re Scott O'Grady.
The man was shot down while in the service of his country--shot down by people who wanted to kill him. He has repeatedly stated that the only reason he is here today is due to the grunts of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and that the men of the MFR team that went in and got him are the true heroes of that incident. So he deserves a bit more than being thrown under a bus. The reason he does public events isn't to get kudos, it's to explain what modern pilots do, and go through, as opposed to what guys 60 years ago did. The reason he is still a public figure is because he is fairly personable, the public knows his name, and he can put a sentence together without sounding stupid. When events or news organizations need someone to talk about modern airpower, why wouldn't they call him to speak?
By the way: I'm sure it'd be a real thrill to have Yeager snarl at me as I asked him to sign his book, but he's a REAL example of someone who took his heroic past and flogged it unmercifully. And all the while acting like his has a Bronx fire plug shoved up his ass. Hardly someone I would allow to be my friend, much less someone to idolize.
I'm sure this will start the threads second firestorm, but I can't believe I just read someone claiming an American hero, great or small, should be thrown under a bus.

It sickened you? Man, you need to get your freaking sense of perspective checked.
