August 17, 2021 • 16 mins
RUSH: I mentioned at the top of the program that there was a book that I wanted to tell you about. It’s actually a source of great pride that I tell you about this book. I want to go back to 2003, May the 3rd of 2003. I’ve told this story before. Some of you who have been longtime listeners have heard the story, but it is worth hearing it again.
It’s May of 2003. A couple of months earlier, we began the invasion of Iraq, one of the first acts in the War on Terror. This was the war that was to remove and eliminate Saddam Hussein. George W. Bush had spent a year and a half traveling the country explaining it, gearing up support for it. It was a major, major conflict in the War on Terror and our response to it.
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2017/11/06/a-new-book-by-a-great-american/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I mentioned at the top of the program that there
was a book that I wanted to tell you about,
and it is. Uh. It's actually what a source of
great pride that I tell you about this book. I
want to go back to two thousand three, May the
third of two thousand three. I want to tell you
I've told this story before. Some of you who have
(00:21):
been a long time listening, uh listeners have heard the story,
but it is worth hearing it again. It's May of
two thousand three. A couple of months earlier, we began
the invasion of a Rock, one of the first acts
(00:41):
in the War on Terror. This was the ward that
was to remove and eliminate Saddam Hussein. George W. Bush
had spent a year and a half traveling the country
explaining it, gearing up support for it. Uh. It was
a major, major conflict in the War on Terror in
our response to it, and it had become controversial of
(01:05):
course the Democrats. The unity after nine eleven two thousand
one lasted about two weeks and then that became politicized.
And on that day in May, early May two thousand
and three, I went home. Well, I got a note
before I got home. You have got to come straight home.
(01:28):
You won't believe what just arrived FedEx. I said, what
is it? Just tell me? Said no, you have to
see this. So I got home and I looked at
what I had received, and I was I was floored.
I was stunned. I've never seen anything like it. I
(01:50):
didn't know these things happened. I was moved, I was
blown away. I felt small, I did. I ran through
all kinds of emotions. I mean a lickety split fashion.
What it was was an American flag properly folded inside
(02:13):
a zip lock bag, and there were certificates stating that
flag had flown on the following aircraft, and each aircraft
had a well you would frame it. It's a it's
like an official notification of the date that the aircraft
(02:36):
flew that flag on a mission. There were five different
aircraft and a tanker, and all of the pilots of
the five different aircraft in the tanker had signed the
documents certifying that that flag had flown. They tanker pilot
(02:56):
was the originator, the mastermind of this, okay, and he
included a handwritten note on yellow legal paper explaining that
these five crew members had flown that flag in my
honor on the initial bombing runs, the first bombing runs
(03:23):
in the war against the Rock, the shock and awe portion,
and as their missions were completed, and as they were
all refueled by this tanker pilot, that flag was put
in the ziploc bag and the pilots all signed these
certifications and they were fed X to me, and they
(03:47):
did nothing more than that. I received this and was floored.
As I say, I went through a mixture of emotions,
including humility and smallness, and I'm asking myself, what have
I done? Because this was an honor. I mean, it
was clearly an honor. I didn't know things like this happened.
(04:07):
I um just not enough experience in actual military combat
circumstances to know that time was taken for this kind
of ceremonial or memorial type event. Well, we took that
flag and we unfolded it and it's now framed and
(04:31):
the certificates with all those signatures and the pictures of
each of the aircraft, and there's fighters, there's bombers and
the tanker and they are they surround the flag and
we went We had an actual golden eagle carved to
stand and it's about five ft tall once it's on
its pedestals, huge and we put this in a niche,
(04:56):
big niche in h in a room right outside my library,
so you can't miss this when you're walking into the library.
You can't. It's the common people who don't know about
this answer of what in the world is that? And
I get them regaled them with the story. I said, yeah,
these guys full that flag in my honor. On the
initial bombing run of I rock Well. A ringleader in
(05:17):
this operation was Autenant Colonel Marcus sar. He flew the tanker,
he flew k C one thirty five, which is the
military version of Boeing seven oh seven, and the k
C ten, which is the military version of the d
C ten. And he's the one who had written the
note on yellow legal paper explaining why they did it,
(05:37):
and it was it was filled with recognition and support
and thanks for the support I had given the military
over the years. As I said, I was just I
was blown away by it was an honor that that
I didn't even know existed, and I had no idea
it was coming. And even now when I stop and
(06:02):
think about the fact that it happened, it's it's one
of those events that happens in your life or in
your career that you never forget and that you're always
going to be overwhelmingly and supremely proud of. Well. Over
the years, Katherine and I have gotten to know Lieutenant
Colonel Hassara and his wife and his family, and we
(06:26):
see them now and then, and they're just folks. These
these people that you never meet there, just humble, and
they are the exact thing when I talk about people
who make the country work, These are the people I'm
talking about. They're out there volunteering every day. They sign
up two defend the country, to protect the constitution, to
(06:50):
carry out their orders. They're doing it because this is
how they've decided they want to serve their country. In
Hussari's k s, it's been his life, uh and most
of these other pilots, they never really leave it even
after their their service ends. But they never seek any fame.
(07:13):
They didn't send me this for fame. They didn't send
this for notoriety or notification or anything else. They just
sent it as distinct honor. I can't tell you. I mean,
sitting here, I'm looking at this package and we're going
through the process of getting this all framed, and and
I'm thinking, here, these guys have their orders, they're part
(07:34):
of the initial bombing run, and before they leave, somebody
organizes this tribute to me by having this flag fly
in every one of these aircraft. Aircraft. They didn't all
fly on one day, of course, because the aircraft had
to be freeled that the land and the flag gets
transferred to the next aircraft, So it takes as many,
(07:56):
maybe as many as two days. But the dates that
the flag flew on each craft are specified. I later
came to learn that it's it's something that's done with
some regularity, so it was not unique, but that didn't matter.
It's still just just to be thought of, to be
considered I thought about during a time like this. Just
(08:20):
to this day, it still humbles me. It's the best
word I can come up with to describe it. Well.
As I said, it's seventeen years ago, well, fourteen years ago,
fourteen years ago actually fourteen and a half years ago now,
and a lot has happened since then. Lieutenant Colonel Hassara
(08:40):
still has his hands in in terms of staying current
with the strategy UH and he consults uh, tanker operations
to this day. And he decided he wanted to write
a book about all this, and he asked me if
I thought that it would sell, and I that I do.
(09:02):
I don't know of too many books on the refueling
process for military combat aircraft. And he I loved his
original title. I knew it would never pass. I knew
would never fly. But the original title this book was
passing gas and I thought, that's that's dynamite. That's awesome.
(09:24):
But everybody they dialed it back and the title of
the book is now Tanker Pilot Lessons from the Cockpit
and it's by Marcus Sara. And I'm gonna hold it
up here. Let me hold it up with the side camera,
because that'll be a better Oh you you put it
in a switcher, Go ahead and put it up. It
goes on sale tomorrow, and it's uh there it is
(09:45):
for those of you watching on the ditto cam, and
it is. It's got pictures. You will not believe some
of the pictures taken. You will not believe the danger
and the precision that goes in to refueling aircraft. Let
me give you one example. Let's say a B two
stealth bomber is assigned a bombing mission to Libyan. It'll
(10:10):
take off at an air Force base, likely in Kansas
or Texas, and it will fly non stop to the target,
drop its ordinance, and fly NonStop back thirty hours. It
will be refueled ten to twelve times thirty hours non
(10:34):
stop stealth be too bomber. That does one example, But
the the aspects involved of refueling, the danger and the
precision and the necessity of accuracy, and flight path and
meeting up with the with the tankers. Uh So, it's
(10:55):
just it's it's fascinating. It's an aspect of of air
force operation that people just forgetted. You've seen it depicted
in movies. The boom lowers from the tanker and it
gets to the nozzle on the genit's refueling and refuels
and everybody's separation flies up. What about the turbulence? What
(11:16):
happens that the boom comes dislodged and jet fuel sprays
all over the cockpit of an airplane. It's outside, But
what happens with these are all the risks. Plus these
tankers are flying around with tanks and tanks of jet
fuel in the fuselage. That's all they are. They're just
(11:37):
they're just flying tanks of jet fuel. And the precision
and the coordination necessary to make this all happen, and
the real life stories of people involved in this, and
the the military combat details and operations. It's been vetted
with the Department of Defense. There were some things the
Department of Defense asked them to go slow on. Understand, believe,
(12:00):
but it is wide open. It exposes a lot, it
explains a lot, but it takes you inside the minds
of the guys, the people who fly these missions, the
combat missions, the refueling missions. And there's a there's a
saying in the Air Force in the United States military,
nobody kicks ass without tanker gas. And it's entirely true.
(12:22):
If these tanker guys didn't exist, if the technology didn't exist,
then over half of military operations we engage in today
would be impossible thirty hours, six or seven, maybe more refuelings.
He might say, why not station the airplanes over at
a base in Germany? Stealth technology necessary for secrets cruiser
state side. Uh, It's it's eye opening in a lot
(12:47):
of ways. And Marcus start, these are all just fine
people and He's never written a book before, and he
spent years putting this thing together. It had become a
total labor of love because he loves the air Force,
he loved flying, he loved tankers. You know, as everybody
has their passions in life. Marcus stars passion is the
(13:10):
air force and tanker technology at tanker strategy and the
obvious relationship it has to attack and combat strategy. Uh,
these fighter aircraft go through fuel like early iPhones went
(13:30):
through battery. Remember how often you had to recharge your
early iPhone maybe even to this day. Well that's what
these things burned through fuel like you can't believe. And
if weren't for the tiker tanker pilots and the talents
that everybody has the technology to do this, um, much
of our military operations wouldn't be possible. It's been done
(13:52):
for so long that it's all just taken for granted.
But it's an area of air force combat lie if
that nobody has written about. And it's fascinating, it's it's
it's funny, it's filled with some of the most breathtaking
photos you've ever seen. And I want you all to
(14:13):
know about it simply because this is a great American.
This is These guys flew that flag for me are
exactly what I say. They're the best kept secrets in
this country. They are doing everything on the up and up.
They're straight down the road their morality and their virtue.
As intact, they stray like everybody does. But these people
are doing their level best to be their level best
(14:34):
each and every day in defense of the country, defense
of the constitution. And they are not seeking fame. And
I'm gonna that is such an important human characteristic. They're
not doing anything they do for recognition. They're not doing
anything they do for notoriety or fame. Uh Sara wrote
(14:56):
the book because he loves what he does and he
wants people to know what he did. He wants people
to know what he loves, so I wanted to mention
it to you. It goes on sale tomorrow. Veteran's Day
is the coordinated sale and the same publisher that we
have a Rush Revere and the time travel Adventures with
Exceptional Americans. So there it is. Brian Still got it
(15:17):
into Switcher. There at the Dodo Cam tanker pilot lessons
from the cockpit, but there are more lessons than just
from the cockpit. It's uh, it's a fun read. It's
an eye opening read, and it'll it'll teach you things
that you didn't even think you wanted to know, but
they're fascinating. So that's I've been waving. I thought about
(15:39):
talking to you about this a week ago before it
went on sale. I said, nah, wait till Monday day
before it hits, because you could have pre ordered it.
But now pretty much you ordered it will be delivered
when you want it, since it hits the bookshelves tomorrow.
Tanker Pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hussary, I forgot to mention,
in all of my humility, that I out the forward
(16:02):
to pass and Gas. I'm sorry, Tanker Pilot, my Lieutenant
Colonel Marcus Aarrow. It's just for five pages. It's but
but I did. I wrote the foreward and I tell
the story. But I just told you
I mentioned at the top of the program that there
was a book that I wanted to tell you about,
and it is. Uh. It's actually what a source of
great pride that I tell you about this book. I
want to go back to two thousand three, May the
third of two thousand three. I want to tell you
I've told this story before. Some of you who have
(00:21):
been a long time listening, uh listeners have heard the story,
but it is worth hearing it again. It's May of
two thousand three. A couple of months earlier, we began
the invasion of a Rock, one of the first acts
(00:41):
in the War on Terror. This was the ward that
was to remove and eliminate Saddam Hussein. George W. Bush
had spent a year and a half traveling the country
explaining it, gearing up support for it. Uh. It was
a major, major conflict in the War on Terror in
our response to it, and it had become controversial of
(01:05):
course the Democrats. The unity after nine eleven two thousand
one lasted about two weeks and then that became politicized.
And on that day in May, early May two thousand
and three, I went home. Well, I got a note
before I got home. You have got to come straight home.
(01:28):
You won't believe what just arrived FedEx. I said, what
is it? Just tell me? Said no, you have to
see this. So I got home and I looked at
what I had received, and I was I was floored.
I was stunned. I've never seen anything like it. I
(01:50):
didn't know these things happened. I was moved, I was
blown away. I felt small, I did. I ran through
all kinds of emotions. I mean a lickety split fashion.
What it was was an American flag properly folded inside
(02:13):
a zip lock bag, and there were certificates stating that
flag had flown on the following aircraft, and each aircraft
had a well you would frame it. It's a it's
like an official notification of the date that the aircraft
(02:36):
flew that flag on a mission. There were five different
aircraft and a tanker, and all of the pilots of
the five different aircraft in the tanker had signed the
documents certifying that that flag had flown. They tanker pilot
(02:56):
was the originator, the mastermind of this, okay, and he
included a handwritten note on yellow legal paper explaining that
these five crew members had flown that flag in my
honor on the initial bombing runs, the first bombing runs
(03:23):
in the war against the Rock, the shock and awe portion,
and as their missions were completed, and as they were
all refueled by this tanker pilot, that flag was put
in the ziploc bag and the pilots all signed these
certifications and they were fed X to me, and they
(03:47):
did nothing more than that. I received this and was floored.
As I say, I went through a mixture of emotions,
including humility and smallness, and I'm asking myself, what have
I done? Because this was an honor. I mean, it
was clearly an honor. I didn't know things like this happened.
(04:07):
I um just not enough experience in actual military combat
circumstances to know that time was taken for this kind
of ceremonial or memorial type event. Well, we took that
flag and we unfolded it and it's now framed and
(04:31):
the certificates with all those signatures and the pictures of
each of the aircraft, and there's fighters, there's bombers and
the tanker and they are they surround the flag and
we went We had an actual golden eagle carved to
stand and it's about five ft tall once it's on
its pedestals, huge and we put this in a niche,
(04:56):
big niche in h in a room right outside my library,
so you can't miss this when you're walking into the library.
You can't. It's the common people who don't know about
this answer of what in the world is that? And
I get them regaled them with the story. I said, yeah,
these guys full that flag in my honor. On the
initial bombing run of I rock Well. A ringleader in
(05:17):
this operation was Autenant Colonel Marcus sar. He flew the tanker,
he flew k C one thirty five, which is the
military version of Boeing seven oh seven, and the k
C ten, which is the military version of the d
C ten. And he's the one who had written the
note on yellow legal paper explaining why they did it,
(05:37):
and it was it was filled with recognition and support
and thanks for the support I had given the military
over the years. As I said, I was just I
was blown away by it was an honor that that
I didn't even know existed, and I had no idea
it was coming. And even now when I stop and
(06:02):
think about the fact that it happened, it's it's one
of those events that happens in your life or in
your career that you never forget and that you're always
going to be overwhelmingly and supremely proud of. Well. Over
the years, Katherine and I have gotten to know Lieutenant
Colonel Hassara and his wife and his family, and we
(06:26):
see them now and then, and they're just folks. These
these people that you never meet there, just humble, and
they are the exact thing when I talk about people
who make the country work, These are the people I'm
talking about. They're out there volunteering every day. They sign
up two defend the country, to protect the constitution, to
(06:50):
carry out their orders. They're doing it because this is
how they've decided they want to serve their country. In
Hussari's k s, it's been his life, uh and most
of these other pilots, they never really leave it even
after their their service ends. But they never seek any fame.
(07:13):
They didn't send me this for fame. They didn't send
this for notoriety or notification or anything else. They just
sent it as distinct honor. I can't tell you. I mean,
sitting here, I'm looking at this package and we're going
through the process of getting this all framed, and and
I'm thinking, here, these guys have their orders, they're part
(07:34):
of the initial bombing run, and before they leave, somebody
organizes this tribute to me by having this flag fly
in every one of these aircraft. Aircraft. They didn't all
fly on one day, of course, because the aircraft had
to be freeled that the land and the flag gets
transferred to the next aircraft, So it takes as many,
(07:56):
maybe as many as two days. But the dates that
the flag flew on each craft are specified. I later
came to learn that it's it's something that's done with
some regularity, so it was not unique, but that didn't matter.
It's still just just to be thought of, to be
considered I thought about during a time like this. Just
(08:20):
to this day, it still humbles me. It's the best
word I can come up with to describe it. Well.
As I said, it's seventeen years ago, well, fourteen years ago,
fourteen years ago actually fourteen and a half years ago now,
and a lot has happened since then. Lieutenant Colonel Hassara
(08:40):
still has his hands in in terms of staying current
with the strategy UH and he consults uh, tanker operations
to this day. And he decided he wanted to write
a book about all this, and he asked me if
I thought that it would sell, and I that I do.
(09:02):
I don't know of too many books on the refueling
process for military combat aircraft. And he I loved his
original title. I knew it would never pass. I knew
would never fly. But the original title this book was
passing gas and I thought, that's that's dynamite. That's awesome.
(09:24):
But everybody they dialed it back and the title of
the book is now Tanker Pilot Lessons from the Cockpit
and it's by Marcus Sara. And I'm gonna hold it
up here. Let me hold it up with the side camera,
because that'll be a better Oh you you put it
in a switcher, Go ahead and put it up. It
goes on sale tomorrow, and it's uh there it is
(09:45):
for those of you watching on the ditto cam, and
it is. It's got pictures. You will not believe some
of the pictures taken. You will not believe the danger
and the precision that goes in to refueling aircraft. Let
me give you one example. Let's say a B two
stealth bomber is assigned a bombing mission to Libyan. It'll
(10:10):
take off at an air Force base, likely in Kansas
or Texas, and it will fly non stop to the target,
drop its ordinance, and fly NonStop back thirty hours. It
will be refueled ten to twelve times thirty hours non
(10:34):
stop stealth be too bomber. That does one example, But
the the aspects involved of refueling, the danger and the
precision and the necessity of accuracy, and flight path and
meeting up with the with the tankers. Uh So, it's
(10:55):
just it's it's fascinating. It's an aspect of of air
force operation that people just forgetted. You've seen it depicted
in movies. The boom lowers from the tanker and it
gets to the nozzle on the genit's refueling and refuels
and everybody's separation flies up. What about the turbulence? What
(11:16):
happens that the boom comes dislodged and jet fuel sprays
all over the cockpit of an airplane. It's outside, But
what happens with these are all the risks. Plus these
tankers are flying around with tanks and tanks of jet
fuel in the fuselage. That's all they are. They're just
(11:37):
they're just flying tanks of jet fuel. And the precision
and the coordination necessary to make this all happen, and
the real life stories of people involved in this, and
the the military combat details and operations. It's been vetted
with the Department of Defense. There were some things the
Department of Defense asked them to go slow on. Understand, believe,
(12:00):
but it is wide open. It exposes a lot, it
explains a lot, but it takes you inside the minds
of the guys, the people who fly these missions, the
combat missions, the refueling missions. And there's a there's a
saying in the Air Force in the United States military,
nobody kicks ass without tanker gas. And it's entirely true.
(12:22):
If these tanker guys didn't exist, if the technology didn't exist,
then over half of military operations we engage in today
would be impossible thirty hours, six or seven, maybe more refuelings.
He might say, why not station the airplanes over at
a base in Germany? Stealth technology necessary for secrets cruiser
state side. Uh, It's it's eye opening in a lot
(12:47):
of ways. And Marcus start, these are all just fine
people and He's never written a book before, and he
spent years putting this thing together. It had become a
total labor of love because he loves the air Force,
he loved flying, he loved tankers. You know, as everybody
has their passions in life. Marcus stars passion is the
(13:10):
air force and tanker technology at tanker strategy and the
obvious relationship it has to attack and combat strategy. Uh,
these fighter aircraft go through fuel like early iPhones went
(13:30):
through battery. Remember how often you had to recharge your
early iPhone maybe even to this day. Well that's what
these things burned through fuel like you can't believe. And
if weren't for the tiker tanker pilots and the talents
that everybody has the technology to do this, um, much
of our military operations wouldn't be possible. It's been done
(13:52):
for so long that it's all just taken for granted.
But it's an area of air force combat lie if
that nobody has written about. And it's fascinating, it's it's
it's funny, it's filled with some of the most breathtaking
photos you've ever seen. And I want you all to
(14:13):
know about it simply because this is a great American.
This is These guys flew that flag for me are
exactly what I say. They're the best kept secrets in
this country. They are doing everything on the up and up.
They're straight down the road their morality and their virtue.
As intact, they stray like everybody does. But these people
are doing their level best to be their level best
(14:34):
each and every day in defense of the country, defense
of the constitution. And they are not seeking fame. And
I'm gonna that is such an important human characteristic. They're
not doing anything they do for recognition. They're not doing
anything they do for notoriety or fame. Uh Sara wrote
(14:56):
the book because he loves what he does and he
wants people to know what he did. He wants people
to know what he loves, so I wanted to mention
it to you. It goes on sale tomorrow. Veteran's Day
is the coordinated sale and the same publisher that we
have a Rush Revere and the time travel Adventures with
Exceptional Americans. So there it is. Brian Still got it
(15:17):
into Switcher. There at the Dodo Cam tanker pilot lessons
from the cockpit, but there are more lessons than just
from the cockpit. It's uh, it's a fun read. It's
an eye opening read, and it'll it'll teach you things
that you didn't even think you wanted to know, but
they're fascinating. So that's I've been waving. I thought about
(15:39):
talking to you about this a week ago before it
went on sale. I said, nah, wait till Monday day
before it hits, because you could have pre ordered it.
But now pretty much you ordered it will be delivered
when you want it, since it hits the bookshelves tomorrow.
Tanker Pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hussary, I forgot to mention,
in all of my humility, that I out the forward
(16:02):
to pass and Gas. I'm sorry, Tanker Pilot, my Lieutenant
Colonel Marcus Aarrow. It's just for five pages. It's but
but I did. I wrote the foreward and I tell
the story. But I just told you
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