Bluesman

That F-16 outfit represented by your model is one that I'm fairly intimate with.

The Weapons Guy in the intel shop that I worked for in Saudi Arabia in 2000 transferred from Luke to Andrews, and when I was at Ft. Meade, we got together again. Maj Dave 'Nuts' McNulty was the smartest weapons mofo I ever met, and about the funniest, too. He's the guy that had such a hard-on for what he referred to as 'fighter chimps'. He constantly showed nothing but contempt for the fighter guys, and if you've ever seen him take the starch out of an arrogant, strutting ****-of-the-walk rat-racer hot-stick fighter driver, you'd know where I learned MY skillz.

I'd go down to Andrews a few times after 9/11 and before the war kicked off to get and give a little intel on the down-low to Nuts and his intel sergeants, and in return, he'd let me fly the F-16 sim and drink the squadron's scotch and beer.

The Capital Squadron had the best unit bar I've ever been in, BY FAR, and it's decorated by men for men...exept they had a female, too, and she was ready to kill and/or die for her country, just like the guys. On the night of September 11th, 2001, she (1st Lieutenant) and the squadron commander (Colonel) were the ones on strip alert - STRIP ALERT!...in the dam' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!! - and Nuts said it was the most bone-chilling briefing he's ever been in.

There were no air-to-air missiles on Andy; there wasn't any need for 'em, until that night. All they had were the cannons. The CO said if they scrambled to intercept a bogey (remember, nobody knew what was going to happen next, or if there were more attacks coming), their attack plan was for him to use his gun until winchester, and if the target didn't splash, she'd go in and use her gun until it went dry. If that didn't do it...he'd ram. And if the target was still flying...she'd ram.

'Yes sir', with no hesitation at all, and nobody in the room doubted they both meant it.

There's even more to tell, but it would take a HUGE post to really make y'all understand it.

But the bottom line: I liked Nuts and his unit, and they made sure I'd keep coming back by treating me as a member of their unit, almost like I was their 'NSA Detachment'.

__________________
"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell

texasjohn

You got to fly the F-16 sim Blues? Damn! I am jealous.

Good post - 9/11 was the first ( and hopefully the last) terrorist attack I've ever seen live. The wife hauled me in front of the TV after the first plane had already struck, and I was thinking - what dumbass pilot could miss seeing a building like that?

She kept saying, " I'm telling you - we are being attacked" - then the second plane slammed in!

It was inspirational to see America join hands as one that day and for a month or so afterwards.

I wish we had stayed that way, and not just till memories faded.

leib10

Yep. Once we invaded Iraq, all the unity was gone once again.

__________________
"The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes." G-Man

dalem

Here's my 1/72 scale Tamiya P-47 from their "Warbirds" series. Lovely model - just fell together when I shook the box.

crooks

Awesome model Dalem .

Bluesman

Love the Jug, and that's a dam' fine model. buddy.

texasjohn

excellent work Dalem!

dalem

Thanks! The secret is "the sludge wash" to really pick out the panel lines.

-dale

nizawa

Nice planes the F16 looks real nice