When I think of special pilots, one who comes to mind is Hugh Thompson, not for his extraordinary flying ability or military record or airshow career. but for his courage to do the right thing. There is a famous Rudyard Kipling poem and it says, "if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you" then you"ll be a man. This week is the 50th anniversary of the killings of civilians at My Lai, also known as Song Mi. Thompson was flying over and when he saw what was going on he landed in front of U S troops to stop them. It took a lot of courage to stand up for what is right when you are only one person or one of a few. It was not a popular position at the time. He put himself and his door gunner on the line physically, but even more with their careers.
He was not the only hero there, I can well recall a tv interview with an African American sgt from the south, and when the reporter asked him why he didn'tt fire, he simply said that was not the way his Mother raised him, that he knew better. It was a simple black and white fact, no pun intend. I wish I knew his name. There was also a copter pilot named I think Ronald Ridenhouer? who would not let the report be buried and who testified a year later in public.
I would have liked to meet these men, I know the Hugh Thompson passed away since the war as did Ridenhouer. I'd like to think I would have done the same thing, but one never knows until you are in that place.