Pilot Screams in Horror

(CNN) -- A pilot who parachuted from his disabled Marine Corps jet last year said he was horrified to see it smash into a <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />California home, newly released documents say.

Marine Corps Lt. Dan Neubauer's statements, describing the December crash that killed four family members in a San Diego home, were released Tuesday by military officials.

The four-page document details in technical terms several attempts Neubauer made to keep his crippled F/A-18D from crashing. When it became apparent that the plane was going down, Neubauer parachuted out.

"I looked down to see where my plane had crashed and saw that it had gone right into a house. I screamed in horror when I realized what had just happened," Neubauer said in the document.

Neubauer landed in the backyard of another home and was not injured. The pilot had been trying to reach the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar when he started having problems with his fighter jet.

The jet crashed into Dong Yun Yoon's house, killing his wife, his two young children and his mother-in-law. An unoccupied house was also destroyed.

Days after the incident, Yoon said he did not blame the pilot.

"Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident," Yoon said. "I don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could."

Could you be this charitable after a military jet crashes into your home and kills your whole family? With cutbacks on everything these days, it makes you wonder how much more will be cut back on when it comes to safety. The Military will probably never tell us exactly what brought the plane down, but you can bet that in part, it was due to cutbacks in maintenance. We are seeing cutbacks in all things, including commercial airline safety. I don't see how it helps us to be any safer in the skies to recruit air traffic controllers right out of high school.

So what can be done these days to be safe in any aspect of life when we're plagued with budget cuts, shoddy foreign workmanship on products, living in a nation of disposable products and little oversight in making sure they're made right? PRAY! Pray you don't get injured or killed by inferior products. It's all you can do at this point.

 

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Tags: Culture | San Diego | crash

Preacher gunned down at his pulpit

Pastor gunned down in Illinois church Posted: 02:38 PM ET

(CNN) — The pastor of a Maryville, Illinois, church was shot to death during a service Sunday in front of horrified parishoners who then tackled the gunman, state police said.

Fred Winters, the pastor of the First Baptist Church, was shot and killed during the 8 a.m. service, while his attacker and two parishoners suffered knife wounds, Illinois state police spokesman Ralph Timmins said.

The gunman walked in during the service and walked up to the pulpit, opening fire when he was met by Winters, Timmins said. The man’s .45-caliber pistol jammed after he shot Winters, and he pulled out a knife and turned it on himself before being tackled by some of the roughly 150 worshippers attending the church,
Timmins said.

Two of those who went after the attacker suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the suspect’s injuries are “very serious,” Timmins said.

Thankfully in my Baptist Church we have 2 police officers who wear their guns under their suit coats during services. My heart goes out to the congregation and families at that church in Maryville IL

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Tags: Culture | Shooting | church | PREACHER | Maryville

Four arrested in mall assault facing upgraded charges

Tammy Moulder, 35, and Phillip Greene were arrested around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for common law robbery, assault inflicting serious injury and obtaining propery by false pretense. The two were apprehended at a convenience store on Salisbury Road after police received a tip that they were there.

Jeremy Melton, 26, and Melissa Link, 23, were apprehended at Fifth Street Shelter Wednesday night.

Statesville Police Department Chief Tom Anderson said the four are now facing felony assault charges as well as conspiracy after investigators learned the noticed the elderly woman at a pharmacy and followed her to the mall.

The four are facing charges after two men grabbed the purse of a 90-year-old woman as she got out of her vehicle in front of Belk's Tuesday, and she was knocked or fell to the ground, breaking her jaw and causing other injuries. She is being treated at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.

Statesville Police rolled in 8 deep to The Fifth Street Shelter like they were looking for Osama Bin Laden. The Shelter is where I currently reside. I watched as Melton and Link were led off in cuffs. Nice eh?

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Tags: Culture | Statesville | Local+North+Carolina+witness