Shul graduated from East Carolina University in 1970 with a degree in history and anthropology. After graduation, for the next 20 years he served as an Air Force fighter pilot. During the Vietnam War, he flew 212 close air support missions. During one of these missions, Shul was shot down near the Cambodian border and was unable to eject, so he was forced to fly his plane into the jungle. He was severely burned in the crash. Shul was rescued by Special Forces and endured one year in military hospitals where he underwent 15 surgical procedures and was told he would never fly again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFJMs15sVSY
A tad long but worth the watch