giant Voice announced incoming fire, he would always flip the bird toward the fence and yell some obscenities at the invisible enemy outside the wire who had lobbed their crap in our general direction. Ah, the memories of IDF attacks. John was also a blast at the rec center, where he excelled at most X-Box games of the day. he would invite anyone walking by just to sit and play, even after many of us had crashed out on the pleather sofas! We also voluteered to help out at the Base Theater Hospital, and he took that as seriously as anyone, even if he was just taking out trash, or helping offload litter patients from the helos, or whatever it was. He was just an all-around great person to know.
    I still can see the look of satisfaction and pride just before we parted for the last time, leaving us both knowing that we had completed our mission, and it was a job well done. I truly wish that he could still be around to share his own war stories. This is a reminder that many of our combat veterans don't just die in the line of duty. There are still many today who struggle to overcome their life-changing experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. I pray that everyone will help to support these fine people, so that they never become casualties of war at their own hands.
    Sorry for the long post, everyone... Mover, you started it! :-)

  • @steveleech4660
    @steveleech4660 4 місяці тому +10

    I flew F4s and F15a years ago. Two tours/363 combat missions in the Vietnam conflict. Needless to say, I lost a lot of friends. Thanks for your rembrance and reminder that "Freedom is not Free."

  • @ripgfa
    @ripgfa 4 місяці тому +6

    Remembering those that paid the ultimate price on this day. Thank you to those brave men and women.

  • @UpAndReady
    @UpAndReady 4 місяці тому +2

    Today is a tough one for those of us in the Marine V-22 community. RIP Captain Matt Tomkiewicz, Captain John Sax, and Major Tobin Lewis, all of whom were incredible Americans I had the pleasure to know even briefly. Along with the other crewmembers of Ghost 31, Swift 11, and Dumptruck 12.

  • @haiwin224
    @haiwin224 4 місяці тому +1

    Raising your right hand for Uncle Sam: Blank Check
    Losing your life in service of uncle sam: paying that freedom bill in full at sticker price.

  • @InGratitudeIam
    @InGratitudeIam 4 місяці тому +1

    A debt we can never repay, summed up best in the Bible at John 15:13.
    Thanks for making this video.

  • @stevechampion7938
    @stevechampion7938 4 місяці тому +2

    Beautiful words said by you Mover. I’m sure the family’s appreciate it.

  • @giovannideventuri4506
    @giovannideventuri4506 4 місяці тому +3

    God bless you, Sir. Thank you for everything you do and have done. (USN Vet)

  • @oubrioko
    @oubrioko 4 місяці тому +1

    U.S. Air Force B-52 Sratofortress co-pilot *Capt. Robert James Thomas,* a member of the 340th Bombardment Squadron, perished when his aircraft and its six-man crew were hit by a surface-to-air missile near Hanoi, Vietnam on December 18, 1972. His remains were eventually recovered and identified in 1978. Capt. Thomas' name is inscribed alongside his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. His son is the late Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas, of the Kansas City Chiefs.

  • @slartybarfastb3648
    @slartybarfastb3648 4 місяці тому +1

    It sounds like my experience in skydiving.
    I hadn't even realized how many friends and mentors are gone until my father (a skydiver from the 60s) mentioned how safe skydiving has become.
    I started listing the names and how they died. I was shocked myself how many there were. It was the first time I had ever listed them all at one time. More have been added to the list since then.
    We do what we do. They all loved what they were doing, which is more than most can say. Godspeed.

  • @1KDave
    @1KDave 4 місяці тому +1

    Back around that time Dad’s 16 went up with another. Two of the best jets went up and their best pilot was in his.
    Bad pilot made a mistake and they had a mid air. Both ejected but the good pilot’s chute failed to deploy. The largest piece of wreckage was a panel with dad’s nose art on it. It’s hard on more than just pilots and that’s never really talked about. He later lost a buddy who was a test pilot at Edward’s.

  • @mickbeast8371
    @mickbeast8371 4 місяці тому +1

    When it happens, no matter how often, it always is a punch to the gut. Larger than life people who aren’t there anymore just feel wrong. Only a couple of the guys/gals who I went to school with perished in fast movers…almost all were in heavies…a couple in gen aviation or glider

  • @alandaters8547
    @alandaters8547 4 місяці тому +1

    Thank you for this video. I always felt that I respected those who serve, but you have raised my respect and gratitude. Here's wishing safety and health for you and all who serve whether in the air or anywhere else!

  • @05Hogsrule
    @05Hogsrule 4 місяці тому +2

    If you are able
    save a place for them
    inside of you ...
    and save one backward glance
    when you are leaving
    for the places they can
    no longer go ...
    Be not ashamed to say
    you loved them,
    though you may
    or may not have always ...
    Take what they have left
    and what they have taught you
    with their dying
    and keep it with your own ...
    And in that time
    when men decide and feel safe
    to call this war insane,
    take one moment to embrace
    those gentle heroes
    you left behind ...
    -you will meet them again, on the high ground.

  • @GunniesLetsFlyVFR
    @GunniesLetsFlyVFR 4 місяці тому +1

    Thanks for sharing what I'm sure is a hard subject to share. Thankyou :)

  • @RedTail1-1
    @RedTail1-1 4 місяці тому +1

    I didn't lose a lot of friends, but even one is too many. Let alone 3. "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT, NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT, DUTY FIRST!"

  • @liamwuthrich9174
    @liamwuthrich9174 4 місяці тому +1

    my grandfather my dads dad in bomber crew also didnt no bomber crew served with his position also never got folds t-shirt i upgraded my donation of 11.00 dallars a month also mover i almot lost my training officer in air cadets i saw tanking at airshow i was thinking about everyone u interviewed that tanked before also dune 2 i would like your opinon also i follow u on mover ruins i had too reset my cell i lost my videos at airshow also the sound did not afect me also got 2 meet my first flight enginear andhelicopter i kept my word i did not touch a think the helicopter had radar.

  • @martyb2424
    @martyb2424 4 місяці тому +3

    Mover, thank you for the tribute to those lost. They are with God and will forever be watching our six.

  • @mghemke
    @mghemke 4 місяці тому +2

    Thank you (and anyone else enlisted or formerly enlisted who might read this) for your service.

  • @skyraider87
    @skyraider87 4 місяці тому +3

    Even if they aren't lost in combat, they still contribute to the future by helping to make flying safer for everyone. Rest in peace

  • @andyl5134
    @andyl5134 4 місяці тому +1

    Even though he didnt die during his service, I am definitely thinking about my grandfather, who served during WW2 in the pacific theater with the USMC. He fought in the island hopping campaign, most notably the Battle of Okinawa. Many thanks to all who serve, and on this day, to those who gave everything.

  • @shorttimer874
    @shorttimer874 4 місяці тому +1

    I was TDY for 30 days December '71 my first year in the Army in the rifle squad of a funeral team in Columbus Ohio saying goodbye to the guys coming back from 'Nam the hard way. Memorial Days are tough, Gardens of Stone, both the novel and the movie, got it right.

  • @johnlang150
    @johnlang150 4 місяці тому +1

    I am not a USA citizen but ALWAYS send my love, respect for your military, the men and women that services daily ( like my country) and that have Lost their lives and/or injured. God bless each and every member of the USA forces no matter what division your in.........with a THANK YOUR FOR YOYR SERVICE god speed pre and post military service

  • @JPH11
    @JPH11 4 місяці тому +1

    Appreciate you sharing these stories, Mover. Thank you and your colleagues for writing that blank cheque. May God rest their souls.

  • @Halli50
    @Halli50 4 місяці тому +1

    I have over half a century in civil aviation and have lost friends in a similar manner, due to senseless "mishaps".
    I did not fully realize how close to the edge military pilots sometimes live - F1 drivers are apparently far safer that military pilots. Hats off to you guys!

  • @DLO52
    @DLO52 4 місяці тому +1

    Small world . I was stationed at luke in the 310th when that crash happened RIP

  • @wuzburg
    @wuzburg 4 місяці тому +2

    I enjoyed your video. Thank you for taking the time. There is a brotherhood in the military that civilians can not relate to. I lost 2 soldiers who affected my life. My BC "Bradley Commander" and one of my soldiers that I convinced to stay in the Army. Both died from IED'S.

  • @Old_B52H_Gunner
    @Old_B52H_Gunner 4 місяці тому +1

    Thanks for doing this one, ive known a couple that never came back.

  • @runem5429
    @runem5429 4 місяці тому +1

    Just for the size of the US military you guys lose disproportionlly to the rest of the west. So from this Danish guy, thank you, these lives lived with honor and commitment to the greater good made the world better.