Bill -

I know, brother, whereof you speak... I mean, if they expect us to use a dang weapon of that power, hadn't they oughta give a person a fair dinkum' more work with it! We had maybe half a day learning field breakdown and assembly on the old M1, then got sent out to the range. After that nobody ever so much as SHOWED us an M1 or anything resembling it, and a year later everybody was using the M14 or M16 or something... we'd have had not a clue which part was the business end.

No wonder the Jarheads and Grunts make fun of us...

On the other hand, tongue firmly in cheek, we have the good sense to send our OFFICERS into battle... most of the time anyhow. So there.

Glad yer doin' okay (limp and all), keep that airplane up there safe and sound. You got the best damn tool box ever built.

I don't serve the F-4 anymore brother. They put me out a million years ago and then up and retired the F4.

I never saw an M16 again after that day although I stayed in after endless surgeries (well, seemed like it) until 1982.

I sent many officers out to do the combat and in truth wished I could have gone along. I also have the memories of two who did not return. I was 18 and even I thought they seemed too young to fly. Strange place that.

Sorry Bill -
I got the notion you were still wrenchin' for us out there...

I know what you mean about our fliers too, I went up as often as they'd let me talk my way onto a manifest... there was a real special feeling I had with my officers, and they with us. I took a lot of pride in making sure that leaky loud cold old 123 was ready as it could be for them...and always prayed for their safe return. I gotta admit though, telling the infantry that thing about our "good sense" does have a tendency to shut them up, for a minute or two anyway!

VERY strange place, that...I miss it, wish they'd let me come back today, I'd volunteer to be a titless WAF on the flight line just to help out a little.

AF'in guns
 

When I was in the AF ('68-'72) we had to qualify with the M-16 twice a year. Personally I looked forward to those days since I enjoy handling a weapon. We'd have to dismantle and clean it then fire 20 rounds each from the standing, kneeling and prone positions at a man-sized target from 100 yards. Without being a braggart, I'm a damned good shot and could put all 60 in the chest. The best part was that the SP-NCOICs running the range would let anyone with perfect scores fire the rest of their weapons collection. I fired Thompson .45s and .30s, M-1 Garands, M-14s, WW1 era Springfields, an AK-47, a WWII Mauser and several different handguns and had a great time! Twice, at a gun club in San Bernardino, I won the small caliber rifle competition using a Ruger 10-20 .22 semi-auto (it looks like an M-1 carbine) and finished 2nd in the open competion. I like to tell people leaving on a trip whoask if I'll miss them, "Only if someone tampers with my sights!"