pcpilot

Whooptie do. I'd go with a live trained mule any day. Most military animals were trained around gunfire and shellfire. As long as it wasn't right next to them, it isn't a big deal. Think cavalry here. We are spending billions and trillions on all these new gadgets and neglecting the maintenance of our present forces. We are going to wind up with an American Kursk situation if we aren't careful. They lost a billion dollar sub and 118 lives because they neglected their daily maintenance on their torpedoes. I look at a passing destroyer or cruiser these days and I see as much rust on it as the Russian boats back in the 80's. Anyone tell me what Pensacola NAS looks like these days? We're spending billions on a new Zumwalt "stealth" destroyer that's so expensive we can only buy 3 for the cost of 6 or more Burke class ships. ( $3.5 Billion per unit vs. 1.78 Billion per unit ) Just read an article about what we are going to do when we retire our 20+ year old fleet of cruisers, ie; they don't know! I know we need to keep moving in the technology dept. but you can still have the research done and maintain a lot more less tech advanced military to keep your security and commitments squared away. Countries do it all the time every day. By the way, love it Cap'n Vengeur! LOL...

I was 12. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, watched it on TV. The US was so proud. I remember walking out that night and looking up at the moon and thinking that men were actually up there, walking on it. Absolutely awesome! On a side note...the local Phillips 66 gas station started giving out little cardboard cutouts of the lander to kids. I must have had a dozen of them. Whoops, apparently it was the gulf gas station. It was 45 years ago...lol. http://jleslie48.com/gallery_models_real.html Just a little ways down from the top. http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/39852/Lunar-Lander-1969-Gas-Station-freebie

There's no way on this planet I am turning down this request. Card going out tonight! https://gma.yahoo.com/does-mass-boy-battling-cancer-want-birthday-bunch-215700731--abc-news-health.html?bcmt=comments-postbox I'm also sending up some prayers. Wish there was something we at CA as a group could do for him.

Card sent out. Put a few bucks in it. Still sayin a prayer for the little guy every time I think of him.

Saw a glimpse of a '70's/ '80's VF-102 phantom II from the USS Independence (my old ship) in the video. Very cool stuff.

Excellent AAR and review. A question...have you tried the mission editor yet? If so, what did you think of it?

33Lima, would you happen to have a better translation of the player controls? I am trying out the demo right now and its hard to understand. Thanks...

On a vacation back to my old home town of San Diego last May 2013, one of the places I ALWAYS visit is the U.S.S. Midway. The foundation that takes care of this old warhorse has done an outstanding job. Every visit some new area of the ship is opened to the public or some new aircraft is placed on display. This has always been the one place I would volunteer as a retiree if we still lived there. So anyway, without further adieu, the U.S.S. Midway...

Here's those inside shots I promised. Not too many as my camera didnt take good inside shots. Engineering central control room, one of the boilers, and the foc'sle. Beware the hairy backed, knuckle draggin', grease monkies in these engineering spaces, also commonly referred to simply as snipes. Now this region of the ship here, you had to watch out for the those salt encrusted, barnacle bottomed black shoe shellbacks...such as myself.

Yes, this is just downstream from where I live in Missoula. It actually wasn't too bad of a derailment all things considered. Mainly, no one was hurt and no contaminants were spilled. There was also denatured alcohol and soybeans which didn't spill. Someone's insurance rates are going to rise though for those fuselages. I remember a few years ago a soybean train derailed near Plains, Mt. and the river smelled like homemade booze for several weeks. The good news is the fish got bigger.

"...because at 06:00 tomorrow...your ass is mine!" One of my favorite lines in one of my favorite movies. "Nightstick file for divorce Reese?"

Oh man! Wont be missing this one. Looks to be outstanding. Liked how they were working the flank of that tiger at close range, sounds pretty realistic from what I have heard and read. Easy 8, definitely my favorite American tank of the war. Id dare say the definitive version of the faithful Sherman. Decent armour, especially with field additions, reliable, relatively easy to work on, good turn of speed, excellent cross country mobility, high rate of fire with the 76mm, gyroscopic stabilized gun and sight, fast turret, and good view range.

Im with you. That F-86 sounds pretty cool to me.

Skyviper, the carriers in the background are active carriers tied up at North Island Naval Air Station. There is a LOT of history to that base. The old seaplane ramp is still there. The carriers tie up there while the rest of the fleet generally goes further into the bay to the 32nd street Naval Base, which is where I spent 4 years. The rightmost carrier is CVN-76, the U.S.S. Ronald Reagen. Cant make out the hull number on the other ship. There was also a replenishment ship tied up in front of them. Later, as I watched, a Ticonderoga class cruiser sailed past to the naval base. All very cool.

Honestly, those pics don't do it justice but thank you for the compliments. I wish I had taken more interior pics. I have some I'll post tonight though. We ran out of time after being there 4 hours and had to leave so I didnt get up to the bridge this time. They also turned the fantail into a nice little resteraunt and the old jet engine repair shop is now a really nice souvenier and bookstore. They had also setup some flight simulaters on the hangar deck which were really popular. They have parking on the peir next to the ship but we parked a ways down from it nearer the Maritime museum. Some really cool ships down there too. You could easily spend an entire day down there.

VERY nice pics. Love that old hurricane.

I don't want to hijack your thread so I'll start another one and show you the Midway.

Sad news indeed.

Great story. He still has a great deal of humility too.

Nice pics. Looks like they've kept the old ship in good shape. I always wanted to be a volunteer on the USS Midway back in San Diego. Guess that will never happen now.

Apparently he had suffered from mouth cancer from chewing the last 30 years. Tony was a hall of famer inducted in 2007. Winner of numerous batting awards and an outstanding outfielder. An all around great guy who was very much loved By san Diego. I remember when he played the world series in New York against the Yankees, some clowns threw trash at him. He took it with a lot of class but boy was San Diego ready to go to war with New York, lol. http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/16/sport/gwynn-baseball-death/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/16/sport/gwynn-baseball-death/index.html San Diego has lost two of its best and brightest now, Tony, and of course, Junior Seau. RIP Tony.

Nice tribute to Tony here... http://sports.yahoo.com/news/thank-you--tony-gwynn--for-being-a-true-professional-and-an-even-better-person-175320800.html

Nice. The color photos are really impressive. Lots of detail. Sure took balls to fly in that war I'd think.

Geeeze, my back hurts just from watching. I literally cringed at some of those hits.

Geeeeze, what a mess. Never did understand invading Iraq. What with Iran saber rattling, the Arab spring across North Africa, Syria fighting a civil war, and even Turkey having difficulties, that whole region is now so unstable its a powderkeg waiting to blow. Now the militants are talking about linking up with Syrian militants and making some sort of Pan Arab Islamist state.