SR-71 Pilot Brian Shul giving an inspirational talk about his experiences....

[Steve Helmick]

Allot 74 minutes for watching this video on YT. Maybe 80, with some rewinding and listening again to some points. INCREDIBLE! A great American Patriot and great Aviator!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nuAZfKSvvg&feature=youtu.be

FWIW, my brother was a USAF officer & R&D engineer at Edwards AFB, but was on TDY to Holloman AFB and had an SR-71 moment.  An SR-71, early in the program, had an in-flight emergency and landed at Holloman while brother was there.  CO called my brother, said "You're from Edwards. This is your problem. Take care of it."  Brother arranged hanger and security, scrounged up some clothes, personal supplies, ground transport and quarters for a few days, while Edwards sent a C-130 with mechanics, parts, tools, and special ground support equipment....and a KC-135 with the special fuel.  Air Police detail had a security guard in the hanger, but one of the dumbasses sneaked his girlfriend into the hanger and took pictures of her standing with the TOP SECRET SR-71. I'm not sure what happened to that idjit, but I'd bet he lost all his stripes, got his ass ripped, and transferred to Minot or worse.    Steve

[John Leidle]

  A guy I worked with told me Tule Greenland AFB wasn't perfect. Maybe that would work...
          John L.

[Jim Carter]

and transferred to Minot or worse.    Steve

HEY !!  HEY !! HEY !!  Be careful there ...  being stationed on Minot AFB took REAL character and fortitude:-\!!  Only the "BEST" got to go there (whether they wanted to or not) !  Heck ... anybody "ordinary routine" troop can do creampuff bases like Barksdale, Homestead, March and Andrews but REAL AIRMEN did Minot and the northern tier bases  !!

Jim "Still Unthawing" Carter, USAF, Ret. 

[Norm Faith Jr.]

HEY !!  HEY !! HEY !!  Be careful there ...  being stationed on Minot AFB took REAL character and fortitude:-\!!  Only the "BEST" got to go there (whether they wanted to or not) !  Heck ... anybody "ordinary routine" troop can do creampuff bases like Barksdale, Homestead, March and Andrews but REAL AIRMEN did Minot and the northern tier bases  !!

Jim "Still Unthawing" Carter, USAF, Ret.

Or "Hootervile," Eaker AFB, (formerly Blytheville AFB) Arkansas. 
Norm Faith Msgt USAF Ret.

[Gary Mondry]

Jim "Still Unthawing" Carter, USAF, Ret.

Your profile suggests that your have overcompensated for that experience... (Titusville, FL)

Gary (born and raised 200 miles east of Minot) Mondry

[Steve Helmick]

So, didn't anybody watch the video? Once I started, I couldn't stop watching. Weather is AWFUL here today, so I might just watch it again. I may need to hydrate first.  Steve

[Jim Hoffman]

I watched it a few weeks ago.  A well spent block of time.  I enjoyed it

[Jim Carter]

Your profile suggests that your have overcompensated for that experience... (Titusville, FL)

Gary (born and raised 200 miles east of Minot) Mondry

Hello Grand Forks baby!!      I'm still sufferin' a bit of "S.A.C." brainwashing!!   

[Dave Hull]

Watched it last night--or should I say early this morning?

You should see fighter pilots when they put their game face on--at the preflight brief before something like a TopGun "final exam." Them's some serious, serious guys.

When I see the SR-71, I am always reminded of the A-12 sensor suite. It included a pair of IRSTs in the chine notch. Skip ahead 50 years and suddenly people realize why you would do that: S-T-E-A-L-T-H.....

McDivot

[John Rist]

We have a SR-71 at the Space and Rocket center here in Huntsville Alabama.  It is one good looking bird.   Thanks for posting this video.  it was great!   

[Bill Adair]

Steve,

Must have been the night I was tending bar at the Holloman AFB O-club!

I watched that SR-71 land that morning on the way to work, so our OPS guy at work (flight test) gave us the news of the in flight emergency that grounded the SR.

I tended bar after work that night at the O-club and the SR-71 aircraft was the topic of the night.

The SR pilot came in for a drink later and I introduced him to a couple of our nicer nurses at the main bar. They left some time later with the nurses in tow, to see his TOP SECRET airplane!   

Guess getting to see SECRET stuff is more how you look than who you are? 

Bill

[Allen Burnham]

One of my favorite presentations from Major Shul.

He has an amazing comeback story.

[Ken Culbertson]

...and transferred to Minot or worse.    Steve

There is worse?

Ken

[Bill Adair]

My late brother-in-law and his family were stationed there for years, so the wife and I took the kids there to visit one summer. He told us of a previous winter they had when the snow was deep enough to strand them for days with their six kids, in their 2 story base housing unit!

Said they had to clear enough snow to pass them groceries thru a second story window because they couldn't get the doors or windows on the first floor open. They were just about stir crazy when they finally cleared enough snow to get out the front door!

I dropped our car at the base gas station for a wash and oil/filter change, and was nearly eaten alive by the damn mosquitos on the way back! Luckily, my four nephews went with me and walked behind to swat the blood suckers off my back before I lost too much blood!

Asked my B-I-L if they awarded Purple Heart medals to everyone completing a tour at Minot?

They sure deserved something for enduring that Hell Hole of a base!

Bill

[Steve Helmick]

Steve,

Must have been the night I was tending bar at the Holloman AFB O-club!

I watched that SR-71 land that morning on the way to work, so our OPS guy at work (flight test) gave us the news of the in flight emergency that grounded the SR.

I tended bar after work that night at the O-club and the SR-71 aircraft was the topic of the night.

The SR pilot came in for a drink later and I introduced him to a couple of our nicer nurses at the main bar. They left some time later with the nurses in tow, to see his TOP SECRET airplane!   

Guess getting to see SECRET stuff is more how you look than who you are? 

Bill

Yeah, but nurses are officers. The non-com APe wouldn't have had a nurse for a GF, so he'd be crucified.

A guy I knew was transferred from Minot to Thule, Greenland. I think Minot is a training base for instrument repair skool, plus ICBM silos?  Anyway, he got to Thule in summer, and the 24/7 daylight really had him sleep deprived. After a week or so, he went to the hospital and they gave him a pill, with the instructions to get back to his barracks ASAP. He got sleepy and sat down on a snowbank and nodded off (no bueno). Lucky for him, somebody came along and yanked him up and into a warm vehicle before he turned into a popsicle.  Good thing he was a little feller of about 130 lbs.  Steve

[Ken Culbertson]

We had a Blackbird or two for a while at Eglin while I was stationed there in '68.   Pretty sure they were YF-12's and not SR-71's.   They were still pretty hush hush back then so they kept them in a closed hangar and flew them at night.   I worked the night shift on the flightline back then.  The plane leaked fuel like it was made of Swiss Cheese.  I was told that was because the tanks didn't seal until it got airborn. Anyway, when it took off it would leave a trail of fuel on the runway and when it went to AB and rotated it would set the runway on fire.  Quite a sight.

About that guy going from Minot to Thule.....  Minot was what they threatened us with if we didn't shape up.  Thule was where you went of you screwed up at Minot.  Poor guy.

Ken

[Steven Kientz]

We had one land at Eglin in '82 or 83. I ran a flighttline sweeper 8 hrs a day for 3 days on the pad where it was parked.. Couldn't get any closer than 100 ft. Still remember that like it was yesterday.

[Steve Helmick]

About that guy going from Minot to Thule.....  Minot was what they threatened us with if we didn't shape up.  Thule was where you went of you screwed up at Minot.  Poor guy.

Ken

He really wasn't a "screw-up" type of guy. Other than being nuts enough to ride a motorcycle on the street to the tune of about 50k a year. Only one broken leg, that I recall. Laid it down on the freeway and slid under a taxi that stopped quicker than he could.  Steve