A familiar pic that is the featured pic for wikipedia today.

Lieutenant Walter L. Chewning, Jr., USNR, the Catapult Officer, is climbing up the plane's side to assist the pilot from the burning aircraft. The pilot, Ensign Byron M. Johnson, escaped without significant injury.

My question for you, how big are Lt Chewing's kahunas? He must have quite a set.

In all sincerity, if the time ever presents itself, I hope that I am able to show at least half the bravery of either of these men.




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Best Regards,
JW

My question is how many AA gunners wet their pants !

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Work Harder ! Millions on welfare are depending on you.

Balls of steel Jeff! He is stepping on the fuel-filled drop tank to get to the pilot!

This photo is exactly why I'm into history, events like this are almost commonplace in a global war, and are much rarer in today's "safer" world.

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Phear der PanzerPenguin!
HellFish love teh

Men like that, win the war in my books.

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Time is only enemy you'll never get rid of.

and this guy too

USS Franklin Father O'Callahan and YN3/c Robert Blanchard

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"Danger Will Robinson!"

Father O'Callahan was one of two men to earn the Medal of Honor that day, the other being Lt. j.g. Donald Gary.

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Best Regards,
JW

I have a video about USS Enterprise (on which Lt Chewning's action occurred), and it includes movie footage of that event - the F6F crash lands near the edge of the deck, slips into the gun gallery, and catches fire . . . and then the Lt sprints across the deck and up onto the wing. Watching unfold what he must've seen from the deck before leaping up to save the pilot makes one appreciate the incredible bravery Lt Chewning displayed that day.

Certainly a visible definition of courage.

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-Patrick