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EClark
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I did an MRT to Kota Kinabalu Malaysia (Located on the Northern Tip of the Island of Borneo) to replaced an elevator and do a hard landing inspection. Ended up being there 3 1/2 weeks in Dec over xmas. The last week was spent doing nothing as we were waiting on FCF crew and a lox cart to come in. Basking in the white sand beaches, 90 degree ocean water, 95 degree air temps, snorkeling on an uninhabitated island and then RTB'd about 5 PM on New Year's eve...enough time to shower and head out to bring in the New Year.

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Don R.,

Orsini's! Yeah that's it. The thing that really stuck with me (in more ways than one) was the amaretto ice cream cake. That stuff was great.

I always had a good time at Aviano, even when we were doing the ORI's or practices there.

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Guest cobra935o

Originally Posted by cobra935o

I have been to all the stops mentioned, just not at the same time as you. My wife just happens to be from Thailand, a little city most Vietnam vets refer to as Udorn, which I have only called Udon, they must have changed the name of that place too over the years!

Nathan

My wife is from there as well, I actually have a house there now, right at the air port. It is called Udornthani, but everyone including the locals refer to it as Udon, not to be confused with Ubon which is further east.

Scott

Yeah, been to Udon more times then I can count. I was just being a little sarcastic, which I am known to be more times then not. I havent seen it called Udorn on anything except by vets usually. All the pubs even refer to it as Udon. We looked at buying there in Udon a few years ago, but we arent sure if we are going to retire over there anymore or not, and if we did, I have been thinking BKK, Pattaya, or Chaing Mai, just cause they are more Farang based, and have lots of other things and services based towards the Farang, who knows though. My wives family all live in Udon, or Ban Pu. Are you currently living over there? (never mind, I see you are in WR, my parents live in Bonaire also, I graduated from WRHS, I am a Demon). Been to Mr. Tongs? Hehehehe!

Nathan

Edited by cobra935o
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Nate

I actually live in Bonaire, very close to Winn Dixie. We bought there in Udon by the airport in 2002. Didn't really go there to buy but it came up as a way to avoid paying for a hotel for 30 days at a whack. Wife's family all lived out in the "jungle" about 75 klicks out of town. We actually ended up buying the house during a promotional offer in that subdivision with the plan that her younger sister would live there and take care of the house, thus avoiding house squatters from moving in when we weren't home. Worked out for the better as sister's boyfriend's brother was general construction contractor that did all kinds of upgrades/modifications for me at cost. I;m not retired yet but we intended on using it as a summer home/winter home deal, however that was just a dream that was jsut busted...going through divorce now and will most likely never see that house again.

What can you do, right?

Scott

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Bob’s question reminded me of one.

Melang Indonesia with the 1SOS for 3 weeks in 94. I was surprised by the weather there being right on the equator. Low 70s at night and low 80s during the day. The townfolk were friendly and it was clean.

Went to Bali for a couple of days Wow. I walked a half mile down the beach before I realized there was an Ocean on the other side of me(It was a nekid beach).

We had 1843 or 7898 there cant remember. By the time our parts bird got there it was a sick puppy.

From the best of my memory;

Only had two good TRs

I had to steal the Navs battery

Flying with a prop in Mech.

Ignition relay jumped

Hydro fuse from the UARSSI system in the emergency brakes

And some other minor stuff.

Then on the way home we flew for three hours with a pitchlocked prop.

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Guest cobra935o

Nate

I actually live in Bonaire, very close to Winn Dixie. We bought there in Udon by the airport in 2002. Didn't really go there to buy but it came up as a way to avoid paying for a hotel for 30 days at a whack. Wife's family all lived out in the "jungle" about 75 klicks out of town. We actually ended up buying the house during a promotional offer in that subdivision with the plan that her younger sister would live there and take care of the house, thus avoiding house squatters from moving in when we weren't home. Worked out for the better as sister's boyfriend's brother was general construction contractor that did all kinds of upgrades/modifications for me at cost. I;m not retired yet but we intended on using it as a summer home/winter home deal, however that was just a dream that was jsut busted...going through divorce now and will most likely never see that house again.

What can you do, right?

Scott

Did you pay cash for the thing? If not you are only out what you put in. I have heard of people hiring bull dozers to come in and demolish places as well, so the wife dont get nothing out of it either, hehe!

Nathan

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  • 1 month later...

It time to revitalize the TDY stories I know there some young guys that have some good stories with the war and all so lets talk.Its got to be better than selling blackberrys The stories help keep us old guys young

Edited by EClark
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  • 3 months later...

I was TDY (late 1969 - 4 months) to Brasilia; Brazil (1st ACGS - Map making outfit, Forbs, Ks). While there we were put up in our own hotel outside of the city. We used to joke about it being a government sponcered brothel. It was a resort and since there must have been over 200 of us. I guess it made since to do that. We used the international airport (C-130A, RC-135, KC-135, CH3C (Copter) for our AST (Aerial Survey Team) base. We used to bet on how many times the VARIG pilots (civilians) would bounce before finally landing their planes.

Once I got to go to Bogota, Columbia to help with a engine swap on one of our C130's. Does anyone remember Easter Egg Airlines (Brannif). We did attract attention with 2 US camo planes parked next to the Brannif gate for 2 days. We wore our fatigues while working but had to change into civies to go into Bogota. I remember the folks in the city were all well dressed and a lot of late 1950's cars. Good Times :)

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People have a hard time believing me but I actually got sick and tired of going TDY to Hawaii in my pre-C-130 days. I was a flying crew chief on KC-135s before I became an FE and we used to do training flights to Hickam all the time. I would literally get back from one trip, walk into the office from the flight line and see my name on the scheduler's "big board" for another trip back to Hawaii! It took awhile but I finally realized I needed to be the bigger person and eventually looked forward to taking new kids to Hawaii and giving them a tour! That and we would have an unspoken contest between the chiefs and the aircrew on who would get the coolest rental car! We always won!

Mark

Edited by F106A
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I'm TDY right now, typing from billeting...

One of my favorite was to Rota when I was still in MX. Got a call friday night form the pro super saying we had a plane broke in Rota, needed and engine change, gearbox exploded (it did..really, only about half of it was left, cracks went all the way to the thrust nut, not much holding the prop on). Drove down from Pope to Charleston to catch a C-5 over. It broke, so I spent the night in C-town, which had some thunderstorms coming through, knocked the power out, -puters were down in billeting. They give me a room, head to it, open the door and a very large woman was passed out onthe bed, empty bottle of something on the nightstand...I hauled a$$, got another room down the hall and watched the fire dept take her out.

Get on the C-5 next day, get there, meet up with the crew chief, he shows me the engine (he had it de-paneled, forms wrote up, fuel shutoff, cannon plugs disconnected, awesome crew chief). Got some sleep, and had at it monday. Crew took off wednesday morning and left me there, which didn't bother me, Spain is nice. Called back and they said a C-5 was picking me up on Friday. No problem, had some beer, good food, beach, Chucky bar, buddy from high school had a ap. right on the beach, it didn't suck.

Needless to say the C-5 didn't show up on Friday. Next I had to get up to Moron to catch a C-5 out of there on Sunday. Myself no problem, but I had custodial duties for the broke engine and the chang kit. This is Friday night at a Navy base, I'm trying to find a way. I gave up and started drinking. Well, we all know the smoke pit is where deals go down and I met up with a supply girl, she had weekend duty for sat and said to call her. she was nice, got a Spanish guy to forklift all that stuff on a flatbed, which she also contracted for me. I hitched a ride to Moron with some C-5 MX guys, one was a real tool. Anyway, get up there and the ATOC guy asks me for the HAZDEC, new to me, I'm just an engine troop. C-5 guy starts argueing with him saying I don't need one, pissed him off. I only met the C-5 guy an hour before. He pissed that ATOC guy off, to the point where he and I went to antoher room to talk like humans, I explained to him that that guy wasn;t with me. He cooled off, but the damage was done, and no ride home for me. Again, that didn;t suck either. He hooked me up with some Spanish guys to get the motor purged and such, basically the official shipping inspection. Spent a week, Spanish dudes took me downtown, had coffee and breakfast every morning, while his worker bees did all the sweaty work.

Finally get on a c-5 back to Dover at 3 am, next hop is at 10 am back to Pope. Get on that and boomrang back to Dover, gear wouldn't retract. I say F-it, rent a car, spend the night at my dads in NJ (needed a cheesesteak), then drive to NC in the morning. Cell phone rings somewhere in Viriginia, flght chief wants me to come see him as soon as I get back. Go in, he shuts the door, and asks me what engine guys would use a seat rod for on an engine change. I mention it as a pry bar for the gimble...he then says the plane I fixed had a seat rod in an engine, found it on the acceptance inspection in the desert. Next stop is the captains office, same grilling, although I said I have the right to remain silent, but asked him what engine said seat rod was in...he didn't know. couple days go by and I go to one of my guys ALS grad at the club, sitting with my chief, commander and such, across the table is the chief from the iso/engine backshop, he got the initial call about the seat rod. He's eyeing me and finally says, Sgt, XXXX how was your Rota trip, big cloud of sarcasm over him, he thought he was gonna hammer me. I said it was nice and further engaged his sarcasm by saying in the most cockiest but respectful manner that it hadn't been determined what engine this seat rod was found in...he didn't like that, and was even more pissed the next day when the desert guys called back and said it was in the longeron in #1...I changed #3. (not knocking the ISO guys, but they changed number 1 during the inspection) I think that chief hated me after that, of course I went gown to the backshop later that day..."just to BS with some friends", but I really just wanted to see his head explode because I was free and clear, and his boys messed up.

Anyway..Spain was awesome...similar story about a prop change a few weeks later at Rota again, but I'll save it for later, that chief really hated me after that one.....I'll say those little Kodak disposable cameras are priceless when it comes to self defense

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It hard to pick the best tdy. I will tell about my worst one.

pope AFB. 66 or 67 not real sure, Alert horn go off, we go thru mobilty,

grab my bag out of the car, not allow to make a phone call to the wife.

About 4hrs. later we took off maxed out with maint. troops an spare parts

there were two other acft. with us, they were loaded with 82nd. troops.

After we got airborne we were told where we were going, The congo for at least 30 days, got there four days later, had to let the CIA pull out.

we had cots in a hanger, no hot water an c-rations. the army was sleeping

on the ground and guarding the three acft.

only spent one nite in that hanger,they were big ass rats and spiders in the

rafters, slept in or on top of the plane the rest of the TDY.

On the way back to pope stopped at McDill for customs one of the duds (army):mad::mad:

got busted trying to get a duffel bag full of pot thur.

So we were there all nite, every body got striped searched, went thru all the bags and all the tool boxes, pulled out some of the Insulation.

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I went to the congo in Dec. 67, we didn't know where we were going until we left Homestead A.F.B. We went Ascension, Island in and out of the Congo for a couple of weeks then we went in picked up the 82nd and came home.

Well Eddie I guess you and I were on the same mission just a little time diffents. we stayed at ascension Island for three days waiting for the CIA

to clear out of the congo. I hated that TDY.

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On this, my last day as a firefighter, this thread really brings back memories. I went to Warsaw in '73, unreal, especially the rebuilt portion. Yeah we backed up and all that too. Howard was great. my crew hauleda general around there in the summer of 73, and that man treated us like his sons. He took care of us, then went about his business. Crete was cool, Torrejon with the kilo steaks, sangria by the gallon, globe bars, ship models....SEA, with the buffies(my god why anyone wanted one of them). Copen hagen.AHHHHH, excpet for havin' our crew chief detained for a while by police cause he looked like a wanted person. 5 lb. lobster at Goose Bay, and hell yeah, the Bonnie Prince Charlie. Wake Ilsand with the goony birds all over the runway..... Doin the five qual drops for a group of airborne troops in I think Weisbaden, and the low level pass after their last jump and the probably 4 G pull up.........Thanks capt, Joe Broderick, I am permanetly an inch shorter from that....Just a small portion of my memories. Glad i have them, and thanks to the rest for sharing

Aboard closed and checked

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Gizzard,

On your last day as a firefighter....this day will be another memorable day. I enjoy your posts---keep 'em coming.

Among all my memories, I never met a firefighter that rubbed me the wrong way. Lots of respect for their challenges and their efforts.

Have a great weekend, and a safe and sane 4th of July (next weekend).

John

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Thanks for the kind words, brothers. anybody who had the opportunity to be a C130 loadmaster, and work 26 years as a firefighter is one lucky SOB. Two of the greatest jobs anyone can ever have, sometimes doin' things people would not believe, helpin' keep a great country free and a city safe, all the while associating with some of the finest people anyone could have the privilege to know. Tomorrow mornin, at 0800, when I leave the station here for the last time, there will be no more in-country Nam vets here. So an era will end. I am grateful that i can walk out, knowin' that i never got one of my troops hurt, and I always brought them home!!!!!!!!

Load clear

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