Well, not exactly. Those "macho" images of trained SAC killers and nuclear bomber avengers tends to suffer a bit under closer examination. Much has been said and written about the hard-drinking military man, especially the combat aircrewman. Yet that too fails to stand the test of closer looks.

Oh sure, there are some, especially the younger fellows, who act more like high school sophomores during squadron parties and Friday "happy hours" than they should. But the more senior types, especially those who have served on bomber and tanker crews for a few years, take a more sober view of such antics. Some do drink more than they ought to, perhaps. But did you also know that some drank only "Shirley Temples"?

A "Shirley Temple" drink is strictly a non-alcoholic beverage, typically ginger ale with a cherry garnish. And that's what SAC's professional trained killers, those tigers in the sky, would actually drink on many occasions.

Just because dozens of flight crews were on Alert duty, living close to their war-ready bombers and tankers parked at the end of the runway, didn't preclude their attending a variety of social functions at the Officers Club, some voluntary and others mandatory. But because those crewmen could at any instant be called to run for their airplanes and launch on missions to defend this country, it wouldn't do for them to be under the influence of alcohol, even a little bit. So while others were having cocktails, wine or beer at those gatherings, Alert duty aircrewmen quietly sipped their Shirley Temples and stayed sober as church-mice.

Others too declined to maintain the widely held image of boozing military types. Many officers and flight crewmen chose not to drink even when they were not on Alert. Some felt that it was unseemly and inappropriate to imbibe to excess. Others were true "tee-totalers" who for personal reasons eschewed alcohol altogether. And others were recovering alcoholics who knew what that stuff could do to them and their careers.

It cannot be denied that a few abused the stuff and themselves in alcoholic excesses. Many learned the hard way that such behavior was imprudent and unprofessional. Once in a while a few would get involved in accidents and even arrested for "driving under the influence". Such incidents did little to enhance their career opportunities, for not only did they suffer civil consequences, they faced military justice as well.