Today, I began reading Yeager by Chuck Yeager. This is his autobiography. Apparently the book was penned by Leo Janos. It appears that Janos wrote down, almost verbatim, what Yeager said. The book has a very flowing and easy conversational tone to it. Yeager uses common everyday language that is dotted by colloquialisms and aviation terms. These are just enough to show his background, develop his character, and show that he knows what it is talking about when it comes to aviation. His words are straightforward for the most part, except when he uses connotative phrases that are common to the aviation world, such as “he augured in” or “he bought the farm.” All this fits together to convey a story as told by a one of a kind, common aviator.

            Chuck Yeager begins Yeager by describing his humble beginnings. His family was fairly poor and worked for what they did have. Chuck’s father was skilled with machinery and passed that down to Chuck. Chuck and his brother, Roy, frequently went hunting before school. They never shot what they would not eat. One day, however when Chuck was four, Roy was six and his younger sister, Doris Ann, was two and a half, Roy and Chuck were playing with a 12-gauge shot gun and Roy accidentally shot and killed Doris Ann. The family was devastated, but Chuck’s father used that time to teach his boys how to properly handle a gun. The Yeager family would later be blessed with Pansy Lee and Hal Jr.

            Growing up, Chuck was one of the best marksmen in Hamlin, West Virginia. He had 20/10 vision and steady hands that made his aim precise. These skills would later prepare him for being a fighter pilot even though, during his childhood, he did not dream of being a pilot.

            It is clear to me that Chuck was well disciplined by his father and learned how to respect people: he “got [his] first licking for calling a neighbor ‘McCoglin,’ instead of ‘Mister McCoglin.’” Still, he had a West Virginia accent: he “discovered fast that not everyone said ‘bidy’ when they meant ‘body,’ ‘paper poke’ instead of ‘sack,’ ‘simon’ for ‘salmon,’ ‘hit’ for ‘it,’ and so on.” How deep his accent was would become very obvious when he met Glennis. Glennis only understood about every third word that he said. Still she was attracted to him, and that was an attraction that would last through World War II and even him being missing in action.

            During World War II, Chuck Yeager was shot down by the Germans over France and declared missing in action. He worked hard to stay hidden from the Germans and to find the French underground. He was injured by shrapnel on his hands, feet, and head. On a point to which I can relate, he used sulfa; I am allergic to sulfa. Yeager worked with the Maquis to get over the Pyrenees to Spain. I have yet to find out what happens next.