Flying Marines???
Posted on 04/14/2005 5:15:57 PM PDT by Lysandru
CLASHING MILITARY CULTURES
By RALPH PETERS
April 13, 2005 -- LAST month, I sat in the of fice of Col. Jon "Dog" Davis, a veteran Marine aviator. While at war, the Corps' pilots had seen a rise in their accident rate. Davis was determined to do something about it. I wanted to be sympathetic, so I said, "Well, you're flying some very old aircraft."
Davis, a taut, no-nonsense Marine, looked me in the eye and said, "They may be old, but they're good. That's no excuse."
snip
Morally bankrupt, the Air Force is willing to turn a blind eye to the pressing needs of soldiers and Marines at war in order to get more of its $300-million-apiece junk fighters. With newer, far more costly aircraft than the Marines possess, the Air Force pleads that it just can't defend our country without devouring the nation's defense budget.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
This is harsh stuff.
I searched and did not find this posted yet.
If you want to see how to fly and fight, call in the Marines.
Ooorah!
Tough words.
Looks like a hit piece.
Flying Marines???
Ouch!
He pulls no punches and heaps a load on the Air Force, but they are not the only service that sold their sole for a weapons system. The Marines are flying very tired iron in part because they vested all their capital in the MV-22-a platform with arguably no viable mission.
Years ago, Ralph Peters, then an intelligence dweeb Captain, advised my moron CO to send my tank platoon down an bowling alley at Hoehenfels during a training exercise. We were subsequently decimated by an OPFOR battalion. Later I found out that he used us as bait and our sacrifice was deemed "acceptable." I didn't trust him then, I don't trust him now and in spite of his supposed "brilliance" there is a good reason why he no longer wears the uniform.
He accuses the Air Force of dreaming of a war with China...well someone has to keep an eye on a very real threat...
I'm not a Ralph Peters fan and I work with some great Air Force officers. Nevertheless, Ralph has a point. The other day I read an article about the USAF making great 'belt-tightening' sacrifices because their budget's a little tight this year. They had to cancel the free cable they provide to airmen living in billets. I don't know about Marines, but Soldiers have always had to pay for it themselves if they wanted it in their billets. I wasn't impressed by any of the other whines in the article, either.
As an active duty Airman I can tell you that we do not recieve free cable...atleast not at any base that I've ever heard of. We pay for it just the same as everyone else.
For years the Air Force used to say that "Peace is our Business" or some such drivel.
Over time, they just got used to being a deterrent instead of a weapon.
Every Marine I've ever met, from slick-sleeved Private to many-starred General, sincerely believes in his heart of hearts that his business is WAR!!!
No ambiguity, no equivocation.
They just love to fight, and one drunken Lance Corporal with a sharpened tentstake is more deadly than any 10 Zoomies.
I have infinite respect for them all (and I'm an Army vet at that).
Marines flying F/A-18s are AV-8Bs are generally flying aircraft that are newer than the USAF's F15, F16 and A-10 aircraft. The USMC has its own fighter mafia to contend with and they're not willing to give up their high-performance aircraft, either.
The MV-22 does have a mission. The USMC cannot sit 100yds off the coast, so they need a fast aircraft capable of bridging the shipo-to-shore gap. Flying at 300mph in a fixed/rotary hybrid definitely beats flying at 120mph in a rotary wing aircraft. And then there's the range benefit.
Marine air is and always has been organic. They are good at what they do because they exist to support the marines.
The USAF was forged from the history of a country never being prepared for the next war. We had no air arm in WWI nor any capability to make our own combat aircraft.
We had our a$$es kicked in the fist two years of WWII because we sent out first rate men in second rate machines. The USAAF personnel loss ratio in Europe in WWII was the highest of any branch of the US military.
In Korea the Russians bested us with bought or stolen British technology in the MiG 15. We beat them on the quality of the pilots in our best aircraft, the F-86.
In Vietnam we were hammered with guns because our aircraft only needed missiles.
We finally got it right with the F-15 and F-16 so for the guns or butter crowd, we need to do nothing more until another Eastern Asian nation launches a surprise attack. This attack will be a surprise not necessarily in tactics, but in quality and in quantity.
Getting caught short,again, is not an option.
As an active duty airman, this article is way over the top, it is as has been said in a previous post a 'hit piece'. Every service has its role to play and strengths and weaknesses. Without air dominance, the Marines and Army cannot complete their mission. Likewise just having an air force will not work either. Just because the war now is against an enemy with no credible aircraft threat doesn't mean a real serious threat such as China won't be a reality within the next decade or so. I think some are very near sighted with their policies, focusing only on the current threats instead of being able to handle future threats. Also, I can say with certainty, that the Air Force is very much involved with taking the fight to the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan, helping to save many lives of soldiers and marines. Many airmen that I know are currently on the ground in harm's way in forward deployed locations (especially our security forces who are helping out the army with convoy duty), and even I might be called to go there soon. So do not forget we are all one team, serving the same country, united for a common noble cause. Thanks, SrA White
It's unfortunate that some people do not appreciate the sacrifices made by airmen throughout modern history. Good men who have given all so that you could sit at home and sharpen your tent peg. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I once heard a joke about the way the Navy and Air Force approach funding...
The Navy/Marine Corps will build a runway and hangers and then will beg congress for additional funds to build barracks and a mess hall. The Air Force will build base housing, an O-club, NCO club, mess hall, a golf course...and then beg congress for money to build a runway and hangers.
LOL! Tell tha to the B-52 crew that takes out hundreds with one pass. You can't be serious. The rifleman and the airman each have their place and they each do their job. Grow up.
You're wasting your breath here. Freepers in general don't acknowledge the Air Force as Americans. Most think they're a French plot and the only true patriot fires a rifle. Don't be offended. They're just uneducated about the capabilities of a an F-15 Strike Eagle.
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