From: S.J. Van Sickle (sjvan@alpha2.csd.uwm.edu)
Date: Fri Apr 11 1997 - 10:51:24 MDT
> Why would the Air Force do such a thing? Consider the embarrassment! The
> nation would be outraged, and the Air Force en masse would be grounded
> pending hearings and investigations. Also the potential "cover-up" would
> only involve a small group of pilots, controllers, and officers.
Piffle...
When I was in the Army, a guy went nuts and took off with an armed
M-1 Abrams tank. He headed straight for the East German border. A
platoon of M-1s were scrambled to intercept him, with orders to shoot
if he got within 50 meters of the border. The MP's arrested him when he
stopped at a gas station for cigarettes.
Not for a moment did anyone give a second thought to lighting him
up, nor was there even the slightest hint that a cover up would be needed.
Shooting to prevent the commision of a major felony was well within
our rules of engagement. The only difference is that an A-10 could
do a *lot* more damage.
sjv
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