BACKBLAST
Anti-Aircraft Soldier
Filename: Menninger, Edward J.r
S/N: 000-6623-ME11r
Primary Military Speciality: Air Defence Artilleryr
Secondary Military Speciality: Signal Corpsr
Birthplace: New York, New York
Grade: E-5
Backblast grew up in a house next to one of the busiest airports in the world. His bedroom was directly under the landing path of incoming jets. At night, the landing lights from descending jumbo-jets would shine through the window and the vibrations would shake the pocket-change off his dresser. When asked his job preferences upon his enlistment, he answered, "Where can I go to shoot airplanes out of the sky?"
"You get your best shot at a ground attack aircraft when it's coming straight at you. Unfortunately, it usually fires everything it has in your direction. It's the job of the air-defence specialist to stand in the open with his launcher aimed at the incoming aircraft and wait for the lock-on signal before he can fire. I'm glad it is his job and not mine!".