Just thinking....

I watched the Ken Burns' documentary "The War" recently and I was thinking about the differences and commonalities that with our soldier then and now. For some reason, I focused on the differences in technology. I looked back at the Revolutionary War and how they fought and what they fought with... then the Civil War--men lined up walking INTO oncoming musket and cannon fire, then World War I and World War II. Finally, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars...

All philosophical discussion aside, I think the most effective or should I say devastating advancement has been arial warfare. The technology in airial warfare has been exponential and mind-boggling. From the single-engine biplanes made of wood and canvas to the multi-billion dollar titanium alloy jets that require computers to interpret what the pilot wants to do has encompassed a time frame of less than 100 years. Men stood in lines and took shots at each other on this continent from at least 1700's-1880's. World War I still had some of that mentality as you look at the trenches... one line against another.

Enter the airplane.








Flying these planes today would be considered a daring feat, if not a crazy one. The men that flew these invented air to air combat as it never existed before them. There were no parachutes, no pressurized cabins, no protection from the elements--landing strips were pot hole strewn dirt and gravel lanes.


Then the second World War came around. If you think about it, in regards to technology the planes from WW2 were eons of years beyond the WW1 planes. These planes are my favorites. They are mean looking and powerful... and could still do incredible damage today...