gizzard

Are Halon agents still in use????? Many of them were outlawed because of environmental issues. i can remember, back during my firefighting career, real concerns with them as far as health issues, too. One of the worst was Chlorobromomethane. Yep the same stuff that was used for the on-board fire sytems on the 130, at least back in my time . Giz

You give them your VA card at Lowes, that's good enough, might not be in compliance with the company policy outlined here, but they don't seem to care. I've done it in three states, and have not had an issue yet. Of course, it was only about a year ago I learned of this......

Don't you have to set the right hand locks according to the weight for a heavy drop like we had to back in the four blade days??

Electric locks???????????????????? I guess now you are gonna tell me there is a hydraulic or electrical pulley mechanism above 727 for the CDS pulley. Oh he ll probably don't do it that way anymore......... Do the rail locks on the right set themselves for airdrops????????? Dinosaurs???? Yep, fossils more like it. can't believe what technology has done

Hey, at least I got the movie right!!!!!! Lucky I could remember THAT!!!!!! Yeah you better not buy your new yacht quite yet................But anything positive comin' from that bunch is an accomplishment...........

It all comes down to, as I think Clint Eastwood said, in 'The Outlaw Josey Wales", or maybe John Wayne, " Don't piss on my foot and try to tell me it is rainin." BTW, sometime this week I am gonna deploy the Polish Warrior Princess on the MD Va and find out why it is takin' so long to correct their F_UP on my dependency status. Been long enough now. I'll keep ya posted Giz

I have some guys say they didn't, some did........ I just felt it was leavin' money on the table. Now what is totally unbelievable, I sent a SF180 for a specific time period and got them back in about two weeks....... I think I'll try for another time period just to see what happens. I think my stuff came out of St.Louis........Better yet, I am gonna try to get a copy of everything that has my name, rank, DOB, and SSN on it, just to see what happens.........Probably just another lazy ass excuse. Giz

Yep, they were Brown Water Navy, riverine, I think the term is. There was a great number of Navy troops actually in country. it's the guys who were off-shore, maybe a 100 miles or more, that have the issues. Just because they were awarded the VSM does not automatically qualify them. This is one of the big misconceptions of this whole business. There is a fellow who lives near me, who just does not understand why he wasn't awarded PTSD. He was on a carrier, I think, and " saw" a busted up pilot taken out of his airplane by rescue people. Well, I told him if that is all it takes, I should have some form of civilian PTSD from all the cardiac arrests, suicide victims, miscarried babies, accident victims, and burned victims that I DIRECTLY had contact with in 34 total years in emergency services. He also claims the Navy has planes that sprayed AO around the ships. Musta worked cause I never saw a tree, shrub, bush, leaf, or blade of grass in ANY part of the Pacific or South China Sea I ever saw!!!!

And you have a right to be , Sparks. On that particular gaggle, as we talked before, i was one of the loadmasters. We only went over Nam to Takli. You got hi-jacked to TSN. The one question I have never gotten answered is why didn't you maintenance guys file travel vouchers? Golly, that was supplemental income, and back them an extra $25 or $30 was siginificant. From conversations on this site, it seems that many didn't. That is how I proved my on-the-ground presence.....This whole evidence thing is a pain in the ass for many of us AF types that were constantly TDY and never had any places entered on our 214, except a total of overseas days. I just wonder if the same crap is gonna happen to the troops today down the road. You know as we find ways to get our benefits, the damn VA is gonna try to find new ways to screw vets out of them. I hope they are smart, and keep a copy of every damn piece of military paper that has their name on it, 'cause they are gonna need it. I suspect it is about time for another " big fire" in the record centers so they cansay no records exist.

I agree 100%

I reiterate something I wrote a while back, to show what a farce this " boots" bullshit is.... Let us suppose an aircrew, all cherries, leave, say the states, and land in . say, Da Nang. It is an engine running off load, the loadie ( of course) gets out onto the ramp, to direct the off-load. The GIF's stay on board in their air-conditioned comfort( just kiddin'), the loadie shuts up the back and they fly off to land back in say, Hawaii. Forty years later, the Nav, lets say, develops one of the pre-disposed diseases, goes through the asswipe process for a claim, and they say you need "boots on the ground", he whips out his travel voucher for that flight, and there it is. they say 'Okay." Now technically, he never sat foot on VN soil. See what I mean, and by no means am I saying that this would be invalid, but they need a better description of what the standard is. for example, i know a bunch of Navy guys, tin can and carrier troops, claimin exposure, even though they were 100 miles oir so off shore. could the stuff be carried that far in the air? I don't know. A second Navy version I hear all the time , they must have hauled that shit in leakin' barrels on every damn ship the Navy had...... Again, I am not sayin' anything pro or con, but to some degree, I think some of these claims fall right in the same pile of bull shit as the 50 year old guy who claims he was a SEAL in Nam, but can't talk about it..........The damn government lied a bout this stuff for so long, and now, and it hurts to so this, there are a lot of bogus claims that are helpin' bog the system up. Just my opinion, I could be wrong...... Giz

I don't think a walk-in would be kicked out, TW....As for Keith's comments, it seems to me like he came in with an attitude of 'Hi, guys, nice to meet ya." I kn ow my wife and I enjoyed his company, and to think he actually went slummin', and hung out with three old loadies. BTW, we had a dress code......... I hope Keith or Mitch has a picture of that!!!!!!!!!!! I have met a number of you guys off this site, and I think the time spent back and forth is what makes meetin' each other so great!!!!!! Giz

ah, yes, you can always tell a crew chief, you just can't tell him much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A high point of the event was the concert by the 316th pilot's Glee Club. A must see and hear if there ever was one. However, if I can enough of the old 36th Loadmaster Boy's Choir together, in TN next year, we shall give them a run for their money. Yepper, TAC had talent!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right, Bob, Mitch, Keith???? Giz

Yep, it was good, the attendance was done somewhat, but not the fun and camaraderie.......One of the real spark plugs of the reunions,Bob Craft, had passed away last April and there definitely was an empty space there. But, maybe it was just me, the whole group, wives and all, seemed a little bit closer than before. I have a couple picutres but can't get the damn things to load on the site, any ideas???????? Giz

Well, if that ain't the shits!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I find myself havin' to start lookin at medicare supplement plans and such, and then you throw this at me!!!!!!!!!! I don't know if I can take much more!!!!!!!!!! Maybe a little more white lightnin' in my Metamucil will help me get by!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey glad you guys mentioned this. I had to retire my MIA flag and have been, sorrowfully, delayed in replacin' it. It will be done today. G

DING HOW, TW. DING HOW!!!!!!!

Just keep in mind that WE did not leave them behind, our LEADERS (?) did.......And you are right, they WILL NOT be forgotten!!!!!!! Giz

Had a similar experience couple years back, when I was at a gas station, a guy came up and asked me what the wings were on my truck. He was a Nam vet, so he knew what the VSM decal was. I told him, and he said" So you were one of THEM?" Didn't quite know what was to follow when he says, " I saw many times what you guys did and I knew yyou guys , no matter what it took, got the stuff we needed in to us. It still gives me goose bumps when I think about it. I jsut never met one of you before.""" Like TW, I was damn proud of that, and this guy rememberin' what my brothers and me had done. Yep, I guess takin' people home like TopBolt says was great, but not when they could no longer celebrate . it's awful quiet aft of 245 then............. Giz

and people talk about West Virginians

i If I can get my wife in the truck, we will be there wednesday late afternoon. Be safe in your travels......... Giz

Yup, there I was at 30 thousand, inverted with no inverter,,,,,,,,,,The difference between a war story and a fairy tale........a fairy tale starts " Once upon a time...........", a war story 'This ain't no shit, guys....." Ya know, the funny thing is, so much of what we all experienced, anybody who wasn't there just can't believe it. Couple years ago, I was out in eastern PA visitin' an old buddy i had not seen in 38 years. Contrary to what you see here, I don 't talk much about my C-130 history to the general public or even family, but we got to talkin' and a little liquid tongue lube kicked in, and we got to talkin' in a little more detail and our wives were settin' there with their eyes bugged out and their mouths hangin' open. Finally my buddy's wife says to mine " Ihave never heard this stuff before. It's just luck that they are still here.""" But back to the thread, a Herky Lurker assembly would be great............

That would be a great event, I think. Can you imagine the conversations?

Oh sure, I was gonna come out with him, but he left before I got there!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's okay, next week I am gonna tear up Sparks's refrigerator, if he rings it to Dayton!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO!!!!!!!!!!! Glad ya got together again. Chris and Mary are the best!!!!!!!!!! Giz