Out of curiosity, though I'm sure to be flamed by the more sensitive types on this board, just when did this cult of self-adoration within the fighter pilot community start? My granddad was a fighter pilot in WWII and his career lasted until about 1970 I think. He was humble, modest, and definitely not the frat boy type. My dad was a fighter pilot in the '80s, and he wasn't so much all of the above. Neither was my brother in the late 90's up until now, but lately he's starting to grow out of it. So, I'm thinking sometime around the 1960's? I'm all for having fun, and God knows I've had my share of debauchery, but I did it because it was a lot of fun to drink, smoke, gamble, break stuff, and all that jazz. Not because I felt entitled to it or believed that no one else but me and mine had a license to do it.
And before anyone gets all SNAPish on me, I'm asking this as an honest question. I'm just wondering when the culture changed from a job to the lifestyle it has grown into today. Just when was the image of the modern day "Fighter Pilot" created? You don't see SEALs, Green Berets, or CCT folks talking about themselves the way the modern fighter community does.