T-37/T-38 Class of 83/08 Laughlin AFB (Del Rio-by-the-sea)
AT-38 FLIT Holloman AFB
F-4E RTU George AFB (Roy and Dale were still living legends and delightful neighbors; also enjoyed meeting Burt Rutan at Mojave)
All the obligatory survival schools, plus Intercept training at Hurlburt.
F-4E Air Defense, Keflavik, Iceland (best kept Navy secret, but a living **** if you don't like blond haired blue eyed women...
). Fun flying close formation with the Bears; 1.8 hrs backseat F-15D laughing my butt off as the Chief of Weapons got his butt handed to him in intercept/ACT training. Too much reliance on computers, not enough understanding what the radar is really saying and too much contempt for anyone in the back seat listen to a second opinion...
F-4E + 2.2hrs F-4G Spangdahlem AFB, GE (Wild Weasel squadron); 4 months of that in Zaragosa (Tharagohtha) including green bean and "drinking and driving"; Pissed off a Colonel by not "volunteering" for the "Weasel conversion" resulting in...
OT-37s (a temporary oddity) and OV-10 Broncos at Shaw AFB; Just about every Army exercise, including the last full-scale Reforger; NTC Ft Irwin; some wonderful nights crawling around in the swamps of Louisiana or Arkansas, not that there's any difference that I could tell at night in the swamp. Apart from the "consolation flying" and "ambassadorial duty in the dirt," my actual combat mission during that time was FAC/ALO on the ground (Panama City, 1989 with the 4/6 Mech; Desert Shield/Desert Storm with 1-327th/101st Div). During that time I was "credited" with 6 American lives saved (I'm no hero, it was "friendly fire" from idiots in a gunship who couldn't tell square from round, and I was just in the right place at the right time with a radio to tell them to stop being idiots) and 339 Iraqis captured (again no hero - we just did what we had to do to keep another dysfunctional officer from obliterating the poor saps), the previously mentioned Colonel so unhappy with me for turning down Weasel school was summarily discharged from the Saudi theater for .... (ah, if I told why I'd be no better than him - it's just about how Karma always works in the long run).
Never wanted to be a General, and was happy to leave after accomplishing my personal goals to defend my nation; acquit myself acceptably in that role; and fly fast.
Oh, and if there were ever any doubt - Phantoms Phorever!
My hats off and gratitude to all those who served in the "real air wars" of WW-II; Korea; and Viet Nam. My generation, while serving steadfastly, had the distinct advantage of overwhelming superiority, and our "wars" were relatively, for most of us, little more than a few moments of discomfort compared to the sacrifices of those who came before. For me, apart from a few minutes of excitement, "combat" was blessedly boring.
Cheers all,
Bill
