M2 Posted December 22, 2004 Posted December 22, 2004 GUNNER PALACE reveals the complex realities of the situation in Iraq not seen on the nightly news. Told first-hand by our troops, 'Gunner Palace' presents a thought provoking portrait of a dangerous and chaotic war that is personal, highly emotional, sometimes disturbing, surprisingly amusing ... and thoroughly fascinating. Filmmaker Michael Tucker, who lived with 2/3 Field Artillery, a.k.a. "The Gunners" for two months, captures the lives and humanity of these soldiers whose barracks are the bombed-out pleasure palace of Uday Hussein (nicknamed Gunner Palace), situated in the heart of the most volatile section of Baghdad. With total access to all operations and activities, Tucker's insider footage provides a rare look at the day-to-day lives of these soldiers on the ground -- whether swimming in Uday's pool and playing golf on his putting green or executing raids on suspected terrorists, enduring roadside bombs, mortar attacks, RPGs and snipers. You can visit the web site here, or watch or download the 4.65MB trailer here. Cheers! M2
Scooter14 Posted December 22, 2004 Posted December 22, 2004 Now THIS is a documentary I would pay money to watch.
Guest Air_chompers Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 No Alferd E. Newman looks like this [ 22. December 2004, 21:00: Message edited by: Tyler ]
Flare Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 Originally posted by Tyler: No Alferd E. Newman looks like this This is totally just a hunch, but I'm guessing that's really a picture of Tyler.
Guest Air_chompers Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 good guess... Now you know the real me*... *Please note that this is a novelty and is not to be used for official purposes. BTW nice plane Hacker [ 22. December 2004, 22:49: Message edited by: Tyler ]
Hacker Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 Originally posted by Tyler: BTW nice plane Hacker What, no comments on the cool combat 'stache or the really bad grown-out-shaved-cranium chia look?
M2 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Posted December 23, 2004 Hacker I know I've said it before but I gotta sy it again, that's some sweet noseart on that bird! Good on ya for keeping Gentile's name and the 4FG tradition going! Cheers! M2 p.s. Cheesy 'stache...good on ya!
M2 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Posted December 23, 2004 Talk about cheesy 'staches, I found this pic while doing some reading at SOS and had to scan it in. Bonus points for naming the three amigos pic'd here, and what positions they would eventually reach. I've blacked out their nametags to keep it from being too simple. Two are easy, one's a bit tougher... BTW Hacker, how did Tyler get your pic? :confused: Cheers! M2
HerkDerka Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 Far right has got to be old Ronnie Fogleman former CSAF. I have no clue on the other two. Middle guy might be former ACC/CC Richard Hawley, but that's a guess. HD
Hacker Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 Originally posted by MajorMadMax: Bonus points for naming the three amigos pic'd here, and what positions they would eventually reach.I'm gonna vote Creech, McPeak, and Fogleman. Creech was TAC/CC and the other two CSAFs. Originally posted by MajorMadMax: BTW Hacker, how did Tyler get your pic? :confused: From the looks of the link, it's from some photos I have posted over at the Warbirds Information Exchange website, where I'm also a frequent contributor (because I'm not only a big geek about current military aviation, but a warbird buff too!)
M2 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Posted December 23, 2004 HD That's one ID'd. Surprised you don't regonize the guy in the middle. The dude on the left is the toughest to ID...but if you were in TAC in the mid-80's, you'd know him based on a certain color...(hint hint). Cheers! M2
Hacker Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 Originally posted by MajorMadMax: that's some sweet noseart on that bird! Good on ya for keeping Gentile's name and the 4FG tradition going!Thanks...that's something that I don't see a whole lot of among USAF pilots -- a real interest in the history. I was amazed that guys in my squadron (and even in the rest of the 4FW) just didn't have an appreciation for the importance of the units they were assigned to and the amazing historical accomplishments. As an example, when I was first sketching out the "Shangri-La II" artwork on the nose of the airplane, you wouldn't believe how many people asked me, "hey, how come you're putting the 334th emblem [the boxing eagle] up there?" None of them realized that the emblem was on a very historically significant and well-known 336th FS airplane, and only later on did the boxing eagle become the squadron emblem of the 334th. Here's another little geeky tidbit for ya -- that P-51D that you have pictured (well, not that *exact* one...) is Gentile's Mustang that he used during his stateside war bond promotional tour. The *real* Shangri-La crashed at Debden on her last flight and was bulldozed into a field!
M2 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Posted December 23, 2004 Score three for Hacker, your answer came in while I was replying to HD. The tough one to ID was retired four-star Gen Wilbur L. "Bill" Creech, who in the 1970s turned around the languishing TAC and oversaw the development of such modern air weaponry as the F-117 stealth fighter. Creech passed away on 26 Aug 2003, age 76. The picture above was while he was DO for the 37 TFW at Phu Cat Air Base, Vietnam. Later, while TAC/CC, TAC bases were covered in "Creech Brown"...rumour had it that it was his wife's idea... Good on ya! Cheers! M2
M2 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Posted December 23, 2004 Yeah, Gentile was buzzing some reporters at Debden when he went a little too low. There are pics of it in Grover Hall's book, which I picked up at Moron AB in Spain while TDY back in the early 80's. That book is coming apart at the seams, it has been read so many times. I have several other books on the 4 FG, including Goodson's and Gover's. Those guys lead some exciting lives, first as RAF Eagle pilot's then later flying P-47's and eventually P-51's. Makes for some great reading! I think the original design of the boxing eagle was on a Hawker flown by Wendell Pendleton, that from The Eagles' War (pg 98) by Vern Haugland. Cheers! M2
M2 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Posted December 23, 2004 Forgot to mention, I went by Debden last October while over in the UK on my motorcycle. The area around Saffron Walden is beautiful, it probably hasn't changed much over the past 60 years. The base is now a British Army munitions base (Carver Barracks), but the airfield is still in tact. You can see it here. There is a memorial to the 4 FG at the gate. Cheers! M2
M2 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Posted December 23, 2004 This is a better pic of the "real" Shangri-La, with Johnny Godfrey, who usually flew Gentile's wing, taken from the back cover of Airmman magazine about ten years ago. I framed it and hung it behind my desk. Sorry it isn't that sharp, the scan doesn't do it justice! Cheers! M2
Guest Air_chompers Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 on a side note type majormadmax in to google and get a suprise.
M2 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Posted December 23, 2004 Tyler You must really be bored to be doing internet searches on my nickname...but nothing suprising there, just a few of the forums I frequent (including this one and a few motorcycle ones). Go back to harassing Hacker! :D Cheers! M2
Gravedigger Posted December 23, 2004 Posted December 23, 2004 Hacker, do you know who flies the new Shangri-La P-51? I think I've seen it before, but can't remember who was flying.
Hacker Posted December 24, 2004 Posted December 24, 2004 I know that airplane (44-72934) used to be over in the UK, but apparently it's in Mexico now. Not sure who the pilot is on the airshow circuit Check it: https://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/survi.../44-72934.shtml https://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/p51-4472934.html On a related note, there used to be a P-51B painted up as the original Shangri-La. It was owned by Pete Regina and flown by Skip Holm back when I first saw it in '82. Since then, it's been repainted orange, renamed "The Believer" and flown by Joe Kasparoff. After that, it was sold to a fighter collection over in the UK and painted as "Miss Elizabeth" (or Princess Elizabeth, can't remember which).
Hacker Posted December 24, 2004 Posted December 24, 2004 Originally posted by MajorMadMax: Go back to harassing Hacker!He can't possibly top the harassment I've recieved over the last 6 or 7 years over my old www.militarypilot.net website (with my UPT journal on it) or my "Strike Eagle Gouge" website that was the subject of an ACC IG and OSI investigation!
Guest Dirt Beater Posted December 24, 2004 Posted December 24, 2004 Well Hacker in my eyes it was worth it, and I thank you for it. As a junior in HS, I read and re-read, and re-read your journal entries (most notably the one about your T-38 dollar ride) and they provided the most amazing inspiration to work hard, go the extra mile, and achieve your goals. Only God knows how many other people like me benefited more than words can describe from your "tales" of UPT and as a fledgling F-15E pilot. Thanks again.
Guest pinko Posted December 25, 2004 Posted December 25, 2004 Originally posted by MajorMadMax: Cheers! M2 [/QB]Our arch-nemisis squadron at Whiting has a logo that looks quite similar... but they're mascot is a crow- which, last time i checked, isn't nearly as cool as an eagle.
M2 Posted December 25, 2004 Author Posted December 25, 2004 Close, but no Cuban...the Fourth Fighter Group logo like Hacker has on his Strike Eagle looks like such... Cheers! M2
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