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Speed of Sound

Brigadier General Charles (Chuck) Elwood Yeager, one of my personal heroes, died yesterday at the age of 97.

In addition to being the son of farmers, starting out in the Army Air Force as a private, and working his way up to Brigadier General, and becoming a fighter pilot and serving on active duty during three wars (and really, if I list everything he did we'll be here all week), General Yeager was the first pilot to break the sound barrier. What a life he had.

I read a biography of him when I was a girl, which led to me joining the Civil Air Patrol when I was 13. He's also the reason I chose the Air Force when I decided to enlist in the military. If a West Virginian farm boy could do all that, I thought, then nothing should hold me back.

Wherever you go from here, General, I know you'll be flying high. Safe journey.

Image credit: United States Air Force

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nightsmusic said…
Jimmy knew him. Not well by any means, but he'd met with Yeager several times when he was in charge of a P-51 Merlin Rebuild facility. He much preferred Bud Anderson.

RIP Mr Yeager
December 9, 2020 at 7:37 AM
the author said…
Ah, the triple ace. :) Another legend of the skies. His memoir is awesome, too.
December 9, 2020 at 7:54 AM
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