Blog

  • In 1986, a life hung in the balance!

    In 1986, a life hung in the balance!

    Richard Reinheart, fading fast in Connecticut, needed a donor heart. One was found in Oklahoma, 1,400 miles away, with just four hours to deliver it. No civilian planes could make it. The Air Force called up Captain Lefforge and his...

  • Lydia Litvyak: The White Lily of Stalingrad

    Lydia Litvyak: The White Lily of Stalingrad

    Lydia Litvyak, born August 18, 1921, in Moscow, was a Soviet fighter pilot whose courage and skill made her one of World War II’s most celebrated aces. Known as the “White Lily of Stalingrad” for the flowers painted on her...

  • Capt. Tammy Shults: Hero of Flight 1380

    Capt. Tammy Shults: Hero of Flight 1380

    One of the Navy’s first female fighter pilots in 1985, Capt. Tammy Shults flew the A-7 Corsair II, F/A-18, and EA-6B Prowler, becoming an instructor and aggressor pilot. Barred from combat in the first Gulf War, she sharpened her skills...

  • Lt. Hugh B. Miller: The Wolfman of Arundel Island. He terrorized the Japanese army wounded and alone.

    Lt. Hugh B. Miller: The Wolfman of Arundel Island. He terrorized the Japanese army wounded and alone.

    On July 5, 1943, Lieutenant Hugh Miller’s destroyer, the USS Strong, was sunk by a Japanese torpedo. Exploding depth charges from the ship severely wounded Miller internally. After drifting for days, Miller and three crewmates washed ashore on Arundel Island,...

  • Brian Shul:  An Indomitable American Hero

    Brian Shul: An Indomitable American Hero

    Shot down, Burned, Recovered,Flew SR-71s and A-10s The word Indomitable means “impossible to subdue or defeat”. Brian Shul was just such a man. Shot down in Cambodia flying a T-28 Trojan, he was badly burned. He survived several days in...

  • Joseph W. Rutter:  A-20 Havoc Gunship Pilot

    Joseph W. Rutter: A-20 Havoc Gunship Pilot

    Attacked ground targets in the South Pacific at treetop level In my previous post about Pappy Gunn, I mentioned that Pappy had been upgunning the B-25 and A-20 Havocs in the South Pacific to attack ground targets. Joseph Rutter was...