HIGH FLIERS

GRAPEVINE, Tex. - Walking toward his F-14 fighter in a scene from the movie
"Top Gun," Tom Cruise yells, "I feel the need - the need for speed!" It's
important to note the speed he was referring to had to do with miles per
hour, not amphetamines.

A military hearing is under way for two F-16 pilots from the Illinois Air
National Guard who are facing court-martial and possible imprisonment for
mistakenly bombing Canadian soldiers, killing four, in Afghanistan last
April. Lawyers for the pilots say their clients' judgment was impaired by
the drug Dexedrine, an amphetamine the Air Force refers to as a "go pill,"
and that they were forced by their commanders to take these pills or face
disciplinary action.

During the Persian Gulf war, I was an Air Force captain and flew 30 combat
missions in the F-16, 27 at night. They lasted three to seven hours. Though
given the option, I didn't take a single go pill during the war, relying
instead on the adrenaline of combat. However, I did take seven Dexedrine
pills during our unit's initial deployment to the Middle East. I was in the
cockpit for 17 hours and the pills were extremely helpful in combating
fatigue. Some of us took them, others decided not to. It was an individual
choice supported by our commanders.

I understand what these two pilots were faced with. I too have dodged
surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. Needless to say, this
can be extremely stressful, not to mention exhausting. To help pilots in
single-seat fighters combat the effects of stress and fatigue, military
flight surgeons have the authority to prescribe amphetamines. The pills are
accounted for when dispensed; any that are unused are collected after each
mission. Pilots attend classroom lectures about the drug and undergo
testing to rule out psychotic problems or adverse reactions.

In the fog of war mistakes can occur resulting in the loss of life from
one's own side. But can we really blame medication for a poor decision? In
my experience and that of many of my fellow pilots, go pills enabled us to
be more alert and to better understand directions from controllers.

My heart goes out to the families of the Canadian soldiers who were killed
and injured. But unless it can be proved that the pilots willfully violated
orders or broke the rules of engagement, I think it's wrong to put them on
trial for mistakes made during combat operations. If these rules were in
fact broken, then let justice be served. But in any case, it should be the
pilots themselves under investigation, not the medication that has helped
many of us do a very difficult job better than than any other military in
the world.

Keith Rosenkranz is the author of "Vipers in the Storm: Diary of a Gulf War
Fighter Pilot."