Rumsfeld and flying

On Mon, 8 Mar 2004 10:22:38 -0800, "Tarver Engineering"
wrote:


"Cub Driver" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 07 Mar 2004 18:37:53 -0500, Stephen Harding
wrote:

IIRC, the average age of the Vietnam grunt was quite young

25 WWII
21 Korea
19 Vietnam


Might I direct you to "Stolen Valor" as well. Burkett effectively
debunks the legend of the 19 year old average for Vietnam. He's got
the numbers in print.

Average warrior age in Vietnam was a lot closer to 22.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Mike Marron wrote:

Actually, those "well entrenched liberal areas" you speak of were in
the minority and the overwhelming majority of self-respecting Vietnam
vets could go anywhere and say anything he damn pleased be it
Berkley Calif on the left coast or up there in that liberal no-man's
land of New England where you're apparently from.

Glad your Dad had no problems.

Sheeeeiit.

Ya know Mike, you have a way with words that makes both the
white *and* black parts of what you write almost not worth
a look.

Alas I have yet to killfile anyone and I'll be damned if I
let you inspire me to start doing so.

But you've come about as close as anyone. Congrats to ya.


SMH

"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 8 Mar 2004 10:22:38 -0800, "Tarver Engineering"
wrote:


"Cub Driver" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 07 Mar 2004 18:37:53 -0500, Stephen Harding
wrote:

IIRC, the average age of the Vietnam grunt was quite young

25 WWII
21 Korea
19 Vietnam

Might I direct you to "Stolen Valor" as well. Burkett effectively
debunks the legend of the 19 year old average for Vietnam. He's got
the numbers in print.

Average warrior age in Vietnam was a lot closer to 22.

I'll have to take your word for it, but the leaving home of the Guard, the
age of Draft and many Volenteering for a senior trip in their late teens
makes it nearly a statistical impossibility for the Vietnam conflict to have
older soldiers than Korea.

It has my name "Steve" on it along with the Japanese equivalent
(I presume) under it. A red seal with a yellow bee in leather
flying helmet and goggles, carrying something with each pair of
its legs, and a star and bar emblem under one of its wings. A
banner under the seal says "21st Troop Carrier Squadron". On the
back a C-54 is pictured with "Bee liners" under it.

He obtained this while stationed at Tachi in the 53-54 time
period, but apparently was also in the various Japanese bases
you mentioned too from time to time.

And here I am, 50 years later, getting ready to fly a C-54 next month.


Ron
Tanker 65, C-54E (DC-4)

Glad your Dad had no problems.

To judge by what you quoted from the gent's post, Dad did indeed have
a problem, in the form of his son.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Stephen Harding wrote:

Ya know Mike, you have a way with words that makes both the
white *and* black parts of what you write almost not worth
a look.

Alas I have yet to killfile anyone and I'll be damned if I
let you inspire me to start doing so.

But you've come about as close as anyone. Congrats to ya.

Can't stomach the taste of your own medicine, Harding?
Hint: Your latest condescension, on top of your previous slings
and barbs aimed my way.

"Stephen Harding" wrote in message
...
George Z. Bush wrote:
Stephen Harding wrote:

I'll ask my mother for info as to where my father might have been
flying during the 51-55 time frame. Could be another "small world"
episode in the making!

Please do....who knows where our paths may have crossed?

Hey George, my mother directed me towards a mug my father
got sometime in 1953-54 for us two (at the time) kids.

It has my name "Steve" on it along with the Japanese equivalent
(I presume) under it. A red seal with a yellow bee in leather
flying helmet and goggles, carrying something with each pair of
its legs, and a star and bar emblem under one of its wings. A
banner under the seal says "21st Troop Carrier Squadron". On the
back a C-54 is pictured with "Bee liners" under it.

I still have a few of those kinds of mugs we all had made while we were there.
Mine had a USAF insignia on one side, and the words "344th Troop Carrier
Squadron" and "Fat Cats" around a cartoon depiction of a smiling pot bellied cat
slouched in a chair holding onto a cocktail glass. A half century later, I
still have a few of them left and occasionally have a beer in one and smile as I
drink from it.

He obtained this while stationed at Tachi in the 53-54 time
period, but apparently was also in the various Japanese bases
you mentioned too from time to time.

What I found especially interesting is that he was basically
"commuting to work". Used Japan as a base and running stuff
back and forth (and everywhere) from Korea and I think focused
on helping out the French in Indochina at the time.

Is this what you were doing too? Of course the hop to Korea
from Japan isn't especially large. A bit more of a haul to
Vietnam. I think it's very likely you guys crossed each
others paths at the time.

We also used to do that kind of stuff. We were in and out of Korea almost on a
daily basis, and sometimes to some of the smaller, hairier places where 4 engine
planes wouldn't safely fit. When I first got there, the vast preponderence of
our flights were into and out of Korea. Later on, we also got some of the
intra-Japan traffic, as well as flights to Okinawa, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Although I never went on one of those flights, we also used to have flights to
Hanoi by way of Taiwan. As I recall, we had to cover up our USAF insignia
before departing home base, and our aircrews always wore civilian clothing.

Interesting times, those. BTW, we used to import fresh fruit and veggies from
Taiwan, and learned from that that Taiwanese pineapples were as good as if not
better than the Hawaiian variety.

George Z.

Cub Driver wrote:

To judge by what you quoted from the gent's post, Dad did indeed have
a problem, in the form of his son.

He wouldn't of had it any other way. Besides, I was nothing compared
to the problem he would've had in the form of faceless assholes on
RAM whom he didn't even know.

"Ron" wrote in message
...
It has my name "Steve" on it along with the Japanese equivalent
(I presume) under it. A red seal with a yellow bee in leather
flying helmet and goggles, carrying something with each pair of
its legs, and a star and bar emblem under one of its wings. A
banner under the seal says "21st Troop Carrier Squadron". On the
back a C-54 is pictured with "Bee liners" under it.

He obtained this while stationed at Tachi in the 53-54 time
period, but apparently was also in the various Japanese bases
you mentioned too from time to time.

And here I am, 50 years later, getting ready to fly a C-54 next month.

I flew HC-54s during an Air Rescue assignment at Lajes Field, Azores in the
early 60s. Good airplane. I envy you .

George Z.

362436 (Ron) wrote:

And here I am, 50 years later, getting ready to fly a C-54 next month.

Sure now are ya that a month is long to get ready?