Actually, during WW II and the Vietnam and Korean wars, it was not at all
uncommon for base commanders and other commanders to fly missions -- even
dangerous ones -- to a) maintain the trust and respect of their pilots, b) to
survey the situation personally in order to make the right judgments on
mission objectives, and c) to maintain flight pay and full flight
classification on new equipment. Remember, in the military, the amount of
time you spend in combat situations is *directly* proportional to career
advancement and promotion, which is why women pilots have been rightly
clamoring to be allowed into combat missions; otherwise they can't rise in the
ranks.

jms