So There I Was

Lawman returns with an action-packed show. Get ready for intriguing stories, heartfelt tributes, and unforgettable moments. Lawman kicks off the show with a touching tribute to our friend and fellow pilot, Brian Shul, with reflections on their shared experiences. Then, he takes us on a crazy adventure with the 13th MEU, exploring vibrant cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Phuket. It wasn’...

This week Vapor Joins us to talk about his remarkable journey from flight school through his extraordinary career. From the Far East to Desert Storm and beyond, Vapor’s stories will keep you hooked, blending humor, tragedy, and spine-chilling moments. Prepare to be transported as Vapor recounts his unbelievable experience; of ejecting from a crippled jet over enemy territory; catapulted back...

Welcome to episode 61 of “So There I Was”! Get ready to be captivated by an extraordinary tale that starts with a group of Vietnam buddies, hunting pheasants and sharing stories on a family farm. Little did they know, these gatherings would ignite a passion in a young boy, propelling him to become a Marine helicopter pilot. But here’s the twist – Doober already had a stagge...

Lieutenant Colonel “Moose” Lutes, a Marine Helicopter, Fighter and Attack pilot with an incredible career spanning over 20 years joins the Fig & RePete to tell about his career spanning from the 50s through the mid 70s. Moose’s journey began with an airplane ride to Memphis. He decided to take the Navy up on an offer of a plane ride because he thought he “probably would...

Join hosts Fig and RePete for a fantastic interview with Blackhawk pilot, KO, as he takes us on a thrilling ride through his remarkable military career. From his enlistment in the Marine Corps to his deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army H-65 Blackhawk pilot, KO shares challenges and moments of camaraderie, and resilience throughout his service. With heart-pumping stories of intense and d...

In this interview with Navy Fighter pilot and Top Gun Instructor, Kemo, listeners are taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Kemos energy is contagious as he shares his experiences of flying and training with the best of the best. He opens with this weeks ‘title story,’ a 1v1 Top Gun fight he won in spite of being in an inferior aircraft.  Sadly, the theme of killing livestock continues t...

In this episode, A Water Buffalo for Tam Ky, Gunny returns to share more incredible tales: Gunny recounts a humorous, yet impactful incident involving a screwed up lieutenant and the practical joke / unusual method used to teach him a lesson. Hear about “One Eye’s Last Mission,” a literal blind flight that testifies to incredible bravery in combat. This week’s title comes f...

Gunny joins Fig and RePete for an extraordinary episode. An H-34 pilot and Vietnam veteran, Gunny comes out of the blocks at full throttle and doesn’t stop for the entire hour. Riveting stories will keep you on the edge of your seat. From intense combat moments to profound reflections, Gunny shares his firsthand experiences. From the very first tale of “That’s My $#(@*# Rockets You Mor...

Imagine this: You’re faced with a heart-wrenching dilemma. Your employer threatens to fire you unless you compromise your own safety and fly without the essential oxygen you need and required by law… This harrowing predicament was a reality for this week’s guest when he was building flight time with the hopes of becoming an airline pilot some day. Retired AA Captain and Author of...

Join us for an exciting episode of So There I Was, as we welcome Brian Shul, “Punchy,”: Fighter Pilot, “Sled Driver,” Author, and Photographer Extraordinaire to the show. He shares with us his incredible story of survival after being shot down in the jungles of Vietnam and how he went on to fly again, defying all odds. Punchy’s journey from the A-7 to the A-10 and then to the fam...

On this episode of So There I Was, Slaf joins Fig and RePete to share some incredible stories from his time as a Marine and Air Guard pilot. From holding a burial at sea for a missing pilot who later turned up, to flying the notoriously challenging Cougar, Slaf’s experiences will keep you on the edge of your seat. He also sheds light on why the F-84 Thunderstreak was nicknamed the “Hog...

This week enjoy a thrilling journey with Slaf (Sr.), NavCad, Marine Corps Aviator who flew the SNJ, T-28 Trojan, TV-2 (t-33) SeaStar, F9F2 Panther, F2H4 Banshee, F9F8 Cougar, F-84F Thunderstreak throughout his career. You may remember Slaf from episode 50 who talked about his father being a Marine aviator. Well, he graciously joins us this week and next. Slaf takes us through his training days, wh...

Marine, Author, American Hero: LtCol. W.R. Spicer USMC (ret) joins Fig & RePete this week. We delve into the extraordinary life of this Marine who has written a memoir that is nothing short of amazing. In his five books, “Sea Stories of a US Marine,” Spicer shares his incredible journey, from the unlikely event that changed the course of his life to his meeting and interactions wit...

Take to the skies with the adrenaline-pumping story of SLAF’s adventures flying the iconic Harrier jump jet. In this gripping show, SLAF shares his journey from aspiring pilot to Harrier Instructor and offers valuable advice on perseverance and overcoming obstacles. SLAF recounts for Fig & RePete some of the most heart-stopping moments of his career, including witnessing a fellow pilot eject f...

Nightmare joins “co-horsts” Fig & RePete and reveals how he got his call sign in flight school. It stuck with him for the rest of his career; which is a good thing! Then he told us how and why he came to want to fly in the Marines and how he “impressed” his LSO when preparing for carrier qualification. Hence this week’s title! Nightmare talks about the challenges of teaching VSTOL...

Buckle up and prepare for takeoff with Carrott, Fig, and RePete as they explore the incredible journey of Carrott becoming a Naval aviator. Carrott shares captivating stories of his time in flight school, instructing in the A-4 at NAS Meridian, and flying the S-3 Viking aboard the Nimitz. Hear how his flight jacket disappeared after a wild night of drinking with F-111 pilots; and yet kept popping...

This is our second show with Kaos. Come along as he tells us about the challenges of owning a Harrier and performing with it in airshows. Spoiler alert: It’s a little more involved than flying to the venue and performing the demo! Up for some special bourbon? 700 Mile per Hour Bourbon raised a nice sum of money for charity, and there may be some left. You have to go get it yourself because i...

Kaos, the only person to ever own his own Harrier jump-jet joins your favorite “co-horsts” Fig and RePete to talk about his early days in the Marine Corps, Flying the AV-8A for the first time, test pilot school and flying on the Italian and Spanish carriers with the ski jump ramps. He also tells us about the time he dead-sticked a Harrier into Richmond, VA. (Hint – it can’t...

Meet Capt Royce Williams, USN (Ret) – Hear how he went out as part of a four-ship and soon found himself alone, in a fur-ball with 6 Russian MiG-15s.  When the smoke cleared and the shooting was over, Capt Williams brought his crippled F9F Panther back aboard the USS Oriskany and was sworn to secrecy.  The ONLY American to ever shoot down 4 enemy aircraft in the same fight wouldn’t...

Former Marine “Grunt” and current Army BlackHawk Pilot “CandyMan” takes us on a ride through the dust bowl that is Afghanistan. Hair-raising stories of taking fire, near mid-airs with other helicopters, and a C-17 are just a few of the adventures he talks about… But what scared him most? Dust landings. Find out why, and what he did about it. You won’t be disappointed....

Chaz comes back for another visit with us to tell more incredible stories of hijinks, excitement, fear, tragedy, terror and hilarity. He had an amazing career in the Navy and lived every minute to the fullest. Hear how letting a non-aviator fly caused them to lose contact with their formation. Learn the difference between Cherubs and Angels – and why not knowing can be deadly! Find out how d...

Single Engine, Single Seat Attack Pilot, Smytty, joins the show thi week to talk about some of the hijinks that most Marine Attack pilots will relate to immediately. Smytty flew the T-28 Trojan, A-4M, OA-4M, AV-8A and AV-8B in VMA-211, 214, and 331. He tells of the wild times in West-Pac and the time in WTI when a classmate flew into the ground without ejecting and literally walked away from the c...

Bo joins Fig & RePete to talk about what it takes to be a “RIO” – Radar Intercept Officer – in the F-14 Tomcat. He talks about training to become a tactical jet crew and the process to get there. Bo tells of the time he spent on Wake Island after a particularly complex night emergency where the dominos kept falling and they were literally inches from disaster as their t...

Kemo joins Fig & RePete this week to tell how he decided to go into the Navy after finishing the first half of Marine Corps OCS because they offered him a seat in less than two months in flight school without needing a bachelor’s degree. That deal didn’t come without some, shall we say, “complications” though. It wasn’t until Kemo was already in the program that h...

This is the second half of our show with Adm. Mike “Nasty” Manazir this week. We chat about his new book, Learn How to Lead to Win: 33 Powerful Stories and Leadership Lessons . Plain and simply put: This book should be mandatory reading for any prospective officer or executive. What’s more, it is a fun read that will give a leg up to anyone who wants to better connect with the pe...