Mike Durant

When we went to the range, we only had the bird running for like 15 minutes.

But on these long-range missions, the bird's running for like two hours.

I want to put power to the aircraft for two hours and see if anything happens.

And sure enough, a component in the freaking gun control box, powered up for a long period of time, was overheating and failing.

And then it would cool off, and it would work.

And I don't know what electronic component that is, if it's a resistor, a diode, or what the hell it is.

So they went to freaking Radio Shack in Saudi Arabia.

It's not really a Radio Shack, but a place like that.

Bought a new component, came back, put it in, fixed the problem.

No way.

And then the war's over.

I never got to shoot again.

Damn.

But I did fire miniguns on a scud.

And it was the first rounds in anger of the defensive arm penetrator.

I got that to say.

My last ordinance, by the way, that I did drop was a piss bottle I threw out of the aircraft before we crossed the border.

At a scud?

Yeah.

Before we crossed the border.