# A Bit Of A Personal Story



## Catch22 (Jun 29, 2010)

Yesterday my friend and I were talking about fighter jets as a CF-18 overflew my house and the stadium my friend was at to watch a hockey tribute/tribute to soldiers. He mentioned that his parents had owned a resort in British Columbia, and while they owned it a USAF fighter pilot had come and stayed there on his way to Alaska. He had his flight suit and helmet with him, and allowed my friend and his brother to wear them. His name was Eric Das. The photo is attached, and my friend is the one in the helmet. I was going to post it here to see if anyone had any information about him, but I did a quick google and sadly found this:



> Although Air Force Maj. William Watkins and Capt. Eric Das, were aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle jet fighter that went down in Iraq around 7:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, April 6, the U.S. military refused to designate the two airmen missing in action (MIA).
> Military representatives met the next day with the families of Maj. Watkins and Capt. Das and told them that the "pilots whereabouts were unknown."
> On April 18, 2003, the Pentagon said the remains of missing F-15E pilot Capt. Eric B. Das had been recovered and identified and that his status was changed from missing to killed in action.
> The search for the plane's weapons system officer was continuing, it said.
> ...



Eric Das

Sadly, he was KIA over Iraq in April 2003. My friend said he was a really nice guy too. Not really personal to me in the sense that I've never met him, but it still hit pretty close to home and was really unexpected. I don't know why, but when I searched his name it never dawned on me that he may have been killed.

RIP


----------



## Njaco (Jun 29, 2010)

Catch, don't know what to say except


----------



## Capt. Vick (Jun 29, 2010)

Wow, that is a moving story... Sad...


----------



## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Jun 29, 2010)

Same here Catch.


----------



## Matt308 (Jun 30, 2010)

Amen. God bless his soul.


----------



## Wildcat (Jun 30, 2010)




----------



## FLYBOYJ (Jun 30, 2010)




----------



## B-17engineer (Jun 30, 2010)




----------



## Vic Balshaw (Jun 30, 2010)

Brave men, sad story


----------



## Gnomey (Jun 30, 2010)




----------



## Glider (Jun 30, 2010)

He was obviously one of the best. A great loss


----------



## ToughOmbre (Jun 30, 2010)

RIP 

TO


----------



## FLYBOYJ (Jun 30, 2010)

The old CO of the 306th FTG (who I indirectly worked for) knew him. He too flew F-15Es.


----------



## Thorlifter (Jun 30, 2010)

That's a shame


----------



## timshatz (Jun 30, 2010)

Pretty cool guy. Let the little guy where the helmet. Nice dude. Sad he died, but thanks for telling us the story. It was a good one.


----------



## Catch22 (Jun 30, 2010)

Thanks for the comments guys.


----------



## Vassili Zaitzev (Jun 30, 2010)




----------



## RabidAlien (Jun 30, 2010)




----------



## Wayne Little (Jul 3, 2010)

.....RIP


----------

