Guns Are Where It’s At, says retired Marine Lt. Col. Tim “Monk” Miller, and he would know. He’s a TOPGUN graduate, a former Hornet squadron CO, and a 23-year Marine.
However, his So There I Was moment has nothing to do with guns. It’s 2006, at night, six hours into an F/A-18D sortie over Ramadi. Monk admits he’s a jerky sleeper.
He dozed off with his hand near the ejection handle. Then he jerked awake, millimeters from pulling it. His WSO later offered the finest crew coordination advice ever recorded: “I take micro naps too. But we just can’t both sleep at the same time.”
Actually, the career behind that moment is a ride. Monk hit OCS in 2001, and 9/11 happened during TBS. Next came Leatherneck at the Naval Academy, T-34s at Whiting, and two years of T-2s and golf in Meridian.
Then came West Coast Hornets with the Green Knights of VMFA(AW)-121. Furthermore, he flew Australian Hornets on exchange. There, “random maneuvering for weather” was requested under cloudless skies.
Later he instructed at MAWTS-1 and commanded VMFA-115. He took the squadron to Finland, then Red Flag, then a surprise Christmas Eve launch to Saudi Arabia. Kemo joins RePete as guest co-host, bringing F-5 tales and a Yort story.
Why Guns Are Where It’s At in the Strike Fighter League
After retiring, Monk watched Gran Turismo with his kids. His thought: do that in reverse. The result is the Strike Fighter League, a competitive air combat league flown in Digital Combat Simulator.
The rule set is “gravity only,” meaning bullets and dumb bombs. Pilots first fly scored trials: low-level flying, hitting ground targets, and hitting air targets. Top finishers advance to a guns-only dogfight bracket.
Each matchup is a three-set series of high-aspect fights with a high and low altitude split. Consequently, the talent pool is global. The online tournaments have drawn competitors from 36 countries, streamed live on YouTube and Twitch.
The Hornet and Viper come first. Warbirds like the Spitfire and Mustang follow, and yes, there’s a Corsair. The Live Professional Series build starts in 2027, using motion rigs weighing a couple thousand pounds.
The first live invitational is targeted for late 2027 in Las Vegas. Berlin, Dubai, Seoul, and Miami are on the roadmap. Monk’s pitch: a tech convention, an air show, and a UFC fight in one.
The league also gives back. Its Legacy Fund dedicates a portion of proceeds to The Wingman Foundation, Project Recover, and the Splash 3 Foundation.
The next Online Tournament Series event, OTS-3, streams December 5 at 1600Z, which is 11 a.m. Eastern. Register to compete or sign up as an enthusiast at https://the-sfl.com/Home/sfl-homepage-v1.html
Watch the SFL Heritage Films
The SFL makes an original heritage film for every competition. Turn your speakers up.
Nickel on the Grass (OTS-1): Phil Handley’s supersonic F-4 guns kill, rebuilt in DCS with his own radio calls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-hQrOJmRoc
Ambush (OTS-1): The split-second decisions that define the fighter pilot’s craft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRlPKlzx0so
CITGO (OTS-2): F-15Cs versus MiG-29s in Desert Storm, 1991.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pKLev294h4
Full film archive: https://the-sfl.com/Watch/sfl-watch-v1.html#films
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Strike Fighter League: https://the-sfl.com, plus YouTube and Twitch.
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