Giora Epstein was an Israeli fighter pilot. A good one. A really good one. He is Israel’s top fighter ace of all time with 17 kills to his credit. So why name a blog in his honor?

When Giora joined the IDF in 1956 he was rejected from flight school due to a heart condition. He ended up being a paratrooper, but did not stop fighting to get into flight school. He was eventually admitted to flight school due solely to his persistence and determination. While in flight school, his colleagues called him “hawkeye” because he was able to spot enemy aircraft 24 miles away. Most pilots could only see 8 miles. He proved he was worthy of being a pilot in the IAF over the years by defending his country and scoring more kills than any other Israeli pilot. He once took on 11 enemy aircraft by himself, scoring 4 kills during the battle. He had the fifth in his sights when he had to return to base because he didn’t have enough fuel for the chase.

When being interviewed one could see that he had the utmost respect for his adversaries. He did not necessarily want to do them harm, but also knew what his duty and obligations were. One could also see his passion for flying, and tenacity for being the best.

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My name is Kevin Burke and I want to be like Giora. Not so much the pilot part or the killing, as I’m a bit of a pacifist. I want to be the warrior that Giora is. I want to have his vision; to see opportunities far away, before my competition. I want to have the killer instinct to follow through with the opportunity. I want to have the determination and stubbornness to not give up even with 11 fighter jets on my tail. I have diagnosed and lived with a heart ailment too. A weak heart. Though not physical, it’s barriers are much the same. I’ve had enough. I want in to flight school, and I will be a top ace.