Now THAT was a worthwhile vanity.
Hope you are well.
We need your wisdom on all things military aviation!!
Hey, the retirement of the GREATEST FIGHTER THE NAVY HAS EVER FLOWN is a bummer to me too...really tugs at my emotions. Shoulda seen me at Abbotsford (Canada) Airshow in 2003, when one of the last F-14 Demos was executed...I was visibly shaking hearing that familiar whine of the engines coming from the tarmac....:-)
That was one fine machine I worked on (avionics) for the first 10 years of my Navy career...and those great memories can never be taken away....
Website for ya: http://www.f-14association.com/
Start posting again, Pukin Dog. There are many things to discuss.
Hey....just be glad you have the time to waller in self pity, what with Dan Rather whupped, Bush re-elected, and Howard Dean head of the DNC...you could not of picked a better time.
Battle Fatigue can be tough at times, But just remember what a warrior you are, and get your R&R and come on back! We still have some Battles to fight.
Cheers Americanmade1776
Always enjoyed our occasional exchanges...trust all goes well with you..wanted to offer one small suggestion..which may or may not resonate..
Good that you recognized some things in your own behavior that were upsetting you..but, writing, especially on FR, can be cathartic..so, keep writing,..keep a journal..but don't post it..do it for yourself..maybe, perhaps, if ever. someday, you'll want to share some, or all of it here, or not, as the case may be, whatever..
Stay safe
Ken
From today, Wednesay, 2/23..a happily Clinton free Chappaqua..one's in Iraq, the other's in Hong Kong..we are safe..
May the Almighty bless you as you humbly work to recover. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Salute RETURNED, SHARPLY!!!
When you gave me the original advice, you gave me just what I needed...a swift, two-fisted kick in the arse, tough-guy style.
So now, since that paid off for me in spades (oh, and I ALSO picked up not one, not two, but THREE new decorations since then), let me return the favor. With all due respect, Sir...
WHEN YER DONE WIT' DA NAVEL-GAZIN', I BEST SEE YER POSTERIOR BACK ON STATION AND TOURIN' DA NATION IN SHORT ORDER AND WIT' BELLS ON AND YER SHOES SHINED BRIGHT!!!!!
You've had your time...now it's time to continue with the mission. You don't look good playing "Maverick" pining for "Goose".
Note, I say all this with the HIGHEST possible respect and admiration. I also say it whilst trying to come Med-UP after a serious injury in the line of duty. I want to deploy with my squadron this year, and I WILL go, pain or no pain.
Please communicate my prayers and caring and a hearty
CONGRATULATIONS on immersing himself in PROVERBS.
THX.
Pukin' - Hope you get to feeling better every day. Get you some of those REVEAL full spectrum light bulbs from Walmart and put one in every lamp where you spend any time in your house. SADD (seasonal affective disorder depression) is horrible this time of year. We just don't get enough sunlight and can get very depressed from that. Our bodies need a bit of sunlight for health. Gray days don't help much to say the least. In winter, the full spectrum light bulbs help.
Pukin' Dog - A name change might improve your self-image; something like "Vomiting Canine" would sound more pretentious and sophisticated. That in itself could cause you to turn the corner.
Be careful up there!
Thanks for posting this, arasina!
Pukin Dog, you are missed. Look forward to reading your insightful and humorous posts again.
Trust in the Lord. He IS in control. If He has different plans for you than what you intended - just Praise His Name and serve Him.
"Pukin Dog... being the most well known resident expert on fighter topics, he frequently found himself having to explain things like why the triplane is no longer the greatest threat in the sky".
***That was probably the best insult I ran across during this thread: Just the right amount of hyperbole, dry humor, easy to understand, pointing out exactly how foolish I was appearing to the experts, even making me feel a little guilty. Good work. It was the insult that keeps on giving. With your comment in mind, it would make sense that the Fighter Pilot fan club might consider starting a Rules Of Engagement page that would list the current vetted primary source authors, the secondary authors, and the rules for arguing with these particular guys on matters relating to Aviation & defense policy (wouldn't apply to other matters such as religion or pothole filling policy). If their patience is even starting to wane, they direct the arguer to the ROE thread, the very next post from the arguer would be required to be "yes, I have read the Yingman FAQ and the ROE, and agree to discuss matters on these terms" with no qualifications whatsoever (no "yeah, but"). If the arguer doesn't post that, and continues on with the argument, time for a ZOT. If the guy wants to argue about the ROE, feel free to send them to me -- I'd be willing to perform this service as an act of contrition. I was tuned for primary source material and I found it here, in spades. It is an extremely valuable resource that needs to be properly guarded. No one should be able to come in and cause so much disruption. We freepers can't allow the current lack of structure to exasperate these valued commentators to the point that they stop coming. Between the Yingman FAQ and the ROE, there should be enough structure in place to have freewheeling discussion without the exasperation.
[snip]
One further thing. This ANNOYING MAN thing really rankles the pilots, and the solution seems obvious to me. Build an FAQ thread on Free Republic labelled something like, "Jet Fighter Technical Tips, Tricks, and Updates". We certainly have a good start with this thread material, although I would clean it up when we transfer it over there. You'll attract Inquisitive Man Looking for Source Material as well as his bitter cousin, ANNOYING MAN, maybe even High School Kid and General Public. Anyways, you pass the word to all your buddies to send ANNOYING MAN to Free Republic. Rokke could sign up with an additional screen name -- Annoying Man would scare off too many, I'd suggest something like Yingman and we could all laugh at the inside joke. All the Primary Source fighter pilots who are vetted would get Yingman's password, so only those few Alpha Freeper Pilot guys could post & answer all the ANNOYING MAN questions they ever come across. They tell their friends to send ANNOYING MAN to Free Republic. If ANNOYING MAN ever shows up on another thread, they send him over to the Yingman thread, and if the guy still persists, bore him a new orifice. In the meantime, ANNOYING MAN becomes a new freeper and the pilots build a solid FAQ. That's what I would do. The material would probably make a good book when all is said & done.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1342535/posts?page=108#108