Skip to comments.
New Chief of Staff of the Army Comments (Notes)
9/23/2003
Posted on 09/25/2003 5:03:57 PM PDT by XEHRpa
click here to read article
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-25 last
To: inPhase
Military civilians are extremely powerful and well connected.
21
posted on
09/25/2003 7:33:02 PM PDT
by
xzins
(And now I will show you the most excellent way!)
To: Arkie2
"Well I was with you there until you called F-16 pilots cowards. I assume you know Air Force pilots transition from one aircraft to another, sometimes several times in a career? An F-16 pilot today may be a warthog driver tomorrow and vice versa. If you were trying to make a point you blew it pal."
I KNOW a bunch of F-16 pilots. Not ONE of them would get down and dirty and not one of them has ever flown a Warthog.
Having been on the ground and in need of CAS, I can tell you that the line of preference is Marine Aviation (great!), Naval Aviation (okay), and then the horrible, awful, cowardly USF who flies way overhead and drops a few bombs semi-randomly and then quickly flies off. The USAF *HATES* ground support and essentially refuses to do it. The only exception is the tiny number of Warthog guys, and the USAF hates both them and the Warthog.
I have friends and relatives in the USAF. One of my friends and one of my nephews are serving USAF officers with fighter squadrons. I know these people. I have been in the dirt under heavy fire while they flew happily away and left us there. Contrast that with Marine Aviaition, who gets down low and fights like Hell for their brothers on the ground. A Marine pilot in a bar will be bought drinks all night long by his ground-pounding brethren for whom he has put his life on the line; a USAF pilot in the same bar had better watch out, because we know just what he is. The contempt for them knows no bounds.
22
posted on
09/26/2003 5:07:51 AM PDT
by
Steely Glint
("Political language...is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable..." - G. Orwell)
To: archy
"What happens when the grunts have no artillery and the USAF won't give them *danger close* support in populated areas?"
Easy one. The grunts take unnecessary casualties and they learn to hate the Air Force with a passion.
Watching people get nailed because the USAF pilot overhead wet his pants and flew back to his hot dinner and his air-conditioned quarters rather than actually get take a risk and provide the close air support that was his job makes for very resentful ground-pounders.
Marine aviators, on the other hand, are loved and respected because they put it all on the line whenever they need to. Nobody does CAS better.
23
posted on
09/26/2003 12:54:43 PM PDT
by
Steely Glint
("Communists are just Democrats in a big hurry.")
To: XEHRpa
We must re-look Army Aviation - its equipment, tactics manning, etc - and be truly honest about its capabilities before we fly helicopters over any more heavily defended positions without combined arms and joint support Let me hear and AMEN!
AMEN!!
"Breaking Right"
24
posted on
09/26/2003 12:59:41 PM PDT
by
TADSLOS
(Right Wing Infidel since 1954)
To: xzins
The housing business is humorous. The army has long hated having to manage on-post housing. Why haven't they changed it? Because there's a whole civilian government jobs system built in support of it. Everytime it's tried to change, the gov unions and politicians get called into it, and then the initiative dies. If Rumsfeld leaves after Bush's first term, the civilians will outlast this one, and it will not change
Actually, it's already in the midst of changing over to contracted support, as are many support roles in DoD.
25
posted on
09/26/2003 1:05:08 PM PDT
by
TADSLOS
(Right Wing Infidel since 1954)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-25 last
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.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson