Yeager Gets His Due...

[BTs_GhostSniper]

A little-noticed provision in the House version of the Fiscal 2005 defense authorization bill would permit the President to promote Chuck Yeager, 20 years after his retirement.  Yeager retired as a Brigadier General in 1975.  House legislators stipulated in Section 563 that the President could appoint retired Brig Gen Charles E. Yeager to the rank of Major General on the Air Force retired list.  Yeager is a World War II ace with 13 confirmed aerial victories, and in 1947 he became the first human to fly faster than the speed of sound when he piloted the Bell X-1 beyond Mach 1.  Yeager was also the first to fly twice the speed of sound in level flight, when he took the Bell X-1A to Mach 2 in 1953.  Gen Yeager also commanded a Tactical Fighter Wing during the Vietnam War and conducted many combat missions over North Vietnam.

I am very happy that I was in on this.  I helped convince the Air Force Association (of which I'm a Life Member of) to lobby Congress to include this promotion in one of their defense bills.  It is long overdo for this true American Hero.[/size]

[spike]

It's so odd that a "defense authorization bill" should contain that sort of clause.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

It's so odd that a "defense authorization bill" should contain that sort of clause.

hehehe....we lobbyests work in mysterious ways.[/size]  

[spike]

heh, i guess so

[KoS.Rebel]

Yeager is the man. His game back on OS 7 or 8 "Chuck Yeager's Air Combat" was the best air fighting game ever.

["Sixhits"]

I like that Yeager is being praised and honored.  I dislike that it's being done via an apropriations bill.

[BFG]

Why promote someone who is retired? I mean celebrate the fact that the guy did a lot etc but isn't this wasting valuable time and recorses that should be applied to more inportant matters?

[spike]

It's a respect thing, like awarding the medal of honor posthumously.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

I like that Yeager is being praised and honored.  I dislike that it's being done via an apropriations bill.

I don't see what the big deal is.  Promoting him from O-7 to O-8 will only raise his retirement pay by about $600 a month.  It is more to show our respect for him than giving him a pay raise.[/size]

Why promote someone who is retired? I mean celebrate the fact that the guy did a lot etc but isn't this wasting valuable time and recorses that should be applied to more inportant matters?

We actually have quite a history of promoting retired soldiers who are deserving of such an honor.  Jimmy Doolittle and Ira Eaker both retired as Lt Generals (O-9) shortly after WWII ended, but were promoted to General (O-10) by President Reagan in 1985.  President Clinton did the same thing for Lt Gen Benjamin Davis (the first black man to graduate from West point in the 20th Century) in 1998 when he promoted him to the rank of General.  It is simply something we do here in America to honor our military heroes.  I don't see how we are wasting "valuable time and resources" by doing this for them.[/size]