Military BS Stories or the last liar wins.

[ChrisK]

I was there in 92-93. They were programmed to retire in the 08 POM but got new life due to Global Hawk's lack of SIGINT capability at the time. The fleet is retired now I think.

Egress on the U-2? It works, just ask Gary Powers.

No, they are still flying.

 

[Alamo]

I was there in 92-93. They were programmed to retire in the 08 POM but got new life due to Global Hawk's lack of SIGINT capability at the time. The fleet is retired now I think.

Egress on the U-2? It works, just ask Gary Powers.

There are still 27 U-2S‘s flying, but all are scheduled to be retired by FY2026.

USAF Will Retire the U-2 in 2026. Until Then, Expect ‘Unique, Innovative’ Uses

The Air Force plans to retire its U-2 Dragon Lady fleet in fiscal 2026, and officials said they plan to keep the aircraft busy until then.

www.airandspaceforces.com

U-2 Retirement Moves Forward With Defense Secretary Decision

What exactly will replace the U-2 and what kind of capability enhancements or gaps will come from it are still unclear.

www.thedrive.com

 

[red_zr24x4]

Early 90's, first Gulf War was going on for about 6 months at this point. I decided I was going to join the ING., I was 30.
One day 3 other recruits and myself were going somewhere and a captain passes us. He stops an yells at us to stop.
He comes back to us and asks me if I shaved that morning. I answered yes sir,I shave every morning.
He then asks me how old I was, when I said 30 he was like "Oh, carrying on"

 

[Hawkeye]

RED HORSE (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operations Squadron Engineer... yes they say engineer twice) are a different kind of cat. There are very few RED HORSE Squadrons, IIRC they have around 600 troops assigned. These are Civil Engineers who fix battle damaged runways, do heavy construction projects, build schools in the third world, etc.

To say their reputation proceeds them is a bit of an understatement. That would be an alcohol-fueled reputation.

What always amazed me about RED HORSE, these are USAF Civil Engineers assigned to a Red Horse Squadron. There is a Special Experience Indicator for having been in a Red Horse unit (which follows you for life) but these are the same career fields as found in a Civil Engineer Squadron.

Which brings me to this: Folks in CivalionS)ruction Battil Engineer Squadrons really hate RED HORSE. They are all in the same career fields, a lot of CES guys were in RED HORSE at one time. "RED HORSE SUCKS!!" Weren't you in RED HORSE last year? "Yeah, but they still suck."

Sort of like USN SeaBees (CB or Construction Battalions)?

 

[Hawkeye]

On my deployment to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at al Dhafra Air Base, Abu Dhabi, UAE in Jun-Aug 2002, we had two RED HORSE squadrons on base. They spent the summer pouring concrete, greatly expanding the parking area for aircraft. According to all the medals paperwork I had to review as wing exec, they poured more concrete for ramp space than had been done overseas since the Vietnam war. This was part of the wind up for Iraq, although we were operating under OEF at the time.

The other thing RED HORSE was noted for was that one of their NCOs was missing his wife A LOT and wrote a very explicit email about what he intended to catch up on with her when he got back from his deployment. For unknown reasons, he not only sent the email to her, but included the “ALL COMMAND STAFF“ email distribution list in the “TO:“ line. This included the Wing Commander, the Wing Commander‘s staff of a dozen or so(including me), the Group Commanders and staff, all the Wing squadron commanders and their execs and admin troops, the RED HORSE squadron commanders and staff … so probably not more than about 40-50 people.

Educational?

 

[KellyinAvon]

Sort of like USN SeaBees (CB or Construction Battalions)?

IIRC the SeaBees also do vehicle maintenance. The heavy construction part there is definitely the same mission set. I saw SeaBees in Iceland doing stuff that the Civil Engineer Squdron on an Air Force Base would be doing.

SeaBees = RED HORSE + PRIME BEEF + Vehicle Maintenance maybe. Which is similar to the USAF Civil Engineers who could be in a base CE Squadron or in RED HORSE.

 

[actaeon277]

While the guns, missiles, artillery, jets, and such get the spotlight... one of the reasons for our success is attributed to things that happen behind the scenes.
Here we have tens of thousands of pounds of metal, being tightly controlled in close vicinity.


The fleet oiler USNS Kawishini (T-AO-146), center, the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63), bottom, and the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), participating in an underway replenishment operation, 25 July 1986.

USNS Kawishiwi 38,000 long tons​

USS Missouri (BB-63) 58,460 long tons​

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) 83,300 long tons​

Long ton = 2,240 pounds



Think about trying to control that. The ships interact with each other, with the sea, with the winds.
One small 'oops' and ...


Yet, it happens all the time.

 

[Nazgul]

Yes!! UNREP was a fun experience. Watching it during Med ops once on the USS JFK when the USS Bordelon lost steering and hit us. Followed by a fun filled 9 hrs at GQ locked in the belly of the beast at battle stations.

Don

 

[2A_Tom]

While the guns, missiles, artillery, jets, and such get the spotlight... one of the reasons for our success is attributed to things that happen behind the scenes.
Here we have tens of thousands of pounds of metal, being tightly controlled in close vicinity.


The fleet oiler USNS Kawishini (T-AO-146), center, the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63), bottom, and the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), participating in an underway replenishment operation, 25 July 1986.
View attachment 322569

USNS Kawishiwi 38,000 long tons​

USS Missouri (BB-63) 58,460 long tons​

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) 83,300 long tons​

Long ton = 2,240 pounds



Think about trying to control that. The ships interact with each other, with the sea, with the winds.
One small 'oops' and ...


Yet, it happens all the time.

And while you are at it, send over that specialist in the boatswains chair!

 

[Hawkeye]

While the guns, missiles, artillery, jets, and such get the spotlight... one of the reasons for our success is attributed to things that happen behind the scenes.
Here we have tens of thousands of pounds of metal, being tightly controlled in close vicinity.


The fleet oiler USNS Kawishini (T-AO-146), center, the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63), bottom, and the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), participating in an underway replenishment operation, 25 July 1986.
View attachment 322569

USNS Kawishiwi 38,000 long tons​

USS Missouri (BB-63) 58,460 long tons​

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) 83,300 long tons​

Long ton = 2,240 pounds



Think about trying to control that. The ships interact with each other, with the sea, with the winds.
One small 'oops' and ...


Yet, it happens all the time.

From what I understand of UNREPS, that picture doesn't do it justice. I think the ships are actually much closer when they do an UNREP. 50 yards runs to mind, but maybe its 50 feet?

 

[KellyinAvon]

It is 1 January! I sewed on Staff Sergeant on this day... in 1990.

I was a "Buck Sergeant" for a little while prior to sewing on SSgt. I remember in Basic Military Training (BMT) our TI saying he'd been hearing the rumor they were doing away with Buck (E-4) Sergeant since he was in BMT. In 91 they finally did do away with it. The E-4 grade had both Senior Airman (not NCO status) and Sergeant (NCO status) since 1976 IIRC.

It wasn't "in Fiscal Year 1992 the rank of E-4 Sergeant will be discontinued" it was "HEY! No more Buck Sergeants starting now. Have a nice day!"

 

[Hawkeye]

It is 1 January! I sewed on Staff Sergeant on this day... in 1990.

I was a "Buck Sergeant" for a little while prior to sewing on SSgt. I remember in Basic Military Training (BMT) our TI saying he'd been hearing the rumor they were doing away with Buck (E-4) Sergeant since he was in BMT. In 91 they finally did do away with it. The E-4 grade had both Senior Airman (not NCO status) and Sergeant (NCO status) since 1976 IIRC.

It wasn't "in Fiscal Year 1992 the rank of E-4 Sergeant will be discontinued" it was "HEY! No more Buck Sergeants starting now. Have a nice day!"

Did they all become Staff Sergeants?

 

[KellyinAvon]

Did they all become Staff Sergeants?

Yes, you stayed a SrA until you sewed on SSgt. The remaining Buck Sergeants stayed Buck Sergeants until they made SSgt or hit the high year of tenure and became civvies.

 

[Hawkeye]

Yes, you stayed a SrA until you sewed on SSgt. The remaining Buck Sergeants stayed Buck Sergeants until they made SSgt or hit the high year of tenure and became civvies.

I guess I was asking if the bucks automatically became staff? Or was there a promotion board decision and only some did?

 

[KellyinAvon]

I guess I was asking if the bucks automatically became staff? Or was there a promotion board decision and only some did?

Promotion to SSgt thru MSgt (E-5 thru E-7) above was testing (Career field and USAF stuff, each 100 points possible) plus performance report scores, decorations.

Add a board score to SMSgt and CMSgt (E8-E9). Testing was USAF stuff parts 1 and 2. Didn't need to know your job anymore

 

[Alamo]

While the guns, missiles, artillery, jets, and such get the spotlight... one of the reasons for our success is attributed to things that happen behind the scenes.

…

Yet, it happens all the time.

Indeed.

When Saddam invaded Kuwait and the US reacted, I was in NATO AWACS. It wasn’t long before the mission crew guys flying Euro and Atlantic surveillance missions came back sayin As far as the E-3 could see (which is a damnfar piece) there was a steady line of C-141s from the US heading to Europe and then onward to the mideast. No other country comes close to the military airlift capability the US has, and then add in thr CRAF and of course the sealift that carries the bulk of the cargo.

 

[actaeon277]

From what I understand of UNREPS, that picture doesn't do it justice. I think the ships are actually much closer when they do an UNREP. 50 yards runs to mind, but maybe its 50 feet?

 

[actaeon277]

…


Indeed.

When Saddam invaded Kuwait and the US reacted, I was in NATO AWACS. It wasn’t long before the mission crew guys flying Euro and Atlantic surveillance missions came back sayin As far as the E-3 could see (which is a damnfar piece) there was a steady line of C-141s from the US heading to Europe and then onward to the mideast. No other country comes close to the military airlift capability the US has, and then add in thr CRAF and of course the sealift that carries the bulk of the cargo.

During the beginning of the Ukraine war, I heard some people say, maybe they'd lighten up a bit on Pogs, after seeing the Russian idea of the supply system.

In war, you don't have to do everything right.
You don't have to be good.

You just need to screw up less than your opponent.

 

[Nazgul]

The carrier refueled a lot of our escort ships. We refueled from cargo vessels like this.

Don

 

[actaeon277]

The carrier refueled a lot of our escort ships. We refueled from cargo vessels like this.

Don

Well, the only 'at sea transfer' I was a part of, was a 'small boat transfer'.
I just had to leap.
Then turn around and catch my sea bag that was thrown at me. And pray I caught it, before it went overboard.