This is from a Phantom pilot during the Vietnam war...the author is annonymous. ( LOW FLIGHT): OH, I have slipped through swirling clouds of dust, A few feet from the dirt, I've flown the F-4 low enough To make my bottom hurt, I've flown through in the desert, hills, and valleys, Mountains too,Frolicked in the trees, Where only flying squirrels flew. Chased the frightened cows along, Disturbed the ram and ewe, And done a hundred other things That you not care to do. I've smacked the tiny sparrow, Bluebird, robin , all the rest, I've ingested baby eagles, simply sucked them from their nest. I've streaked through total darkness, just the other guys and me, And spent the night in terror of things I could not see. I turned my eyes to heaven. As I sweated through the flight, Put out my hand and touched the fire warning light.

Don't know why, but this post almost immediately made me think of Dean Martin Jr. who died 19 years ago on March 21, along with his WSO, when his F-4 crashed in the San Bernardino Mountains during a snowstorm. I've never seen a detailed report on this, but have always imagined that they were on a low level mission that ended with the crash. He had been a member of one of the early 'boy bands', and had married two of the 'hoties' of those days. He managed to get a lot done in his short life.

RIP

Ron