Who is the guy? (Full Version)

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GaryChildress -> Who is the guy? (10/19/2013 10:10:39 PM)

Just saw a bit of the military history channel about a guy who fought and flew in the RAF with two wooden legs. Said he came back a hero or something. Then showed an interview where the guys says the Battle of Britain was won by EVEYRONE in Britain. The people in the air and the people on the ground who endured for their country. I've never heard of this hero but he is a hero. Anyone who gets in a plane and flies into the face of danger is a hero. But you know there are heroes who fly in the face of danger and just do their part. They fly as wingmen to Joe Foss or whatever. But Joe Foss did good. He starred down an attacking group of bombers. He kept his cool. AND you know those Jap pilots did their part. They didn't attack. There was a whole sky full of heroes that day.

And was all because of a war. If there's one lesson to take away from this. It was a whole sky full of heroes that day. No one was harmed.



Darkspire -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/19/2013 10:20:15 PM)

Douglas Bader? I am not too sure but I think I met him when I was small at Duxford, my grandfather was an aero electrical engineer during the war. IIRC he also escaped from a POW camp with no legs as well. There is a film about him as well, Reach For The Sky, just had a look and it also mentions he got sent to Colditz for escaping so much. He passed away in 82 so it was him I met, I have a Duxford airshow program with his autograph on somewhere in the loft.

Darkspire



GaryChildress -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/19/2013 10:39:12 PM)

Wow! You met a hero I think. I was in tears thinking of what he said. That the whole country were heroes in the Battle of Britain. Let us hope those days are past. You know something? Bertrand Russell wasn't very fair to Wittgenstein I don't think. Skipping to the topic of philosophy. Maybe that caused Wittgenstein's remark about "philosophy being dead". I hate to say it about a great man but philosophy is not "dead". Unless you don't study it. If no one studies it then, yes it will die but you know philosophy is a good thing to study. My suggestion is to go out and find good philosophy books. They're difficult to find. I think Martha Nussbaum is a good writer. And a good philosopher. I wish I could think of the name of the book I read most of. It's a book of essays on "nationalism" or something. Very fascinating. She mentions a book on the Cynics. I have the book but don't feel like going to the book shelf to find the name of it. I read about 1/3 of the essays in it. Read about the Cynics in antiquity but didn't finish to the later epochs of "Cynicism". Fascinating book. Don't dismiss the Cynics! The book I have is "ace" as I think they say in Britain.



sullafelix -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/19/2013 10:42:31 PM)

Yes, it was Bader.

As I recall the British flew some legs into Germany when he was captured.




bunkerhill -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/19/2013 10:47:04 PM)

Like Darkspire, I'm fairly certain you must be describing Douglas Bader. He lost his legs in a flying accident whilst a member of my old RAF unit when I was an exchange officer: 23 Sqn. He did not fly in 23 afterwards, but rehabilitated and convinced the RAF to let him return to fly in time for WWII.
-Bunker



GaryChildress -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/19/2013 11:14:26 PM)

Wow! Sulla05 that is an amazing story if true. Think of all the heroism in the 2nd World War. And then think all the tragedies. Remember this. War is not "fun". War is not a "game". Wargames are not wars themselves but they are games and they are difficult to ween oneself from. I was enthralled by UV and the original War in the Pacific. OK. Maybe AE is more true to life than the original WitP but it really is difficult to play as Japanese. I think I've gotten myself away from X:COM also. Games, games, games.... I need to stop playing them so much. I've bought quite a few Matrix Titles I haven't played. Wish I could get into wargames anymore. And yet I don't wish it so much. I know philosophy is important.

Gosh and the Internet. Now I know how all my brothers in China feel. Please note I'm Caucasian. I say "brothers" because I like the concept. I was once at a Neville Brothers concert where one of the Nevilles said, "You are all Neville brothers"! WOW! Amazing! I think it was at Wolf Trap in Reston (IIRC).

BTW. I know of a really good online school that teaches philosophy online for those of you who want to take up the subject. It's a bit rigorous but very well done. University of Illinois Springfield I think is the school. Even I could not finish the class regimen. I mean they go through some stuff with a fine tooth comb. I took a couple ethics classes but they weren't really "metaethics" which is more of my interest. You have to apply and they can either accept you or turn you down. It isn't guaranteed you'll get in. Not sure what their criteria is. I wrote an essay based on some ideas I have left over from Attending George Mason University in the late 1980s. And they seemed to like it enough to admit me. But at that point I couldn't make up my mind what was more important. Work, games or philosophy. Roxanne Kurtz, amazing ethics professor. She will drive you hard but it's worth it. I think. Again if you don't have time to take philosophy in a classroom, sometimes online schools can fill the gap a little. But online is not easy. You have to shut out a lot of distractions at home. At least I did. Boria Sax has an interesting class on animals and human civilization. Petr Boltuc teaches a good class on Philosophy and human dignity I think was the name of it. I don't have the course catalog handy.

Anyway, nice story Sulla05. That was "ace" too. [:)]



wodin -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/19/2013 11:19:15 PM)

He was showing off apparently when he crashed...I've also heard wasn't the nicest of blokes..big ego and arrogant.



Aurelian -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/19/2013 11:39:44 PM)

There was another legless pilot, Colin "Hoppy" Hodgkinsen.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/stories/colin-hoppy-hodgkinson-2-kills-metal-legs-591.html

(Bader's legs were metal as well btw. )



GaryChildress -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/20/2013 1:30:50 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: wodin

He was showing off apparently when he crashed...I've also heard wasn't the nicest of blokes..big ego and arrogant.


Eh. Maybe you're right. We'll give him a thumbs down on behalf of Wodin!



wodin -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/20/2013 2:12:40 AM)

hehehe...

Can't remember where I heard this though. Also remember that he wasn't really liked by his fellow pilots. Was a long time ago I heard all this and could be wrong on some points..just something I vaguely remember from years ago.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gary Childress


quote:

ORIGINAL: wodin

He was showing off apparently when he crashed...I've also heard wasn't the nicest of blokes..big ego and arrogant.


Eh. Maybe you're right. We'll give him a thumbs down on behalf of Wodin!



E -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/20/2013 4:56:55 AM)

If you'd like the readers digest version of Douglas Bader's life, see the movie "Reach for the Sky" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049665/reference).





danlongman -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/20/2013 5:21:50 AM)

I think "Reach For The Sky" was pretty much required reading for Canadian schoolboys in the '60's.
They called him "Tin Legs" and apparently he was an irascible character. I have only seen him on TV.
His artificial legs were wrecked when he was shot down (another sacrifice to "rhubarb raids") and
a spare pair of legs were dropped by the RAF on the airfield that was home to the local Luftwaffe people
at that time. He was considerably older than many of his fellows and had already been maimed in the line
of duty. I think that may have coloured their perceptions of him.



Southernland -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/28/2013 3:40:40 AM)

Bader was known, at times, to be head-strong, blunt, and unsophisticated when he made his opinion known. During one visit to Munich, Germany, as a guest of Adolf Galland, he walked into a room full of ex-Luftwaffe pilots and said, "My God, I had no idea we left so many of you bastards alive"



Anthropoid -> RE: Who is the guy? (10/29/2013 6:56:11 PM)

Reminds me of that legless mountain climber who summited Everest and was among the other climbers who just basically ignored this guy who was up there dying.



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