Melvin Kahle wrote the book on how to crash land a jet fighter plane - literally.

And Robert "Scat" Scatterday remembers why he has U.S. Air Force and American flags in his yard.

The two Wheeling veterans see Veterans Day as a time to honor all current and former U.S. service men and women, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

During the late afternoon of July 8, 1960, then-Maj. Kahle worked as a navigator/radar intercept officer - a back seat crew member - in an F-101B fighter jet attached to the 444th Fighter Intercept Squadron at the Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Kahle and his fellow flyers normally did three flights per day, but Kahle was asked to make a fourth mission to run systems tests on the plane.

"After we got in the air, we discovered our main landing wheels were stuck in the closed position and we had no way to land," he said. "The plane's single front wheel was available, but the main wheels near the center of the plane were not."

He said Air Force personnel on the ground informed him and the pilot they should continue to fly around to burn out some fuel and give technicians time to figure out how to get the plane down safely.

"Finally they told us we had two options," Kahle said. "We could eject and allow the plane to crash into the ocean or attempt to land it in foam on the runway."

He said he and the pilot decided to land the plane.

Its underside touched down on the foam and slid 3,000 feet. The foam absorbed the impact and controlled sparks that could have ignited the plane. It also lubricated the runway and caused the jet to move faster than it would have with wheels.

"We got the end of the 11,000-foot runway before it came to a stop," he said. "I was not a smoker, but the first thing I did when I got out was to ask someone for a cigarette. I smoked it very quickly."

Kahle said the decision to land the plane saved the $12 million aircraft. It would be rebuilt and put back into service.

"As it turned out, I and the pilot were assigned to that same plane and we flew in it again," he said.

For his efforts, Kahle received an Air Force Commendation Award - but the experience left his heart more in tune with fellow veterans.

"That incident 50 years ago reminds me every day to remember all of our military personnel," he said. "I wish they could all come home as soon as possible. I pray for the families and loved ones of those who never came back."

Kahle said the Air Force had no protocol for crash landing that particular aircraft and, after the successful landing, the experience went into a book to be used for future incidents.

Scatterday, who also was an Air Force major, logged more than 4,000 hours in 136 combat missions over Vietnam. He piloted an F-4 Phantom 2 fighter jet from 1969-70 at the Tan Son Hnut Airbase in Saigon.

"I never crashed one, but there were some emergency situations," he said. "I remember three engine fires, a main landing gear tire failure and some electrical and hydraulic failures.

"I got hit once," he added. "It was the kind of battle damage you like because it was not discovered until after I landed."

Scatterday earned 15 ribbons and citations during his career as a "front seater," but he said he wishes he had never qualified for them. He tearfully remembers the dozen wing men who died during their missions alongside him.

"I highly value the tributes and thank-yous for my service time," he said. "But, the only thank-you I ever sought was a knowledge that all my guys got back - 12 did not."

Among Scatterday's awards are the Bronze Star, the Air Medal and the South Vietnamese Medal of Honor.

"The Medal of Honor is special because it was pinned on me by the country's Vice President Ky on my last day in the country," he said.

Scatterday - who's call sign was "Scat Back" in Air Force communications - also recalled why he has an Air Force and an American flag in the yard at his residence. He was base operations officer on duty when a heavily laden C-119K gun ship crashed during takeoff from Tan Son Hnut. Scatterday hurried to the crash scene and became a first responder. He pulled a man still strapped to his seat from the wreckage only to discover the man was dead.

"I found out later the Air Force had trouble locating his wife," Scatterday said. "As it turned out, this was to be his last mission and his wife was en route to Hawaii to meet him within the next few days. The flags in my yard are in honor of that man and his wife."