Military BS Stories or the last liar wins.

[Dave A]

I’m guessing this was rescue of B-52 crew that had to eject in middle of a typhoon.

Yep, that's the story. Once it was dark we would submerge and then surface the next morning. The typhoon had pretty much moved on but the seas were high enough to be a pain. There were some seasick pukers but not too many. The weapons officer fell out of his rack and broke his elbow plus a couple other slip and falls. Only 2 guys on the bridge at a time until we tried to pull the water logged AF guys out of the water. P-3's and C-130's would vector us to life rafts, we would check the raft for any occupants and move on the next string of rafts. I think the search aircraft would release a string of 5 - 10 rafts tied together with 50 - 100 ft of line and they dropped a lot of those rafts. I had the radar operating for a while until the wave slaps and water down the trunk (to the bridge) messed up the electronics which were located in the trunk. The first 3 guys were in the same raft. They were beat up pretty bad and couldn't retrieve the line thrown to them. Chief Hentz (Chief torpedomen and the boat's diver) jumped into the ocean and swan a line to the raft. Everyone was pulled out of the water lowered below. The next guy we located was the enlisted tail gunner, he was alone in the raft, had the cover over the raft and was in good shape. I think he paid attention to the "survival at sea training" class. He said when he saw our boat approaching it looked like a big black cross coming across the water. He was able to retrieve the line thrown to him and he jumped out of the raft was pulled to the boat. An ops ET named Gray Spaulding pulled him out of the water and lowered him down to control. He was weak in the legs but pretty good shape for being in a rough ocean for long time(don't remember exactly). One guy died while bailing out or after landing in the water. I assume the search aircraft could tell he was dead because we didn't go looking for him. He washed up on the island of Yap some time later. The pilot stayed with the plane for a little bit longer and was picked up by the USS Gurnard well away from our group.

 

[actaeon277]

Yep, that's the story. Once it was dark we would submerge and then surface the next morning. The typhoon had pretty much moved on but the seas were high enough to be a pain. There were some seasick pukers but not too many. The weapons officer fell out of his rack and broke his elbow plus a couple other slip and falls. Only 2 guys on the bridge at a time until we tried to pull the water logged AF guys out of the water. P-3's and C-130's would vector us to life rafts, we would check the raft for any occupants and move on the next string of rafts. I think the search aircraft would release a string of 5 - 10 rafts tied together with 50 - 100 ft of line and they dropped a lot of those rafts. I had the radar operating for a while until the wave slaps and water down the trunk (to the bridge) messed up the electronics which were located in the trunk. The first 3 guys were in the same raft. They were beat up pretty bad and couldn't retrieve the line thrown to them. Chief Hentz (Chief torpedomen and the boat's diver) jumped into the ocean and swan a line to the raft. Everyone was pulled out of the water lowered below. The next guy we located was the enlisted tail gunner, he was alone in the raft, had the cover over the raft and was in good shape. I think he paid attention to the "survival at sea training" class. He said when he saw our boat approaching it looked like a big black cross coming across the water. He was able to retrieve the line thrown to him and he jumped out of the raft was pulled to the boat. An ops ET named Gray Spaulding pulled him out of the water and lowered him down to control. He was weak in the legs but pretty good shape for being in a rough ocean for long time(don't remember exactly). One guy died while bailing out or after landing in the water. I assume the search aircraft could tell he was dead because we didn't go looking for him. He washed up on the island of Yap some time later. The pilot stayed with the plane for a little bit longer and was picked up by the USS Gurnard well away from our group.

Damn. That was a good story. I don't mean "story" as in made up. It was just .. good.
Love to hear stories like that.

 

[actaeon277]

And the chief swimming out to bring a line to someone, that's the kind of stuff I remember reading about/hearing about.
When I hear people complain "how rough they have it", I think of stuff like that.


Kind of like how my stories seem smaller now.
And I'm okay with that.

 

[actaeon277]

I know it is "corny", but....


[video=youtube;2fngvQS_PmQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fngvQS_PmQ[/video]

 

[maxwelhse]

Yep, that's the story. Once it was dark we would submerge and then surface the next morning. The typhoon had pretty much moved on but the seas were high enough to be a pain. There were some seasick pukers but not too many. The weapons officer fell out of his rack and broke his elbow plus a couple other slip and falls. Only 2 guys on the bridge at a time until we tried to pull the water logged AF guys out of the water. P-3's and C-130's would vector us to life rafts, we would check the raft for any occupants and move on the next string of rafts. I think the search aircraft would release a string of 5 - 10 rafts tied together with 50 - 100 ft of line and they dropped a lot of those rafts. I had the radar operating for a while until the wave slaps and water down the trunk (to the bridge) messed up the electronics which were located in the trunk. The first 3 guys were in the same raft. They were beat up pretty bad and couldn't retrieve the line thrown to them. Chief Hentz (Chief torpedomen and the boat's diver) jumped into the ocean and swan a line to the raft. Everyone was pulled out of the water lowered below. The next guy we located was the enlisted tail gunner, he was alone in the raft, had the cover over the raft and was in good shape. I think he paid attention to the "survival at sea training" class. He said when he saw our boat approaching it looked like a big black cross coming across the water. He was able to retrieve the line thrown to him and he jumped out of the raft was pulled to the boat. An ops ET named Gray Spaulding pulled him out of the water and lowered him down to control. He was weak in the legs but pretty good shape for being in a rough ocean for long time(don't remember exactly). One guy died while bailing out or after landing in the water. I assume the search aircraft could tell he was dead because we didn't go looking for him. He washed up on the island of Yap some time later. The pilot stayed with the plane for a little bit longer and was picked up by the USS Gurnard well away from our group.

Stuff like this is why I thank vets for their service. The freedom, and not speaking German, and everything else is awesome, but damn... That's a tough day at work if I've ever heard of one and I know just enough to know that every man on that boat made all of that possible. My hat is off to all of you guys.

 

[actaeon277]

Yup, everyone on board made that rescue possible. Though special thanks to the guy that jumped in the water.


We practiced "Man Overboard" drills in calm waters. So instead of sending over a line, we tried to maneuver up to "BOB".
Bob was basically a big beach ball with a radar reflector inside of it.
We must have run "Bob" over 99 percent of the time.
I didn't endear myself to the officers (a common problem I had) by muttering that maybe if I fell in the water, they could maybe station themselves a bit away from me, and let me clear the distance.
If I was unable, then we many times had "special missions personnel" that excelled at swimming. Failing that, we had a couple "ship's divers".


I will grant them that it was difficult.
My boat runs just under 7,000 tons on the surface. Makes for an inertial nightmare.
Throw in winds, waves, and currents.

 

[maxwelhse]

I didn't endear myself to the officers (a common problem I had) by muttering that maybe if I fell in the water, they could maybe station themselves a bit away from me, and let me clear the distance.
If I was unable, then we many times had "special missions personnel" that excelled at swimming. Failing that, we had a couple "ship's divers".


I will grant them that it was difficult.
My boat runs just under 7,000 tons on the surface. Makes for an inertial nightmare.
Throw in winds, waves, and currents.

This is why I thank you guys... I had a "bad" day at work today, because, I kid you not, I had a small spat with a coworker over 5 gallon water jugs. That, combined with utter boredom because my employer pays a staff of highly trained, experienced, and at one time motivated, professionals to not work on anything productive because management can't remove their anterior from their posterior (in this regard I feel like I share something with the military from the stories I've read).

At no point was I risk for being run over in open ocean, by my closest friends, in a 7,000 ton boat... and yet I still came home in a foul mood.

So, yes, thank you guys! Without that kind of stuff I wouldn't be free to be whining about my not-problems on the internet... and that is a freedom that very few people seem to actually appreciate,IMO.

 

[actaeon277]

This is why I thank you guys... I had a "bad" day at work today, because, I kid you not, I had a small spat with a coworker over 5 gallon water jugs. That, combined with utter boredom because my employer pays a staff of highly trained, experienced, and at one time motivated, professionals to not work on anything productive because management can't remove their anterior from their posterior (in this regard I feel like I share something with the military from the stories I've read).

At no point was I risk for being run over in open ocean, by my closest friends, in a 7,000 ton boat... and yet I still came home in a foul mood.

So, yes, thank you guys! Without that kind of stuff I wouldn't be free to be whining about my not-problems on the internet... and that is a freedom that very few people seem to actually appreciate,IMO.

Oh, there's plenty of civilian jobs that are similar.
I think I have it pretty decent right now. But Monday morning, about 8 minutes after midnight (3 hours into my 16 hour shift), I short in the control system caused a ladle gate to stay full open. Causing liquid steel to go where it wasn't supposed to. Fortunately they guy works there, had moved because of the problem.
Some of the steel dripped into the floor below, right into a lot of grease.
By the time I got to that floor to check, the fire was in full force. Every time we put the fire out, it would reignite because the extinguisher only cuts out the oxygen, not the temperature. I wasn't supposed to hit it with water, because of the grease, and because the water would drain into an electrical room.
We went though a bunch of extinguishers before we started covering it with oil dry.

 

[maxwelhse]

Oh, there's plenty of civilian jobs that are similar.
I think I have it pretty decent right now. But Monday morning, about 8 minutes after midnight (3 hours into my 16 hour shift), I short in the control system caused a ladle gate to stay full open. Causing liquid steel to go where it wasn't supposed to. Fortunately they guy works there, had moved because of the problem.
Some of the steel dripped into the floor below, right into a lot of grease.
By the time I got to that floor to check, the fire was in full force. Every time we put the fire out, it would reignite because the extinguisher only cuts out the oxygen, not the temperature. I wasn't supposed to hit it with water, because of the grease, and because the water would drain into an electrical room.
We went though a bunch of extinguishers before we started covering it with oil dry.

I've done a little time in the barrel of manufacturing engineering, and worked with a bunch of good maintenance and tech guys, and you basically just told the story of how I came up with my rules of employment.

I will do just about anything, except:
-Mines
-Battery Plants
-Glass Plants
-Foundries

I freely admit I've constructed my career so that I'm not in much of a position to get people killed, no matter if it's ignorance, incompetence, or just error. Again, many of the reasons why I thank the military guys. I didn't want the responsibility, but I'm happy to have the rewards.

Private sector is a different deal and we all make our own beds. We can all quit our jobs, go home, and take whatever comes next... but I bet it's pretty hard to walk off of a sub whenever you want. Plus military prison for doing it.

 

[actaeon277]

I've done a little time in the barrel of manufacturing engineering, and worked with a bunch of good maintenance and tech guys, and you basically just told the story of how I came up with my rules of employment.

I will do just about anything, except:
-Mines
-Battery Plants
-Glass Plants
-Foundries

I freely admit I've constructed my career so that I'm not in much of a position to get people killed, no matter if it's ignorance, incompetence, or just error. Again, many of the reasons why I thank the military guys. I didn't want the responsibility, but I'm happy to have the rewards.

Private sector is a different deal and we all make our own beds. We can all quit our jobs, go home, and take whatever comes next... but I bet it's pretty hard to walk off of a sub whenever you want. Plus military prison for doing it.

The Navy.
It's not just a job.
It's an adventure.
(old advertisement)

My interpretation.
It's not just a job.
You can quit a job.

 

[maxwelhse]

The Navy.
It's not just a job.
It's an adventure.
(old advertisement)

My interpretation.
It's not just a job.
You can quit a job.

Reminds me of a coffee cup of my Grandma's (who... get your pitch forks ready... Was a VA nurse for 40 years).

Her work coffee cup was "You can't fire slaves. Slaves have to be killed". If any of you guys have to go the VA and get a bad experience, believe me that isn't what they wanted for you either. Same machine, different cog.

I drink out of that mug every time I'm at mom and dad's. I'll try to get a picture for you guys the next time I'm there. The horror stories that mug must have seen over that decades in a VA. Yikes.

 

[Nazgul]

Max "but I bet it's pretty hard to walk off of a sub whenever you want. Plus military prison for doing it. "

In MARDET on a carrier, middle of the Atlantic on the way back from a 6 month deployment, the alarm for the brig goes off. We had panic alarms in the duty stations in case of ...well...trouble.

Get down there and our CO is with the biggest sailor I have ever seen who is in civilian clothes. Think 6'4" and wide as a door with muscles. Seems he had a problem and wanted to go home. They kept several of us there, we couldn't hurt anyone but we could put them in a uniform with force if necessary. Got him dressed, gagged and trussed up in a cell. The isolation cell was 3' x 6'. I was the one sitting on his chest while they put the gag in his mouth. Always worried about this because a ship, even a carrier is not that big.

Can't leave them when they are restrained and I drew the first watch. He calmed down and started to cry after a short time and I notified the CO who authorized releasing his restraints.

Fast forward a few weeks and I am in the chow line. They are serving something unrecognizeable. As I pass the hatch to the galley a huge arm reaches out, grabs my arm and says " SGT Don you don't want any of that!!". It was the sailor from the brig, I raised the tray ready to fight, figured it was on!. He goes over to the covered tray for the Chiefs Mess, gets a big steak and puts it on my tray. Glad he didn't have any hard feelings. Turned out his girl was giving him grief and he was having a hard time.

Don

​

 

[Alamo]

... The first 3 guys were in the same raft. They were beat up pretty bad and couldn't retrieve the line thrown to them.

Ejecting itself often causes injuries, and then landing in a hostile environment adds to the woes. Really is a last chance option. When I was still in I worked with another computer officer who had been a back-seater in F-4s. He cross-trained to computer programmer after his F-4 near Greenland broke up crossing into supersonic flight and he had to eject. One shoulder was injured so badly he could not raise his arm above his shoulder, so no more flying for him. The pilot was never found.

...One guy died while bailing out or after landing in the water. I assume the search aircraft could tell he was dead because we didn't go looking for him. He washed up on the island of Yap some time later...

It was one of the navigators, a Lt Col. Media sources say the aircraft could sea him face down in the water, still tied to his raft. Sad. Great saves on the rest of the crew though.

 

[maxwelhse]

Max "but I bet it's pretty hard to walk off of a sub whenever you want. Plus military prison for doing it. "

In MARDET on a carrier, middle of the Atlantic on the way back from a 6 month deployment, the alarm for the brig goes off. We had panic alarms in the duty stations in case of ...well...trouble.

Get down there and our CO is with the biggest sailor I have ever seen who is in civilian clothes. Think 6'4" and wide as a door with muscles. Seems he had a problem and wanted to go home. They kept several of us there, we couldn't hurt anyone but we could put them in a uniform with force if necessary. Got him dressed, gagged and trussed up in a cell. The isolation cell was 3' x 6'. I was the one sitting on his chest while they put the gag in his mouth. Always worried about this because a ship, even a carrier is not that big.

Can't leave them when they are restrained and I drew the first watch. He calmed down and started to cry after a short time and I notified the CO who authorized releasing his restraints.

Fast forward a few weeks and I am in the chow line. They are serving something unrecognizeable. As I pass the hatch to the galley a huge arm reaches out, grabs my arm and says " SGT Don you don't want any of that!!". It was the sailor from the brig, I raised the tray ready to fight, figured it was on!. He goes over to the covered tray for the Chiefs Mess, gets a big steak and puts it on my tray. Glad he didn't have any hard feelings. Turned out his girl was giving him grief and he was having a hard time.

Don

​

I think we've all been there, especially when we were young. It sounds like they handled this on the ship and didn't send him through whatever process to be kicked out?

 

[nonobaddog]

I bet it's pretty hard to walk off of a sub whenever you want.

I think you are right but the real problems start as soon as you leave the sub. Especially if out to sea and even more so if submerged.

 

[maxwelhse]

I think you are right but the real problems start as soon as you leave the sub. Especially if out to sea and even more so if submerged.

I thought the worst part was when they made you wipe down the torpedo tube afterward?

 

[Dave A]

Ejecting itself often causes injuries, and then landing in a hostile environment adds to the woes. Really is a last chance option. When I was still in I worked with another computer officer who had been a back-seater in F-4s. He cross-trained to computer programmer after his F-4 near Greenland broke up crossing into supersonic flight and he had to eject. One shoulder was injured so badly he could not raise his arm above his shoulder, so no more flying for him. The pilot was never found.

It was one of the navigators, a Lt Col. Media sources say the aircraft could sea him face down in the water, still tied to his raft. Sad. Great saves on the rest of the crew though.

I'm surprised that any of them survived. Can't imagine 1) leaving a plane going 250mph more or less, 2) jumping into the dark 3)landing in the rough water and high winds 4) deploying and climbing into a raft under those conditions. Then a day and a half in the storm.

 

[nonobaddog]

I'm surprised that any of them survived. Can't imagine 1) leaving a plane going 250mph more or less, 2) jumping into the dark 3)landing in the rough water and high winds 4) deploying and climbing into a raft under those conditions. Then a day and a half in the storm.

And no rod and reel, that would suck.

 

[Nazgul]

I think we've all been there, especially when we were young. It sounds like they handled this on the ship and didn't send him through whatever process to be kicked out?

True.
He was a decent sailor just had a bad time. Never disciplined further as far as I know.

Don

 

[maxwelhse]

True.
He was a decent sailor just had a bad time. Never disciplined further as far as I know.

Don

Well that's good. I'm going to guess that type of thing is more common that I ever suspected. I never really even thought about it before.