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To all ACE members who served...


Donbecker

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...first a big thanks.

But secondly, mind sharing the reasons you signed up and a little about what you did, positives, negatives and your thoughts on it?

Just curious. Thanks!

-Don

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Came from a 3 option town;

- Work at a local steel mill manufacturing plant, where lay offs were the norn and not the exception.

- Go to college, after 12 years I had enough of that crap!

- Or join the military.

Of cource I went military and signed up for the Air Force 6 months prior to my graduation. 2 weeks after graduation and it was off too basic training. Spent 20 years in the Air Corps loadig bombs, rockets, missles, and nukes on the F4, F15, and F16 aircraft and enjoyed most of it. I went through during the good times, today it is totally different. Today allot of time away, depending on what you do, and this new physical conditioning program they have these days, well I just don't know. Talk with the guys that are in today, I've been out for 10 years now and since my wife is still active, I do know things are different.

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I was a pretty good kid till I got to high school.

I fell in love and forget school, chasing that poon!!

I was a straight A student till I hit junior year!

I was smart enough to create fake report cards, but that didn't help when the teachers called my dad asking why I was never at school and was not going to graduate!!

A few more screwups and I was given two choices.

You go into the service, or your mother, brother and sisters will starve because I will be in jail after I kill you!!

I went into the Air Force.

Pulled an 810 on the GED in Tech school, went into Helicopter maintenance.

Three years in I was accepted for Flight school as a flight mechanic!

I have about 1500 hrs of third seat time and traveled the far east with AF Rescue!!

I loved my job and was very good at it.

I could put a forest penetrator in the middle of a 15" tire from a 150 ft hover on a sloped terrain!

What does that mean? Nothing unless you are the PJ asshole deep in a Korean mudslide rescue situation and want to get home!!

I should have stayed in, but they wouldn't extend my second term so I could get back overseas!

So the cockey kid gets out...............

You will never have closer ties that going thru the crap the military can throw at you, together!!

I did find it funny in boot camp with these wussy boys jumping out of windows and shit, 'the DI is SO hard on me'!

My DI was about half throttle of my Dad at FULL pissed off!!

Ken

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1965 they reinstated the draft, my number was coming up fast. Did not want to go in the Army. My brother went in the USAF and was out by the time it was my turn. So I enlisted in USAF in buddy system. Which means I was suppose to go in with my buddy and we were suppose go thur basic together and then get our first assignment together at the same base. Never seen him again after basic training. Went to a 397 SAC base at Bangor Maine a place called Dow AFB. I was in base fuels, my job was to refuel B52's KC135's and what ever came along. Man was that a cold place. Then went to Kadena AFB in Okinawa, they gave me Top Secret Clearance. I was one of the luck ones, who got to refuel the Black Bird SR71. Got out at the end of my first tour. Great experience I think every one should work for Uncle Sam for a while.

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Joined right out of HS to see the world. First assignment: Cannon AFB New Mexico. It wasn't hell but it was in the same zip code. Did as much as I could to get out of there including 2 tours in Gulf War I.

How in the He!! I got stuck building bombs is beyond me but after 2 overseas tours (Okinawa and Italy) I decided to cut bait and join the civilian world after the became zero chance that I could ever cross train (rank and critical manning in my career field, thank god there was no stop-loss on at the time)

Loved all of the time I was in but as Tim said, the Air Force is changing big time and the people I had working for me showed me that it was not for the better. Coming in new now would probably be a different story but the politicos have all of the services WAY overextended so you could probably expect at least half of your 1st enlistment being deployed (more or less depending on service and career field)

Wouldn't change it for the world but would go back in now either.

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I really appreciate you folks jumping in and giving info about your input (as well as the fact you did it in the first place).

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17, school was getting boring, surprisingly enough, not enough of a challenge, but I am also the laziest person you'll ever meet, so I was way behind in setting up scholarships and money applications for college, so...what's a guy to do with no money to go to college, not much of a choice in jobs in that rinky-dink town I finished HS in, so...what other job basically is willing to start you off with a guaranteed contract for 4 years, free room and board, free food, free clothes, AND a paycheck. All of that on top of the biggest benefit of all, a ticket out of a dead end job either making business forms or automotive belts. And the farming thing, well, it isn't for me.

Plus, I had a Dad telling me that when I turned 18, I had to start paying rent. Don't blame him, I wasn't showing much initiative anywhere else.

So, I thought about the Navy, but my uncle, when he joined the Navy, didn't know how to swim, as the story goes, they just threw him in. Not being a swimmer, either, well...that didn't sound too appetizing to me.

So I called the local AF recruiter. Steve Lowes. Still remember his name. And that was it. I was out of that town come September, that little town with brick streets laid back in the 1800s, with a depressed economy, and I was going to see the world, all of it. Dad had always talked about how if he'd stayed in he'd be close to retirement about now, or be retired from the Navy, and sometimes I wonder how things would have turned out, he says he got out cause he scored high enough to make E-7, but they wouldn't let him have it until he'd been in 8 years. So he got PO'd and got out. Mofo probably would have been a Master Chief Petty Officer by 12 easy...but I digress.

Got in, decided I liked it, re-upped after 4, figured then, what the heck, another hitch would make 8, too close to halfway there, so now I sit here typing, 22 years later, and I've seen every continent in the northern hemishpere, and some of those poor saps from that town have never been north of Kansas City, south of Tulsa, east of St Louis, or west of Denver.

Kind of think it was all predestined anyhow. I've heard that one song almost every day for the last 22 years, whether it's revielle, at a ball game, or wherever. It's still the only song that gives me a chill when I hear it. Used to look at certain magazines with ads for military schools,and thought that'd be cool...

Either that, or I am just fecking nuts.

I am a 462 after all.

It has changed, God has it changed. From what, 2 million in the AF down to 400,000 troops? AlGore's QDR taking away our spare parts warehouses, so that now we have jets sitting that can't fly, flying the aging tanker fleet into the ground with no scheduled replacement, doing most of your own admin stuff on vMPF, from the AGS to combining maintenance with ops, and then back to an AMXS(same sh*t, different decade), one MSgt today doing what it used to take 2 Lts and 3 MSgts to do back 20 years ago, 5 and 4 man load crews down to 4 and 3 man load crews, hour and a half lunch down to damn if I eat at all during the day(and that's stuck at my desk, not out in BFE), "what goes TDY stays TDY" is now "no drinking 12 hours prior to duty" (8 is reasonable...and understandable), "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", and the worst thing ever, Quality Air Force, which is now known as Six Sigma,, which used to be known as 'doing your job' back in the day.

What I fear is the 'hollow force' of the 70s rearing it's ugly head again, and personally, I don't think we're that far off.

As far as accomplishments, loading the first aft bay live launched SRAM on the B-1, Load Crew of the Year in 88, 95, finishing 2nd in the Load Crew of the Quarter competition 5 times in a row to Campbell, Stirewalt and Hamil, 5 times in a row, each time by less than 10 points, 200 points ahead of third place, &%*^$, great guys though, really. First blood shed by the AF in Operation DENY FLIGHT (my head, on the antenna by the gun door on the A-10, that fecking hurt, five stitches, first accident the 'deployed medics' there had seen, so the Doc wants to watch each of them put in one stitch to sign off their 623's, so I had two stitches put in by the Navy, two by the AF, and one by the Army), NCO of the Year for the 81st FS back in 95, 21st FS back in 98 (never won the Group though), perfect rating on PACAF UCI in 02, German girls, English girls, Italian girls, Columbian girls...oops...helping provide close air support for the first Afghan elections in who knows how long...and going back again April/May.

All right, done with the rant...

I'm still here, still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

If I grow up.

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Dad said 'you go in, choose Navy or USAF, cause the others dont offer near the education.' I flipped a coin. USAF won.

I coulda stayed out .. had a 4f code. Went to see a Doc and had an exam and got it changed. I told the recruiter I wanted to learn how to wire speakers up in my car ..he laughed and said 'ECM is what you're lookin for!' ..man . . did I *learn* electroncs!

..my brother told me if I went in for 6 I'd make Sgt faster .. he was right.

I got my draft note while I was in Basic at Lackland. LOL

Thing is .. when I get 'into' somethin .. I go big or dont go at all.

I went big.

Rare for ECM troops to make E-6 under 10 ..takes high scores and good APR's .. I did it. I loved workin the line, the team that puts those pilots into the air *rocks* ..at Udorn-Thani there were 3 good ECM load crews .. mine and the two other guys. -grin-

My team could change out an ECM pod in left fwd missile well, ops check it, and be done in 4 minutes .. start to finish. We were selected on several occasions by the Wing Commander for some purty scary work durin the Fall of Saigon .. I learned to trust in my own judgement, and my life to the team I worked with.

When yer workin at end of runway, pins already pulled on enough explosive to vaporize the 4-ship sittin there burnin gas if a mistake of inches is made, all waitin on *you* and your team to change out the dud ECM pod ..cause if it dont work, they *aint* goin.. *everything* since then has been 'no sweat'.

I busted my ass to make sure the ECM gear was doin what it was sposed to do here an there an everywhere it seemed like.

At 13 years and 6 months in .. I got out. My supervisor and I had a conflict ..he wanted me to answer phones in the shop, and I was out fixin planes that had to fly the next day instead. Told him I was done, and got the hell outta dodge.

It was my honor to serve.

A lotta guys at George wore 100 mission patches. Some had earned a lot more. I saw a lot of airplanes get tore up, and now an then crewmembers with 'em.

There were no easy days on the line.

*Everything* is important when you work the line.

If I had it to do over .. I don't.. and there were more good days than bad.. but the day I got out still ranks way up there!

-Frank (out of 13 years in, I was 'the Sarge' for 12 of 'em)

RF-4C, F-4D, E, G (one of first 6 men chosen to work the Weasel F-4), H (Luftwaffe), A-7d's (SLUF), B-52G's, B-52H's, F-105g's, Firebee Drones.

-Lackland AFB, Texas

-Keesler AFB, Mississippi

-Davis-Montham AFB, AZ

-Udorn-Thani, Thailand

-George (tdy to Nellis now an then) CA

-Seymour-Johnson (tdy to Germany now an then) NC

-Taegu (K-2) Korea (tdy to Osan, Pusan)

-Castle AFB CA.

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I joined right out of high school. I wanted to do more for my life rather than working in the mall and I wanted to see the world. I lived in Denver at the time... So I joined the Military Police in the ARMY and they stationed me in Colorado Springs (Ft Carson) as my first duty station. Seeing the world you know.

Anyway that was a great place, got to do a month training in CA for desert training. But while working in Ft Carson I learned a lot about traffic patrolling and getting certified on the Radar, did several bar fights, accidents, suicides and domestics.

Then I finally got my chance to see the world and went to Giessen Germany for a three year tour. I work a lot with the German Police and riding along with them. We rotated between working our own cases and working with them. It was very exciting to see how different the law was handled in germany compared to the states.

After my first four years was coming to an end I reuped and got stationed at Ft. Leavenworth in the USDB. (United States Disciplinary Baracks) (The big house) That was a real eye opener being a prison guard and being around all of the inmates. This is where the military sends all their bad boys and girls. At the time we had 13 people on death row and I think around 1800 other major affenders. I even recognized some of the people from other duty stations. I hated this assignment so much and tried to get stationed somewhere else but was told once you are here you never go anywhere else because they were so short of staff. So after my eight years, I left the military. I could not even go to Desert Storm which shows how desperate the military was for prison guards.

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Got tired of drinking, hanging out with friends, and in general gangbanging.... Started to see my friend die or go to jail and I knew that I didnt want the same fate. Went to the Army, and they declined me since I was too much of a trouble maker; same for the air force.... As I was walking out of the recruiting depot a guy in Dress Blues said... "Hey you want to be a Marine?".. I said, "Hell no.. you guys are all crazy."....

I explained my situation to him that I was a trouble maker, that needed a way out of Philadephia... He then asked me again.. ."if I can get you in.. will u ship"... I agreed and the rest is history...

The Corps gave me the best 4 years of my life. I owe everything that I have accomplished to the opportunities that were given to me in the Marines.

This is the reason for the Marine Birthday Party every year...

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The year was 1972 and my draft number in the Lotto was #2 if I was eligible. I was only 17 that year and thought that the next year was going to suck and Vietnam here I come because I didn’t want to go to college at the time. Lucky for me the war ended in 73 and no more draft. So I decided to take a trip from Ohio to Florida with some friends and party during the 75 spring break that lasted well over the week we planned to stay there and ended up being months later. :party:cheers

By May of 75 I was signed up for the Air Force and in Nov of that year I was sailing through the pearly gates of Lackland TX for basic. Almost 23 years later, I rolled back out of a gate at Cannon AFB, NM retired. I was a 326x6A when I started which is Attack Control with F-111s and never left them the entire time in, but did change AFSC #s several times but not the job. I worked on all types of radar systems attack and non-attack, ECM electronic countermeasures, TACAN, ILS, LORAN, INS, GPS and the list goes on and on.

Pulled duties in Denver CO( ATC), Clovis, NM (twice TAC and ACC), United Kingdom (RAF UpperHeyford, USAFE), Portsmouth NH (SAC), Gulf War I :hunter and numerous temporary duties all over the Middle East and Europe. I have seen it, done it, got several T-shirts and traveled a ton and have had my fair share of living out of a duffle bag and tents, but wouldn’t trade it for anything, it was a great learning experience. I jumped into the IT world the last four years in and haven’t really left IT, but that may be changing soon and I’ve really been thinking about gravitating into Project Management.

As a parting word, we used to have a saying in the F-111 world…”If your wings don’t sweep, you ain’t shit!” and "F-111s do it deeper, faster and get the hellout" :devil Ahhh, you just gotta love G.I.’s. :thumbs last but not least is a hardy salute to all past, present and maybe even future enlistees of the US military. :flag

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Got into trouble alot as a youth, in 1972 was finally given the option of some jail time or join the service.

My grandfather fought as a Marine in WWII, so I said I would join the Marines, my brother and I did the buddy plan. My brother was discharged from boot camp, had asthma.

I hated my time initially, was sent to North Carolina, hated it there. My job was to learn to cook. Finally got shipped to Okinawa, and that was what it was all about. Was assigned to run food service supply for an Amtrac Battalion. This basically involved trading with various branches of military, steaks for cleaning supplies, ect. Being in the fleet...loved it, met great friends and had a blast being basically the same person I was before I joined, now grouped with a couple hundred guys just like me and we terrorized the south pacific for a year. Time to come home, and I thought about staying another year, but really missed the states. Spent my last year in California, doing food service supply with an artillery unit, basically I did nothing. Had to many guys under me that did the work. My last 9 months, I ran a loan shark buisness with some other guys, easy money. I did join the Marine Reserves here for 2 years...wasn't the same.

As Glenn stated, some of my best memories come from that time. I still honor the Corps, and I'm proud that I served with them. I still keep in touch with a couple of my buddies.

violent-smiley-090.gif

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Guest UVETTYA

I was tired of my parents telling me what to do so I joined the Army.

I got tired of the Army telling me what to do so I got out.

Now I do what ever the hell I want.

:lol

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Slight sidetrack, but I seem to see a trend here.... :yesnod Bunch of troublemakers-who'd a thunk?

But, the good news is, that ya'll survived your youths, got your lives in order (sounds like mostly due to the influence of the service) and are here to tell the tale to us wisenheimers. I say good on you guys!! :thumbs:clap:flag

Thanks guys! And Johnnie too!

M~

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Great topic and a Huge Thank you to all Vets!

I wanted to join the Army as a young boy. Did nothing but train, always "playing Army" and building bunkers etc

My HS gave us the chance to take an aptitude test and I scored really high according to the recruiters who called for years after HS.

The reason I never joined was the same reason several of you did. My MOM! She said I was the youngest of 4 and she could not see me do anything that may put me into harms way. She even tore the draft card up and tossed it!

Who am I to disobey the one who did everything to ensure we were brought up right even though we lived off 8 mile road in Detroit. We had plenty of chances to screw up if we wanted to.

The "want" has never gone away but the family obligations make it my duty to serve them now.

Again, THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE AND DO SERVE

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I was tired of my parents telling me what to do so I joined the Army.

I got tired of the Army telling me what to do so I got out.

Now I do what ever the hell I want.

:lol

Sounds familiar except after the Army I went back to work for them to pay them back,and am now retired so I can do anything I want to!!!!

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Slight sidetrack, but I seem to see a trend here.... :yesnod Bunch of troublemakers-who'd a thunk?

But, the good news is, that ya'll survived your youths, got your lives in order (sounds like mostly due to the influence of the service) and are here to tell the tale to us wisenheimers. I say good on you guys!! :thumbs:clap:flag

Thanks guys! And Johnnie too!

M~

Thanks Melissa!!

Why did I join? Honestly the movie Top Gun. After seeing it, my mom said something to the effect of joining, so in 1987 after I raised my right hand :flag to protect and defend, she said she was just kidding! I had to get out of a town of 1200, otherwise I'd never get out of Oklahoma (go Sooners). I never thought about the Army or Marines (no offense Glen, I'm not a tough cookie), even though the Marines have the best-looking uniform, it was the Air Force. The first recruiter told me "Hey, you can even get your name on the side of the aircraft you crew" and I asked him if that was so they would know who to blame if the aircraft had an accident. He didn't like that answer, so I went to another recruiter. Mechanics was my lowest score on the ASVAB, so guess what my job is! Pneudraulics, or "bubble chaser".

In 1989 when I got to my first base, Hahn, Germany, after the AF combined a few jobs, I became a crew chief (and honorary weapons because of Smitty and maybe cause I helped load an AIM-9). Also, at Hahn is where I met Smitty, fell in love with that crazy :crazy: bomb loader, and married him. I've only crewed the F-16 (and two incentive rides), but since I worked Transient Alert here at Luke, I've launched & recovered F-4s, F-15's, T-37/38's, F-117, F-18's, F-14's, KC-10's, C-130's, C-141's, AWAC's just to name a few, and one of the highlights of my career was being on the planning committee with the Secret Service when Air Force One landed at Luke. I got the Presidential M&M's to prove it!! :lol The military gave me a love for my country and I can still tear up when I hear the National Anthem and see 'Ol Glory being raised. After 19 years, 1 month, and 10 days, but who's counting, it's time to retire. :thumbs

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Like Tim, I came from a small town with limited options. Didn't have the focus to get good grades in HS, so college really wasn't an option. I signed up for the AF in my Junior year in HS.

Left for basic in the summer of 89 (seems like yesterday).

Shipped off to the first Golf War in 90 for 8 months. Youngest person in my Squadron when we got there.

Very good experience for me, even with my trip to the desert. At 4 years I took my GI Bill and went to college back near the area I grew up, graduated with a 3.65 GPA. I saw a lot of kids right out of HS failing college, I know that would of been me if I hadn't matured a little in the military first. Also got a part time job with the VA because of my veteran status which helped during those lean years.

I'd do again in a heartbeat.

To be honest, I didn't do it out of patriotism. I was just a dumb naive kid. But it did turn me into a patriot, also gave me focus as well as giving me a ton of exposure beyond that of a small New England town.

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Well I guess I'll be the odd one out here. No trouble, liked my small town, had 2 years of college, and was married.

My wife had wanted to go into the USAF since high school so we went in to enlist. The AF recruiter was out to lunch and the Army recruiter grabbed us. Signed us both up for Delayed Entry Program.

Well wife got pregnant and I didn't so off I went. About 6 months in Basic and AIT at Ft Jackson South Carolina. Then off to Camp Carrol Korea with the 69th Trans Battalion. I wanted to become an Apache pilot and took the written test. Passed with flying colors. Not so with the physical, they found I was a diabetic and said no way.

Came back to the 31st ADA Brigade at Ft Hood. Kicked ass, got my E-5 in two years of service, became the Motor Sergeant and got asked to join the Delta Force. Again the physical stopped that process. I got burnt out working in the Motor Pool andwhen Desrt Shield kicked off they had our unit painting other units equipment since we weren't going.

I got out and joined the 377th Combat MP unit in Cincinnati because they were going. Just as we had our equipment staged, the war was over.

I ended getting disability for the Diabetes and got out.

To this day I would still like to be back in.

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