I don't think Perry is a combat vet though. He stayed stateside
article is "enhanced sappy" according to we USAF vets,
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/apr/23/he-flew-the-world-in-c-130s/?partner=RSS
[SIZE=+1]C-130 Rick Perry: He flew the world before politics[/SIZE]
Reporter News- Abilene ^ | April 23, 2011 | Sarah Kleiner Varble
Posted on
Monday, June 27, 2011 6:53:43 AM by
Cincinatus' Wife
Rank: captain
Hometown: Haskell
Crew job: C-130 aircraft commander
Served in the Air Force: 1972 to 1977
Dyess AFB tour: March 4, 1974, to Feb. 28, 1977
His story: Way back before he was governor of Texas, Rick Perry had two choices as a young member of the Air Force.
He could either follow his dream and work toward becoming an instructor pilot in the sleek T-38, or he could fly the hulking C-130, planes that affectionately were referred to as "trash haulers" by Perry and his cohorts.
"It was one of the great adventures of my life," Perry said. "I had a fairly pedestrian life until I was 23 years old."
Perry could count on one hand the number of trips he had taken out of his home state by the time he graduated from Texas A&M University, but everything changed when he joined the Air Force.
Flying C-130s, Perry lived in Germany and Saudi Arabia. He flew in Central and South America, North Africa and all over Europe.
"I saw all of these different types of governments and I made the connections to how the people acted and looked, and it became abundantly clear to me that, at that particular point in time, that America was this very unique place and that our form of democracy was very rare," Perry said. " ... That was the greatest gift I received from my years of being in the military, and they really shaped my outlook on the rest of my life."
Perry retired from the Air Force in 1977 — but not without one last adventure.....
(Excerpt) Read more at reporternews.com ...