So There I Was – Details, episodes & analysis

We’re thrilled to have Beef join us to share his incredible journey. From his formative days at Annapolis, where his roommate ‘Swede’ (featured in episode 115) introduced him to his sister, to his passion for motocross racing, and his impressive flying career with the S-3 and the Hornet. We’ll also dive into his experience as the Commanding Officer of the Blue Angels. This motivational speaker has some fantastic stories to tell. Enjoy!

This week features guest S.A.M., a Marine F-18 pilot with an impressive and unconventional career. ‘Sam’ shares stories from his time in the Marine Corps, including his journey from having a ground contract to aviator; the unexpected challenges of military aviation; and a memorable deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He discusses the intricacies of flying combat missions, the challenges of carrier operations, and his eventual transition from an NFO to a pilot. The episode is filled with humor, insightful anecdotes, and a look at the unique culture within Marine aviation. Sam’s story highlights his resilience and adaptability throughout his military career.

Cory Crowell, a former curator at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, joins us to share some of the many encounters he had with legends of history and aviation. From General Jimmy Doolittle to Neil Armstrong and even our friend from Episode 54, Brian Shul, Cory delivers the human side of these legendary aviators and his encounters with them during his 20 years at the museum.

Join us to hear these amazing and heart-warming tales of people who made history as Cory makes some of their history more personal and real.

Lawman sat with us for more than 5 hours to discuss his unique career before becoming a Blue Angel; and how he got to fly almost every plane in the Marine Corps inventory in Afghanistan. We will break this into about five shows and likely intersperse other shows in between.

Lawman is a natural storyteller; he had us howling with laughter and choking up in despair. You’ll hear how his upbringing set him up for success in Officer Candidates’ School. And you’ll learn that growing up in the 60s, the son of a special forces father, was not for the faint-hearted. In upcoming episodes, we will dedicate shows to two Marines with whom Lawman served. And who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

In this episode, hear about Lawman’s early career and how he almost got a much less desirable callsign. Hold your sides as he describes the unauthorized appropriation of a Navy staff car in Spain and how he held his breath waiting for the “shoe to drop” in the wake of their antics.

You’ll also hear how an innocent (and hilarious) practical joke almost cost him his Marine Corps career. Unfortunately, the only person who didn’t find it funny was the one who controlled his fitness report!

This show is the first of many with Lawman. You WON’T be disappointed!

Please also check out our sponsors’ page and get some ideas for custom, thoughtful Christmas, or other holiday gifts. Thank you to Dave Hamilton over at the MacGeekGab for his support and counsel on getting this show to you! Finally, this week you’ll note we’re using music from “Dos Gringos”; two Air Force Viper drivers who have written some fun and fantastic music which is definitely NOT safe for work! We hope to have the Dos Gringos, “Trip” and “Snooze,” on with us in an upcoming show soon!

Double-L of the “Hollywood Guard” regales us with stories from Marine bootcamp to doing really dangerous things like fighting fires with an airplane… “More dangerous than combat.” When you are flying and you feel the heat of the fire it causes you to reconsider the intelligence of your life-choices.

Getting to Bagram Air Base, Double-L soon learned he was on the bottom of the Commanding General’s shit-list without even trying…. So he did something that was sure to impress him.

Oh – and when you’re under attack – it’s a bad idea to call home and tell that to mama.

Finally, hear how this week’s photo went from inception to reality!

We are joined by Author, Viper & Phantom Driver, and exceptional story-teller, “Jedi” this week. Jedi tells of the adventures of flying the Phantom and the Viper in the Air National Guard.

What’s amazing this week is how a chance meeting in a Navy O-Club bar comes full circle almost 40 years later. And Jedi then relates another incident where he was accused of ‘buzzing’ a beach, that comes full circle when, by chance, he learns who really did it decades later!

Jedi is an author of a hilarious and poignant substack and the books Flying Between Heaven and Hell: Weathering Storms available on Amazon and a new book, The Angel of Christmas, due out the first week of November 2022.

We learn there’s more to life than flying, driving fast cars, drinking, and chasing women… Don’t miss this week’s show!

This week we are joined by “Curly” of the VMA-231 Ace of Spades squadron. Curly closes the loop on some of the fun discussed in episode 15 – “Sir, Don’t Eat the Donuts” and other escapades of the LRF.

Curly also tells us about some of his 38 combat missions in Gulf War I and how he survived in spite of himself. He sheds light on the adrenalin flow and narrow focus experienced in early combat missions no matter how well-trained one may be. Then there are several other stories of hijinks, fun, and near tragedy relayed by this skilled raconteur.

This is our first sponsored show. If you need an idea for that perfect custom and thoughtful gift, reach out to Robin at RobinsBirdBrainDesigns.com Robin will make your gift-giving efforts this year appear thoughtful and unique!

Be sure to subscribe to this who in your favorite Podcatcher – use Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Spotify, Amazon Music etc!

Another first for the show! This week “Father” joins Fig and Repete in the first Air Force pilot interview on So There I Was. Father flew the F-15 Eagle acquiring 3800+ hours and was the Squadron Commander in St. Louis, MO when he finished his career.

Father had the misfortune of being the witness to an accident so mystifying at the time the Air Force Grounded the entire fleet of Eagles world-wide. The good news is that Father’s wingman survived and went on to fly for a major US airline. Fortunately Father’s description of what happened helped expedite investigators’ ability to piece together what really happened.

You can see a video re-creation of the mishap here on Military.com Even the recreation doesn’t do justice to how improbable and wild this mishap was.

This is our longest show yet, but we think you’ll be entertained throughout. We were!

This show is a little different than our others in that it isn’t directly about aviation. But, it IS about a right of passage most Naval Aviators had to go through before being commissioned as officers and starting flight school

We are joined by Marine Corps 1st Sgt Retired – “Gunny-Go” – A shortened version of his name. Many a Marine and Navy pilot in the 1980s were taught and guided by “Gunny-Go” and some still likely hear his voice in their nightmares today. If you recognize him and want to reach out to him he would love to hear from you.

Gunny-Go spent eight years on the drill field. He is a wealth of experience and has been a positive influence on thousands of Marines and Sailors. Thank you for your service, “Gunny-Go.”

Semper Fi. Do or Die!

This is the second half of our time with “Nasty;” the former Commanding Officer of VF-31, The USS Sacramento, The USS Nimitz and a Strike Group aboard the USS Eisenhower.

He tells of the time he ejected from an F-14 over the shark-infested waters of the Pacific. He describes why “Nuke-School” is hard – and the benefits thereof. And he tells us what the “Best Job in the Galaxy, HANDS-DOWN” is! Finally he tells of a different era of Naval Aviation when things were a little looser than they are today.

The leadership that Nasty exudes comes from all his experience which helped him grow into the type of leader people want to work for. We hope you enjoy hearing this show as much as we enjoyed making it.

The opening and closing sound bites are from the audiobook Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales where he describes the carrier takeoff and landing brief to pilots on their first night carrier evolution. This is a fantastic read.