Trump says second American airman rescued alive and well.

The second man to be rescued is apparently a Colonel and a weapon systems officer, a highly complex job involving reading four radar screens at once.

LOUISA1523

Maremia

It's all very well being fired up and macho, and defending your country, but when you are commanded to commit war crimes?

I think you should be very careful with your choice of language .... do you know the definition of a 'war crime' ?
Are you accusing these airmen of 'war crimes'?

The wording is "when you are being commanded to commit war crimes" which puts the war crime onto whoever may command a crime to be committed, not on the pilots or anyone else specific. I think Maremia is safe from getting charged with libel.

eazybee

The second man to be rescued is apparently a Colonel and a weapon systems officer, a highly complex job involving reading four radar screens at once.

Am so relieved they were able to rescue him😃what a brilliant job they did.

PamelaJ1

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The Americans did good! (apologies to the pedants!)

They sure did !
Thank God for that. The alternative didn't bear thinking about.

Is bombing civilians, and civilian structures a war crime?
For example, threatening to bomb desalination facilities?
Threatening 'no quarter'?
LOUISA?

"I didn't realise you were an expert on the Air Force, too, David49.

macho Really?
I think you've been watching Top Gun."

Obviously you do not know the mindset of pilots, I was a pilot for 40 yrs they are all pretty "gung-ho", you train, you obey orders, you are totally confident in your own ability and the ability of your team. You simply cannot continue unless you are.

As for Top Gun, dramatized but pretty close to the combat pilots mindset, training is high pressure too, Heavy Transport is much lower pressure, everything happens much more slowly

Aveline

Chief of staff of the military sacked too.

So it would seem, but perhaps he read the room and quit.

I wonder if the changes are well thought out or spiteful?

Grandmabatty

I'll believe it when the airman is seen in public. Trump could say it was raining and I'd check for myself.
Of course I hope it's true but won't take his word for it

I don't believe anything that comes from Trump. He lies as easily as others breathe

AGAA4

Aveline

To be honest unlike Trump. I'm not entirely sure I believe this. It's seems most unlikely. I certainly hope it's true but it could just be more wishful/boastful outpourings by that evil president.

It is difficult to believe a word Trump says. He lies consistently so this may not be the whole truth. The BBC did seem to be saying that it was a bit more complicated than what Trump has said.
I do hope though that the airman has been rescued.

That was, unfortunately, my gut feeling too. I do hope the airman is safe - but Trump is a liar.

David49

"I didn't realise you were an expert on the Air Force, too, David49.

macho Really?
I think you've been watching Top Gun."

Obviously you do not know the mindset of pilots, I was a pilot for 40 yrs they are all pretty "gung-ho", you train, you obey orders, you are totally confident in your own ability and the ability of your team. You simply cannot continue unless you are.

As for Top Gun, dramatized but pretty close to the combat pilots mindset, training is high pressure too, Heavy Transport is much lower pressure, everything happens much more slowly

Obviously you do not know the mindset of pilots
I am not a pilot but FIL was a pilot, a nephew is a pilot, DD's BF is a pilot. None seem gung ho to me.

Were you an RAF pilot for 40 years if you say you were part of a team and obeyed orders? That's pretty good going as they tend to retire fro flying in their forties!

Meanwhile in Australia the names of the 170,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza have been read aloud on the Parliament lawns.

17,000 names of children killed in Gaza were read out last July and the toll must have risen since.

David49

Allira

Aveline

I'm with paddyann54

So you think the pilots and crews should have mutinied?
Do they still have the death penalty for mutineers in the USA?

If a pilot does not want to fly he can stand down at any time and leave the airforce or do ground duties, there will be a queue of others to take his place.

Pilots are a breed on their own, you live on the edge, take the risks, try to beat the odds every day. You are one of the privileged few, to fly an aeroplane costing $10s or in some cases £100s of millions of dollars, you strive to be the best.
It's very macho, mostly men of course only a few women want to compete at that level, amongst the few the leader of our Red Arrows is a woman this year

A couple of points, if I may. "If a pilot does not want to fly he can stand down at any time and leave the airforce..." I don't think it would be quite as straightforward as that when one's unit is actively engaged in warfighting operations.
Also, the leader of the Red Arrows is not a woman this year. Wg Cdr Sasha Nash is the new "Officer Commanding", ie she is in overall charge of the unit, and will fly from time to time with the Team - but she is not 'Red 1', the Team Leader. That is Wg Cdr Jon Bond.

David49

"I didn't realise you were an expert on the Air Force, too, David49.

macho Really?
I think you've been watching Top Gun."

Obviously you do not know the mindset of pilots, I was a pilot for 40 yrs they are all pretty "gung-ho", you train, you obey orders, you are totally confident in your own ability and the ability of your team. You simply cannot continue unless you are.

As for Top Gun, dramatized but pretty close to the combat pilots mindset, training is high pressure too, Heavy Transport is much lower pressure, everything happens much more slowly

I thought you were a farmer /business owner.

Dad and my husband's brothers were pilots. Dad survived the war and quit the military. BILs died in the war. None seemed as you describe.

We've RAF acquaintances, none appear 'gung-ho' - perhaps because they're typically over 50 years old and ready to quit?

Norah

David49

"I didn't realise you were an expert on the Air Force, too, David49.

macho Really?
I think you've been watching Top Gun."

Obviously you do not know the mindset of pilots, I was a pilot for 40 yrs they are all pretty "gung-ho", you train, you obey orders, you are totally confident in your own ability and the ability of your team. You simply cannot continue unless you are.

As for Top Gun, dramatized but pretty close to the combat pilots mindset, training is high pressure too, Heavy Transport is much lower pressure, everything happens much more slowly

I thought you were a farmer /business owner.

Dad and my husband's brothers were pilots. Dad survived the war and quit the military. BILs died in the war. None seemed as you describe.

We've RAF acquaintances, none appear 'gung-ho' - perhaps because they're typically over 50 years old and ready to quit?

Recreational pilot for many years, once you get to 50 you've learned that you can't compete with the young Turks their reactions are quicker and take more risks.
Risk is everywhere, weather, in the air, on the ground, the aircraft, other pilots, so you fly to your own limits and goals.

Thanks Bodach and Norah.

Yes, I wasn't sure either, if David49 was a farmer as he seems to know more about farming than those of us with farmers on the family, or a business owner. Of course, farms are businesses too.

Dealing competently with risk is one thing, being gungho about risk is dangerous.

Recreational pilot for many years, once you get to 50 you've learned that you can't compete with the young Turks
I was a pilot for 40 yrs
So you started flying when you were 10? 😲

I didn't drive a car until I was 18!!
And have not piloted a plane but have been in the air when DH did.

Allira

Thanks Bodach and Norah.

Yes, I wasn't sure either, if David49 was a farmer as he seems to know more about farming than those of us with farmers on the family, or a business owner. Of course, farms are businesses too.

Dealing competently with risk is one thing, being gungho about risk is dangerous.

Recreational pilot for many years, once you get to 50 you've learned that you can't compete with the young Turks
I was a pilot for 40 yrs
So you started flying when you were 10? 😲

I didn't drive a car until I was 18!!
And have not piloted a plane but have been in the air when DH did.

LOL you cant get a license until you are 14., I was the grand old age of 30, the magic lasted 40 yrs, I didnt actually break anything - the others would say I wasn't trying hard enough.!

Gung ho about risk, you mean like parachuting, mountain climbing, motor cycling, horse riding, skiing lots to go wrong, however experienced you are.

Surely a good pilot is one who doesn't take risks? I certainly wouldn't want to fly with a "young Turk", being a pilot requires many skills but having a rebellious personality is not one I would recognise as desirable in a pilot, be they recreational, military or commercial.

Oh Elrel, thanks for the information. Not forgotten.

foxie48

Surely a good pilot is one who doesn't take risks? I certainly wouldn't want to fly with a "young Turk", being a pilot requires many skills but having a rebellious personality is not one I would recognise as desirable in a pilot, be they recreational, military or commercial.

Absolutely, foxie48.

Whether the term Young Turk is acceptable is a moot point.

No sign of the 'rescued' airman? Is this going the same way as the 'assassination ' attempt? Reports I have seen, say that both men were killed and this is an attempt to divert from the truth that Trumps war is going badly. I hasten to add this is hearsay, but nothing surprises me about this man.

Surely even Trump would not talk about dead airmen as if they are alive!

Allira

foxie48

Surely a good pilot is one who doesn't take risks? I certainly wouldn't want to fly with a "young Turk", being a pilot requires many skills but having a rebellious personality is not one I would recognise as desirable in a pilot, be they recreational, military or commercial.

Absolutely, foxie48.

Whether the term Young Turk is acceptable is a moot point.

There is not a "no risk" option. every time you cross the road, drive a car, get out of bed if you like, there is a risk of you getting hurt. All you can do is try to reduce the risk.
The decision is how much risk you are willing to accept and how much risk of harming others you are taking. Harming yourself is fine, thats your decision, it's the risk to others

If a private pilot has a crash he is highly unlikely to harm others, a car crash very often hurts others, we should all think about that when we get in a car.

Grandmabatty

No sign of the 'rescued' airman? Is this going the same way as the 'assassination ' attempt? Reports I have seen, say that both men were killed and this is an attempt to divert from the truth that Trumps war is going badly. I hasten to add this is hearsay, but nothing surprises me about this man.

I agree, it’s more like Trump to be parading these men, injured or not.