I ran away from General Chuck Yeager.
And it was supposed to be such a wonderful day.
Nuts.
Jim, my oldest son, was reenlisting in the Air Force for the last five years of a most successful twenty year career. He was stationed at Edwards AFB, about two hours northeast of
General Yeager was going to be on base to participate in a dedication ceremony recognizing his achievement of breaking the sound barrier back in 1947 (see "The Right Stuff" for more details).
Anyway, as part of the ceremony, General Yeager agreed to swear in about six military personnel who were reenlisting that day, Jim being one of them.
Now, let me take you back to the early days of World War II.
My father, Jim's granddad, was in the Army Air Corp Reserves, working on a research project with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). NACA was the predecessor to today's NASA. My dad was working at
Today's jet engine turbine blades are individual pieces, slotted into a center hub. As the engine heats up, the metal expands and the blades and hub become one solid piece.
The problem was that back in the days of WWII we did not have the metallurgy nor technology to do that. So, the turbine blades and hub had to be cut out of a solid block of metal.
Think about that. Think of all those curved blades cut from a single chunk of metal. All those angles, all those close tolerances, all that skill.
My dad was working with a partner creating this blade/hub combo.
One mistake and they had to start all over again.
My dad went on vacation part way through the job and guess what?
Yep, his partner made a mistake and the job was toast.
My father requested to be put on nights for a whole year in order to create this blade/hub combo all by himself. And he did. At the end of that long year of night work the blade/hub combo was beautifully completed and ready
for testing.
All that time my mother was keeping the household together, trying to keep a noisy kid quiet (my sister) while my father slept. Both of my parents doing what they could to help in our nation's defense.
Quite a feat.
So, back to the present.
I get to thinking that General Yeager, being the jet jockey that he was, might agree to sign a note to my folks recognizing their contribution to our country. After all, as a test pilot at Edwards after the war, he probably tested some aircraft powered by a descendent of that engine built and tested at Lewis Research.
Pretty cool, huh?
I print up a heart warming note on a little 3X5 card, hoping that I can get the good General to sign it. My plan was to frame the card along with a couple of pictures of the event and give it to my parents.
Sure enough, after the reenlistment ceremony, General Yeager is signing autographs.
My chance to strike!!
I, with my little 3X5 in hand, get in line behind people with books and event programs awaiting the General's autograph.
As I step up to the General seeking his signature, I hand him the 3X5 and start to tell him this wonderful story of my dad working nights with NACA, helping to develop this jet engine.
It would have brought tears to your eyes just listening to me.
Except he wasn't listening.
He was just signing the card not really caring about my heart warming story.
Until he finished signing the card.
Just as he finishes signing the card, he looks up at me and says "Did you say NACA?!?".
I, not understanding the peril I was in, proudly answer "Yes!", puffing out my chest just a little bit.
The General, still holding the card, looks sternly at me and says, and I am not making this up "Those bastards at NACA did everything they could to try to prevent me from breaking the sound barrier!!!".
And then we lock eyes.
Do you know what I mean by locking eyes?
Does it ever happen to you that sometimes, hopefully rarely, you come across someone that when you make eye contact you immediately know that this is not going to have a happy ending?
That's what I mean by locking eyes.
I'm locking eyes with General Chuck Yeager, national icon.
I'm locking eyes with a gun slinger.
He's locking eyes with a chubby computer dweeb.
"This isn't quite what I had in mind" says the rabbit to the wolf.
Now, I want you to know that what happened next is not something of which I am proud. It just sort of happened.
You need to understand that I had a mission in mind (the note from General Yeager to my parents) that I had thought about for a long time. And he's holding that signed note in his hand as we are locking eyes.
What happened next was not well thought out. It was more a matter of instinct. I suppose in a humble manner, an act of courage for me.
As this pregnant pause in my conversation with General Yeager extends for several millennia, I suddenly snatch the card out of his hand, say "ThankyouverymuchGeneralYeager.Haveaniceday", turn around and run away.
I figure, if I was figuring anything at all at that particular moment, that one of three things could occur:
1 - I would be tackled from behind by an 80+ year old retired gun slinger.
2- The word "Security!!!!" would be bandied about and I would be thrown off
base, sans 3X5.
3 - The General would be so shocked that anyone would be so rude to him that it would buy me time for the great escape.
"I'll choose door number three please".
Which is just what happened.
I got a way with it. HA! HA! HA!
I GOT AWAY WITH IT!!!
Of course, I'll probably have to forego any future opportunities to meet General Yeager, but hey(!) I got away with it!!!
So, my parents received a nice frame with pictures of Jim's reenlistment including a picture of the honorable (but slightly stunned) General Chuck Yeager along with a very nice note, personally signed by him.
Isn't that nice?
He's such a nice man.
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