F-16 Pilot Overcomes Cancer, Red Tape to Return to the Skies
June 26, 2023 | By David Roza
Pilot callsigns can take the form of good-natured jokes, obscure references, or easy-to-recall nicknames. But for Capt. Charles Boynton, an F-16 pilot at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., it’s a reminder of everything he’s gone through to get back in the cockpit
Dubbed “Atlas” after the figure in Greek mythology tasked with carrying the sky on his shoulders, Boynton has spent the past five years or so battling first cancer, then bureaucratic red tape.
“There’s a sense of respect about a call sign that equalizes everyone and usually addresses something you’ve done in the past, good or bad,” Boynton said in a press release about his new callsign.
The 20th Fighter Wing, to which Boynton is assigned, provided additional details on Boynton’s experience to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/f-16-pilot-cancer-red-tape/
