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Newbie Joined: Feb 14, 2008 Posts: 8 Status: Offline

Okay, I'll play...

1977 - Basic at Lackland, Tech School at Sheppard
Sheppard was trying a new program called "Hasty Chief." 4 weeeks and you were a T-37 or T-38 crew chief. The program didn't last.

1977-1981 - Williams AFB, AZ
Crewed T-37s plus a little expediting.

1981-1983 - Hill AFB, UT
34th and 16th AMUs. F-16A/B Block 1, 5, 10 including 78-0001, 78-0024, 78-0106, 79-0429. Came to Hill on the old Base of Preference program. They said the BOP program would get me at least 2 years, it was 2 years to the day.

1983-1984 - Kunsan AB, ROK
80th AMU. Started out as an assistant flight chief, then PACAF decided that if TAC could have TSgt crew chiefs, they could too. There I sat with a brand-new line number so I was given the wing CC's jet, 81-0708. Expedited a little, marked my short calendar every day. Must have pissed someone off, my next assignment was:

1984-1992 - Cannon AFB, NM
524th AMU, AGS squadron staff. F-111D 68-0103, 68-0106, 68-0166. Didn't enjoy backing up in the technology arena, hated the place, but it was a good place to raise the kids while the wife went to school. Crewed jets, expedited, got moved to AGS squadron staff (I was the training NCO at the start of Rivet Workforce), moved to MAT after AGS went away.

We won the cold war, I had an AFSC that locked me onto a disappearing airframe, and had to choose between voluntarily retraining or letting the AF pick an AFSC for me, so I wound up becoming a noner. Back to Sheppard for 3 months of school, then

1992-1993 - Travis AFB, CA
David Grant Medical Center. Student status doing more academics plus clinical (hands-on-patients) training as a Cardiopulmonary Lab tech. Wasn't the line, but better than driving a snow plow or shuffling paper.

1993-1999 - Sheppard AFB, TX
82d Medical Group. Jeez, can't I ever be gone from this place? Ran the Cardiopulmonary Lab at the Sheppard AFB hospital. The thing they don't tell you about a hospital job is that it's warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and half the squadron's nice and curvy. At least there were Tweets and Talons in the pattern all day so I knew the AF was still all about flying. Had a friend over at the 80th who let me hear the language when I needed it.

1999-2001 - Lackland AFB, TX
Flight Superintendent of the Pulmonary Flight at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Lots of impressive-sounding things to put on a resume, interesting things going on all around me, but as a SMSgt no hands-on for me. Stayed the minimum 2 years and

2001-now - Retired
Got a job doing respiratory therapy at the hospital in Vail, Colorado. Oxygen and respiratory treatments for the rich and famous. I won't get rich, but I won't starve either. I do miss the flight line, though.

TDYs that I'll admit:
Reese
Luke
Buckley
Misawa
Clark (A lay a day...)
Suwon
Osan
Kadena
Nellis
Keesler
Wright-Patterson

I'd tell ya more but I'd soon start lying...

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Newbie Joined: Mar 11, 2008 Posts: 5 Status: Offline

What a great bunch of experience, and experiences, out there!

I was fortunate enough to stay in the cockpit my entire career.
T-38's at Vance '86-'89 and Randolph '89-'91
F-16's at Luke '91-'92 (314 TFS), Misawa '92-'95 (13 FS), Kunsan '95-'96 (35 FS), Luke '96-'99 (310 FS), Hill '99-'01 (4 FS), Egypt '02 (PV IV at Gianaclis), and back to Hill '03-'05 (421 FS)

I never met a TDY I didn't like...although some were definitely more fun than others! Spending time on the coast right after 9/11 wasn't that much fun. And the desert time wasn't nearly as much fun as the Flags in Vegas, Alaska and Canada. The TDY's all over Japan were pretty cool - as well as Combat Hammer and Archer. The Curacao TDY living in a hotel on an island in the Caribbean for that AEF rotation just wasn't that tough a duty! And then there's Singapore...!

Now I work in the F-16 SPO and coach my kid's sports teams and catch up on all that family time!

It was great overall! Wink

Veteran Joined: Feb 25, 2007 Posts: 437 Status: Offline

79 - 81 Pease AFB workin FB-wonder lemons ADCC 68-0246
81 - 83 Kadena AB workin T.A. (lil time on lotsa different airframes, luv da Phantoms)
83 - 86 Luke AFB. 310TH DCC 78-0082 (B model) First ride was in her
86 - 90 Hahn AB 496TH DCC 84-1317 (called her "Classy Chasis")
90 _92 Nellis AFB 64Th Aggressors DCC 86-0250(aka "The Other Woman")

Basically you could say I'm a veteran of the "COLD WAR" I never heard a shot fired in anger. Kinda glad I can say that.

Elite Joined: Jul 11, 2007 Posts: 666 Status: Offline

72 Basic at Lackland then Denver Co. for 462 school.
73-76 32TFS Soesterberg NL (HD from AD)
76-78 Fokker A/C building the first F-16's for the NL Air force
86-89 Pratt Whitney WPB Fl building F-100 series engines.
Joined the Reserves 1989 (Full time ART)
89-2003 USAFR Homestead (Deployed three times)
Joined ANG 2003
2003-Now ANG SC
2003-Now Shaw AFB as contractor.
Best TDY Nellis; For two weeks after that I'm to broke or owe to much in taxes and need to leave.

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