Sir,

As good as most of the pilots we flew with this is something which you could never understand. Most CEs believed they were second in command on the ship. Our gunners were there to protect the right side of the ship. Most new peter pilots until they proved their skills and gained our respect were just considered the new guy which was going to get us killed.

When the enlisted crews talked about pilots amoung themselves if we called you by your call-sign that meant we trusted you and respected you. If you were refered to by your last name it meant we were still unsure of that person's abilities.

Old habits die hard. Once you became "Sir" that title is stuck with you for life. Stoney Burke once asked me why I always called him sir and this was the reason I gave him. It's the respect he deserved and in return he gave me. Besides that's another thing that helped us be CEs. Do you think any of us GIBs would flew with anybody less then a "Sir". You were the guys that got us back home every day.

How many brownie points is this worth?