Posted on 09/09/2011 3:07:15 PM PDT by Kaslin
I find it appalling those pilots were sent up unarmed. Where is this, Beirut in the early ‘80’s?
Since she currently holds the rank of Major and still flies for the National Guard and nobody from the military has stepped forward to call her account a lie, I'm siding with her story...........
Until you come up with corroborative evidence that would make her story a lie, STFU......
I prefer facts over innuendo, personal theories and just plain ignorance...............If ya got 'em, then post 'em.
Many reasons for this, but heavily armed planes are very dangerous. However, what this story now explains is why the second plane hit the tower. I recall a fighter plane was in route but could not catch it. If the fighter had missiles, maybe it could have locked on and fired at long range? Maybe some FREEPER Air FORCE veterans can add a comment....
Hotflash, civilian: The military spends a great deal of time sweating accidental discharges, un-authorised launches, and friendly fire, or "blue on blue" incidents. Any time you see a hung munition on a military aircraft in CONUS, the nose cone or the whole body is blue. That means it's a practice or dummy, weighted to match for CG purposes, but completely harmless.
If the pilot hits the button, most times it won't even drop off the aircraft. Live ammo is loaded and armed as the final act before takeoff, and only when the aircraft and munition is headed directly to the range. Guards at the gate have a magazine, but it isn't in the pistol. Woe comes in great puffy clouds to the MP, the sentry, the NCOIC caught with his pistol loaded.
You look at video, and even in the 'Stan, there is no magazine in the weapon, unless it's "danger close." and they can trip an ambush in the next 10 seconds. Even then, depending on the trust the OIC has in his men, they have to crank a round into battery.
That the Zoomies wouldn't trust a pilot with real live ammo, while sitting on hot pad duty in The Continental United States on a sleepy Tuesday morning in September is the Norm, not the Exception.
I watched the interview. Great lady.
I guess they could have loaded her up with bean bag shooters like they did our dead border patrol agents.
Thank you.
“Since she currently holds the rank of Major and still flies for the National Guard and nobody from the military has stepped forward to call her account a lie, I’m siding with her story...........”
Well since Navy Lt John Kerry still held that rank when he made his famous testimony to Congress I guess that you believe him as well? Like I said, it don’t pass the smell test but I’ll let gullible people like you wallow in this kind of bizarre fantasy. I’m sure you also feel much safer now that TSA agents are groping grandma’s and small children as they go through security at the airports.
From her interview, it sounded like air defense of the continental U.S. was completely down since the threat of the Soviet Union was no longer there. We did not have a “scramble ready” strike force of any kind.
I listened to it a couple of nights ago so I may be wrong, but I think it took a couple of hours for NORAD to get armed planes out over the Atlantic as well.
Good question.
Well remember 9/11 was only about 7 or 8 months into the Bush admin, so I wonder if it was Clinton?
You'd think they'd have a few "hot cocked" F-16's ready at all times, ever since F-16's started flying...
Duh?!?!?!??! Bombers?
Well, yeah, since the Democrats had stopped the anti-ICBM defense system we had nothing to take out the ICBMs, and little more than fighters to handle the Soviet bombers.
These days the city is surrounded with missiles. New jet bases have been established. There's a new protocol in place and every now and then I am blasted out of bed in the middle of the night as the fighters are launched ~ just to be launched ~ I hope!.
We still don't have an anti-missile defense because the Democrats still don't believe America can be defended.
First candidate who tells me he's going to round up the Democrats will probably get my vote.
If you have relatives and friends who are Democrats, DO NOT TRUST THEM with your safety ~ not ever.
“That the Zoomies wouldn’t trust a pilot with real live ammo, while sitting on hot pad duty in The Continental United States on a sleepy Tuesday morning in September is the Norm, not the Exception.”
That may be true and I don’t doubt that it was (look at what happened in Beirut in the 1980’s). But as far as I know, no American pilot has ever been ordered to do a kamikaze run. If you have prof of that I’d love to see it, otherwise this is just some tall stories by an aging fighter jock (gee haven’t heard those before now have we?). I’ve known my share of old fighter jocks and can attest to the tall tales they love to spin so I’ll just put this in that category.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_midway.htm scroll down to McClusky. Read all about it ~ not a kamikaze run ~ but our planes were running out of fuel and falling into the sea. Lt. Cmdr Waldron wrote “My greatest hope is that we encounter a favourable tactical situation, but if we don’t, I want each of us to do our utmost to destroy the enemies. If there is only one plane to make a final run in, I want that man to go in and get a hit. May God be with us.”
NYC, DC and western Pennsylvania was not one of those threat areas, and commercial airliners taking off from our east coast airports were not enemy weapons to be monitored by NORAD
until 9-11-01
ramming is the ultimate fighter pilot attack using the whole aircraft system as a weapon, and undoubtedly is part of the training, obviously not the first choice
An American fighting person will do what they have to do to get the job done, that ability and willingness to take initiative and exercise innovation distinguishes our troops from many of the world's more central commanded militaries
“as far as I know, no American pilot has ever been ordered to do a kamikaze run.”
at least, not since Jimmy Doolittle?
And I’m sure a lot of pilots did not have to be ordered, but elected to sacrifice themselves, in an effort to save their mission and save others.
My Dad was one of them, rest his soul. Died on a “routine mission”. Guided and rode his crippled jet into a swamp rather than bail out over a city and let the jet crash into civilians.
I’m sure there are a lor of quiet heroes we never hear about.
They were not sent up unarmed. They were strapped into the ultimate guided missile.
Bookmark for later read
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.