# C-130 crash in Iraq FUBAR



## evangilder (Jan 6, 2005)

Here's what happens when you don't properly "NOTAM" (notice to airmen) an airfield under construction. A lack of communication over in Iraq. 

Last week, one C-23 Sherpa flew into a U.S. operated airfield in Iraq during the day and saw there was construction equipment on the runway. Yet there was no NOTAM. A trench was being dug in the runway, and it was not marked. It's a long runway and they just landed beyond the construction. They filed a safety hazard report that was immediately forwarded to our higher headquarters and to the Air Force wing based here. 

Well, it seems the construction continued and still was not marked or
NOTAM'ed or anything. A C-130 landed on the runway the night of the 29th and didn't see the construction. It wound up going through what is now a large pit on the runway. A few pictures are attached. The C-130 was totaled. 

There were several injuries to the crew and the few passengers that were on board but luckily nobody was killed. Quite the set of failures somewhere in the system regarding this improper construction and no notifications about it.


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## Nonskimmer (Jan 6, 2005)

Jesus, it's lucky no one was killed! I hope someone hangs, over that!
That's not the sort of thing that should have ever been allowed to happen, _especially_ when they've been called on it already!


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## evangilder (Jan 6, 2005)

Agreed, major FUBAR. It reallty is surprising that no one was killed. From the looks of it, I am pretty sure that's the EC-130.


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## Nonskimmer (Jan 6, 2005)

Judging from the huge nose and those pods by the ramp opening, I'd say you're right. It looks like an EC-130.


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## Medvedya (Jan 6, 2005)

Guess they'll have to take another gold bar out of Fort Knox for that Herc.

A credit to the soundness of its design though.


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## lesofprimus (Jan 6, 2005)

I can only imagine the fire and panic that happened that night..... Ive flown on C-130's before....

UNREAL.......


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## Nonskimmer (Jan 6, 2005)

So've I. Not the most comfy way to fly, but it gets ya there.


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## evangilder (Jan 6, 2005)

I logged more hours on 130s than I care to remember. Fortunately, I never had a flight end like that. I could only imagine the shock.


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## lesofprimus (Jan 6, 2005)

Try jumping out of one at 25,000 feet in the dark..... Not the most fun and really cold...


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## evangilder (Jan 6, 2005)

No thanks! I have this thing about jumping from a perfectly good airplane!


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## Nonskimmer (Jan 6, 2005)

Yeah, me too.


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## plan_D (Jan 7, 2005)

That certainly is a credit to the C-130 design. The fuselage is mostly intact.


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## evangilder (Jan 7, 2005)

Indeed, another marvelous Kelly Johnson design. They've been in service for a long time and have been a workhorse for many nations.


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## plan_D (Jan 7, 2005)

They are brilliant aircraft. I think I read somewhere that not only have they been in front-line military service the longest but also serve with the most countries (60 +)


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## Medvedya (Jan 7, 2005)

Just a very grainy pic of my dad in one!


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## cheddar cheese (Jan 7, 2005)

I love the C-130. Especially the Gunship "Puff the Magic Dragon" 8)


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## plan_D (Jan 7, 2005)

My dad went down to the Falklands in a Herc after loading up the Atlantic Conveyor.


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## evangilder (Jan 7, 2005)

My longest C-130 flight, I don't remember the timeframe, but the flight followed this path.

Depart RAF Mildenhall, England
Fuel/cargo stop, Thule Greenland,
Fuel/passenger stop, Langley AFB, Virginia
Fuel/passenger stop, Travis AFB, California
Fuel/cargo stop, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
Final Destination, Korea (Don't remember where we landed, I was wiped out!)

Spent 3 days in the DMZ and flew back to England via the same route!

That took me about a week to get back in sync again.


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## Nonskimmer (Jan 7, 2005)

Back in "the day", my dad travelled back and forth from Alert in Hercs. It was the only large aircraft capable of that sort of regular arctic operation. Helluva workhorse! He grew to hate the damn thing!


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## evangilder (Jan 7, 2005)

I can understand that. Cold, noisy and uncomfortable. But they are reliable and will get you there.


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## GermansRGeniuses (Jan 7, 2005)

cheddar cheese said:


> I love the C-130. Especially the Gunship "Puff the Magic Dragon" 8)




Actually, the Ac-47 was known as, "Puff the Magic Dragon," as far as I know, not the Ac-130...


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## plan_D (Jan 7, 2005)

Yes, it was. The AC-130 'Spectre' is a brilliant aircraft though.


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## evangilder (Jan 7, 2005)

They were both called Puff. I got to see an AC-130 run once. Beautiful from afar with all the tracers, but I sure wouldn't want to be in the target zone. Lead rain.


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## plan_D (Jan 8, 2005)

I've never seen one in flight. I saw one parked up at an airshow, that's it.


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## evangilder (Jan 8, 2005)

I gto to see an AC-47 as well. There is one here in southern california called Spooky. I have a couple of pics of it, but it was with my old camera. They aren't as clear as shots with my new one.


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## lesofprimus (Jan 8, 2005)

I have been witness to the AC-10 show on a couple of late night ops, in Panama and Iraq... Close air support at its finest and most devastating....

We went into this small apartment block outside of Az Zubayr to get BDA after a strike and Ill never forget it..... The biggest pieces were feet and hands, and small pieces u couldnt tell what they came from...

The tracer fire from the Spectre was the most amazing thing ive ever seen in battle....

E, did u see urs in training or actually duty...


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## evangilder (Jan 8, 2005)

Duty. I was quite a distance away, humping the boonies with some guys from a number of alphabet agencies (you know what I mean). It was an interesting op. I can't say where, but I will only say it was during the height of the drug wars (1986-1987).


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## Medvedya (Jan 8, 2005)

Puff the magic dragon - in a drug war? Did nobody see the irony?


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## evangilder (Jan 8, 2005)

At the time, I was a little busy to see the irony. But yes, there is some there.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Jan 8, 2005)




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## GermansRGeniuses (Jan 8, 2005)

lesofprimus said:


> I have been witness to the AC-10 show on a couple of late night ops, in Panama and Iraq... Close air support at its finest and most devastating....
> 
> We went into this small apartment block outside of Az Zubayr to get BDA after a strike and Ill never forget it..... The biggest pieces were feet and hands, and small pieces u couldnt tell what they came from...
> 
> ...




Hmm, Panama...


Where you around to see the F-117's first strike, or were you in a completely different place? (I.E. still on the boat or chopper, back in the States to be deployed, etc.?)


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## lesofprimus (Jan 8, 2005)

I saw some of the first strikes in Op Desert Storm, but not in Panama.... We were tasked with securing the airport perimeter and personnel where El Presidente Noriega was planning on evacuating the country...

Bad intel made that a horrible night for all involved.. Lost a couple guys there, as well as one of my best pals Carlos getting paralyzed....

E, I know what u mean.. Had some goings on with those cats as well.... Kinda scary dudes... Couple of em I met were certifiable....


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Jan 21, 2005)

i'd love to fly one...........


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## cheddar cheese (Jan 22, 2005)

One what...F-117? C-130? AC-130? AC-47?


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## GermansRGeniuses (Jan 22, 2005)

Ac-47 for moi...



Anyone ever seen Dc-3 "Spirit of '76"?







The interior is AWESOME!

Four fully rotating leather chairs, two couches, and a "booth" (two sides of double seating around a table), as well as a huge bathroom!



But then again, it wasn't necessarily a regular airliner, as far as I know - more of a VIP transport for 76 Gasoline...


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## cheddar cheese (Jan 23, 2005)

Nice 8)

AC-130 for me, BTW...


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Feb 16, 2005)

I saw that aircraft (the one at the beginning with the pics) about 2 weeks ago when I went to pick up ellection ballots. That C-130 is still sitting there, it was just pushed off to the side so that it would not hinder other aircraft. I hovered right by it, wish I had taken some pictures of it. The post is called Q-West where this happened. Oh and by the way the run way is not fixed up and aircraft can land on it without a problem.

As for the Spectre, which I too prefer to call Puff. I got to see her in action over Iraq when some ground forces called in for air support, it was a sight to see! Just Amazing.


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## KraziKanuK (Feb 18, 2005)




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## cheddar cheese (Feb 18, 2005)

> As for the Spectre, which I too prefer to call Puff. I got to see her in action over Iraq when some ground forces called in for air support, it was a sight to see! Just Amazing.
> [/quute]
> 
> Nice! 8)


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 6, 2005)

Yeah Global Security has all the info on every base over there and probably most in the world.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 6, 2005)

the C-130 for me........


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 7, 2005)

I hate flying C-130s. To me they just dont feel like they want to fly.


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 7, 2005)

Wow, you've flown C-130's? Lucky.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 8, 2005)

Excuse me I meant flying in C-130's. I have never flown one but have ridden as a passenger on several occasions in them. I dont like them at all.


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## evangilder (Mar 8, 2005)

I agree, Adler. While they are reliable and always got me where I was going, they are noisy and cold. The web seats start to cut into your butt in a relatively short time. I usually folded up the seat and laid on the floor wrapped up in my field jacket.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 8, 2005)

Yeah I would do the same thing, just lay on the floor or the cargo palets in the back.


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## Nonskimmer (Mar 8, 2005)

One time quite a few years ago 100 of us were stuffed into one of those things in our dress uniforms, for a flight from Victoria to Ottawa. Bad enough to be crowded in there for a long flight like that, but in our dress uniforms?!
We literally slept on each other. There wasn't room for anything else. If you had to piss you did it pretty much where you sat, into an old bottle. If you had to do more, God help ya!

So we arrived in Ottawa looking like shit, had all the uniforms sent out for dry-cleaning, eventually got around to doing the honour guard we'd been sent to do, and then back on to another Herc for the return flight.

I was still pretty new to the mob then, and I remember thinking: "This is what I joined the Navy for?!"


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## evangilder (Mar 8, 2005)

Geez, sending guys in their dress uniforms to fly on a C-130 shows a total lack of forethought. That's pretty FUBAR.


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## Nonskimmer (Mar 8, 2005)

You got that right! I don't know why they didn't send us on an airbus, anyway. Oh well.


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 8, 2005)

As bad as it obviously is to travel on a Herc, Id still love to fly in one.


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## Nonskimmer (Mar 8, 2005)

I didn't find it that bad, as long as you were prepared for the journey.
100 guys on a long flight was a bit much, though.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 9, 2005)

Yeah in Iraq they would cram about 100 into the very front of the plane in 4 rows sitting like sardines in a can and then the back was crammed with pallets of cargo. It was not confy at all.


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 9, 2005)

But then again I doubt it was designed to be comfy.


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## Nonskimmer (Mar 9, 2005)

It certainly wasn't.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 10, 2005)

No it wasn't.


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## 2W151gunship (Jul 30, 2005)

That was a plane from my base, and I remember how crazy everyone was when it happened. Thought it was classified, but I guess not lol!!!


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## Wildcat (Jul 31, 2005)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> Yeah in Iraq they would cram about 100 into the very front of the plane in 4 rows sitting like sardines in a can and then the back was crammed with pallets of cargo. It was not confy at all.



Yep, I know what thats like. Done that from one end of Australia to the other a couple of times in that same layout! Not fun at all.


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## evangilder (Jul 31, 2005)

2W151gunship said:


> That was a plane from my base, and I remember how crazy everyone was when it happened. Thought it was classified, but I guess not lol!!!



I got the shots from a buddy of mine. Usually, if he sends me sensitive stuff, he tells me to keep it under wraps. He didn't say anything about this one, so I figured it was safe. Wasn't long before I saw them all over the place either.


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## HealzDevo (Jul 31, 2005)

I think this is a sign of where someone hasn't been filing the proper reports. There obviously has been some glitch which meant that there was no notification on the charts about the work, no signals out to warn incoming pilots, also what about the control tower at the airport? Did that Control Tower know of the works and fail to pass on the necessary information? There are so many angles that an inquiry into something like this has to consider. I am assuming that it is normal standard practice for the Hercules when coming in to call the Control Tower and get information on where to land etc. This questions the competence of the Control Tower staff as well in failing to pass on the information that Simpleton Simon would have thought to be relevent to a pilot coming in to land.


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## FLYBOYJ (Jul 31, 2005)

HealzDevo said:


> I think this is a sign of where someone hasn't been filing the proper reports. There obviously has been some glitch which meant that there was no notification on the charts about the work, no signals out to warn incoming pilots, also what about the control tower at the airport? Did that Control Tower know of the works and fail to pass on the necessary information? There are so many angles that an inquiry into something like this has to consider. I am assuming that it is normal standard practice for the Hercules when coming in to call the Control Tower and get information on where to land etc. This questions the competence of the Control Tower staff as well in failing to pass on the information that Simpleton Simon would have thought to be relevent to a pilot coming in to land.



As Evan mentioned at the start of the tread a NOTAM wasn't issued - It had nothing to do with a control tower. Chances are the tower wasn't operational or it was even closed when the aircraft landed - this is very common, especially in a war zone.


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## lesofprimus (Jul 31, 2005)

I much preferred jumping out of C-130's than flying in them... Ive had some long flights on them as well, just like u guys, and have the same horror stories.... 

All of us do.. LoL.


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## FLYBOYJ (Jul 31, 2005)

I uesd to fly in "A" models - I worked for a company who maintained and operated 3 of them. We used to lauch drones for the Navy. When we weren't doing that we were hauling "stuff" between China Lake, Point Mugu and St. Nicholas Island.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 31, 2005)

Im with you on this one Les. I hate flying on them except I never jumped out of them.


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## FLYBOYJ (Jul 31, 2005)

And after only a few years of flying on them, I came out OK.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 31, 2005)

I normally fall asleep after a few minutes but I still do not like them.


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## 2W151gunship (Jul 31, 2005)

The night before that happened another C-130 was flying over and saw that a section was missing and contacted the tower. I'm sure someone is frying for this. That plane is a Talon 2 just to let you guys know....Have a good one 

"You can run but you'll only die tired"

We had Bruce sign this plane... He also wrote yippy kay yay mother fuckers...LOL


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## Nonskimmer (Jul 31, 2005)

Ha! Nice!


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## evangilder (Jul 31, 2005)

Love it! I am sure I don't speak alone when I say I would like to see some pics of those bad boys (the planes, that is!).


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## Nonskimmer (Jul 31, 2005)

Yes please.


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## cheddar cheese (Aug 1, 2005)

Cool!


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Aug 1, 2005)

nice slogan..........


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## 2W151gunship (Aug 1, 2005)

I'll try and get some pics up ASAP. I'll see what i can do


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## 2W151gunship (Aug 1, 2005)

This is a good one. We were running engines so I could check the guns and the hydro troop forgot to isolate a hydro valve....BOOM...LOL


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## 2W151gunship (Aug 1, 2005)

Unrelated to subject, but still pretty cool. We killed this spider with an MRE bomb wrapped in metal tape...This is a small one for this area.


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## lesofprimus (Aug 1, 2005)

Thats the one thing I dont miss about the desert.... The damn Spiders...


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## evangilder (Aug 1, 2005)

Yeah, those camel spiders are friggin HUGE! I don't mind the normal house variety, but when they get that big, I winder what the heck they eat!

Funny shot with the hydro, well, kind of funny. Probably not for the Hydro guy.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 3, 2005)

I hated those damn Camel Spiders. I will admit they scared the shit out of me even though they never tried to bite me or anything. I just could not get over there damn ugliness and there damn fangs or jaws or what ever the hell they are.


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## lesofprimus (Aug 3, 2005)

I had some asshole Marine 1st Lt put one on my face while I was napping after being engaged for 6 solid hours.... That almost got me in trouble, cause I went off on him, but thanks to my Lt, it got smoothed out...... 

Man I was pissed...


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## 2W151gunship (Aug 3, 2005)

I was with this guy in Kuwait and one ate at his flesh for like 5 hrs and he didnt really even know it. Dont know what the deal with them is but.....scary either way.


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## Nonskimmer (Aug 3, 2005)

What les, you didn't shove the damn thing up his ass? Sounds like he deserved it. I thought SEALs ate Marines for breakfast.


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## lesofprimus (Aug 3, 2005)

He was an officer and I was enlisted.... Yelling at the top of ur lungs and getting in the face of a Commisioned Officer is a BIG nono..... I touched my nose to his forehead which was the big thing that got some people worked up...

Extenuating circumstances are the only thing that kept me from going to Captains Mast... That and the fact I had a kickass boss...


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## evangilder (Aug 3, 2005)

You got lucky Les. But what he did was totally messed up. Good to see that your CO saw it that way.


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## Nonskimmer (Aug 3, 2005)

Officer or no, he'd a been eating that damn spider. I hate 'em.


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## evangilder (Aug 3, 2005)

Yeah, me too. If someone had put one in my face, I don't think I would have been able to contain myself. Those things just freaked me the heck out. They don't even look like they belong on this planet.


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## lesofprimus (Aug 3, 2005)

What made it so bad is that I was sleeping, had been slammin rounds all day, and been up for over 24 hours.... The tempo we ran at over there was insane guys....

I collapsed back at base and had been zonked for about 1/2 an hour when this happened... Thing is, the jarhead thought it was funny, as well as 3 of my Team...

I didnt...


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## evangilder (Aug 3, 2005)

I see it the way you did. After a day in the field, you want soem undisturbed shuteye. Plus you were probably a little keyed up anyway. That Lt is lucky you didn't rip him in 2.


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## lesofprimus (Aug 3, 2005)

I never would have hit an officer.... I was alittle more professional than that.... Hehe.


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## evangilder (Aug 3, 2005)

I know, but rousted out of a sleep after being keyed up in bad guy land is not exactly the right presence of mind. But then, you guys can survive on pretty minimal sleep. I have heard about hell week in BUDS.


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## Nonskimmer (Aug 4, 2005)

See, in our service there are certain things that just aren't done. Even by officers. He'd have been a dead man, I have no doubt of that. I'd have thought it would be the same with you guys, especially something like the SEALs. That Lt. took his life in his own hands with that stupid little stunt.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Aug 4, 2005)

so you find many big ass spiders in the subs??


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## Nonskimmer (Aug 4, 2005)

Not yet. If there are, they were left by the Brits.


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## lesofprimus (Aug 4, 2005)

Hellweek was nothing compared to the tempo in which we ran during Desert Shield/Storm and Enduring Freedom...

Even to this day, I can never get more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night... That damn internal alarm clock sucks...


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## evangilder (Aug 4, 2005)

I heard you there. After 5-6 hours, my eyes are wide open.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 5, 2005)

We took 2 of those damn camel spiders and put them in a cage with a scorpion and let them duke it out the scorpion was king and won all the friday night fights.


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## FLYBOYJ (Aug 5, 2005)

Ironically someone just sent this to me - I guess the little booger is hungry?


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## Nonskimmer (Aug 5, 2005)

Sh*t those things grow big, don't they? 
Oh yeah! That Lt. would've swallowed that thing!


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## lesofprimus (Aug 5, 2005)

Adler we did the same thing too, only 1 on 1... The scorp won 90%..... LMFAO........


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## FLYBOYJ (Aug 5, 2005)

I was at Kadena AFB on Okinawa. This whacked guy in my squadron "Vasquez" Killed this big ass-ed spider, just a bit smaller than one of those Camel Spiders. He made a shrine in a corner of the hangar, decorated it with flower pedals small bugs, and woven pentagrams! He even built a little alter! If freaked out one of out maintenance chiefs - he was afraid to go into the hangar or even talk to Vasquez! The Chief found an Air Force Chaplin and he asked "Vaz" to take down his shrine. 

We had a great laugh over the whole thing


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## me262 (Aug 5, 2005)

sorry but found this :
http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/camelspider.asp
as you can see no all the info you get from the net is true


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## me262 (Aug 5, 2005)

also you can check this:
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0407/feature5/index.html


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 5, 2005)

Never said that they eat flesh. Infact if you read my post I said they dont bother anyone, but they still scared the shit out of me because of there mouths.


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## evangilder (Aug 5, 2005)

They are just really big and really ugly. Yes they can jump and run pretty fast for their size. I never got bit by one, nor do I know anyone that did. But then, most guys I know avoided them because they were butt-ugly.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 6, 2005)

Yeap same here. They are very fast though.


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## lesofprimus (Aug 6, 2005)

Its all about the fangs to me... 

Contrary to what SOME articles say about the size of said camel spiders or wind scorpions, they get pretty freakin big in areas where the human population is very low or non-existant... I know...

That clip of one chewing on that lizard is a very real occurance.... Ive seen em eating a small pig once... We killed em as often as we saw em, and we saw em alot walking around with NVG's...

And yes they are very fast, but no one ever told me they ran 25 mph... Thats just stupid.... Probably some Jarhead started that one up...


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 7, 2005)

I have a video clip of one that caught a ride in our helicopter and when we landed we found him and he jumped out and started running. It was fast as hell, scared the living shit out of me. I hate them.


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## dinos7 (Aug 14, 2005)

ive rode in both models of the c-130. c-130 H and the C-130 J.

The c-130 J model is the best of all c-130s in my opinion. 

i rode in them with civil air patrol.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 14, 2005)

Civil Air Patrol is a great program. I was in it also. Keep up with it dinos.


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