MKopack

In 1947 the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association decided not to send a team to the 1948 Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, over a disagreement over amateur qualification rules. A group of members and former members of the Royal Canadian Air Force didn't think that was right. The Ottawa RCAF Flyers were selected from Air Force stations across Canada and coached by Ottawa Senators legend Buck Boucher and his son, RCAF Sergeant Frank Boucher. At St. Moritz, they beat Italy 21-1, Poland 15-0, Austria 12-0, the United States 12-3, Great Britain 3-0 and Sweden 3-1, with a scoreless tie ag

St. Baldrick's is coming! Hey everybody - I'm getting bald this spring for kids with cancer. Let's face it, when you look like me, bald isn't a really big step down, but for the kids it really can be. You heard it right - I'm shaving my head in solidarity with children who have cancer and typically lose their hair during treatment. Mike's St. Baldrick's Online Donation Page: http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mkopack Join me at the Hibernian Pub in Raleigh, NC on the 5th of March or at any of the other Nationwide sites - either on the barber's chair as a "shavee", or at le

Many thanks to Attila Papp for writing up my Desert Storm interview on his blog at: Hot Ramp Photography - Op Desert Storm – An American’s Experience It took some fancy writing on his part to make me sound interesting... Hope you enjoy it, and leave a comment if you do. Mike

Can remember being awoken one night in Doha during the war - it was one of the guys from Transit Alert. They said that an aircraft had called in for permission to land, using the right authorization - but no one knew what it was. They were told that if no one could identify it before it arrived they were going to have to block all the taxiways to secure our ramp from a potentially hostile incursion. "Mike, no one knows what it is, so they told me to ask you. What's an HU-25?" I was still 3/4 asleep, so I started thinking, HU, hmm...utility, helicopter? Wait, no, it's rescue, utility, and it

If you've got the pierogis, you know I'll be there... Mike

How can anyone look at a MiG-29 and not have a smile come to their face? I'd vote for this one... Mike

Whenever I need some inspiration, all it takes is a look at a photo like this... always brings a smile to my face. Camera Operator: SSGT. JOSE OTERO Date Shot: 2 Mar 1991 ID: DA-ST-92-08090 "The only good MiG is a DEAD Mig!!!" Mike

Just a quick serial number correction. Jon was flying 87-0224 that day. Mike oops, saw that mistake but forgot to fix it, thanks for the heads up -Benner

Twenty years ago today, the 21st, it happened again. Just as we readied to head out to EOR for the Decon check on the returning aircraft, we heard from Ops that we'd lost another one - this time it was Lucky Devils Ops Officer, Jon Ball in F-16C, 87-0224. That same "kicked in the gut" feeling was back from two days ago. This time, we found out, WAS different though. Jon was attacking a target on the Kuwaiti coast and had just dropped a 2,000 pound Mk.84 bomb when the FMU-139 fuse failed. Not far off the wing, the bomb exploded, shrapnel and the shock wave tearing through he aircraft. He was a

Twenty years ago today, I stood out next to the runway in Doha, Qatar - as the last of our pilots and F-16's returned from a daylight strike over Baghdad - still staring off to the northwest, but knowing that Tico and Cujo weren't coming home that night. Damn. We'll all known that we might take losses, but it didn't make it any easier. I didn't know what I "should" feel, but I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut. It was a bad night. ------------------ Tico taken a proximity hit that just shattered the bird, but it still took him a good portion of the way to the border. He had a good ejecti

Twenty years ago today, I stood out next to the runway in Doha, Qatar - as the last of our pilots and F-16's returned from a daylight strike over Baghdad - still staring off to the northwest, but knowing that Tico and Cujo weren't coming home that night. Damn. Mike

Damn, and I missed my chance at fame and fortune... Great writeups everyone. I never knew about the Bahraini F-5's flying missions. Long way in a little non-air refuelable aircraft.

Twenty years ago this morning, I woke up in the tent in Doha, Qatar at 4AM to sirens. It took but a second to realize what was going on as someone snapped on the lights. My hand almost automatically reached down under the cot and pulled my gas mask out and on, and the same with my chemical exposure suit... Our "Base Ninja" who'd never been quite 'stable' at the best of times had lost it. he was running up and down int he tent yelling "we're all going to die" and "I don't know how to put on my my mask". A couple of the AGE guys tackled him and got him into as much of his gear as them could. Fr

I'm writing this message just at 11:30PM EST. Twenty years ago less than eight hours from now, seven B-52G's would launch in secrecy from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, on a thirty-five hour round trip mission that would change Desert Shield to Desert Storm. It is the combat mission that still holds the record for endurance and distance. Mike

Here's a little bit of video inspiration, courtesy of my squadron's assigned Combat Camera guys. All of the inflight footage was taken from the back seat of F-16D 86-0047, the only two-seat F-16 to fly combat missions during the war. Sit down, turn your speakers up, press play and hang on. Mike