Yeah, I had heard that from some helo drivers in our Division, but at 19 you feel pretty bulletproof and I was primed to go just for the experience.
However, I kept having this dream about being the last guy in Vietnam and forgetting to turn out the lights when I left. Probably would have gotten it taken out of my pay. As it was, I missed going over for the party by 3 days so I count every day as a blessing.
Sure would have loved to drive one of those Cobras or a Huey just for the experience. - Bob

Blue,

I once watched a TV program on A&E channel that delt with stressfull jobs.

Making a night landing on a carrier was Numero Uno when it came to creating stress.

Those guys are amazing!

Rick

Blue: Your're WRONG. We officers in general are a CHEAP bunch and since WE have to pay for our food, beleive me it wasn't near as good. better prepared? maybe and certainly a more "civilized" environment, but rhe food in the general mess IS better. Now when it comes to the CPO mess THAT is another matter alltogether. jorge

Judge,

You do realize that USMC doesnt stand for "United States Marine Corp", but the true meaning is "Uncle Sams Misguided Children"

If that was a Navy pool there would be a separate officer's slide.

Picture reminds me of area near Qua Viet - upper east corner of South Vietnam. iS That South China Sea in background?

They have DCU Kevlar covers on. That leads me to belive that they are along one of the major rivers in the gulf region. But all that mud makes me wonder where they are.

While I was in Basic in '72, I had an opportunity to go to helicopter pilot school (and attendant officer school). For some stupid reason, I thought staying an 11B was a better gig at the end of that little tea party across the pond and I wasn't eager to extend 4 years for the priviledge.

In the end, I ended up in a unit that trained for winter cold weather situations, including skiing since I skiied before I went into the service.
So, six to nine months of the year I was like the guys in the mud and rain pictures. The other time (winter) I was a ski instructor at Fort Lewis, Washington and at Garmish, Germany. Got to ski with the then US Ski team a couple times, and got lots of free ski time after the lessons were over.
Of course, going back to the unit after that was hell but it was worth it.
I still sometimes wonder if I screwed up not taking the helo training and commission, though.- Bob

JCN and Rick-
You got that right. I was a nervous wreck while my son was in the Marines. He was stationed in Belgrade as an embassy guard just before the bombing started and had to accompany/protect the ambassadors as we evacuated the embassy just ahead of the bombing. My wife and I aged about 10 years wondering what was going on until he was out and safe.
For those who complain about kids of today I just point out what these kids do for us every day around the world to help us keep our freedoms. They make us proud- that is for damn sure- Bob

Hey Judge,
I just wanted a job with hot food and a warm shitter. F-4's, then F-16's. Were you A-4's/F-4's? Those carrier decks are too small to land on. Any damn fool knows that.
The Marines have traditionally flown the best close air support. In the Air Force we did have the warmest shitters, that's a fact.
Those grunts in the picture are actually in sunny northwestern Iraq.
It is an officer's party. It is only a wading pool.

I think Rick0311 said it best: It was a lot easier being a soldier than it now is watching our kids go do it.

Hey Bob,
You did the right thing. All those shot up, beat to shit choppers kept falling out of the skies during the 1970's. They had to buy the CrashHawks because there weren't any Slicks left.

I cut my teeth on hueys (wrenching, and crewing, but not piloting) and I love that airframe. That said, the H-60 airframe has come a long way since it was designed in the early to mid seventies, and deployed in the early eighties.

The USCG has operated them since 1990 or so, and not a single one has crashed. And, they do rack up serious hour per airframe! The first huey I crewed was a 1964 converted 'D' model, and that was in 1984. It had fewer than 3000 hours on it. The last HH-60J I worked had over 6000hrs, and was made in the early 1990's. I do recall a single forced landing, when a main rotor blade tip cap decided to depart scene, and took a major part of the trailing edge with it. But the crew still flew it several miles to a rocky beach, despite not being able to read the instrument due to vibration. In another case, a lightening strike destroyed a tail rotor blade (one of four) to the point that only the spar was left. While the crew knew something had happened, they flew it home and didn't realize the amount of damage till the rotors stopped.

I can't recall how many time the pilots would be practicing single engine running landings, only to end up in a hover rather than on deck. The H60 is a powerful and tough helo, even if it's not my favorite.

Hey M1:

I said that cuz I was Army. When I was a CO we did some work for the Coast Guard. I was eating with my guys and some Coastie came up and told me that I could not eat there. I asked why not. He said "You are in the enlisted area."

Coming back from one of those missions (we were blowing up an unlit tower on the island of Sitkinak, AK) we landed at the Kodiak CGAS. I was flying commercial back to Anchorage, so I asked the crew chief where I could shower. He said, "There is a shower over there, but don't let anyone see you in uniform cuz it is enlisted."

Can you believe that? Strange.

In the Navy the officers and NCOs can cut in line, exactly the opposite of the Army, where you make sure the guys doing the work eat first.

I'll have to dig through my cigar boxes of photos and dig mine up. We use to do the inflatable pool thing as we went through the "ditch , aka the Suez Canal. At the same time we'd have "ditch olympics", relay races, 5ks, etc on the flight deck. The tail markings on the jet("NK") indicate a West Coast oufit. Although I'm still "in" my last deployment was in 02 on the John F. Kennedy in support of Enduring Freedom. I miss it. Maybe the buffalo hunt next summer will satiate my desire for a thrill to equal night "cat" shots and carrier landings. Somehow I doubt it. Regardless, I'm glad I was "there" for those blessed souls in the first picture. The man with the bayonet is still what it's all about. jorge

AZ: What you are saying is not entirely accurate. While it is true that we are a bit more "Patrician" than you doggies, shipboard life is an entirely different affair. We don't have to "cut in line" to eat on the ship, we have a "wardroom" totally separate from the sailors, and before officer's meals are served, all must be in order in the enlisted mess. Moreover, we PAY for our own meals and as a matter of course,the food in the enlisted mess is better. We CAN however, cut in line when it comes to say, getting a haircut, cashing a check, etc ON BOARD the ship only. We have basically the same philosophy, just an entirely different atmosphere based on shipboard conditions and naval traditions. I also had my own stateroom and head, while the sailors had common showers, etc. Not to worry alot of that is changing as the Navy is unfortunately getting more "communist" which each passing year. The fine line between officers and enlisted gets "blurrier" every day. jorge