Hero pilots?
Obama lied. Africans died.
They would be heroes if they had refused the mission.
Skilled pilots, brave pilots, yes. Hero Pilots? Seems to diminish the heroic efforts of pilots past.
That said, the B-2 is a white elephant designed for a threat of long ago. Note the 'special hangars' comment. It's been said that they can't be exposed to water and the elements on an extended basis because of the stealth treatment. It has also been said in print and on the web that its 'stealth' robustness isn't so robust for lower frequency radars....
So, whenever there's a war, they trot out the B-2 to fly halfway around the war for one mission, drop a few bombs and then fly home - mission successful and raison d'etre reconfirmed, so to speak. Shortly thereafter the rest of the fighters swoop in with the laser guided bombs, GPS bombs, ARMs, etc. and do the real job.
If I recall correctly, the last time B-2’s were used in strikes on some middle eastern dictator’s facilities, the mission was not described as “epic.”
But I guess if it’s authorized by the great hero 0bama, it must be a journey of Odyssean proportions.
In WWII this would have been called the ultimate milk run.
First thing that came to my mind as well...
God bless them for doing their job and coming back in one piece.