#138 Desert Storm: F/A-18 Hornet Pilot Bob “Bags” Simeone
Podcast: The Afterburn PodcastPublished On: Sun Sep 21 2025
Description: In this episode of @AfterburnPodcast host John “Rain” Waters sits down with Bob “Bags” Simeone, a former Navy F/A-18 Hornet pilot who flew combat missions during Operation Desert Storm. From low-level strikes over Iraq to night tanking in icing conditions, Bags shares a raw, often hilarious, and deeply personal account of what it was like to be part of America’s return to high-end warfare after Vietnam. They dive into what deployment looked like aboard the USS America in the early ‘90s, the challenges of navigating pre-GPS cockpits, and the chaos of coordinating missions in a pre–Link 16 world. Bags recounts everything from near-diverts over Australia to accidentally bombing a Kuwaiti beach house to make Saddam think an amphibious assault was coming. Have a story? Want to Connect? Advertise? https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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