Muff Millen

All veterans honorably discharged are eligible. Also the copayment is if your income is above a set amount something like $30000 and the last I heard it was $52.00 for each visit nomatter how many appointments you had during that visit. If you have a claim to file seek out a DAV or American Legion service rep and they will take care of all the papoerwork and you do NOT have to be a member of the organization and their service is free. If anyone has a peoblem with any worker at the VA go to see the Patient Rep he/she works for the Chief of Staff and will always resolve all types of problems/conflicts. Muff

Just another added note. I started using the VA hosp at Tampa in 1991 and for the past three years now use the Atlanta VA hospital...I have always received the best of care and treatment. Folks are friendly and very helpful all the time.... I also volunteer as an info greeter at the main desk and get no complaints about the care...only complaints is that there is never enough parking spaces. Muff

Ken, it is very easy....just take your DDForm 214 to the nearest VA hospital and see the eligibility folks and they will enroll you. Yes there was a time when they would only see some of the groups then it was opened to all vets and then a few years ago it was closed but now all vets are eligible for care. Now if your income is above the poverty level you might have to pay a co-payment. Meds right now are $8.00 for non service connected and free for service connected problems. Now if I remember corectly you spent time in Vietnam, there fore you were exposed to agent orange. As we get oder most of us will have prostrate problems or heart problems...both connected to AO. Also type two diabeties is also considered to have been caused by AO. So I would advise that you get over there and get enroled ....best thing is no preimums. Muff

Yea, we did not get a cost of living increase but the medicare part B fee went up... On another note...if you folks or any vereran that you know is NOT enrolled in the VA medical system..sign up NOW...under the new Obama health plan the VA medical system is qualified as an approved type of insurance therefore no fines or punishment will come after you. Even if you do not use the VA medical system there will be no need to buy mandatory health insurance. Spread the word. Muff

Here is a link to a speech by BG Byra a forward looking guy whose actions on the procedures used at An Loc saved many lives. I thank him Muff http://anloc.org/?p=21#more-21

News article about the 4 horsemen Muff http://www.arkansasleader.com/2010/04/top-story-c-130-demonstration-team.html

"I have to agree with JSmith. Unless you were using a different CDS chute that had somebody steering it, hitting the DZ with those results from 10K is highly unlikely and would be pure luck. Sounds like you may have too many zeros in the altitude. 10000 feet or 1000 feet? How is it that folks think the eng had no access to the ramp and door switches? We fly 62 models and the eng has always opened the ramp and door for airdrop. Were the ramp and door controls in the cockpit added in the 80s?" ABOVE POSTED BY 154LOAD Yes we did have special rigged chutes for the chutes, something about a ring around the shroud lines and maybe an explosive to blow tth ring at low level? There are several Loads on this board who can explain better.....I don't know where you guys get this notion of LUCK...the only thing lucky was that most of us did not get killed...by the grace of God. None of our missions sorties depended on LUCK. And yes we made dozens of drops onto that soccor field. Muff

Oh, yea I for got that we now have the distaff as crew members. Tell me what/where does the male loadmaster do when a lady crew member has to pee? I can see it now....pull down curtain, remove flight suit, etc....does the first to use the honey bucket still have to dump it? Muff

I remember one time we went to a small island of the south of Korea...Chedo (sp) and picked up some "brass" who had been there for a conferance yea right! Well the loadmaster "aquired" a pheasant all cleaned and defeathered and put it in the oven shortly after take-oof to Clark...by the time we got to Clark there was a great smell of cooked pheasant in the whole plane and after the downloading of pax and their baggage we sat on the open ramp and shared the great tasting "aquired" baked pheasant. Oh for the good old days....{:-)) Muff

Just why would the volume if the sink be important? Just for kicks....been off the Herk for a lot of years...do they have microwave ovens in any of the models? Muff

http://aviationtrivia.blogspot.com/2010/04/it-was-tough-going-if-you-were-assigned.html Just got this link from a friend.... Muff

I left the flying job as a C-130E IFE 34 years ago, I guess I'm an old fart...but feel as young as a frisky SSgt....miss the smell of hyd fluid and burnt fuel. But thanks to the internet am able to stay in touch with old buds. BTW my told card holder and log book holder was the left bottom pocket in my flight suit. Muff

Open the ramp and door....only a small part of the mission....you guys in back, the left seater, nav and the rig crews were the ones responsible for the success of the mission. I guess in the 80s well after Vietnam there was a loss of brain power and experiance as the high (10000 ft) drops low open CDS chutes did such a great job of hitting the spot was it was done away with? Also what was the advantage of 15000-20000 ft drops? Did I miss something? Muff

Open the ramp and door....only a small part of the mission....you guys in back, the left seater, nav and the rig crews were the ones responsible for the success of the mission. I guess in the 80s well after Vietnam there was a loss of brain power and experiance as the high (10000 ft) drops low open CDS chutes did such a great job of hitting the spot 5hat it was done away with. Also what was the advantage of 15000-20000 ft drops? Did I miss something? Muff

Sorry Glen...the FE has no access to the ramp and door switches..... BTW...this Jimmy Smith's remarks really piss me off....but being that he did a 3 year stint at HQ MAC...brainwash headquarters I can understand his thoughts....I did my 3 years there and could not believe the ridiculous bull crap that floated around as FACT, it reafirms why most crewed airplanes have enlisted on the crews. {:-)) I'm glad that I did not loose my common sense while there. Muff

Jim, I don't believe you doubted what I wrote in my first post! NO it was NOT luck but the skill and cunning of a big team of great pilots, navs, loadmasters and a whole bunch of dedicated warriors!....read this link: http://www.anloc.org/index.php Then come on back and we will discuss our methods and procedures...and yes it was a soccer field and from both 600 ft and then from 10000 ft most of the CDS bundles did in fact hit the field. Muff Millen, CMSgt, USAF (Ret) C-130E IFE

I got the below off the AFMagazine daily report: But if I remember correctly we dropped from 10000 ft and hit a soccor field that was only 100 yards long and most bundles hit the field. The new system will hit within 135 yards of target!!!! And they call this progress? Go figure. Muff Going 3-D: The aircrew of a C-17 transport assigned to the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, on March 19 completed the first improved container delivery system, or ICDS, airdrop using new three-dimensional weather technology that improves delivery accuracy. "We've done ICDS drops in the last year but not as accurate as [this] drop," said Maj. William Friar, instructor aircraft commander with Elmendorf's 353rd Combat Training Squadron. The airdrop occurred over the remote location of Tin City, Alaska. Such a scenario is useful for training to resupply combat troops in hard-to-access locations in Afghanistan, said wing officials. The C-17 crew was to deliver their load of containers within 135 yards of the target after being dropped from an altitude of 5,100 feet. Earlier this month, the Air Force went operational with a new low-altitude airdrop method for C-130 transports. (Elmendorf report by A1C Christopher Gross)

I posted a couple of days ago but the post disappeared. Tell Sam congratulations for his great service to this country. I was stationed with Sam in the 70s at CCK. He is a great guy and probably has forgotten more than and ten engineere ever knew. Stare enjoying the good retired life Sam...but make sure you are close to a herk base so you can hear the great sound of freedom. Best to ya Sam Muff Millen

I read the following on the AF Magazine...NEW? Did any of you folks ever do the Micronisa run out of Guam supplying the Navy CAT teams...this is the same method that we used 38 years ago. Probably with the same airframes that are doing it today. Muff New Airdrop Method: The Air Force now has at its disposal a new means of airdrop to resupply ground troops operating from small-sized forward bases in Afghanistan. This low-cost, low-altitude (LCLA) combat airdrop concept was tested in early February with a C-130 transport from Bagram Airfield and is now operational, as of March 1, complementing other means of aerial resupply. "This is a significant step forward in our ability to sustain those engaged in counterinsurgency operations," said Col. Keith Boone, air mobility division director in the US military's combined air and space operations center in Southwest Asia. The LCLA concept entails dropping bundles weighing between 80 pounds and 500 pounds in groups of up to four with pre-packed expendable parachutes. These bundles are smaller than those traditionally airdropped. This method offers increased accuracy over higher altitude airdrops and does not require specialized aircrew training. (Bagram report by TSgt. Joseph Kapinos)

Tim, are you sure of that tail #? I think it was 62-1787 that was shot up at An Loc and John Sanders was killed and Charlie Schaub should have been awarded the MOH....The crew did a great job in recovering the plane at TSN and deserved the AFC. Also assigned to LR AFB is 62-1788...another well decorated airframe...crew was awarded the Silver Star for action on the last day of SVN hostilities. And about a year ago the crew recover the plane and brought it home safely after having a severe 4 engine roll back. Muff Millen

Depends on the weather......

Bob, I was reminded of the 64-536 crash vividly a couple weeks ago. I was visiting Taiwan and my brother in law had arranged a 6 day tour for us in China. We flew out of the old Taipei airport...heavy overcast, rain, all the usual February bad weather....all I could think of was that 536 crash and the loss of all those friends. As for 6201805 at Makung, the accident board ruled it as being caused by over heated brakes causing a blown main tire which must have penetrated the fuselarge and caused the plane to crash. They had been doing touch and goes at the strip on Makung and the Col who was assigned as the accident board president who was not very familiar with the C-130 and had just been assigned to Clark AB shortly prior to the crash and had not gotten settled there and wanted to quickly finish the investigation and go home. I spent 5 days at Makung and on a sea going Navy tug boat and made several SCUBA dives to the wreckage (75-90 feet down) I took the under water photos that were submitted with the accident report. We only dove on the main wreckage area, looked like a broken plate on a cement floor except for the tail section. The mine sweeper that was there helping with the search located a large piece of what was thought to be part of the wreckage about 1000 yards away from the main wreckage site. We never were allowed to dive that area as the Colonel thought that he had enough evidance from the site where we dove. I believe that was the nose/flight deck section and I was really pissed as several of the crew bodies were never recovered....I thought they might have been in that piece of wreckage. I made my thoughts known to the wing commander and to the follow up collateral board but my thoughts were disregarded. I'm still pissed about it. Muff Millen

I am very familiar with that crash...It was on a sortie to go from CCK to Taipei airport and bring new assignees to CCK who had arrived either comercial from the states or from snake school in the PI. They took off from Taipei and missed a turn at one check point and flew into the mountain. Weather was lousey and it took several days to locate the wreckage. Killed a bunch of great guys...something like 35-to 45 people. Reason I am familiar is that I was in that class at snake school at Clark and after finishing school we had a few days to goof off before our 727 flight to Taipei. Well I ran out of cash and got a hop two days before the rest of the group, got to Taipei and then cought a train to Taichung. Many folks were asking where the group was and it was several days before we got the bad news. Muff

Please enlighten me on what nose weights are used for. Back in my day if we had a light plane and an even or slightly tail heavy plane we would drive a tug in and park it as near to 245 as possible then we would jack the sucker up....now don't tlee me that you now have to use special balist before jacking? How do you all ever get things done and planes OR with all these new restrictions... Man I sure miss the old days...we have a lot more interesting stories than you all have these days. Muff