On Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:37:29 -0400, Ogden Johnson III
wrote:

Sort of. Two six-month deployments of our USMC Harrier Det to
operate out of Kadena AB.

And, of course, like our compatriots in the Army and Navy, we
suffered cruel and unusual treatment every time we had fly on one
of your [MATS/MATC/MAC/pick a name] C-141/C-5/C-130. One time
y'all left us stranded coming back from Denmark - standing beside
the runway with our thumbs out trying to hitch a ride on any
passing USAF cargo plane carrying all the REFORGER troops back.
I don't know whether our rear party OIC bribed or blackmailed
him, but finally after 10 hours one C-5 driver finally took pity
on us, and at least offered to take us to Dover with him where we
could arrange a ride with a real air transport company back to
Cherry Point.

[In the event, all that fancy navigation s[tuff] in the C-5's
front office paid off, and halfway across the Atlantic the PIC
told us that they were making great time, and could drop us off
at NKT without running out of either fuel or crew-hours before
getting back to Dover. So we didn't have to go to Plan B -
commercial air.]

Whether you like it or not, *anyone* who has served as a US
Marine, Soldier, or Sailor and has experienced the tender mercies
of the USAF has earned the right to use the term Air Farce.

Please, OJ, you are confusing the airlifters with the USAF. They
aren't on "our" side either! The trash-haulers are generally more bad
than good (although I'm the first to admit I encountered an occasional
exception, such as the C-124 guys who gave me a lift out of Tachikawa
in a tale related in When Thunder Rolled.)

For some reason the MAC (or whatever they are called now) folks have
mastered the principle of being always able to leave in the middle of
the dead of night, fly any length of trip and arrive also in the
middle of the night, anywhere in the world. Simply show up six hours
before departure to get your fair share of abuse.

And don't even get me started on being rousted out of bed in the
middle of the night in some MAC BOQ because the quarters were reserved
for "aircrew"--meaing MAC pukes, not necessarily combat aviators.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com