Military Members post pics of you in your uniforms.

[FLYBOYJ]

Hey FLYBOYJ, did you fly F-4s?

I got to fly "crash dummy" in the back as a civilian. I worked for Flight Systems out of Mojave and would fly after PDM or yearly condition inspections. On another post I was asking what years were you at George? I knew the last base CO there.

 

[Corsair82pilot]

I got to fly "crash dummy" in the back as a civilian. I worked for Flight Systems out of Mojave and would fly after PDM or yearly condition inspections. On another post I was asking what years were you at George? I knew the last base CO there.

Were you at Edwards? I had a friend who did the same at Edwards and he was a WSO in the Guard. March I think. We were real close, 'til I moved. He got killed in '85 or '86. I was devastated. I found out by accident.
Dave Miller. Did you know him?

 

[parsifal]

My turn I guess

I only have pictures of me up to my passing out parade. i cant find the albums with my later pictures (1980-84) I will keep looking .

There are three other ex-servicemen in these pictures. I have my grandfather, from the Light Horse, then there is my wifes grandfather who was also a cavalryman from the Russian army (he was a Siberian) and finally there is my stepfather, out of uniform (I have none of him in uniform, he doesnt like to show them) he was a member of the 373rd Infantry Div from the Wehrmacht

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Were you at Edwards? I had a friend who did the same at Edwards and he was a WSO in the Guard. March I think. We were real close, 'til I moved. He got killed in '85 or '86. I was devastated. I found out by accident.
Dave Miller. Did you know him?

No, didn't know him, sorry to hear about your loss.

I worked a lot of TDY out of Edwards and learned to fly there. Edwards would also allow us to do multiple ops out of there and go into the high speed coridor in the 2508 MOA.

 

[parsifal]

Hi Bill great pics, but you might want to reduce their size a bit....edit your post, go to manage attachments, delete the current attachments, resize your photos so that they dont exceed 750 (somethings) and then re-attach.

I only say this as a suggestion, because people cant actually see all of your photos in one go

 

[<simon>]

Good suggestion parsifal..

With these photos, do Air Force Cadets count...?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Very cool Bill G. I spent some time at BIAP and Mosul in 2004 as well. In fact this picture of me was taken in BIAP in April of 2004. You can still see some of the Iraqi Airways planes in the back ground parked in front of the terminals.

 

[Bill G.]

Dear DerAdlerIstGelandet:

Well what do you know, we were at the same places at the same time! Oh, did you know a SPC Amanda Loveless? She worked on helicopter avionics at BIAP. Just being curios

Both times the team was at BIAP, it was a Camp Stryke. That was the walled area that was on the departure end of the runway. My team leader once was buzzed by a low flying C-130. He said it was so low he could see the color of the pilot's eyes.

I know the C-130s would pop IR flares so low that we would hear the pop of ignition. And sometimes the flares would still be burning when they hit the ground.

Was you there on Easter Sunday, April 2004? That was when the bad guys tried to storm a gate at BIAP. The fighting was on the other side of the wall (airfield side) from us. An M-1 and M-2 did engage the bad guys from 150 meters beyond the "house" we were quartered in. It was the two story job next to the wall. That was close enough! We did put on the "battle rattle" and go arming order red to be ready. But nothing happened in our area.

The next day we left BIAP for Kuwait. I figured we had done worn out our welcome! That next day, Monday, was interesting. We got to the gate to leave early. We had a dream of making Kuwait in one very long day.

We were held for several hours at the gate for IEDs. We weren't going to complain even though we knew Kuwait would now take two days. We finally got released and started south on MSR Tampa. Oh, about an hour, hour and a half south of Baghdad, the six lane road goes over two dry washes. A bit before we got there, the bad guys had blown 5 of the 6 lanes. The Marines were just securing the area as we arrived.

The element I was in stopped for a bit and then drove across the median and used the undamaged lane on each bridge to get over the bridge. Once over, my driver told me we were now the last truck. That is not good! Our truck was a Humvee with a "rat rig" shelter and pulling a 5K generator. Not good!

The element stopped and we pulled security. We pulled rear guard and told the next truck up to watch our flanks. Hey, you adapt!

While we were stopped, our 1SG is on the radio telling the SFC (senior person) in the rear part of our element to tell the Marines what ever he had to to be able to join us. We were NOT coming back! Just a note, TOP is in the one picture with me and he was a Mud Marine in Vietnam. Back to the story.

It worked. The rear did rejoin us and our 2nd element was able to get through the bridge area. So we continued south.

Everything was fine until we hit the fuel stop. They wanted to know what the he)) we was doing there! We was supposed to have back at the bridge. No one told us! So TOP told them we are here. We need fuel to go any wheres. So it was decided we could continue south.

MSR Tampa was closed. So we had the road to ourselves for two days! That was nice. And we had no problems with the bad guys the whole trip.

Tuesday we got to Kuwait and then Camp Victory in Kuwait. Our war was over!!!! TOP called his wife to alert the FRG telephone tree that we were safe. Her first call must have been to my Mom. She was yelling on the phone, THEY'RE SAFE! THEY'RE SAFE! Mom couldn't understand what was being said and almost hung up! I had done proper OPSEC and hadn't told Mom and Dad when we would be leaving Iraq. Only that we were getting close. So Mom wasn't worried at all!

Now for the wild part. Karen, who was to be my future girl friend, heard on the news that the road south out of Baghdad was closed, but that a few elements had gotten through. She says that once she heard the news, she new it was us that had got through. She is spooky that way.

I hope I didn't bore you or anyone else here. That is how my Company "Escaped" from Iraq!

Bill G.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I was not based out of BIAP. I was based out of Speicher in Tikrit. I just flew missions into BIAP on an almost daily basis.

Yeah I know where Camp Victory is. I flew Gen. Sanchez into Victory several times and once to his actual "house" where he lived and worked. I also would fly into Washington Pad quite often as well as into the "Green Zone". They had a good Pizza place set up there in the Green Zone.

 

[Bill G.]

Dear DerAdlerIstGelandet:

Victory was the team's first mission. Our mission was comm support to Gen Sanchez's Quarters. We did this from July to September 2003. I had to go into his bedroom to check the phones from time to time. First I made certain he wasn't there!

Our communications trucks were right across the road under cammo netting. One day a Blackhawk flew so low over our site, it knocked down all of the cammo and all but trapped me in the shelter. I hope that wasn't you that did that!

The team's quarters was a "Beach Front Condo" two doors down from Sanchez. It was also across the street from the helipad. We quickly became the welcome wagon for the helipad.

One day we had two Blackhawks that had a long lay over that hot day. We invited the crews in for some A/C and cold water. Later they had to do a test hop. Our Motor Sergeant that was staying with us asked if they would take passengers. The crews said yes. Hearing that I dug out my buried battle rattle to be first in line. The Blackhawk I rode in was piloted by a female LT. The other Blackhawk had problems. One engine wouldn't start.

I kept an eye on the crews as they worked to fix the Blackhawk. They got it fixed, but were beyond crew rest so they had to spend the night. I asked where they were going to stay. They said Hotel Sikorsky. I told them that is a no go. You all are bunking with us. Don't ask me how yet, but we will find room.

We did. We had Soldiers everywhere that night. I got up to pee in the middle of the night and the house looked like a mass casualty exercise. Bodies everywhere. And all but me asleep!

The next morning some wanted to go the the PX. The rest we took across the bay to the Aussie compound. They got to go swimming. I am sure they all left happy with a story to tell. I am just wondering if they were believed.

Bill G.
Kilo One Three
Where we keep the blackout light on for you!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I too am sure they left very happy. We also were always pretty lucky if we PL'd into some location. The local troops were always friendly and ready to help us.

 

[Blaydon]

Gulf 2005

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

We used to find that **** all the time flying around. We would save the coordinates in the GPS and then they would go out and blow them up.

 

[Blaydon]

Yeah that was my job you know i used to feel nervous walking out to an incident but after being shot at and mortared the ones where there was just the device seemed like a gift from god.

 

[batcocan]

Me at a New Years Day Levee 1994-95-I'll see if I can find any more
Cheers,
Matthew

 

[Astaldo711]

I'm not in the military so please forgive my intrusion. I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you. No matter the nationality, or whether you were in combat or not. I wanted to join the Marine Corps but screwed up my life but good. I had dropped out of High School and had a child by the time I was 19.
Several members of my family were in the service; father - Army Air force, Brother - Marine Corps, Nephew - Marine Corps, Brother in Law - Army. I also have a friend that was in the 101st until he was wounded in Iraq. He went to West Point and coached Rugby. He is now with the 10th Mountain Division in "The 'Stan".
Thank you all again.

 

[diddyriddick]

I'm not in the military so please forgive my intrusion. I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you. No matter the nationality, or whether you were in combat or not. I wanted to join the Marine Corps but screwed up my life but good. I had dropped out of High School and had a child by the time I was 19.
Several members of my family were in the service; father - Army Air force, Brother - Marine Corps, Nephew - Marine Corps, Brother in Law - Army. I also have a friend that was in the 101st until he was wounded in Iraq. He went to West Point and coached Rugby. He is now with the 10th Mountain Division in "The 'Stan".
Thank you all again.

My sentiments exactly. My hat is off.

 

[lesofprimus]

As I think this here Navy Squid can speak for all of us Vets here, ur welcome, and thanks for the sentiments...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Dan is right. Thank you.

 

[RabidAlien]

Agree with both of the above. Thanks, bro!