Beaver

AAFES sold guns until the late 80s.

I don't know what kind of prices they have on Glocks at the BX, but Glock offers some very good discounts to military if you buy direct from them. I have the order form if anyone is interested. [ 18. December 2006, 12:27: Message edited by: Beaver ]

It's "blivet" not "blibbet" From wikipedia: Military usage In traditional U.S. Army slang dating back to the Second World War, a blivet was defined as "ten pounds of manure in a five pound bag," (a proverbial description of anything egregiously ugly or unmanageable); it was applied to an unmanageable situation, a crucial but substandard or damaged tool, or a self-important person. In Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses, Rawlins defines a blivet as "10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound sack." During the Vietnam conflict, a heavy rubber bladder in which aircraft fuel or POL (petroleum, oil, and lubricants) was transported was known as a blivet, as was anything which, once unpacked, could not be replaced in its container. In various United States Air Force communities (eg Strategic Air Command), blivet may have referred to what are euphemistically called "Special Weapons" whose presence are officially neither confirmed nor denied. Usage apparently derived from the original cavalry definition. In some areas of the U.S., it refers to a juvenile prank, clearly connected with the original military usage: a sack full of excrement is ignited on the victim's porch, while the pranksters ring the doorbell and run. The victim attempts to put the flames out by stamping on the bag. This may also be related to the term's claimed use as military slang for a land-mine, not well-documented.

All this righteous indignation over medals is a little over-wrought. Be proud of what you do, happy with whatever medals come of it, and remember your best stories so you can tell your grandkids. Who gives a shit what a finance guy gets? You know what you did or didn't do. I got a single sortie air medal and I'm pretty proud of it. I got a bronze star that I'm a little less proud of. But I'm still glad to have it because there will always be a story behind it.

On formation solo in tweets I got so separated from my flight lead that I had to fly home alone. I hated tweet formation. I hated pilot training, period.

I G-Loc'd in Tweets when I was solo. Not recommended. At least I know what it feels like.

Apparently you guys are from a different era than me, but when you say "Uncle Jessie" I'm thinking Dukes of Hazzard, not Full House.

In the flying world the AF is not about building better leaders, it's about building better pilots. I didn't know jack shit about leadership before I became an ALO. I'd already done ROTC, ASBC, and SOS, and you know what I learned about leadership in those courses? Nothing. What little I know about it now I learned from my TSgt NCOIC. College degrees don't make you a leader. Neither does PME.

A bunch of my dudes have been awarded the Army's Combat Action Badge, but they aren't authorized to wear it on their uniform. The Army seems to be a doing a fairly good job limiting this to people who deserve it, I.E. direct fire contact, mortar attacks within lethal radius, etc. It would be nice if the AF had a wear policy for other service combat badges. [ 23. August 2006, 08:39: Message edited by: Beaver ]

I'm the ALO for 2BCT 101st Airborne Division. I hate this ****ing place.

The uniform queep isn't what the other services make fun of us about. The Army has waaay more reflective belt/pt uniform/haircut/uniform bullshit than the Air Force, and they are enforcing their silly policies in the actual war zone (no offense). And the worst part is in the Army Sgt Majors (E-9) are a dime a dozen and have no qualms about yelling at a Captain.

Airshows are the best place to make cash selling stuff. Don't sell Bad Dude T-shirts. Get some Korea specials so you can turn a profit.

I also stepped to a jet for an OIF sortie that didn't have an engine in it. They said they'd have it done in a hurry. I said no rush, take your time.

Panther: I know I'm a little late on this reply, but we were taught at Luke very specifically to rotate the probes to the 10/7 O'clock position. Apparently someone had them frozen or stuck full down and it cause a crash on take off (or something like that.)

Some people asked me for some words on what it's like to be an ALO. Here goes. I've been doing the ALO thing here in Baghdad for 5 months now. I work with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. Also known as the 502nd Infantry regiment, the "Five-oh-deuce." An awesome unit with a storied history. I have 3 real roles in the brigade. I am an Air Liaison Officer. My ALO tasks are basically just staff work. A brigade is the same echelon as an AF group, and I'm just another dork on the staff. I go to stupid meetings, I give briefings, etc. This is probably me least favorite part of the job. My second role is that of JTAC (joint terminal attack controller). This is the most "hooah" part of the job, but I'm not really doing anything "hooah." Generally I only control air from the ops center, IE inside a building, way inside the wire. I could go out on more missions, but that's not really my job, and I don't feel like I have anything to prove, unlike some other dorks on the staff. My third, and favorite role, is flight commander. I'm in charge of 7 TACPs from 19-35 years old. I decide what missions they go on, where they go, when they live, nearly every aspect of their lives. I make decisions every day that directly affect their lives. One of my teams hit an IED today coming back from a mission that I sent them on (they're ok.) I've been through ROTC, ASBC, and SOS, and I still knew jack shit about leadership until I actually started doing it. The Army and the Marines train people to lead, and I don't hold a candle an Army Company Commander. They employ 100 men as a weapon the same way I led a 4 ship of F-16s. Their leadership skills are very impressive. But I've learned a lot about leadership through actually doing it, and it is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I volunteered to stay in Iraq for a year. I'd hate to think of my guys over here fighting and having all the fun and awesome experiences while I was stuck at home doing bullshit work. Is an ALO assignment a broadening experience? I'll definitely say yes, but as a fighter pilot, you should keep your experience as narrow as possible as long as possible. I'm a better officer than I would have been, and I know I'm a better leader than most AF fighter pilots. But flying fighters is a highly technical business, and your skills atrophy when they aren't used. Staying in the cockpit is the only way to become the best pilot you can be. If there's anything else you want to know about being an ALO or being deployed to Iraq or an outsider's view of the army just let me know. It might take me a few days to reply, though.

Call me sir, goddamit!

That was the funniest post ever.^^^

Cool thing about the flying F-16: flying upside down at least once every sortie.

M1.5 in a Viper

I had a good bud at Misawa who's wife became a photographer while they were there. She ended up getting several back seat rides to take photos for Japanese aviation magazines.

Anybody find out if there are rooms available in Valdosta?

With the Panther's fighting them? They're going to get their asses kicked!! Ptooey!

In 03 a Japanese F-4 from Misawa scraped himself off the water Id'ing a boat. He flew it home with a dented up centerline tank.

Why are these the only jobs available to you?

That's exactly the point. You don't get to CHOOSE whether or not to associate with someone of a religion or political view that you disagree with if they are in your squadron. Your job is to put aside YOUR personal preferences and learn to live and work together. MEO isn't about offending the enemy; it's about offending your squadron buds.