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The Afterburn Podcast

#138 Desert Storm: F/A-18 Hornet Pilot Bob “Bags” Simeone

The Afterburn Podcast

John "Rain" Waters

Military, Lifestyle, Aviation, Leisure, Society & Culture

4.91K Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Transcript

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0:00.0

Once we would head to Iraq and bomb, then we'd have to hit the tankers on the way back.

0:06.0

And this was kind of a free-frawl.

0:08.0

On the way up, but I will say the Air Force, it was unbelievable.

0:11.0

They were always on time, on station, ready to, you know, drag us about 100 miles and drag, you know, refueling into Iraq. But on the way back, it was a free fall. Just hit the tank. Find the tankers, hit the tankers and make it back to the boat. And that's where I thought I was going to die my glorious death. At first I thought, you know, if I'm going to play a glorious death brain, it's going to be like bags get hit. And I like i'm gonna come and cause you this as i'm wounded

0:37.5

just like in the movies into a into a facility and like your husband died of glorious death you know

0:42.5

kamikazeed it into the facility but then i as quickly realized here's how i'm probably going to die

0:47.7

i'm going to come back i'm going to be on a tanker and an a six is going to whack me because we're

0:53.0

you know we're 20 25 planes trying to join four tankers at night. A lot of times. And a lot of the planes didn't have radar. A6 had no radar. A7 had no radar. They're just joining visually. And we're all, it's just a free for all. And it's kind of like, man, I can't believe we even did this. And that's where, you know, you're just looking left and right on your other tank. You're like, hopefully somebody doesn't whack me.

1:11.0

And, um... They're like, man, I can't believe we even did this. And that's where, you know, you're just looking left and right on your own of tanker.

1:12.5

Like, hopefully somebody doesn't whack me.

1:27.7

And, yeah, you're married, your husband, he died. Gloria Steph, no, he died on the tanker. We blew up, and we, I think we saw him falling, you know, on flames. It wasn't that, or he's screaming, you know. But he was crying the whole way down. Right, not like, he's swearing his head off like, motherfucker.

1:31.0

It's a hard to play. He wasn't that. He was screaming, you know? But he was crying the whole way down.

1:27.8

He's swearing his head off.

1:29.8

Like, motherfucker.

1:42.0

The hour, my airspace has released you. We're only four, 11, 10, 40, 0,000, and 5, click off. Seatide, out 2-0-0-0-0. Clear for the airspace. Fire protection. Two, close me. by credit you laid.

1:43.6

On my program,

1:44.9

Kerrples at 3,5, 4.

1:46.5

So then, that's on.

1:47.4

Next time.

1:54.3

Thank you. check two on my program careful set three five four weeks so long as you don't do that we're fine we're fine but with that being said backs welcome man it's uh it's good to connect on here thanks for

1:59.9

having me i can't believe you have me,

2:01.3

but thank you. Well, I mean, I guess really our friendship only goes back about a month,

...

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