5 Air Force legends with incredible stories you need to know about

Mandatory Fun

Hundreds of heroes have emerged through the ranks of all service branches with remarkable stories of courage and selflessness.

And while some stories are well known, the ones we talk about in this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast are seldom told. You'd think these stories are made up, such as in the case of airman Snuffy, or propaganda ploys to recruit more troops. Either way, every service member should know about these Air Force legends and their badassery.

Here's a brief description of our heroes for reference:

Col. Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., the Tuskegee airman who almost shot Muammar Qaddafi. Chappie was already a legend before calling out Qaddafi in 1968 having served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Sgt. Maynard “Snuffy” Smith, the original airman Snuffy. Despite being an undiciplined slacker avoided by everyone, rose to the challenge in the face of certain death to save his crew.

Douglas W. Morrell, the combat cameraman who lived the entire history of the Air Force.

Eddie Rickenbacker, the racecar driver-turned airman who broke all of the Air Force's records.

Charlie Brown, the B-17 Flying Fortress pilot who was spared by German ace fighter pilot Oberleutnant Franz Stigler. These two rivals became close friends after meeting in 1990.