...as any fan of this movie probably knows Peter Sellers was suppose to play the part that Slim Pickens played but couldn't due to an injury.
I can't imagine anyone (even Sellers) playing the part better than Pickens did.
If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do...you are misinformed---Mark Twain
Agreed. You'd have needed to have a stereotypical "cowboy" character for one of the military roles, and why not one in the front lines (in the jet)? Perfect casting.
http://www.stevegarry.ca
Dr.S. has been one of my major influences as a writer, and I've even written a couple of stories that mirror the story (and hopefully bring it a little up-to-date by making it about the War on Terror). I'm not looking to ping you for a sale, but you can preview them here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007V66ESS
and its sequel:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G7MPN06