Jug

I had the distinct privilege of observing all of the events of that day from around 80,000 feet. I was flying a TR-1 based out of RAF Alconbury in the UK west of the then inter-German border. As with most of the US troops stationed there, my first thoughts were for the German people. All I could think of was, "It's about time!".

Some things roll out at the most inconvenient time: JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when President de Gaulle decided to pull out of NATO. De Gaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible. Rusk responded "does that include those who are buried here?" De Gaulle did not respond. You could have heard a pin drop When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.' You could have heard a pin drop. There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?' A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?' You could have heard a pin drop. A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?' Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.' You could have heard a pin drop. Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on. "You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. "Then you should know enough to have your passport ready." The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it." "Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !" The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to." You could have heard a pin drop.

I add my condoleances to the families. RIP to the men murdered. I worry that life will be a little more difficult for the muslims still serving in the US Armed Forces because of this. As I recall, this is the second muslim Army soldier to go on such a rampage. Thirteen dead, as many as 30 wounded and the gunman, though wounded four times has survived. Actually, this is a good thing. No martyrdom for this creep, just a cell for the rest of his natural born life. All four other detainees have been released after questioning. Appears to be lone shooter using private guns and ammo. I am a bit upset that this guy joined the USArmy after high school (son of Palestine refugees here in America), was educated by the military, made an officer, recently promoted to Major, had never served a tour in Iraq or Afganistan, was actively seeking to not serve in those areas, and there were signs along the way that he wasn't playing with a full deck. So who was responsible for just passing this guy along and who gave him the ratings to get to the position he was in???? It is amazing, frustrating, and infuriating to consider all of the little things not done that have added up to empowering this murderer to commit this tragedy. Once again, my prayers are for the families of the victims.

Right on, FUBAR. I forgot to mention how good it feels to have felt the sickly breath of the Grim Reaper tickle your backbone and then to spit in his eye... It is the reason fools rush in, and that we all come back for more......following that experience, nothing is taken for granted and all other issues pale in comparison. HooooRaaaahhhhh!

Mazel Tov and congratulations. Reward for a job well done and, more so, an expectation of a much greater capacity. Prove them right!

Where do we find such men....? RIP, hero!

Grandchildren. Empty house syndrome. Liftoff. A roller (Tower, Waco 29, confirm we are on the ground, please) The smooth air around thunderstorms. Afterburners. Compile succeeded. Rain. Drifting on a hammock on a Sunday afternoon. The natural beauty that surrounds us daily. A knowing look from a true friend. Sharing an ice cold beer with the same. Sunsets. The really talented people that you meet and are lucky enough to recognize just how talented they are. CA. Saddling up for a Saturday flight or two in my WOV Thud. The USAF. America. Family. God and the peace that passes all human understanding......

Everybody knows that the PAC 10 forms around what kind of year USC has. That is just the way it is. If they are down this year, then what does that say about the Pac 10. Spoken from the heart of the SEC, but with a degree from USC. Go Trojans!

Does anyone know what the mission tasking is for this beauty? I would withhold judgement on the looks of a modern ship until we see how she fights. The Thud wasn't pretty, but, as I recall, she fought well...........

Been watching his speech at the UN. Is stoning torture?

My man, Maurizo! My very best wishes for a wonderful birthday and celebration with your family. Many, many happy returns to this day in the future.

Condolences to the bereaved family and friends. If our President is not willing to support General McCrystal's request for the minimum operatonal troops necessary to achive a modicum of victory in Afganistan, in my opinion, General McCrystal should resign and the troops should be withdrawn forthwith. If other NATO forces wish to step into the breach, welcome. Dying a death of a thousand cuts over an indefinite period proping up an allegedly illegal government with inadequate support from home sounds more and more like Vietnam. Do the Nixon thing, declare victory with honor and bring our men and women home. Ok, off of my soapbox for the day. Earnest thoughts and prayers for our men and women doing what it takes to keep us safe at night and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Military expenditures for equipment should match the threat environment demands. What is the threat confronting Argentina? The only military action for at least half a century down there appears to have been initiated by the Argentines themselves. Is Chile a border dispute threat? Uruguay? Brazil? These questions are not inviting an emotional response and are asked from one who genuinely doesn't know. Little help from our Argentine members requested.

"Here I am, Lord, take me...."

God bless you all. The aluminum overcast is amongst us now...................

Erik, Not sure this is the best place to say this, but, as a fellow internet developer, what a terrific effort has been made by you and your crew on this upgrade to the CA site. Very well done. There will be glitches, and complainers about the glitches, but very nicely done!

Any WoX modder that wants to sell his/her work here has my support and, generally, I buy to support the community. However, I bought the O-1 Birddog from OverKill and got an email saying the file was not downloadable. Not sure what the intentions are for the product, or if I will ever see the thing, but if the deal is a rip-off, it has no place here at Combat Ace no matter how much they are paying for advert space.

Same here!??

Well done! I like it.

Carpet bombing for me. Memories of ArcLight................

As I recall the Israelis have a pretty good Air-to-Air record. Think they were looking for all the edge they could get....??

If you add the following to the [sound]: WindSoundName=windloop I have found the cockpit noise to be quite realistic. If you lose your sound completely when you come out of AB, I suggest you check to see if the Su15Engine.wav file is even in your Sounds folder. If not, just put the generic 'JetEngine' as the EngineSoundName.

Got that right, Killer Bee. Cost benefit comparison. My drop tanks ($250 each), my jet ($25,000,000), my sweet pink young ass ($50,000,000 - self estimate). Push comes to shove, jettison the tanks, more push comes to shove, jettison the jet. My only real fighter time was with the Brazilian AF flying F-5Es out of Santa Cruz airbase. There was no doubt among that crowd (and they were some really good pilots), toss the tanks just prior to the merge. It, evidently, is not an economic, supply, or fuel issue. It is all about gaining the edge. If I am so much dust, who cares if I kept my tanks or not. If I walk home without the jet, who cares if the extra drag, or g limits with the tanks, or whatever else can be thought of. It only takes one time where you are so scared the crew chief has to spend some two hours extracting the seat cushion from where you sucked it up your ass, and all of the little things come into sharp focus. Trust me boys and girls, been there, done that, and don't want to go back. Thanks for the disparaging remarks about my recce experience v.s. real fighter time. No offense taken and the jibe was appropriate. I'd like to know EZLead's opinion (a real fighter jock with real combat time). Bye the bye, U-2's don't air refuel and the big pods you see on the wings are not gas tanks. Buffs, on the other hand, did air refuel and if it was a SIOP mission, you literally could demand off load of all the fuel onboard the tanker....all of it. Tankers were, indeed, expendable fuel tanks.