Originally Posted by
Deuce130
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?
From what I have noticed, most of the fighter pilot stereotypes has been perpetuated by PC shoe clerks, heavy pilots or worse yet, B-coursers who THINK they need to act a certain way. Actually the most frat boyish/arrogant attitudes I ever experienced was from UPT instructors...talk about holier than thou attitudes!
Originally Posted by
Deuce130
You don't see SEALs, Green Berets, or CCT folks talking about themselves the way the modern fighter community does.
Have you spent much time with them? I think every time I ended up in a bar with SEALs, one of them ended up in a fight/jail. Went through survival with quite a few CCT guys and, by the time we left, we all knew how "great" they were. But in all honesty, those dudes were all great and have earned it....they are true warriors in my mind.