Worst TDY spot

[PlanePhlyer]

Well during an IR route survey Ive found myself drinking at the crappiest bar in Farmington NM. I feel like Ive gone back in time. No offense to anybody who is from here. That's all I wanted to get off my chest. Cheers to me!

[Day Man]

besides Spokane?

there's a sweet brewpub in Farmington i've been too...not that bad.

[Champ Kind]

With a good crew and some beverages, any TDY can be awesome, despite the location.

[outbreak]

With a good crew and some beverages, any TDY can be awesome, despite the location.

+1

[Spoo]

Broke a jet in Yuma. 'Nuff said.

Masirah, Oman - best TDY ever. That was back in 2001-02. Germans set up a beer hall in a tent. No shit, marble bar and everything. Too many stories, don't know where to start. F-ing awesome flying. Lots of killing. Watched my DO hang a phone up for a shoe with diarrhea of the mouth, about kicked his ass. Awesome. Back when you could get away with that...

Edited April 11, 2009 by Spoo

[Guest SATCOM]

+1

Plus Dos...been to a lot of crappy locales, but with tight bro's and plenty of Bourbon/Beer, any place is G2G.

[lloyd christmas]

+3 That is why I always take my cooler full of beer prior to leaving home station...you never know where you will end up. Some of the best TDY times I have had have been drinking cans of cold beer on the back of the Herc.

[Champ Kind]

Some of the best TDY times I have had have been drinking cans of cold beer on the back of the Herc.

Or at some flea-bag motel in Po Dunk, Wherever.

[PlanePhlyer]

It's tough when your with a civilian airspace office dude who goes to bed at 1900! Fat tires are flowing quite nicely!

[Bravo Kilo]

Watched my DO hang a phone up for a shoe with diarrhea of the mouth, about kicked his ass. Awesome. Back when you could get away with that...

Would that have been TF-Seth????

[Spoo]

Would that have been TF-Seth????

Nah - deployed DO - D'arg. Very impressive. Never wanted to piss that guy off.

[afnav]

Best TDY ever: A month at MacDill with a furnished apartment, car, and cell phone (back when they were uncommon).

Worst TDY ever: I think I might start it next Thursday (365 to the Deid).

[amcflyboy]

Best TDY ever: A month at MacDill with a furnished apartment, car, and cell phone (back when they were uncommon).

Worst TDY ever: I think I might start it next Thursday (365 to the Deid).

Oh man...hang in there bro! I know you mentioned it a while back.

[brickhistory]

Worst TDY ever: I think I might start it next Thursday (365 to the Deid).

That's not a TDY, that's a felony-length sentence.

[OverTQ]

That's not a TDY, that's a felony-length sentence.

Alright, you guys kille me with all this "How bad the Deid" is. I went there for my time to chunk the CAOC monkey. It was a blast. You could go off base every night. 3 beers a day, yeah right. The tenders who were also CPTs. Every day at the swiming pool. AND combat pay! Spa for Army for an Army guy.

[afnav]

Alright, you guys kille me with all this "How bad the Deid" is. I went there for my time to chunk the CAOC monkey. It was a blast. You could go off base every night. 3 beers a day, yeah right. The tenders who were also CPTs. Every day at the swiming pool. AND combat pay! Spa for Army for an Army guy.

True, I'm sure there are a few creature comforts that will do a reasonable job of reducing the suck factor.

However, for a washed-up old guy with five young kids at home, it will be painful. The Limnadia exercise by the SNCO mutawa will pale in comparison to what my wife and children will have to endure. It sucks, but it's my job for 2 1/2 more years.

And yes, I'm sure it's better than what the Army guys have to put up with, but there is a reason I didn't join the Army.

[Guest Form 8]

Roswell, NM

[HeloDude]

True, I'm sure there are a few creature comforts that will do a reasonable job of reducing the suck factor.

However, for a washed-up old guy with five young kids at home, it will be painful. The Limnadia exercise by the SNCO mutawa will pale in comparison to what my wife and children will have to endure. It sucks, but it's my job for 2 1/2 more years.

And yes, I'm sure it's better than what the Army guys have to put up with, but there is a reason I didn't join the Army.

I hear you man on the having to be away from your kids, that's got to be rough. But from what you're saying, that would make it suck no matter where they would send you for a year if your family couldn't come along.

The Died is paradise compared to where some others (myself included) are doing their 365's--and we're not in the Army either. I'd count your blessings you didn't get sent to Iraq or Afghanistan for a 365. In Qatar you can drink 3 beers a day, you'll get a hardened billet, nice BX, much nicer base, and you can actually go out into to Doha--all while still getting your tax free and combat pay. Doesn't sound too bad at all considering.

But seriously man, best of luck to you and I hope your year goes by quickly. 1 year is a long time to be away. Stay safe.

[brickhistory]

A 365 TDY, is by every other definition, a short tour PCS.

Calling it a TDY is crap. Thus my "felony" connotation.

[afnav]

I hear you man on the having to be away from your kids, that's got to be rough. But from what you're saying, that would make it suck no matter where they would send you for a year if your family couldn't come along.

The Died is paradise compared to where some others (myself included) are doing their 365's--and we're not in the Army either. I'd count your blessings you didn't get sent to Iraq or Afghanistan for a 365. In Qatar you can drink 3 beers a day, you'll get a hardened billet, nice BX, much nicer base, and you can actually go out into to Doha--all while still getting your tax free and combat pay. Doesn't sound too bad at all considering.

But seriously man, best of luck to you and I hope your year goes by quickly. 1 year is a long time to be away. Stay safe.

God, don't get me started on the 365 thing. AFPC violates so many of their own rules for them that the whole thing has become an abortion. At least the Army gives you a year to get ready for deployment, instead of three weeks. Unless you are a vol, you will get the minimum of notice.

I hear you about the living conditions at the Deid, and they are probably good. That is probably the only thing going for it in my book.

However, as someone whose ALO assignments have been refused THREE (3) times, posh living in a "war zone" isn't one of my priorities. I have camped out in temps from -15 to 105 in rain, shine, and snow. I have camped out under tanks, halftracks, tents, and shelter halves in the rain. The mission is what drew me to try to become an ALO. I would be more than happy to trade my Deid 365 for one in Iraq or Afghanistan right now.

I did the 'static ops' thing for OPC/ONW/OSW for YEARS. A person can only wash away the "you must tuck in your t-shirt because we are in a combat zone" bullshit with near beer for so long. From the information I've read on the Deid second-hand, the place has been turned into a Limnadia camp by those who have never been anywhere near combat, and the leadership has allowed it to happen in the interests of keeping a firm control on the population. This is what happens when the mission has become secondary to "support" for the mission. On Diego at the beginning of OIF, the leadership was too busy fighting a war to let the queep to get out of control. It was only after the "Mission Accomplished" speech that the support bosses took over the mission side of the wing, but they were kept in check by the Navy and the Brits who owned the place. There is no such check to their power at the Deid. In fact, the Qataris probably laugh at the silliness we inflict on ourselves.

I am hoping to God that I'm wrong about the place. I'll let you know Friday morning.

[sputnik]

... I would be more than happy to trade my Deid 365 for one in Iraq or Afghanistan right now.

I'm with you brother. Did deployments with Army to both Afghanistan and Iraq. During both I had reason to visit 'Died. First thought was always, "my god I can't wait to get the fuck out of here and back to ___."

The worst thing about the 'Died is that it sucks for absolutely no fucking reason. There's nothing dangerous, no reason whatsoever that you're not staying at the Intercontinental downtown instead.

[Dead Last]

I'm with you brother. Did deployments with Army to both Afghanistan and Iraq. During both I had reason to visit 'Died. First thought was always, "my god I can't wait to get the ###### out of here and back to ___."

The worst thing about the 'Died is that it sucks for absolutely no ######ing reason. There's nothing dangerous, no reason whatsoever that you're not staying at the Intercontinental downtown instead.

Back in a previous life my crew and I had to pick up a broken airplane from the Deid and fly it back to Balad, and we were actually looking forward to getting back to Mortaritaville, it wasn't worth the 3 beers that we got due to a rolling etic and an ultra decisive AMD and the unnecessary ass pain of in/out processing the Deid and dealing with the REMF's.

cheers

[Born a Longhorn]

I don't see how Thule AB, Greenland doesn't win this one.

[BQZip01]

I don't see how Thule AB, Greenland doesn't win this one.

My votes go for...

#1 Fairchild AFB SERE School - I'm thinking the 'Deid looks pretty nice during those three weeks!

#2 Earickson Naval Air Station (formerly known as Shemya AFB) - 100% truth: there is a pretty girl behind every tree...then you arrive and realize there no trees on the 4 sq mile island surrounded by the Bering Sea and the North Pacific. 50 knot sustained winds and zero visibility fog are relatively common.

#3 Thule - For crying out loud, a bomber carrying nukes crashed out there and the guys said, "I don't care if the whales start walking upright. It's just too damn cold to go do anything about it!"...sentiment is ongoing since the 60s...

#4 The 'Deid - Wait a minute...didn't you just say... Yes I did, but the administrative bullshit is over-the-top insane out there. It is the best spot in the AOR for amenities, even when we were living in tents, but the insanity has to stop before it's pulled off of MY list. Step one: prevent the Wing Shirt from sending out any more e-mails starting with "Fellow shirts: seven of us are going over to the living areas to inspect people for uniform violations. There's still room for more if you want to come with us!" Solution: cut the base population by 30% and make people work 12 hours a day 7 days a week! They'll be too tired to make any serious trouble.

#5 Any AETC base: Apparently they are taking cues from the Deid....

[jango220]

I don't see how Thule AB, Greenland doesn't win this one.

Thule is completely dependent on the date and length of time you are there. If you are there anytime during July-August for up to 2 weeks, like I was, it's fantastic! Great sights, awesome food, lots of distractions, etc etc. But then you start realizing that there are storm survival kits everywhere, and you hear horror stories of people being trapped in buildings for up to a week during a bad storm. Toss in the 24/7 darkness for 4 months a year and -40 temps, and yeah, starts to suck a little bit. But hey, at least global warming has kept the polar bears away recently.