Nice Fellas

[firstsgtmike]

Background: Last month an article appeared in a national magazine about an Air Force base in Afganistan. The airmen were complaining about the rough conditions they were forced to live under.

Portions of the article, and a deluge of responses were included in several newsletters I subscribe to. An AF Major responded to one of the newsletters and these are lines I borrowed from several of the responses to him.
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To MAJ Brian Monahan USAF Pilot. You said: "Just because the Air Force knows how to treat its deployed people doesn't make us a bunch of whiners. If the other services didn't think they had to be "tough" and live in squalor, they'd be better off."

It takes a different breed to be one of us, I don't expect you to understand that which you are ignorant of, but next time before you shoot your mouth off without loading your brain, go spend a few days on the ground with a grunt platoon, then if you still feel the same way, come on back and explain to us in a concise and educated manner how it is that we have been doing it the wrong way for 227 years! Semper Fi.

We've done so much with so little for so long, we could do anything with nothing forever! Semper Fidelis!!!

Personally, I'm glad YOU are in the Air Force rather than in a fighting hole watching my six. Oh by the way Major, our tent was never overcrowded, I shared it with my BROTHERS, a concept I'm sure is unknown in your Air Farce.

He doesn't understand what it's like to look your enemy in the eye. This Major needs to find himself another line of work--maybe politics???

But for now, I gotta go....me an some other "old" Marines are going outside and do squat thrusts in the mud....and for what reason? Because it's raining like hell out, stupid!
Some people just don't get it!!!!!

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Back to me again.

In 1960, as a PFC, I was one of a detachment of Marines stationed at Squaw Valley preparing the ski slopes for the Winter Olympics. We were billeted at Stead AFB, in Reno and bussed to the Olympic Village.

The air force fellas at the base were full of helpful info. When coming back from liberty in Reno at night, there was an Airman's Corner, and if you stood there for about ten minutes you could usually catch a ride back the base. Warning: Don't be there on Friday or Saturday night, because the college kids from Sparks came and would stomp you into the ground for kicks.

"Why don't you guys get together and do something about it?" "Duh?"

It only took three ambushes for the college kids to learn that the Marines were in town.

Ditto with a bar the air force fellas were afraid to go in because it was a college hangout. We took it over and hung a sign in the window renaming it Tun's Tavern. We added a sign that past, present, and future Marines were invited to make it their home away from home.

I wonder how many days it was after we left before the college kids took it back?

That was my first experience with air force fellas and it was just additional proof that I had made the right choice.

Semper Fi

[fishon]

Bravo to U mike. I am also glad I followed in My Brother Joe`s Foot steps and Joined the Marines. We are Two Proud Marines.
Semper Fi Frank

[JRtheSTAR]

Hey firstsgtmike, a friend of mine sent me pictures in e -mail of the poor living conditions they have to endure (LOL). I would post them but I don't know how. If anyone wants to post them I will forward them. In Nam, this place would be like a Holiday Inn.

[firstsgtmike]

They may be staying at the Holiday Inn, but they had to share it with other air force fellas.

I'd rather be in a muddy fighting hole during a monsoon as long as I was sharing it with a Marine.

Been there, done that, so I know from whence I speak.

[mardet65]

After my four with the Corps for reasons of convenience, I served with the New York Air National Guards, 107th Fighter Group, Security Police Unit. In 1977 we did two weeks training at a small Army post (Camp Bullis) outside of San Antonio, Texas. The training consisted of small unit tactics, infantry type weapons qualification (M-60 ,40 MM granade launcher and such), S.W.A.T. Tactics, etc. The concept behind this training for Air Force Types was to qualify them to secure, retain and if need be, recover by force nuclear weapons lost to terroist groups. Don't get me wrong, I'm not belittling the troops who were mostly a good bunch of guys. However, I was a little disapointed when I discovered the last day prior to certification as a SECURITY POLICE SPECIALIST the major field training exercise consisted of (wait for it) a whole 12 hours under field conditions (nothing after dark). I'll grant you the training was better than nothing and these Security police troops were about as close to infantryman as the Air Force will ever get, But it was just too little training for the job at hand. And, I'll never forget a comment made by the Air Guard unit commander; While you're here at Camp Bullis don't mess with the Army troops; they'll tear you guys apart. Talk about defeated right from the start.

[Rob Parry]

On a survival exercise my 'buddy' was a member of our Air Force; I kept him out of MY shelter by continually playing with a chicken claw, making it stretch and contract. No sense of humour!