Black Label Six

The loss of an F-15E is major news because it’s so rare. After ~5 weeks and ~13,000 sorties, this is the first manned U.S. combat aircraft lost to enemy fire over Iran. For context: the U.S. lost 28 fixed-wing aircraft to Iraqi air defenses during Desert Storm.

🙏🇺🇸🙏 Jack Mathis was a bombardier on a B 17 over Germany in March 1943, part of a mission flying straight into heavy anti aircraft fire where survival was never guaranteed. The aircraft shook under flak bursts, metal tearing, explosions surrounding them, and every man on board knew the odds were against them long before reaching the target. His role was critical, because timing the bomb release meant the difference between mission success and failure. Then the shell hit. A 20 millimeter round tore into his chest, a wound that should have dropped him instantly, but he did not fall, did not step away, did not let go of his position. Standing at the bombsight, already dying, he held himself steady and kept control of the release, waiting for the exact moment to hit the target with precision. He did not leave his post. He held the switch until the aircraft reached the correct point, released the bombs perfectly, and only then did his body give out. When the crew reached him, he was still at his position, the mission completed exactly as required, the target hit because he refused to let go in his final seconds. Jack Mathis was 26 years old, awarded the Medal of Honor after his death, remembered for finishing the job even as his life ended 🙏🇺🇸🙏