The Farm Boys and the Flyboys

"Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others." Aristotle

Two farm boys lived in a small town north of Pensacola, Florida, home to the U.S. Navy pilot training. During the last years of World War II the boys, one 4 years older than the other, would stand in the hot farm fields and admire the Navy Cadets training in the SNJs, a two seater with a big Pratt and Whitney, 650 horsepower radial engine.

Occasionally one of the local girls would date a Cadet and bring him to attend church in the farm town. The Cadet, in his starched white uniform, would look like the best of America. He was the alpha male, and the girl lucky enough to date him was the alpha female. All eyes were glancing, with envy, at the two alphas. The image of the Cadets that formed in the minds of the two farm boys would stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Around 1949 the older brother joined the Air Force as an enlisted man and became a heavy equipment operator. He would sweep the runways at Andrews Air Force base near Washington, D. C. and have a first hand view of the Air Force pilots flying the latest jet fighter, the T-33, or F-80. When the older brother came home on leave, he would tell the younger brother about the officer corps and how the young Jet jockeys, with their helmets and oxygen masks, looked like men from Mars. The older brother went on to the same work in Korea during the Korean War.

Their farm had an 80 acre plot that was one half mile long with a fence on each end. During hot summer days working in the fields the boys could hear the navy SNJ flying overhead. Occasionally they would hear the sound of and engine go silent, and the engine would backfire, pop! pop! The boys were familiar with the sound as it meant the instructor had closed the throttle to the engine and told the student cadet that he was to execute an engine failure procedure and a simulated emergency landing.Many times the student would select the farm's 80 acre field for their simulated emergency landing. The boys would watch as the planes descended in a circle, gliding with the throttle closed. The boys could tell when the airplane was around 1000 feet which field the cadet had selected because at 1000 feet he was supposed to be over his landing target, then complete a 360 turn and land.

One day the younger brother was out in the field picking cotton when the familiar sound was heard. Pop! Pop! He watched as the plane spiraled down and approached the field the boy was standing in with wide eyes watching the whole episode. As the plane descended to about 50 feet it passed close to the boy as the throttle was increased for the go around procedure. As the plane increased power and started to climb the boy could see so clearly the instructor in the back seat of the airplane. The boy waved with enthusiasm and amazingly, the instructor waved back. The boy was so excited.

A few months later the younger brother returned home from school and to his amazement there was a navy SNJ trainer sitting in the field, right where the cadets had practiced so many times. The younger brother immediately went to the plane, which had just landed. The instructor and cadet, both soaking wet with sweat, were standing there beside the plane, which had landed wheels up, due to an engine failure, and only slid about 100 feet in a crop of peanuts. Soon a helicopter came to bring an accident team and pick of the crew. Before landing the helicopter crew stopped a few yards away and picked up a few watermelons the family was growing. It was an exciting day on the farm.

The younger brother did three years as an enlisted man in the army. After the army, he learned to fly and graduated from college. The younger brother became and airline pilot. The older brother was filled with pride for the accomplishment of his younger brother. The older brother never stopped bragging about his younger brother.

When the older brother was young he was one of the most robust men in the county. He could work any man into the ground. He attended 12 years of school without missing a day. He lived a hard life of partying. A hard and loyal worker, he never asked anything from another man, but was always willing to give. He said when he was on his death bed he hoped he would be wheeled into a topless bar and die watching the girls dance.

The officer corp should be the best any country has to offer. The officers should put their principals ahead of their careers. They should be role models for the rest of the country, and live up to the image the farm boys had of the them.

Charles Tolleson