Around 10-12 years ago I was in San Antonio, TX for a visit. Part of my plan was to play golf at Randolph Field with my good friend, Mikey. At the time, Mikey was flying for an “Air Life” outfit in San Antonio. As it turned out, it was a beautiful morning when we teed off, and there was just the two of us.
When we completed the 1st hole, Mikey began telling me a story. It subsequently took 4 or 5 holes to complete, but rest assured, I won’t string it out that long for you! His story began in the early ’70’s when he was an Instructor Pilot on helicopters in Utah.
This one weekend Mikey spent skiing with his girlfriend at the time. He dropped her off at her house on Sunday afternoon and went home.
Early Monday morning when he reported to work Mikey was met by his squadron commander; informing him that the Inspector General (IG) team had arrived overnight for a unit inspection and that the IG himself, General Chuck Yeager had requested to fly with him, by name. He then went on to tell Mikey to report to his house so his wife could give him a haircut. Mikey complied, and then went back to the squadron – with his new haircut.
Upon reporting to the squadron, Mikey met General Yeager, then they went out to fly. I asked Mikey what flying with him was like and he said that the general more or less, did most of the flying, hardly saying anything. The check ride was uneventful, and Mikey thought nothing more of it…
Sometime mid-week Mikey called his girlfriend and asked her if she would like to meet him for Happy Hour. She agreed, then told him she wanted to hear about his check ride with General Yeager. How the hell did she know?
When she eventually met Mikey she told him that when she went into the house after being dropped off that past Sunday, “Uncle Chuck” and her dad were sitting in the living room, drunk as skunks! The General asked her where she had been and when she told him, he replied something to the effect of, “What’s he fly like?”
When she replied that she had no idea, he said, “Well hell, I’ll go fly with the sob…” or something like that.
Mikey felt he had been “set up.”
Now as we passed Hole #3, Mikey continued.
A couple-3 weeks earlier Mikey received a call from a classmate from the Academy. The guy was “connected” to Wilford Hall, the major USAF hospital in San Antonio. He went on to tell Mikey that they had the General in the hospital.
Seems the General, now in his late 70s, was up on a ladder, trimming some trees for his girlfriend – with a chain saw! When he cut this one branch, the tree shifted tossing him off the ladder. He jettisoned the chain saw and fell to the ground, blowing out a lung. So he wound up at Wilford Hall.
And wouldn’t ya know it, Mikey soon had a mission that took him to Wilford. After they off-loaded their patient, Mikey headed up to the ward where General Yeager was. It was around 1 or 2 in the morning. When he found the nurses’ station for that ward, he encountered a cute little nurse.
Mikey introduced himself, then explained how he had flown with General Yeager in the Air Force. He went on to explain how he would like to just pop in and say “hi.” He then told her that if the General was sleeping, he wouldn’t bother him. She thought for a moment, then gave him permission to look in on the General.
Well, the General was sleeping, so Mikey headed back to the nurses’ station. He told the cute little nurse that the General was sleeping, and asked her if she had anything he could write a note for him with. She in turn, gave him a piece of paper from her tablet. So Mikey cranks out this note:
“General Yeager,
I stopped in earlier to administer your meds, and you were sleeping so peacefully – with the most magnificent ‘boner’ I have ever seen on a man – that I couldn’t bring myself to disturb you. Please ring your call button when your wake up.” And he signed the cute little nurse’s name to it!
“It took me 28 years Bobby, but I got that sob!” Mikey exclaimed as we completed #6!
And now you know why Mikey is one of my closest friends!