Bytor

Myself, I am about to retire form the Air Force after 24 years of service. I have been a crew chief my entire career, started out on KC-135's for the first 3 years at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan. Then became a C-130 crew chief for the last 21 at Pope AFB, NC., Sembach AB, Germany and Little Rock AFB, Arkansas.
In those last 24 years I have seen duty in 34 countries, some good and some not so good. But in all my travels I am glad to live in the good old USA.

Thermals

Mark

P.S. The First pic was taken at Mildenhall England along time ago. The second was taken infront of my old tail that I retired to the Boneyard around 1995, name is still on it....

khodges

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I did 8 years in the Useless Air Farce Actually, I enjoyed every minute of it, especially those sunny summer days at Charleston AFB, when we'd practice Chemical Warfare drills, wearing those light and airy felt-lined neoprene suits and gas masks with the ventilated full coverage hood, out on the black asphalt flight line behind a C-141 with its engines running; it was usually only about 95 degrees and 98% humidity, and we'd put the biggest guy in the squadron on a litter and take turns humping his ass in and out of the rear of the airplane. (Medevac).

Really, though, I did have a lot of fun, got to go to some cool places, although not as many as you, or for as long at a time. The best part of the job was, as soon as you got where you were going, offloaded and reported in, you were off duty, and the rest of the stay, up until showtime for departure, was all party. I was Reserve, but never saw it like the TV ads said (one weekend a month, two weeks every year). I was holding down a civilian job as an O.R. nurse, and still doing 10-15 days a month military time for the first 4 years. Medevac in the Air Force depended on the Reserves for 90 % of its total capability, so there was always time available and missions to fly. I went in at 32, the max age at the time to join; if I had it to do over, I would have gone in at 20 and stayed for 20, and gone Active duty instead of reserve. I still got the opportunity to serve, Just Cause, Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

GrnBrt

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Well let me be the first Army guy to jump in here. My avatar shows who I was with but in case you don't recognize it, it's the Army Special Forces. I was in 'Nam with the mos of 18b20, small arms expert, sniper. I was assigned to 5th group, 1st mike force, project Delta special ops A-125. The only places I got to spend any time in was bangkok (don't ask), Hong Kong, (rape and run) and the Army hospital in Japan. I decided to get out as I was tired of being shot at all the time and my mos was useless any where else in the world so it wasn't hard to figure out where I would spend most of my time. It was to say the least a learning experience and one that I wouldn't trade.

khodges

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Were you in the hospital in Japan because of Bangkok, or Hong Kong?. You must have done the special training required for those places on Hay Street in Fayetteville

GrnBrt

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ah no comment on Hay St as it might get me in trouble. Nope on Bangkok as went there for equipment that wasn't really allowed in country and flew air america, what trips they were. Hong Kong was R&R and Tokyo was for a 81MM that had my name kind of on it, ouch![]

khodges

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I kinda figured you'd know about Hay Street, don't think there's been a GI through Fort Dragg that don't have memories of it on Fri and Sat nites. I'm glad that mortar didn't get more than a piece of you. My cousin was a sniper in the Ist Cav, got a Bronze Star for taking out a VC mortar crew that was making life hell in their LZ, picked up an AK round a couple weeks later, but he made it out, too. Makes me real appreciative of you "tip of the spear" guys.

hattend

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I retired from the Air Force in 1997. Four years as a weapons mechanic (mind numbing boredom) and 16 years as a weather puke (very enjoyable).

Holloman AFB, NM 1977-1981
Chanute AFB, IL 1981-1982
Beale AFB, CA 1982-1984
Chanute AFB, IL 1984
Fort Riley, KS 1984-1985
Lajes Field, Azores 1985-1988
RAF Alconbury, England 1988-1991
March AFB, CA 1991-1993 (TDY to Riyadh, KSA twice during this time)
Campbell Barracks, Heidelberg, GE 1993-1995
Lajes Field, Azores 1995-1996
Beale AFB, CA 1996-1997

Don

CrazyHerb

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Hi Guys,

Active duty Air Force here (16 years, just reenlisted for my last 4).
First 8 years as Munitions Systems Technician now Comm-Computer Systems Operator (code name "the IT geek")

1989-1991 - Howard AFB, Panama (with a fun little deployment to Uruguay via Bolivia)
1991-1993 - Hill AFB, UT (back and forth from Sunny Point NWS, NC to Concord NWS, CA during that time)
1993-1996 - RAF Lakenheath, UK (deployments to Germany and Turkey)
1996-present (WHAT 8 years in one place??) - Beale AFB, CA (I've met Don "hattend" and he's one of the "good people" to know in this hobby, and life)(delployments to Saudii and Kuwiat too)

Gee...my list seems so short compared to Don's....and I'm sure many of you have a longer list than I.

As for the future....have an assignment to McChord AFB, WA where I plan on retiring in that area.
Looking for RC'rs in Tacoma/Olympia area to communicate with if your reading this!!

Attached a pic of Drew Carey and I hangin out back in 2001...and can you guess the airframe in the background?

Good off semi off topic-thread I'd like to meet more military RC pilots!!

CrazyHerb
www.crazyherb.com

GrnBrt

My Feedback: (5)

Looks like you're standing next to a predator, am I right??? What do I win???? Please don't say another expense paid trip back in time to 'Nam![X(][]

F-16WpnsTech

7 years, 11 months, and 20 days in the U.S.A.F. (but whose counting). I was a weapons tech on F-16's, loading anything and everything on that bird. Spent a year at Kunsan AF, Korea, loading countless munitions, and a few that, well, they said we didn't have over there! (You do the math). 3 and a half years at Shaw AFB, SC. Retrained into secure telecommunications maintenance (6 months worth at Lackland AFB, TX . . . returning as a buck Sgt was pretty cool). Then spent 3 years at McGuire AFB, NJ (ugh!). Best 8 years of my life. I've traveled throughout Asia and all over the U.S. The only place I was at in Europe was Bodo Air Station, Norway....one of the most beautiful places I've been. I was discharged on the day of the cease-fire - Desert Storm. I'm practicing law now and a military background comes in handy when I'm up against some nimrod attorney's, who still have milk around their lips, who don't know what life's all about. Peace out.

P.S. Anyone who spent time at the "Fire Empire" on the strip outside Clark AB, Phillipines, let me know.

hattend

My Feedback: (20)

Hey, I know that plane! was that in Kuwait or do they have those at Beale now? My friend at the Beale Weather Station was deployed to Kuwait with those things.

Congratulations on your upcoming assignment to McChord. When do you leave? I'm slowly losing all the people I had an excuse to visit Marysville/Yuba City. The modeling community at Beale is losing a true innovator when you leave. You're slick on the sticks and your designs are truly unique.

I have 2 more years up here then I'm retiring back to Redding. I don't think I told you, but I got married in September and the wife has a good job to support me with in Redding. LOL!! Well, someday, I may get to Nevada after all.

Later
Don

wvarn1957

My Feedback: (3)

USMC --1948 -- 1953. MAW1 flying F4Us off the Phillipine Sea for 21 months.

Been building and flying models since 1938. My first---

jneesy

US Navy 88-92 aviation electrician on f/a-18's and A-7E corsairs loved it and have always kinda regretted getting out

CrazyHerb

My Feedback: (1)

Correct!! Predator...while I was in Kuwait as well...good eyes guys...

Congradts on the marriage Don!! Snagged ya a sugar-mama eh?

We're trying to keep the club going here on base, hard to find people to step up to be club officers.

CrazyHerb

Gravityisnotmyfriend

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CrazyHerb, that's a cool picture with Drew Carey, but I was more impressed with the one of the Predator. Here's my story.
4 years active in the USAF. 3C051 some of the best years of my life. Lets see if I can remeber the dates.
June 97' - Aug 97' Lackland AFB TX
Aug 97'-Nov97' Keesler AFB MS
Nov97'-June01' Tyndall AFB FL
I also spent a 3 mos TDY in Aviano Italy and a 3 mos TDY in Ramstien Germany. The question of re-enlistment was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. I really did like the USAF, but I didn't really like my job toward the end. I didn't want to be a communications computer systems operator the rest of my life, so I decided to get out and take advantage of the GIBILL. I'm currently in my fourth year of engineering college, but I still tell stories of my Air Force days. I agree that this is a good thread, I was wondering how many military guys there were out there.

XB-70

Active duty Navy. I have been in for about 1.5 years. Im an Airframer currently on my shore duty at VP-30 (P-3 Orions) , NAS Jacksonville. Hey I have a question for all you Airforce guys why do your aircraft look so good. We are not allowed to paint or repaint aircraft on the basis of looks, only for protection from corrosion. Any other Navy P-3 ground pounders, aircrew, or Pilots out there it would be great to hear from you.[8D]

hattend

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90 day inspections, 120 day inspections, 6 month teardowns, annuals... At least it was like that when I was in a maintenance field before I got into weather. Tear it apart, clean it, and put it all back together again. Mind-numbingly boring and tedious. I heard the Navy only takes it apart when it's broken. I would have died for a maintenance schedule like that! LOL!!

That could be why the AF planes look so good. Plus the fact that they aren't out getting sprayed with salt water all the time could have something to do with it.

Thanks for your service.

Don

Planebeach

One year in the Royal Norwegian Air Force, based at Bardufoss Air Station in northern Norway. Meet a lot off RAF and US soldiers up there. Best service I could hoped for, getting close up to F-16s/F-5s/Harriers/F-15/Jaguars +++.

GrnBrt

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Only time I ever got close to any planes is when they flew over at mach dropping napalm and other nice types of ordinance. F-4 Phantoms, (love those planes). F-100's and ever wonderful Skyraider!!!!! Now I did ride on quite a few, C-47, C-130, C-123, Caribou, O1-E birddog as a second set of eyes for our FAC, damn scary![X(] A lot of times I took off in the plane but never landed as we took the quick way down and oh ya let's not forget the Huey, Chinook (better know as the *****hook) ah the memories! It's exactly 39 years today that I went into the Army, man where did the years go?????[]

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

Hey GrnBrt--I have a picture you might like from a book about the Birddog. It shows two guys in parachute gear hanging like bombs from the hardpoints on a Birddog's wings. Seems the 82nd Airborne experimented with this at some point (I think this is Korean era picture). At least you had enough sense to ride inside the plane. If I can upload it, I'll post it on this thread.

khodges

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Here it is, don't know what size it will upload to. If you can see it, can you imagine what kind of ride that was? At least until you were let go.

GrnBrt

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Holy flippin' horny toads and they say were crazy, well this just proves it![X(] It's looks way post Korea and yes I rode inside the plane.

khodges

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Here's a better view, I figured out how to enlarge it in my herd drive:

WorldTraveler

Well! Finally a subject I CAN reply/contribute to!. I spent 20 yrs, 3 mo. and 11 days, but again.....not counting. LOL. Let's see, after basic at Lackland:

1969-1971 Nellis AFB, NV F-4E's
1971-1972 Eielson AFB, AK F-4E
1972-1976 Bergstrom AFB, TX RF-4C's
1976-1979 Elmendorf AFB AK F-4E's and Transient Alert
1979-1981 Reese AFB TX T-38
1982-1983 Decimmonanu, Italy Maintenance Control supporting deployments
1983-1985 McChord AFB, WA F-106 and F-15A/B
1985-1988 Ahlhorn AB, Germany A-10A
1988-1989 Mt. Home AFB, ID F/EF-111A's

Then.......after retiring I had to go to work for a living, worked for McDonnell Douglas, First in Long Beach (18 Mo.), then 5 yrs in Saudi Arabia. Since 1997, I've been working for a contractor (Northrop/DynCorp) at Vance AFB, OK....working T-38's and T-1A Jayhawk. It ain't hell.......but it's only a 45 min. drive from here!

Clint Biediger
aka PhantomPhyxer/Eaglekeeper

saifullah21

best 4 1/ 2 years of my life. camp bondsteel, kosovo 2000
OIF with IMEF,2003, bless those devil dogs! and those guardsman that towed me and my buddy out after our humvee fell in a friggin hole.

GOD BLESS ALL YOU GUYS!!!!!!!