Green Beret Veteran Don Bendell on FOX today (veterans won't let Kerry get away with...)

FOX News Live | 30-Mar-2004 | easonc52

[BushCountry]

[RangerVetNam]

Thanks for including us, we were feeling a little lonely out here

[Khurkris]

Ya didn't even know we were in the grass watchin'...lol. And we don't do interviews.

[Lucky Dog]

Mr. “steplock,”

I find your disparagement of your fellow service members exceptionally juvenile. In my 24 years in a “blue suit” I had the occasion to work with members of the Marine Corps, the Army, the Navy and even the Coast Guard. I found among members of every service those I was proud to call my fellow “warriors.” I also found some every service better qualified to be a “shoe clerk” than a “warrior.”

Just for the record, how do you rate an air FAC who straps on propeller driven craft with skin thinner than a beer can and armed only with smoke rockets and radios. These are men who fly into environments where the enemy throws AAA, missiles and everything but the kitchen sink at them, knowing that even a “BB” in the right place most likely means a fiery death.

How do you rate a ground FAC who “jumps” in with the “airborne” carrying all of the combat gear everyone else carries plus 20 to 30 pounds in radios and batteries more than the “grunts” he jumps with. He “humps” it with the load just like everybody else. How about when one of these ground FACs runs into a building “while under fire” in Operation Just Cause and climbs to a floor underneath a roof-emplaced machine gun nest and then holds out his flashlight out of the window so an AC-130 can “see” where to “flame the machine gun nest?” As an interesting aside, you’ll find Air Force FACs assigned to special forces units with which you seem to reasonably impressed.

How do rate a man who straps on a fighter that literally took years of hard work to master, through “peace time” training that not all of his colleagues made it through alive. This man gets into the cockpit willing to go “one-on-one” or “one-on-many” on every combat mission.

How do you rate a “Wild Weasel?” This is someone who “trolls” for the bad guys daring them to shoot at him so he can dive straight “down the barrel” while they’re shooting and put ordinance on the site.

Do you have any idea which branch suffered the highest per capita casualty rate in WWII? Let me enlighten you: it was the Army Air Force. Next time, I think you may want to “do a little homework” before you level such juvenile remarks at your fellow service members.

There are “warriors” in every service, and everybody, in all of the services is “giving something” for their fellow countrymen. They deserve more than your petty derogatory comments.

[steplock]

[Quix]

THANKS BUMP.

BUT WITH ENCOURAGEMENT FOR ALL TO PRAY FOR BUSH

And his team and Cheney for their safety.

I still feel strongly that the puppet masters will be increasingly inclined to take Bush out rather than let him have a 2nd term because Bush is doing

THE RIGHT THING

instead of following their orders.

[MindBender26]

1, SEALs
2, SAS
2.5, 4th PsyWar Bn (long gone)
3, SOG
4, Aussie SAS
5, Spetnaz
6, SF
7, Force Recon and Rangers
8, Regular Marines
9, Non-French FFL
10, Sister Joan Marie

[steplock]

You gotta be a ZOOMIE! Even the AF recruiters brag that they are "Civilians in (wrinkled usually Uniform"

-=-=-=-

The Air Force Chief of Staff would never be called: AIRMAN ...

The Chief of Naval Operations would never be called: SAILOR ...

The Commanding General of the Army would never be called: SOLDIER ...

but...

The Commandant of the Marine Corps is proud to be called: MARINE

-=-=-=-

Are you the same zoomie that told me a couple of years ago that the purpose of war is NOT to close in and destroy your enemies? The AF Academy teaches the "touchy feely" method of warfare.

That's the difference between the AF and the USMC

[steplock]

4th PsyWar Bn (long gone) ??

Was that a PsyOps unit? We worked with one attached to the 7th SFU (Airborne) - THAT was educational.

[TheBigB]

My dad is USAF and damn proud of it. If you're a typical marine (and I doubt you are), you can go eff yourself. You just lost any respect I may have had for you and your service.

[steplock]

Sorry - my mind equates the Coast Guard with the Navy.

Now that I think about it .....

The Baddest guys in the U.S. Military?

Ever have a barfight with the SEABEEs ??? Whoah!

and we can't forget all the Navy Corpsmen attached to the Marine units who have to put up with all the BS but are really appreciated by the grunts....

[oh8eleven]

Are you the same zoomie that told me a couple of years ago that the purpose of war is NOT to close in and destroy your enemies? The AF Academy teaches the "touchy feely" method of warfare.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps is proud to be called: MARINE;

Tell it like it is bro!
Semper Fi ...

[NeonKnight]

It is difficult to say which is scarier from the enemies point of view...a battalion of Rangers coming for you, or a couple of Air Force, Forward Air Controllers sitting on a hill pointing at you.

[MindBender26]

Worked out of TSN and west of there, (4th PsyWar Bn Forward at Tay Ninh).

Was an "authorized elevated command structure" unit (BN CO was an 0-6, Company COs were 0-5s, Plt Leaders were 0-3s, No 0-1s except "Mustangs."

All EM were > E-6.... with a rare exceptional E-5... but they didn't stay E-5 long.

Mostly weird guys. Few SF, some Rangers. All Southern hunters or former inner city gang guys. Almost all young EM were college dropouts. Senior NCOs all were college grads with "interruptions of service." No West Pointers. EM stayed in after RVN. Officers got out, knew they were "non-promotable" after 4th.

No one got direct orders to 4th PsyWar except on 2d, 3d, 4th tour. Everyone came in because "you knew someone who was weird but good in the woods." The crazier the idea... or the man, the better... as long as he was "good in the woods."

Ran Roadrunners and conducted Mixed Response Operations for III and IV Corps.

BOT-WOT

[Lucky Dog]

I noticed you never answered a single question that I posed to you. When you feel like answering those that were put you, I'll answer yours. However, just to cure some of your ignorance or poor logic (not sure which lead to your comment): "Airman" is an enlisted Air Force rank like "private" or "corporal" in other services and the Commandant is not addressed as "private" or "corporal."

[sargunner]

Yo step,

My guess is that you were not in Khe Sahn in Jan '68 where we deverted due to
battle damage while attempting rescue of 2 downed USMC airdales. Those Marines
helped bandage the bird back together and the following day we flew cover for the
bird that performed the extraction.
Perhaps you were in Chu Lai in Jan '68 when a SAR was called for an A-4 down in the
Karst in Laos. The initial objective was the A-4 driver, but eventually included the
Marine CH-53 crew which attempted their own botched operation. The final toll of that mission
was 6 USMC returned, 3 scum-sucking AF KIA.
I am certain you were involved in the cluster f*ck involving 22 Marines were
pinned down outside of Hue awaiting transport from Marine air which would never come
due to contaminated fuel. All 22 returned courtesy of the folks you so disdain.
But then again, I am positive you were involved in the operation in Mar '68 to extract
a USMC F-4 driver downed in RP6. This 'man of all men' failed his IOSPREPS verification
due to extreme pucker factor. To complicate the operation the Folks out at Yankee Station
Could not provide CAP due to the 'Cats down' (that'll happen to you when you operate from
an unimproved air strip). The alpha was downed within 30 klicks of Hanoi and the decision
was made to execute even though he blew his ISOPREPS and no CAP available. The result was
a successful extraction. The downside was that a CCT operator
was inserted to assist in the extraction due to heavy 3A and SAM presence. He was able
to successfully call in strikes to afford the alpha a 30 meter perimeter until a PJ was
inserted. The alpha was in total panic mode. The PJ had to wrestle to remove the .45 which was
locked in his grip. Once he was aboard the Jolly, we were nearly downed due to the alpha's
wingman defying the OSC orders and attempting to get into the mix. THe wingman ultimately
ended up dropping ordnace after the alpha had been extracted wounding the CCT operator.
That CCT guy is now sporting a prostetic leg.
You may think that this appears to be bashing the Corps. Not at all. This is simply
reality. I was involved in more the 100 SAR missions. Not in the cozy confines
of SVN. The real flying occured in Laos and the North. I lost many friends during that
period. These examples I have given are but a small sample of what many have
experienced. As you know, war is hell. But then again, what do I know?
I deeply respect the Corp, its members and folks in every branch of the military.
You mentioned the Navy Corpman in one post. Got to give them their due. Dedicated and
brave. But I flew with men that not only were given the same medical training but also
went through jump school, HALO, BUDS, combat diver school. I was simply a gunner aboard
the chopper but was required to attend weapons training at Benning and RECONDO at Nha Trang.
You seem to be into listing things in priority so I will take my shot.

When the balloon went up for a SAR we knew, depending on the branch of service,
that:
1) If the objective was USMC or AF, the individual would be a 'smart' survivor
and make the operation less complex that it already was.
2) If the was Army, he would do his best, but basically was unfamiliar with
terminology.
3) If the objective was the Navy, he would do his best to let you know that
he has spent enough time on terra firma and greatly wishes to return to the
'steel beach'.

I think you are just harboring a latent jealousy of our bus driver uniforms.

[Khurkris]

Amen SAR. These pissin' contest are too damn childish.

[Interesting Times]

You gotta be a ZOOMIE! Even the AF recruiters brag that they are "Civilians in (wrinkled usually Uniform"

You are embarrassing yourself with your posts.

I mention this because you don't seem to have noticed yet.

[mabelkitty]

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