Forum: Air Force Life

TC wrote:

I've heard this story as well. Many people (the ones who weren't stationed at Kadena, mind you) call the 18th Wing "The Surrendering Chickens". It fits perfectly...a YELLOW background, with a CHICKEN, raising his wings in the air as if in a sign of surrender. I never held with it though. The Korean War casualty list debunks this myth, and the 18th's patch to me always looked like the rooster was raising his wings up like he was about to beat somebody's @$$! Cool

There is also a rumor that the "ZZ" tail code came from the fact that, had the 18th's pilots slept through the Korean War, the war's outcome would have been no different.

I was always under the impression that "ZZ" meant something in the local Okinawan dialect. Akruse, can you, or some of your buddies at Kadena confirm/dispel this?

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

I've also heard that the "ZZ" was to place the Kadena aircraft at the end of the tailcode list alphabetically. As if to shun them. Any proof to that?

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BTW That f4 is a weasel bird. the first weasel phantoms where c's. They modded 36 of them. My dad told me his C model was the first one they did it to. 63-423. And he got it from Kadena in 79 or 80. But it had all the weasel stuff taken out. Here is a link to a site that has more info http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f4_8.html But just alittle useless knowledge i am full of. lol

The whole kadena story is B.S.!!! The ZZ is just a tailcode, it's not a punishment, that crap never happened!

I can speak to the truth of the matter since I'm also the 18th Wing historian.
The events described in the several versions of the story that I've been able to document are just that, stories.
The emblem for the wing has existed since 1927, the wing has NEVER been stationed on the continental United States since its activation at Wheeler Field. The wing moved several times during Korea, but participated in combat operations throughout the conflict flying F-51's, F-80's, and finally F-86's. Additionally, the 67th FS has the distinction of having been commanded by the FIRST Air Force recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor (posthumously), Major Louis J. Sebille( http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsh ... ?id=1962). The 67th also has the only Ace from a fighter-bomer squadron Major James P. Hagerstrom with 8-1/2 "kills." Maj Hagerstrom is one of only seven WWII aces that went on to become jet aces as well. Hardly the stuff of cowards or derelicts.
Anyway, if you poke around enough on the internet you'll also find similar stories about the 4th Marine Regiiment in WWII, as well as the Army and Navy. So it's not a unique story and with enough research could probably be dated to an even earlier time.
So there you have it in a nutshell, if anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me at 18WG/HO(at symbol)kadena.af.mil. Who know's I might be able to put a stake in the heart of this urban legend before I die of old age... Laughing

(Yeah... Right... Bang Head

)

sferrin wrote:

falconfixer860261 wrote:

Wish I could find those people - I'd get rich selling them Pseudo Gold Plated Electric Dog Polishers.....

ROFL! Those things aren't real?

I once heard that every air force base has a nuclear reactor to keep the power up if local power got knocked out during a war.

I think McCord AFB might have a nuke power plant somewhere on the base for the NORAD complex

Don't forget, the 555th was at Holloman in the '80's as an F-15 unit.

Last edited by Tim on Dec 11, 2008 - 04:43 PM; edited 1 time in total

Quote:

Don't forget, the 555th was at Holloman in the '80's as an F-15 unit.

Um Sir,

I believe the Triple Nickel was at Luke in the 80's, And yes it was an F-15 unit.
I know for sure it was at Luke from 83- 86.

Yes, the Nickel was an Eagle unit at Luke. The 7th TFS "Screamin' Demons", the 8th "The Black Sheep", and the 9th "The Flying Knights" were the 3 Eagle squadrons at Holloman.

damloader wrote:

I once heard that every air force base has a nuclear reactor to keep the power up if local power got knocked out during a war.

I think McCord AFB might have a nuke power plant somewhere on the base for the NORAD complex[/quote]

NORAD is in the Cheyenne Mtn AFS, in Colorado... Long way from McChord.

Actually, you are both correct. NORAD's Western Air Defense Sector (aka, WADS) is HQ'd at McChord, along with the Alaskan ADS at Elmendorf, NEADS at the fmr. Griffiss AFB, along with the 601st Air Ops Gp. and NORAD CONUS Region HQ at Tyndall, which all eventually come under the command of Cheyenne Mtn.

As for any of them being nuke powered, I'm going to throw the B#ll$h!t Flag on that one. Tyndall's complex, the largest other than Cheyenne Mtn., is powered similar to a hospital, with multiple-redundant generators.

Air Force Bases with Nuclear Reactors????

That should be in a different thread.

USAF URBAN LEGENDS.

Yeah, I have to laugh when I read that. We still have some cinder block, asbestos-laden buildings from the 50s and 60s, complete with chipped and faded "Creech Brown" paint on some bases, and people think that we have Nuke-U-ler power? Gimme a break!

Quote:

"Creech Brown"

I remeber that terminollogy as well as that God awful color... I guess its official "I'm getting older" Sucks to be me !!

bealio wrote:

That's some made up B.S. I didn't see a golf course in Iraq!

Where is there an Air Force base in Iraq?

kaptin8 wrote:

bealio wrote:

That's some made up B.S. I didn't see a golf course in Iraq!

Where is there an Air Force base in Iraq?

In case you haven't heard - Balad Air Base north of Baghdad houses a rotational F-16 Wing as well as rotational A-10 squadron at another base. Service members can spend time at one of Saddam's former palace grounds where he has a small golf course - (it was profiled on the golf channel).

Forum: Air Force Life

Kadena chicken story