In article ,
Jack writes:
On Sun, 05 Sep 2004 17:35:38 GMT, "Thomas J. Paladino Jr."
wrote:
Bush did that.
I would probably argue that Bush's 3 years as a fighter pilot were both more
dangerous and of a greater overall service to his country than Kerry's 3
months as a Swiftie. And then there's the fact that Kerry pretty obviously
gamed the system to get out of his tour early.
LOL.....sure, you could argue it, but you'd be wrong. An interceptor
unit in Texas flying soon to be obsolete aircraft was not exactly the
'Tip of the Spear' of national defense.
Better get youself a map, then, son, and a copy of "Air Force Combat
Wings: Lineage and Histories, 1947-1977", Charles Ravenstein,
ed. Government Printing Office, Washingron, DC, 1984, GPS Stock Number
008-070-00519-1, ISBM 0912799129
and
"Prelude to the Total Force: Air National Guard. 1943-1969", Charles
J, Gross, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1984
You'll find the following interesting facts: Since 1955, all ANG
Fighter Interceptor Squadrons were required to meed the same
training. readiness, adn availability standards as Active Component
FIS's including having airplanes on Zulu Alert (5-minute alert) at all
times.
Trom the 1st of each Calendatr year, here's a listing of the USAF/ANG
Air Defence units in the Southeastern U.S., back to the Texas Gulf
Coast.
1968:
USAF: 319th FIS, Homestead AFB, FL, F-104A
444th FIS, Charleston AFB, SC, F-101B
4780th ADW Perrin AFB, TX, F-102A (Training unit, with alert
commitment)
Air Defence Weapons Center, Tyndall AFB, F-102, F0191B, F0106
(Training unit, with alert comittment)
ANG: 111th FIS, TX ANG, Ellington AFB, TX, F-102A
122nd FIS, LA ANG, NAS New Orleans, LA, F-102A
157th FIS SC ANG, MacEntire ANGB, SC, F-102A
159th FIS, FL AND, Thomas Cole Imeson AP, F-102A
182nd FIS TX ANG, Kelly AFB, TX F-102A
During the tail end of the Johnson Administration, there was a huge
draw-down of USAF AIr Defence Assets. This left:
1969:
USAF: 4780th ADW, Perrin AFB, TX (F-102 RTU)
ADWC, Tyndall AFD, FL (Air Defence Tactics school)
ANG: 111th FIS, TX AND, Ellingron AFB, TX, F-102A
122nd FIS, LA ANG, NAS New Orleans, LA, F-102A
157th FIS, SC ANG, MacEntire ANGB, SC, F-102A
159th FIS, FL AND, Thomas Cole Imeson AP, F-102A
182nd FIS, TX ANG, Kelly AFB, TX F-102A
The ANG's role increased as we went into the 1970s:
1970:
USAF: 4780th ADW, Perrin AFB, TX (F-102 RTU)
ADWC, Tyndall AFD, FL (Air Defence Tactics school)
ANG: 111th FIS, TX AND, Ellingron AFB, TX, F-102A
122nd FIS, LA ANG, NAS New Orleans, LA, F-102A
157th FIS, SC ANG, MacEntire ANGB, SC, F-102A
159th FIS, FL AND, Thomas Cole Imeson AP, F-102A
Things stayed pretty much the same, until late 1971, when the 4780th
ADW closed up shop at Perring AFB, and _all_ F-102 training was
the responsibility of the 111th FIS, TX ANG.
Which leaves in, in 1972, with the following:
USAF: ADWC, Tyndall AFD, FL (Air Defence Tactics school)
ANG: 111th FIS, TX AND, Ellingron AFB, TX, F-102A - F-101B
157th FIS, SC ANG, MacEntire ANGB, SC, F-102A
159th FIS, FL AND, Thomas Cole Imeson AP, F-102A
Note that at the time, there was, in fact, a very real threat to teh
U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico - both from the Cuban FRAC Il-28 jet
bomber regiment based at San Cristobal, (And, as it turned out,
nuclear capable - we hadn't known the the Soviets had sent a nuclear
delivery specialist Il-28 squadron to Cuba as part of their buildup
that caused the Cuban Missile Crisis, and that the airplanes hadn't
been removed when the missiles were withdrawn, and from the Soviet
Tu-95s which rotated through Cuba on a regular basis all through the
1960s through the 1980s. Tht may not seem to be very much to you -
but if you've got nothing to counter them with, they're damned
effective.
As for the F-102 being obsolete, or "Second Line", it's worth noting
that the USAF, at that time, had 3 F-102 Squadrons in Southeast Asia
(Two of which had transferred from the Continental U.S.), 6 in Europe,
and several in the Continental U.S., Alaska, and Iceland. (Note that
many of the F-102 pilots in Soatheast Asia and Europe were ANG Pilots
posted as individuals under the Palace Alert program.
For an obsolete airplane, it stayed in the hot spots for an awfully
long time.
Bush was in a chamgaigne unit to avoid the draft. Plain and simple.
However, he couldn't even honorably complete that cushy mission
without disappearing for a year.
Here's a hint - the airplane doesn't know or care if you're rich or
poor, or if you think someone's got political pull. It's just as
ready to kill you no matter what. Pull _might_ get you into an ANG
unit. (And the idea of a former Republican Congressman having being
able to pull strings in Johnson-dominated Texas is so bizzare that the
Twilight Zone wouldn't have filmed it) But it won't get you through
UPT, it won't get you through Transition Training, and it won't get
you Mission Qualified on the aircraft. The macine doesn't care - rich
or poor, if you screw up, you're dead. What it won't tolerate is
stupidity.
When mandatory drug testing was implemented as part of all flight
physicals, Bush refused to take his required physical and grounded
himself. Shortly afterwards he disappeared. You connect the dots.
Mandatory drug testing didn't start until 1974-75, after Bush had
completed his service. You seem, like a lot of kids today, to have
problems with this "chronology" thing - the idea that anything that
occurred before you were born didn't happen in a bizzare jumble of
simultanaety.
All his life Bush has had others to make excuses for him and cover up
his failures. That still holds true today.
To know the neocon chickenhawks.... watch what they do .... not what
they say...... Jack
Whereas you do nothing, and say nothing. Thet pretty much says it.
--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster
|