To read the tribute to SFC Marcus Muralles, please click here
Friday, September 30, 2005
The Danes Save Christmas... Sort of...
Well, I mean... it was the least they could do, considering it was their pilots who killed Rudolf!
The Danish Air Force said Thursday it paid about $5,000 in compensation to a part-time Santa Claus whose reindeer died of heart failure when two fighter jets roared over his farm.Wonder if Santa's going to be able to find another reindeer with a nose so bright... (h/t to Sir George over at the Rott)
The animal, named Rudolf, was grazing at the farm of Olavi Nikkanoff in central Denmark when the screaming F-16 jets passed overhead at low altitude in February. The reindeer collapsed and died, leaving Nikkanoff with the prospect of only one animal pulling his sleigh next Christmas...
"We got a letter from Santa complaining about his reindeer's death and looked into it seriously," air force spokesman Capt. Morten Jensen said. The air force checked flight data and veterinary reports and concluded the planes had caused the animal's death.
