Cobra Pilot

[1CAVCCO15MED]

Some of you may remember a story that Tom Breau and I were telling about a Cobra pilot that landed at Charlie Med with his leg shot off. We recalled it as being a one seater and have been told many times that there was no such thing. Well, there wasn't. They way we know this is today I got a call from the pilot. His name is Bob Hunter and he told me he was the one in the front seat. The guy in the back seat had gone inside to get help. Listen, I am so awed by getting a call from this guy please excuse me if this post is a little disjointed. I wasn't in the treatment bunker when the Cobra landed and so I missed the other pilot. I was off duty and just came over to see why a cobra had landed at the Medevac helipad. What I remember is this guy in this Cobra grinning and waving at me to come over. When I got there he had his right leg practically amputated by a 51 cal AA gun. Tom came out of the bunker with the guys on duty at the time, including one of our surgeons. Bob told them he needed blood now but the surgeon finished amputating the leg in the chopper. It was just a bit of skin holding it on. Bob said he got ten units of blood when we got him inside and so he must have been about out. I told him yea but that was not too unusual for us. I can remember giving twenty units trying to keep up with the blood loss. Tom had Bob put his arm around his neck and lifted him out of the seat and onto a litter. The doc told Bob the leg couldn't be saved and Bob said he didn't care, just give him some morphine. We did. We had lots. He thanked Tom and me for saving his life. He had went on and was an airline pilot and actually flew out of my local airport for a while. Later he went back to college and got a degree in electrical engineering and worked for Honeywell. He lives in Keith's home town, Willison Washington. I don't know if I spelled it right. He told me he was going to try to call you, Keith. I kid you not, my hair stood on end the whole time I was talking to him. I have been so blessed to make contact with so many people that have always meant so much to me all these years. I have now made contact with five guys from my company, including my closest friend over there. God has been so good to me.

[frisco-kid]

What a GREAT story! Glad things went on to turn out so well for this guy. Alot of those Cobra pilots flew "Balls To The Walls". Had our bacon pulled out of the fire several times by these guys showing up and kicking Chuck's ass.

I'm really glad for you that you got to see the results and rewards of yours and Tom's work and commitment. As with most of us, it was just a revolving door of guys passing through my time there. The dead, the wounded, the guys rotating home. It's SO COOL that you got to find out "What Ever Happened To That Guy?". You're a good man, Fred, and we're blessed to have you amongst us.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

I left out a lot of the story but that is the gist of it. My emotion right now is one: awe. I was awed by him at the time and even more so now. It really was the best of our generation that went to Vietnam, wasn't it?

[frisco-kid]

That's a true story, Doc. Saw evidence of it on a regular basis. Still seein' it. Our fathers and uncles may have been "The Greatest Generation", but we were no slouches and definately someone to contend with. I sometimes look back, in awe, at my past and give myself a big "Atta Boy". I think we should all do this once in awhile, and be proud of ourselves for just showing up. It's healthy and we deserve it. If we don't like ourselves, or are proud of ourselves, why should anyone else?

[1CAVCCO15MED]

I know you are right, Tom. But for myself it seemed that it was too much of a struggle to do the right thing and often I felt I failed. To me the best thing is to have witnessed the greatness of others. I saw many a guy as great as this Cobra pilot. I feel as if I was blessed to be a humble witness to such guys as this. It is such a shame that this country never knew what they had produced even in this, the war we lost. Our history has been written by those hostile to us. I honestly believe it will not always be so, that time will put enough perspective on those terrible years of pain and when it is all accounted, our generation will too be among the greatest.

[DMZ-LT]

Great post. You got my hair standing on edge. Welcome home to all of us !

[tlbreau]

Emotions are running high for me also. Fred and I are indebted to Johnny Grice for getting in touch with Russell Warriner ( Blue Max Association President ) about Bob. We had ask Russell to help us contact our one seater pilot.
Welcome new members. I have not been in for a while. Hello to the family who knows me. God bless you all.
God bless our men of courage.

[Stick]

Doc,
I am just flabbergasted by this post.
How fortunate you are to have heard from Bob, a hero in your mind but now you know, positively, that you are the hero in his mind.
Yes we were the background of the Americans at that time. The ones that could be hidden in the background, ignored, and neglected. In many respects, we still are. But here at the Patriot Files we know what we did, what we were willing to do for the other troops around us. Who here was not willing to spill blood to protect those around us? I know of no troops that would not stand up and cover my ass. You and every other Vietnam veteran are brothers, sisters, and heroes in my mind.

[tlbreau]

Bob and Johnny were on a CS mission, Bob was with The Smiling Tigers and Johnny was with Blue Max. The VC were not marksmans by any degree, but when the Cobras went in they were met by a hail of enemy fire. They had stands in the trees and filled the air with tracers. Bob was covering Johnny at the time and was the only pilot hit in the mission. His control stick was clipped and his radio knocked out, so he had to yell at the rear pilot that he was hit. They broke away and headed for 15th Med. When Johnny was able to break off he headed for 15 Med also. By then Bob was on his way to the hospital.
The stories these pilots tell leaves me humbled and in awe.
Tom B

[Packo]

What a great story Doc. You two guys should be very proud of yourselves, but I know you worked with all the casualties with the same care and compassion. Thanks so much for being who you guys are, and yes......we were the best of our generation, Andy and Frisco Kid excluded.

Packo

[frisco-kid]

Yeah, better include yourself and James in there. You know that Ft. Benning was the School For Wayward Boys. Hell, if we weren't in the Army as paratroopers we'd have been in jail. Knew some guys that did the jail thing first.

Now, I know that Andy is a nasty, ol' smelly Leg, but he's also Polish, which explains alot :D . He was also a cop, which means he has a streak of larceny in him, also.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

You guys prove what I have said all along. Hell, we would take care of anybody.:D

[tlbreau]

Frisco-kid,
Just found out I was a wayward boy. Made five jumps in Ft. Benning during training. Then one night jump during FTX in Ft. Bragg before going to Nam. I only have six jumps to my name and was with one leg unit and two armor units.
Proud to have been a medic.
Tom B

[Arrow]

Just absolutely in awe of the whole story. By God and their country they were put to the test and proved to be America's best. The Vietnam Vet.

[exlrrp]

What a story, Fred!!
wow, I'm overwhelmed--my hair stood on end also. what could TV ever come up with as impacting as that? Your war stories are as good as mine and you definitely write excellently.
I know how you feel--going through these events again with other participants is amazing, brings it all back but not in a bad way, your awestruck at what you accomplished so young--and at what you considered every day stuff

James

Happy just to be alive

[Packo]

IT WAS KINDA LIKE "BOYS TOWN" WITHOUT FATHER FLANNIGAN BUT TONS OF MICKEY ROONEY'S.

OK, YOU WIN, THROW ME INTO THE STEW POT WITH THE REST OF YOU DELINQUENTS. DIDN'T JAMES ROLL HIS CIGARETTES UP IN HIS T-SHIRT SLEAVE?

PACKO, FORMER DEAD END KID

[exlrrp]

Absolutely! the cigrerttes in the sleeve, the black levis, the white t shirts, the dago boots,the greasy kid stuff, the 57 Fairlane with the mags--I have DEFINTELY had my eras. it was hop in the Ford and head for Tijuana on the weekends, 500 mile on $5.00 worth of gas.i'm switching over to a new computer, when I'm fininshed I'll post my high school non graduation picture (i was invited to leave a tad early) You'll all have a good laugh.

James

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Retreat??!!Fck you!, we're attacking towards the rear!!"

[frisco-kid]

AIRBORNE, BRO!! I'm amazed you didn't wind-up out in the field with an Airborne unit. Every medic I knew in the 101st and 82nd was jump qualified. If they had put you in an Airborne unit you would have got the jump pay. Made the big-bucks:D .
Welcome Home, Tom.

P.S.
I never cared for night jumps.

[Packo]

A Quote:

"I don't care how many sky dives you've got.

Until you've stepped into complete darkness at 850 feet wearing 95 lbs of equipment and 68 pounds of Parachute,

YOUR STILL A LEG! "

Packo on night jumps.

[Packo]

After reading my above post I thought you might think I aimed it at you......nope, it's a raze against all the sky divers who think they are same same Airborne.

Airborne bro!

Packo

[exlrrp]

you know what they say--the only things that fall out of the sky is birdshit and paratroopers.
And the only thing that stays on the ground is chickenshit

James

Happy just to be alive after 47 jumps, 3 in VN

[tlbreau]

Poco,
The night jump was in full gear and the start of a one week campout courtesy of Uncle Sam, at Ft. Bragg. Boy, I love to camp out.
Got to smoke a goat with two other guys overnight and we were so hungry (you stay hungry in field training) we ate half the goat before sun up. The guys that were to share in the spoils were the ones that went hungry that day. When they complained to the NCOs...sorry, you didn't volunteer. Snakes were not safe and were food as anything we happened upon. Raided a farmer's watermelon patch for breakfast one morning. Don't drink the water until the tablet has been in it for at least five minutes, my mistake on the last day of the exercise. Well, it looked clean and I needed a drink bad. :(
All in all it was a great campout.
47 jumps James! Gutsy, you have what it takes.
My hat's off to all you guys and gals. You're a great family to me.
Tom B

[tlbreau]

frisco-kid,
I don't know why I was not sent to and Airborne Unit. I would have enjoyed the extra bucks. I did miss the extra pay in 15th Med.
For one thing they said they didn't care if I was Airborne I wasn't being paid jump pay and I was grounded so get over. Didn't know I hurt someones feeling and they didn't want me to jump any more. :rolleyes:
I did get over it.
Airborne all the way!!!
Tom B

[exlrrp]

Um, TL? You say you got to smoke a goat? That must have been hard to light and one hell of a bong!
(ROTFLMAO)
We got people here in CA who lick toads to get high!! I'm not making this up

5 jumps in jump school
14 in Panama
3 in Vietnam
23 in Bragg ( Iwas with the Airborne testing outfit--the USAAESWBD-Abn Sec, no sht)
I have to say I kind of liked it--these were all static line jumps. The three in VN were all practice jumps on dropzones

2 in vacaville CA, 1993, freefall
I then retired undefeated--I hope they retired my Jump School #--911

James
Happy just to be alive

[exlrrp]

I'll bet Steve (82 rigger) will whip me right away with this but I bet Ive jumped outta mor different kinds of military planes than most--heres the list
C47,C119, C123,C130, C141,Caribou, Mohawk, Huey
Anybody else?

James

[tlbreau]

James,
So what do you do for excitement? Do you miss the high?
Licking toads and smoking goats, don't think the fad took. But for real, licking toads?
Never saw a Mae West, But did land on someone's chute as he was coming down. Made a scramble to get off.
Take care brother. will be out of pocket for a few days, but know it is in good hands.
You're a greaaaat family; you all have a hug from me. :D Love you all.
Tom B

[82Rigger]

James,

I ain't gotcha beat as bad as you think. Only two that I've jumped that I didn't see on your list...CH-47 Chinook and some kinda little bitty airplane...don't remember the nomenclature but it was called a "Bird dog" I think.

When I was an instructor in the rigger school I made me up a special helmet. I took a regular steel pot (Abn configuration) and sanded it all down smooth. Then painted it glossy black. Had an 82nd patch decal on one side and a Mr. Natural decal on the other side. Keep on truckin'! LOL!
In the empty areas of the helmet I had lettered all the aircraft that I had jumped. Whenever I jumped something new, I added it to the helmet.

Jumpin' the gooney bird was cool, except for the weird stand up - hook up - jump sequence.

If you ever get a chance to jump a WW2 T-7A 'chute.....don't!

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by tlbreau
James,
So what do you do for excitement? Do you miss the high?
Tom B

nowadays I get all the excitement I need just driving thru berkeley, Zydeco dancing or getting creative with the tax people--Hot sweaty bodies swaying in unison to a pounding jungle beat is more my speed--can be very stimulating the ol lrrpster has to walk scrooch legged sometimes to hide the more obvious signs.
it wasn't the only exciting thing Ive done, no, not by a long shot, I been to 6 county fairs and a Shaker picnic, altho skulking down the HCM trail, guts gurgling in terror while trying to look over both shoulders simultaneously would probably be the most. I havent heard too many toppers to that, but some. It set a high standard, I was quite the adreneline addict for some time. Examples: i was a professional diver, fisherman, high iron welder. I skiied and motorcycled untill I got bad knees and carpal tunnel--I lived high and wide an lawlessfor a long time, ripped the tags of pillows when it said do not remove, crossed against the light, topped off the tank in complete violation of federal law, oh I was wild.
i had to quit drinking and getting high for the good of society, nowadays, its just sex when I can manage it.
No kidding about th toad, they wire him to a battery to make him sweat, then either wipe him down or Toadsicle, Ho! Its sposed to be a powerful hallucinogen, they had a case about this couple years ago,some college professorsI think they busted em for terminal stupidity or maybe felony amphibian molestation

yeah, it was a pretty wide spread of planes for a 3 year enlistment--the gooney was SCARY!!, I mean you crouch going out the door, the tailwing looks like its right by yr left ear--that was the most effort I put into jumping clear of the plane, as opposed to say, the C141, which was just stepping out the door like yr porch. I think we in Panama were the last regular troops to use C47s regularly, a great plane, most of em are still flying, rode one to the Bahamas, couple years ago.. We also jumped 130s there, including 2 night jumps. I only jumped the 119 in jump school. I flew in Birddogs in Vn, theyd send me out to do visual recon before patrol with the Army FAC pilots who flew em--THEY was a bunch of loons, no error, thought they were in P51s
Almost drowned in a paddy in Gatun, Panama. I was jumping the MG in a PAE bag, dangling 10 feet below me, there was pretty high wind and we were going sideways. The bag hit in the water and pulled me down like an anchor, almost drowned lying on my back in 2 feet of water, pulled the frigging waterwings cord and it was hooked under the webgear, expanded and felt like it seperated couple of ribs, knocked the wind out of me which didn't help the drowning sequence any.if some friends hadnta fished me out, the lrrpster may not be in our midst now
saw a guy double streamer in on this jump (we were jumping from 800ft) he was screaming all the way down--HE LIVED but it took em a while to dig him out, they made a tent hospital right over him, he was so broke up, before they could move him.
Another guy on another jump lost his thumb in the static line.
I never had a malfunction in 47 jumps, some of which chutes I packed (under supervision)


James

[frisco-kid]

5 jumps-Jump School
2 jumps-Viet Nam
16 jumps-Ft. Bragg

Like James, the 2 Nam jumps were practice jumps on DZs. One of them was a joint drop with the ARVNs.
At Bragg I would sometimes make some money on the side by jumping for other guys that didn't want to make a jump for whatever reason. Did 4 of these, included in the 16.

Jumped: C47, C119, C130, C141

[exlrrp]

Remember that guys? it got to be routine and fun after about a dozen but those first ones were a real exercise for me in self control--the ration of sht they passed out by the spadefuls to those who quit convinced ME--I'da gone out the door without a reserve! I It definitely looked better than quitting
Man ,I'm siting here now and its like a wave of memories--drawing the chutes with the guys, checking em over, CHUTING UP!!! (geez, we were PARATROOPERS!!) filing into the warm pigsbelly of the plane, sitting there in the nylon jumpseats, smoking, maybe someone thoughtfully included a 1/2 pint of sommat warm. The plane takes off, roaring, the bottom drops out of your seat and stomach, that ol crates upping and downing all the time. The longest we were in the plane ever was about 2 hours but they were just fcking with us, dropping the dummy and all. you can see the white faces of the newbies while the ol timers be wise cracking and talking about gross things to fck with the cherries.
the red Light goes on--STAND UP! you stand up and HOOK UP!, check equipment!!Sound off equipment check everybody's whooping with excitement, yanking on the cables,STAND IN THE DOOR!! they stand the first man in the door and someone sings out "[horrible oath!] and He aint got a hair on His ass if He don't kill us ALLL!" Everybody hollers AAAAAIRBOOOORNE!!!! and GREEN LIGHT!! BOOMclickBOOMclickBOOMclickturnright bothhandsonthedoorjamband........JUMP!!
Silence, floating, you can hear/feel the static line--oh yeah count!! One Thousand , two thousan, three thousand, BOOM!!!! a jolt and yr swinging in the breez, looking up at that beautiful pie plate. Or unfortunately yr stilll hurtling to your doom in which case you better finish that count quick and do a little something reserve wise I mean pronto in less time then it takes to readthistoolateSPLAT!! You can cut a deal with gravity for just so long
the sky is filled with whooping hollering paratroopers.
the ground rushing to meet you, Don't tense up!!, stay loose, a quick PLF, maybe even a standing landing--they happened "accidentally" sometimes.
What a rush, what a rush!! definitly top 5 category for the lrrpster

What else to compare??(Ex:Rappelling from slicks at 120'-that came later, still not the same) You can always tell a paratrooper by the swagger--but you sure can't tell him much
An airborne salute to everyone who stood in the door--and jumped.

james

Happy just to be alive

[Packo]

Sorry guys, I only got the 5 "chump jumps" at Benning. 4 were C130's one was a 141. A different experience. I am jealous especially of missing out on a C47 "Skytrain" and a 119, go Rakkasans! (Korea) When I was very young my daddy took me to a Jump in Virginia. Seems the 82nd was doing some sort of training exercise where they had to take over a water works system. I remember seeing them all coming out of the "Flying Boxcar" and telling my dad....."That's what I'm gonna do".

James and Frisco, Dan got all kinds of jumps at Bragg after Vietnam. You might want to ask him how many. I think he was close to being a Jump Master until he went awol to see Janis Joplin. Cost him a stripe too but I would have also felt it was worth it, especially after a run through the green latrine.

AIRBORNE!

ABU!

Packo

[82Rigger]

...ever jump a 130 or 141 in combo with a palette airdrop mission?

Load goes out first, troops on the second pass. The short line is, you get to see, from inside the plane, the load extraction.
Wow!! The packed extraction chute hangs on a little hook on the ceiling right above the edge of the open tailgate. Pilot releases the hook, extraction chute drops, bounces on the tailgate once or twice and falls out into the slipstream, which opens it. You see the extraction chute disappear off the tailgate and two or three seconds later you see it flare open and grab air at the rear of the plane. About one second later, the 40,000 pound load right in front of your nose goes from zero to 125 mph out the back of the plane in about two seconds.
Once in a while, when the extraction chute drops off the hook and hits the tailgate, it gets caught in a little eddy of air at the edge of the tailgate. It just bounces around on the edge of the tailgate, like a marshmallow in a cup of stirred hot chocolate.
What happens then is one of the riggers gets to go out behind the load and kick the extraction chute off the tailgate. Try not to waste too much time getting out from behind the load. And be sure not to trip and fall down.

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger

[exlrrp]

This is what I was doing in the USAAESWBD, Abn Sec. (USArmy Airborne Electronic and Special Warfare Bd, Airborne Section.)
i got to bragg in June of 68--After about a month, I could see that, with all my combat experience, what they really wanted me to do until ETS was pick up trash and butts, unload sides of beef from boxcars and do KP at the hospital. This is what grunts do when not grunting, which is why theyre disgruntled most of th timeone mornig at formation, the 1st sgt asked for a volunteer for a detail"where you'll do a lot of jumping" Nobody raised their hand. We stood there for some minutes. Finally I asked him if it meant going back to the war (I aint ENTIRELY stupid) he said no. I volunteered. ..(note my continuous motivation for volunteering: getting out of worse)

And this is what we did --I strut around and tell people _"Whoa! I tested parachutes" but what we did is exactly that--rigged up loads, trucks,,artillery and all on palettes and drop them out the tailgate of 130s and 123s, then we'd jump. it is Exactly as you describe.
Actually I liked it bout more than anything I did in the Army, I learned a lot. I was the detail leader an we'd jump, police up the chutes, then take em back and hang em and shake em out and then help the riggers pack all the stuff and rig some more--we jumped bout once or twice a week. This is why I have more jumps than most, most troopers just jump the required once a month. this is when I jumped th Caribou, Mohawk. i only jumped the 141 on div maneuvers, also it was the refresher course jump.
One of the things we tested for dropability was the new 11/4 ton Dodge
I seriously considerd re-upping for a rigger but I had some incidents too and decided my future lay elsewhere.
I like Tailgating more than any other kind of jumping, very satisfying to take three big steps out that big window and rendzvous with destiny time.
Later, due to what I'd learned her, I got a job in Louisiana as a rigging foreman (oilrigs) moving and fitting up pipe aound the rigs--I got the job because I was the only one who knew the difference between a bowline. a clove hitch and a square knot and their diferent uses

james

happy just to be alive

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by Paco
When I was very young my daddy took me to a Jump in Virginia. Seems the 82nd was doing some sort of training exercise where they had to take over a water works system. I remember seeing them all coming out of the "Flying Boxcar" and telling my dad....."That's what I'm gonna do".


Packo

You bet yr ASS!!
I still choke up when I see it
Abu, dude, fight with what you have untill relieved!
James

happy just t be alive

[82Rigger]

...well, it's a shame that you didn't get to jump your favorite
"flying boxcars".

But lemme tell ya what...when I jumped the 119s at Benning during jump school in '68, man, those airplanes were TIRED!
We rookie troopers sat in those planes on the way to the drop zone and looked out the windows at the wings flapping up and down, and rivets popping out, and I remember thinking to myself, "Lord, what have I done?"

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger

[82Rigger]

When I was a kid I read a book titled CURAHEE! It was about a young man and his tale of joining the newly-formed paratroops during WW2.

He went to the recruiting center and the Navy, Marine Corps, and other branches' tables were swarmed with people signing up.
Off to one side was a soldier sitting at a table with no one around it. He went over and talked to the soldier and discovered he was recruiting men to be paratroopers.
The young man told the soldier he wanted to join. The soldier had him sign a paper with one single sentence on it.

In 1968, when I volunteered for the paratroops, there was a stack of papers to fill out, and as I was going through the papers, I stopped and smiled. Sure enough, there it was! A piece of paper with one single sentence:

" I (name) hereby volunteer to jump from an aircraft while in flight
and land on the ground via parachute."

Some things never change! Probably the best "contract" I ever signed!

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger

[1CAVCCO15MED]

The army is so inefficient. If I had been in charge I would have combined parachute testing with mattress testing-a natural combination.
Better yet, trampoline testing. That way if you got a bum chute you could bounce back up and tell someone right away, get another chute and try again.

[Andy]

I was reading this thread as it came out and must have missed a few of the minor posts. Just re-read things, with a new pair of glasses.

Everyone there was the best of their generation except for Frisco and me. What? Well, ok I can see that. But that nasty old smelly leg thing still bothers me. How many miles did my airborne friends walk in Vietnam? How many miles did I ride? Who never left home without a dozen cases of beer? Who was nasty? Forget that question. Who had smelly legs?
Mech-borne all the way!
BTW: the original post was GREAT.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[Packo]

Yeah guys, I know the're old and tired but to me the C47 and the C119 were trademarks of Airborne! Steve, you can see rivets poping any time you get a window seat in a US AIR flight! (LOL) And how would you have felt flying in it WITHOUT 2 chutes. I would have given my other hip to have jumped with those ol' WWII guys in the 50th celebration of the Normandy Jump. To go out of a 47 or a 119 has been one of those lifelong dreams. My screen saver at home is a 47 with D-Day stripes and Paratroopers coming out. It's funny, when a guys chute malfunctions he comes back up as wings and a halo.

Andy! Yep, we sure did walk and without beer. I would have loved to have busted jungle with an APC loaded with PBR beers!

I am also a bit jealous of the Herd guys who got the only mustard stains of the war.

Got to live most of the dream!

Packoborne!

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by 1CAVCCO15MED
The army is so inefficient. If I had been in charge I would have combined parachute testing with mattress testing-a natural combination.
Better yet, trampoline testing. That way if you got a bum chute you could bounce back up and tell someone right away, get another chute and try again.

Maybe we shoulda jumped with bungee cords, case we changed our mind.
the rigger's name was always signed on the chute (a little card) if you survived, you knew who to take it up with.
the riggers jumped one of their chutes monthly, picked at random-thats confidence in yr job. Which may be sprising, I saw hungover riggers working.
I'm with you, Packo, jumping the 47 was a link with some MIGHTY men, like wearing the glider patch. I'm glad I did altho it sure wasn't the funnest one by far.
A salute to 82rigger and all the others who made it safe for us to stand in the door, it takes some cojones, no doubt. This is NOT a desk job
James

Ps: the Funnest: the Huey

[Packo]

Has the Glider Patch been retired now that Airborne wear Maroon Berets and the 101 wears black?

The Glider Patch is one of my cherished possesions and would burst with pride wearing it. Hope that it hasn't gone down to the tubes, what a slap in the face of our Airborne forefathers and mentors from WWII. That patch is even on our graduation certificates. Wonder if it's gone off of them now also.

Hope none of this is happening but it would not surprise me.

Packo, a C_ _ t Cap Paratrooper!

PS guys, Lesbian sheik is now to wear Jump Boots (Cocrans)

[frisco-kid]

haven't had a chance to post much lately. Yeah, made a couple of jumps along with the equipment. Very impressive and exciting, just as you described. Pretty impressive to see a fully loaded Jeep or an artillery piece sucked out of the back of a plane and then dangling from a couple of T-50s.

Like James, I salute and thank all you Riggers for getting us safely to the ground.

AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY, BRO!!

[frisco-kid]

For sure caught Uncle Sam in another lie. I definately walked to work alot more than I got to fly and get dropped off to it. But, they still payed me $55/mo. jump pay to remind me that I was still abit higher on the evolution scale than a straight-leg:D .

[frisco-kid]

Yeah, I'm afraid the Glider Patch disappeared when maroon berets were issued. A shame. That was our only link to our WWII brothers. Glad it occurred after I was out. Never cared for berets on guys. Got in a couple bar fights in Fayetteville for me and my Buds expressing this opinion to some new Green Beenies:D .