I am enjoying retirement after fifteen years in the Air Force, and twenty-seven years as a Southern Baptist pastor in Missouri, Ohio and Illinois.
While in the service I considered myself to be a military career person, and looking to complete at least twenty if not thirty years, and retiring at the ripe old age of fifty. June of sixty-three was only six months away, and I had to make an important career decision: To re-up for six more years, or to follow my desire to becoming a chaplain. Facing my two options, and taking all things into considerations, I (my family of four and I) decided to accept my discharge coming up in June, and attend college, and seminary and upon completion of both I would have met the qualifications necessary to becoming an air force chaplain. I completed college and seminary in seven years
Now, at the age of forty-one, I applied for the chaplaincy. The age cutoff for a Chaplain was thirty-seven, but because of having fifteen year of prior service they waved the age factor, but they cut back the chaplains quota for all branches of service. The irony of it all was that my S/Sgt rank was frozen at the time I got out of the service, and after qualifying for the chaplaincy I felt the cold north wind once again.
Aircraft/Missile Information
Model North American B-25C Mitchell Length 52.92 ft | 16.13 m Width 67.55 ft | 20.59 m Height 15.75 ft | 4.80 m Engine(s) 2 x Wright Cyclone R-2600-19 air-cooled piston engines delivering 1,700hp each. Empty Weight 20,300 lbs | 9,208 kg MTOW 34,000 lbs | 15,422 kg Max Speed 272 mph | 438 km/h | 237 kts Max Range 1,350 miles | 2,173 km Ceiling 24,196 ft | 7,375 m | 4.6 miles Climb Rate 1,666 ft/min (507.796 m/min) Hardpoints Up to 8 (model dependent) Armament Model-specific armament included:
8 x 12.7mm machine gun array OR 1 x 75mm cannon in forward-fixed nose assembly.
2 x 12.7mm machine guns in forward-fixed lower-left side fuselage position (beneath and behind cockpit position). 2 x 12.7mm machine gun in forward-fixed lower-right side fuselage position (beneath and behind cockpit position). 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in ventral turret (powered turrets in some models). 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in dorsal turret (powered turrets in some models). 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in left waist port position. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in right waist port position. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in tail gun position (some models removed). 1 x Torpedo in under-fuselage arrangement (model-specific fitting). 8 x 250lb bombs on 8 external hardpoints (model-specific fitting).
Maximum internal bombload of 3,000lbs (1,361 kg). Accommodations 5 Operators the United States of America
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