Description:
Doc was in Pueblo, Colorado this month. He was an amazing sight to see.
This beautiful sunset landing was on September 11th, 2022 at Pueblo Memorial Airport, and parked next to the world-class Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum (https://pwam.org ).
Flying this landing is Doc Chief Pilot, Lt Col Mark Novak (USAF, ret) with copilot Lt Col Dan Schone (USAF) and crew. (Novak's Air Force operational flying includes the B-1 and KC-135. Schone is actively flying the KC-135, and flew the C-17 prior to that.)
Audio sources:
Aaron Lewis - They Call Me Doc (Lyric Video) ft. CreatiVets, Vince Gill, Dan Tyminski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daGa5EPmxZQ
COPYRIGHT for the audio belongs to the owner of the Aaron Lewis song listed above, and also Walt Disney for the short outro clip, from here:
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) - Snow White Meets The Seven Dwarfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EANjbUzU_w
Here is an excellent interview with Doc Chief Pilot Mark Novak (premiered Aug 4, 2022):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR8Gq5y_eLc
The B-29 is most famous for the Enola Gay and Bockscar, the first and last aircraft to ever drop a nuclear bomb in combat. But its legacy runs much deeper, being the Boeing aircraft from which all of its airliners evolved from, with its very long range, pressurized cabin, etc.
And one of the most amazing historic milestones which the B-29 should be known for is that it is the first aircraft to ever fly around the world non-stop. This was accomplished by the 'Lucky Lady II', with the help of several aerial refueling tankers. Technically, that was a 'B-50', which was essentially a B-29 with more powerful engines. (The B-29 and the B-50 had a lot more in common than, say, the F-18C Hornet and the F-18E Super Hornet.) Here's the story:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady_II
My visit to Pueblo was my first time to ever see Doc. And with this Around-the-World legacy of this aircraft, it is quite fitting that I got to Doc in the very same month that marked the 500th anniversary of the first ever circumnavigation of the globe, the famous Magellan-Elcano voyage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Magellan_expedition
"The circumnavigation was completed by Elcano and a crew of 18 men in Victoria, returning to Spain nearly three years after they left on 6 September 1522. …September 8: Victoria arrives at Seville, technically completing the circumnavigation."
This video is from September 11th, three days after this historic 500th anniversary. And September 11th itself, of course, is historic. On this date in 1941, construction of The Pentagon began. This was just a few months prior to Pearl Harbor. This project was supervised by Leslie Groves, the same Army officer who directed the Manhattan Project.
So there are many connections to the B-29, with several having deep historical significance.
About the song choice…
Walker McGuire wrote this song, back in 2014, best I can tell. It is a tribute to combat medics, inspired by a Navy Corpsman in particular. The Aaron Lewis cover used here is my favorite version, although I wish he used the original lyrics "When it hits the fan…", so one tweak done here is to blank that out to sound a little closer to the original.
Now there are certain ways that I see this song to be quite fitting to this B-29 Superfortress named Doc:
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Nobody calls me hero
Except for my friends
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The non-profit which owns him is 'Doc's Friends, Inc'.
Other lines fit quite nicely:
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When it hits the fan
They're calling for me
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The ultimate example of it hitting the fan has to be World War II. The most gruesome conflict in all of human history.
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To make sure all my brothers get back home
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The very purpose of Enola Gay and Bockscar was to end the war.
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Swore they'd make it out of here
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These B-29's served the purpose of making sure the war was ended. Obviously, there is intense debate over this subject. But it is a clear fact that these events ended the war.
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When they scream please make it stop
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The way I think of this line in the B-29 context is like all of Planet Earth being the patient that is suffering because of this horrific war. These B-29's serve as a doctor of sorts, operating with this radioactive scalpel. Little Boy and Fat Man. Going under the knife inflicts more pain. But the end result that the doctor is working toward is a long term cure, in the broader perspective.
"They Call Me Doc."
Now there are deeper levels to delve into, for anyone willing to go down the rabbit hole…
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They call me Doc
But I ain't got no degree
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Here, the literal meaning is the medic not having any medical degree. But in the context of the B-29, this line relates to the person who made the decision to drop the atomic bomb:
Harry S. Truman.
Commander in Chief, and President. One third of presidents were Freemasons, including Washington. Truman, the 33rd Potus, was a 33rd degree Mason. A curious fact.
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