Forum: Air Force Life

woot woot, that was us Smile

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bealio wrote:

Can anyone give me a good link that gives me the "official" story about why Kadena is known as the chickens. I heard the maintainers where ditched by the pilots and hung with safety wire, i don't really believe the safety wire part of the story, but yeah, can you find me the real story, not just what is heard through the grape vine. Thanks!

Hmmm... well, we've always called them the "Surrendering Chickens" since the squadron patch was of a chicken with it's wings up in the air. I crewed a KC-135Q (Habu Humpers) with the 376th, look it up ... from '77 - '80 at Kadena, and none of the crews of the 18th could tell you why they were always called that. Perhaps the rooster or cock on their emblem knows... LOL

-Sarge

(aka SSGT Sargent)

Mini_Me_MMC wrote:

When I say subdued, I mean the ZZ letters are grey with NO black border. I've never seen this pattern of tailcodes with any other Air Force unit, care to explain?

Gear it down, you're guard dude.

Subdued? Hmmm.... I was scanning my old negatives and slides, yeah, old school. I have scans of both F-4C and their new (these are circa 1979) F-15 18th TFW Wild Weasels sporting their yellow "Surrendering Chicken" patches. Yeah, I know, it's supposed to be "Fighting Cocks", but they always lost out on Gate 2 Street. <grin> or was it MA-1A Alley?

But, take notice of the non-subdued ZZs

-Sarge

(aka United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Dick Sargent, but you can just call me Sarge)

Holy sh*t thats my first jet (475) that I crewed.

akruse21 wrote:

Holy sh*t thats my first jet (475) that I crewed.

Cool... well.. there you go. There she is newly minted, I bet you didn't know your bird was a Wild Weasel then, ey?

-Sarge

Don't think they'd have a C model pulling weasel duty Smile

akruse21 wrote:

Don't think they'd have a C model pulling weasel duty Smile

Heck, I dunno, I'm a 135, SR-71, C141 and C5 kinda guy ...

I just know it was early 1979 and the 18th TFW was changing over from their F4s to the newly minted F15s. And this bird is 78-745 of the 18th ... you can see the squadron patch on the intake.

That's an A model Eagle fellers. There is/was no Eagle Weasle mission. Odd in my judgement in that the E model seemed a natural platform.

The Block 50/52 Vipers do the Weasle mission (SEAD) but only Misawa carries the WW tail flash

That is not an A model. C model all the way. It was my first jet I crewed at Tyndall. How about you stick to your helmets and amazing EPR's and I'll stick to the jets Smile

akruse21 did you crew that jet in 1979? When the above picture was taken?
My comment (which should have read Looks like an A model) was based on two things the tail number looks to be 78-475 and C model Eagles didn't debut until 1979

If 475 was a from the factory C-model and not a MSIP C model then I apologize.

All the C models I have crewed besides one were 78 model C's.

All F-15As have tail numbers starting with 73- through 77-, while F-15Cs have tail numbers beginning with 78- through 86-

I just now caught Sarge's "...There she is newly minted..."

The paint scheme reminded me of Holloman's A models before the new camo came on line

**note to self: defer to the crewchief on all matters concerning the status of his jet**

I'm just giving you a hard time because I know you from another forum. Smile

[quote="sferrin"]

falconfixer860261 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.

No.. but every Base has a golf corse into which we can dig mass graves. Who says I didn't learn anything at the NCO Academy?

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

Forum: Air Force Life

Kadena chicken story