07 September 2004, 05:44
M1TankerRe: Why I quit being a grunt and became a pilot
Quote:
The F-4 looked like a Rhino designed by a comittee. / I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I never talk about my military days in my day to day life. My best friend in the world was a guy I met in the 82nd Abn Div as a zit-faced 18 year old. How many people do you know that you would trust to cover your back/6?
JCN
How can you say that about such a beauty?!!!! She reminds me of the old farm girl philosophy: can work all day long, gets the job done, pleasing to look at, and a darn good roll in the hay. The F15, 16, and 18 are all like the head cheer leaders: pretty to look at but a bitch to be around.
The ugly award has to go to the A10, but I sure love that plane. It is a tankers worst nightmare if you are on the receiving end.
I am still in so I dont have much choice but to have my military days be a major topic of discussion. I do my best though to leave everything at the unit and not drag it back home with me when I come home.
My best friend for life is a fellow soldier I met as a trainee. We can argue until we are red in the face and laugh at each other the next minute. There isnt anyone I would rather have at my back.
06 September 2004, 08:49
AnotherAZWriterThe F5? Sure you didn't miss a "1" in that number? I could see the F15 being a good looking plane, but the F5????
It its day, the P51 gets my vote.
06 September 2004, 19:24
lawndartAwesome pictures Alf! I made a fair number of civilian jumps out of Dakotas, but never a military jump.
Real food always beats canned or bagged rations.
The F-5 was the most classicaly styled jet fighter. The F-4 looked like a Rhino designed by a comittee. The F-15 is like a Cadillac, they are pretty spacious in the cockpit. Flying the F-16 always made me feel like I was on a "magic carpet". The seat is reclined, and very high and forward. You have to crane your neck around to see the wings, and the nose drops down out of view. It is a good bombing platform, a great dog fighting machine, and terrible for close air support - too fast.
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I never talk about my military days in my day to day life. My best friend in the world was a guy I met in the 82nd Abn Div as a zit-faced 18 year old. How many people do you know that you would trust to cover your back/6?
JCN
31 August 2004, 15:45
AnotherAZWriterRemind me of Brimfrost exercises in Alaska - the aviators' shithouse was heated and had good reading material.
31 August 2004, 15:56
M1TankerBeing a tanker I had life pretty good. The tankers motto of "Death before dismount!!!" was for good reason. It was real nice to have your own personal MRE heater and the worlds largest hair dryer (the turbine exhaust in both cases). On one mission we ended up spending 2 full days going from one infantry position to the next so the wet, frozen, and soggy grunts could warm up and dry out in our exhaust plume. Those boys were darn happy to smell like JP8 exhaust fumes for the chance of drying out and warming up.
I have 4 cousins who went Navy. All 4 went officer and one went aviator. We were all together for the first time at my Grandmothers funeral this summer. It made for a lot of jokes and kidding between us all. It was a lot of fun.
31 August 2004, 16:03
rootbeerMay God Bless and protect those boys in the mudhole for doing what they do so that we here at home can go to Walmart with no fears for our safety. John Kerry has no right to stand in their shadow.
31 August 2004, 16:02
teal325Those are probably chiefs in the pool.
Officers would have a slide and a margarita bar.
All in fun gentelmen!
31 August 2004, 16:15
JudgeGThe selfish s.o.b. I am, I forgot to add the most important comment:
The only reason I was a Marine Aviator was to support, in every way, those poor, brave, two-mile-an-hour guys on the ground. They were, and are, the best! God bless every one. I wish I had their courage, but I didn't.
From the bottom of my heart, Semper Fi, you ass-kicking brothers.
