As a Helo tech...is this scary?

Don,
I just looked at your profile and your name sounds REALLY familiar. When were you in Kuwait? I've spent some quality time over at Jolly Green Acres (KIAP) myself. Yeah, we've got some good gear and a great mission but the injuries do pile up (personnaly two broken ankles, broken back, several skull fractures), but that's part of the job.
As far as all that junk spinning above your head...I try not to think about it too much. But when the FE starts getting animated, the doors are coming back and my knees are in the breeze.

QUOTE: Originally posted by salbando Don, I just looked at your profile and your name sounds REALLY familiar. When were you in Kuwait? ...

I was only there for a month in Nov/Dec of 92 I think is was... I remember the months and spending Thanksgiving there, but can't recall the year. Isn't that weird. But is was during Southern Watch and the birds were all grounded and marked for a one time Flight due to some rotor modification they were waiting for. If the rotor turned, the bird didn't fly again. So every 3 days, we'd go out and go trhough PreFlight us to the point of turning rotors. I guess that's why I got to see the Pararescue guys using/checking out there equipment like I did. They weren't actually getting out in the field so they just checked it is the hanger. It was also the year that the moon was a total eclipse and with all the smoke debris still in the air, the light from the moon completely disappeared. If you didn't know where to look, you would miss it. It was just a black rock in the sky. Awesome.

Don

salbando wrote:

Paraclete1, As a USAF PJ I gotta tell ya there's a few of us USAF enlisted folks who head on into battle as well. If you're a USAF enlisted member, I'm sure you'll agree. How about CCT members, TACP, and the various enlisted crewmembers. I've got boddies right now sittin over in K-2 getting mortared every other day, and occasionally getting ground fire (HH-60 FE, Gunners, and PJs). They're giving as good or better than they're gettin with the GAU-2, but make no mistake, there's quite a few USAF enlisted members in harms way. Not trying to get on a rant here but just struck a chord with me. One thing's for sure (at least in my 13 years experience). In the Helo community, rank really doesn't come into question too much. We're all part of the crew and it only takes one guy to say "Boss, I don't know about this" to make an imput on a mission. Hey Don, was it the same for USCG Helo crewdogs or what. I'm pretty confident that it probably was. Salbando

Speaking of TACP... I spent 6 years and 11 months as a TACP. I joined in 2000, after Survival School in FEB01, it was off to Ft. Riley, then Camp Casey, and finally at Ft. Wainwright were I was one of the first USAF TACP's to use the M1130 Stryker CV TACP (of which I just purchased an AFV Club kit to, which is how I ended up here doing a search for USAF TACP on this forum...). Went to Iraq with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and served in Mosul for a few months, then out west in COP Rawah in the Marine AO with 4th Squadron 14th Cav. Regiment. Yup, all my time in the Air Force with the Army... Mortars, rockets, no sweat, gimme the radio and I'll get some Hogs in on them (now, if Al Udeid would quit denying the airstrikes...).