When my brother and I built the first man-carrying flying machine we thought that we were introducing into the world an invention which would make further wars practically impossible.

? Orville Wright, 1917.

War is a nasty, dirty, rotten business. It's all right for the Navy to blockade a city, to starve the inhabitants to death. But there is something wrong, not nice, about bombing that city.

? Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris.

Hitler built a fortress around Europe, but he forgot to put a roof on it.

? Franklin D. Roosevelt

ou can shoot down every MiG the Soviets employ, but if you return to base and the lead Soviet tank commander is eating breakfast in your snack bar, Jack, you've lost the war

? Anonymous A-10 Pilot, USAF

The best way to defend the bombers is to catch the enemy before it his in position to attack. Catch them when they are taking off, or when they are climbing, or when they are forming up. Don't think you can defend the bomber by circling around him. It's good for the bombers morale, and bad for tactics.

? Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

The first time I ever saw a jet, I shot it down.

? General Chuck Yeager, USAF, describing his first confrontation with a Me262.

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

? Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

We were stripped down, even the turrets were removed. You were light and real fast, though. Our 12th squadron motto was 'Alone Unarmed Unafraid.' As you can imagine, this actually translated into something more like, 'Alone Unarmed and Scared s**tless.'

? Theodore R. 'Dick' Newell, Korean War pilot, 12th TAC Reconnaissance Squadron, on flying the reconnaissance version of the B-26.

When I took over my wing [in Vietnam], the big talk wasn't about the MIG's, but about the SAM's ... I'd seen enemy planes before, but those damn SAM's were something else. When I saw my first one, there were a few seconds of sheer panic, because that's a most impressive sight to see that thing coming at you. You feel like a fish about to be harpooned. There's something terribly personal about the SAM; it means to kill you and I'll tell you right now, it rearranges your priorities ... We had been told to keep our eyes on them and not to take any evasive move too soon, because they were heat-seeking and they, too would correct, so I waited until it was almost on me and then I rolled to the right and it went on by. It was awe inspiring ... The truth is you never do get used to the SAM's; I had about two hundred fifty shot at me and the last one was as inspiring as the first. Sure I got cagey, and I was able to wait longer and longer, but I never got overconfident. I mean, if you're one or two seconds too slow, you've had the schnitzel.

? General Robin Olds, USAF.

It was no picnic despite what anyone might say later . . . . Most of us were pretty scared all the bloody time; you only felt happy when the battle was over and you were on your way home, then you were safe for a bit, anyway.

? Colin Gray, 54 Squadron RAF, W.W.II.

/Me fixes.

Here's a good one:

"I like you too." -my girlfriend.

"of course ill marry you.....can i have a set of keys to the firebird??" ---my wife...

"but dad, it wasnt me", followed a close second by "but, but, but...." and, "idont know"... " SRC="images/smiles/icon_lol.gif"> ---my youngest daughter

Doc B...