Puff, the Magic Dragon racism… Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree." During the Vietnam War the AC-47 Spooky gunship was nicknamed the "Dragon" or "Dragon ship" by the Americans because of its armament and firepower—the nickname soon caught on, and one website without primary citations indicates that the American troops began to call the AC-47 "Puff the Magic Dragon". Robert Mason's "Chickenhawk" states, in reference to the Peter, Paul and Mary song playing on a turntable: ""Puff the Magic Dragon" was making me uncomfortable. It was the saccharine song that had inspired the naming of the murderous Gatling-gun-armed C-47s. I couldn’t listen." Elon
The Reluctant Dragon (short story) The Reluctant Dragon (short story) "The Reluctant Dragon" is an 1898 children's story by Kenneth Grahame, originally published as a chapter in his book "Dream Days". It is Grahame's most famous short story, arguably better known than "Dream Days" itself or the related "The Golden Age". It can be seen as a prototype to most modern stories in which the dragon is a sympathetic character rather than a threat. The story takes place in the Berkshire Downs in Oxfordshire (where the author lived and where, according to legend, St. George did fight a dragon). In Grahame's story, a young boy