One of Gabby's "Jug" P47
Posted on 02/01/2002 5:17:57 PM PST by TomServo
Right here. Sickening.
Well, you are right. I did a google search and saw for myself, but hey, I was only a senior NCO, air traffic controller, they never asked me my opinion about anything. One good thing, I retired before you did. (smile) By 1995, I was working in a level 2 open dorm setting, just trying to stay alive.
Something in common. You were GCA and I was GCI (tech, not controller). What a blast!!
I never saw a GCA. They were pretty much a thing of the past when I entered the ATC field (1968) We had radar, but it was far more sophisticated than GCA, and today, it is even better. I spent 13 years in the tower, and only 3 in radar, and 4 years in Terps, which was the most fun I had my whole career.
And another thing, if I am not mistaken, you guys tried to run airplanes together, while we tried to keep them apart.
Rest in Peace, Colonel!
I met Ritchie and his wife at the museum on the former Lowery Air Force Base on 8 July 1997. He signed a copy of a Lou Drendel print for me so I'm certain of the date. I asked him what he thought about WSO's being given "ace" status and he said "That's bulls***!" I talked to him for a good half hour and that's the one quote that I can remember verbatim. A statement that emphatic sticks in your mind. To paraphrase the rest of our conversation he said that de Bellevue gave him vectors to the target and didn't do much more than that. He didn't fly the plane and he didn't shoot the missiles. Most aviation references to de Bellevue, Feinstein and Driscoll put the obligatory asterisk next to their names on the ace roster. The Air Force and de Bellevue may consider him an ace, but the guy who flew the plane doesn't.
One of Gabby's "Jug" P47
Roger that. I assume you must have made 0-6? One thing I wanted to mention. It seems with most retired officers, that many of them wish to be called by their rank. My uncle was a retired Army Major, and he sure did. Us enlisted pukes would verbally throttle anyone who calls us by our retired rank. I wonder why the difference?
That would probably be because Ritchie is an arrogant SOB (like most fighter pilots, I might add). Without his WSO, Ritchie and any other front-seaters couldn't have flown the F-4. It's an aircraft with a two-person crew. Both crewmembers deserve the credit for kills. Ritchie is just miffed because a WSO has more kills than he does, IMHO.
Exactly. And we were damned good at it, too. :-). My unit had recommended me to attend GCI controller school, but unfortunately, the AF had discontinued the program about 30 days before I was gonna go. Damn! To be an enlisted GCI controller. Not too many of those around.
Most air traffic controllers are too, though I wasn't. I was merely confident. LOL
Didn't you guys have to learn to write backwards on plexi glass or something? Also, wasn't that job called AC & whistle? I seem to remember that from my tech school days at Keesler.
Yup. That was part of it, too. But only from the generic radar operator aspect. We had several positions under the same AFSC (276X0), one of which was Weapons Controller Tech. I was lucky enough to assist in controlling about 3000 missions. Actually controlled a few missions when the controller wigged out me. I really enjoyed it.
Am I correct in assuming then, that the controllers were officers? Maybe it was a different operation altogether, but we only used officers to actually control airplanes, when they came out of tech school. After that, they hardly ever worked traffic again. We didn't really like working with officers anyway, and tried to get them out of the facilities as much as possible. It was a little difficult for me, as a Ssgt, to tell a Major, that he couldn't control airplanes to save his rear. I enjoyed being a Terps specialist for 4 years in Germany. I did not control airplanes while doing that job. I loved it.
Almost always. Like I say, there were a few enlisted controllers in the AF.
We didn't really like working with officers anyway, and tried to get them out of the facilities as much as possible.
We always (with a few exceptions) got along with the officers. Our relationship was one of a small team. It had to be. Any problems could've related in fatal errors. Besides, they liked to party like the enlisted.
It was a little difficult for me, as a Ssgt, to tell a Major, that he couldn't control airplanes to save his rear.
I never had that problem. Once again, shyness could result in fatal errors. When you're running F4/A10/A7..etc, aircraft together at extreme closing speeds, you can't be shy. ;-)
Yep, well, I can't say I never did it, I just did not like to do it. I am, however, glad I don't do that anymore. Now I get paid 5 times as much as I did as a Msgt, and all I do is sit on my rear, and do virtually nothing. They say that 2nd watch fights crime, 3rd watch fights grime, and 1st watch fights time. I fight time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.