« Weakness begets violence | Main | Jackie Mason on Muslim vs. Jewish revenge »
February 13, 2006
Happy Birthday, Gen. Yeager
Today is Gen. Chuck Yeager's birthday. A World War II ace, Yeager flew 64 combat missions and downed 12 German planes, including a staggering five in one dogfight.
Yeager was shot down during his eighth mission while piloting his P-51 Mustang, Glamorous Glennis, escaping to freedom over remote mountain passes while evading the pursuing Germans. Yeager's journey over the French Pyrenees -- on foot! -- is detailed here.
In 1947, Yeager became the fastest man on Earth, breaking the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis, named -- like all his aircraft -- for his wife.
I first read his autobiography back when I was in the navy, and I thought his life was a thrilling adventure, as he climbed the ranks from enlisted mechanic to general.
He's one of a dwindling breed, the last of the look-em-in-the-eyes gunfighting aces. No over-the-horizon missile launches for these warriors; they fought aerial knife fights, up close and personal.
Yeager was a natural pilot, whose undeniable skill in the cockpit and his preternatural eyesight gave him an enormous advantage in combat. Twenty-one years after I first read his book, I remember him saying that the key to surviving a dogfight was seeing the enemy before he saw you. Yeager delighted in calling out "Bogies ahead at twelve o'clock!" as his fellow pilots frantically peered ahead in vain.
Inevitably, as they drew nearer, the enemy planes were where Yeager said they'd be.
I think the first time I became familiar with Yeager's role in aviation history was when I read Tom Wolfe's great book, The Right Stuff, later made into a superb movie.
The film cast playright Sam Shepperd as the laconic Yeager, but the real test pilot appeared in a cameo in Pancho's Bar & Grill, pictured above, right.
An Air Force biography is here.
Happy birthday, General. Thank you for your service.
Stop on over at his web site and leave your birthday wishes for an American hero.
Posted by Mike Lief at February 13, 2006 11:25 PM
Comments
Happy birthday Chuck Yeager. I am fascinated by all the great things you have accomplished.
By the way, I am engaged to Ian Christian Yeager, a distant relative of yours. I would someday love to meet you in person.
An avid fan of yours, Judie Anne Getz
Posted by: judie anne getz at May 10, 2006 05:11 PM
today is march 22, 2007, and i have been mrs. judie anne yeager for three whole days now. i would still love to meet you, mr. yeager. you have always accomplished great things, and i am still fascinated by it all. i am proud to be mrs. ian christian yeager, and i look forward to someday meeting you in person. best always, judie anne yeager
Posted by: judie anne yeager at March 22, 2007 08:38 AM