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PaulGT3
New Member
WHen you watch 12 O'clock high the series or movie or other of those types of shows
they talk about getting their 25th mission so they could go home. Now I am reading Ambroses'
book D-Day and Steve talks about pilots being told it was 25 and they could go home, but
not many made it, then they made it 35 missions and then 50. Wow that would be disheartening.
This is in no way comparable but its all I have to compare it to, so I will tell the story anyway.
When the Iranians took over the embassy in 1980, I was in the service and worked as a Wild Weasel
Tech. The Weasels go in first low and then pop up and get enemy radars to come on then shoot HARM
antiradiation missiles at the SAM sites. Well they told us to get ready because we were going. We didnt
know where but every so many days we would alert at around 4AM get our gear, go to the hangar and
get what ever it was we needed to go to war, and then load up on a C-141 Transport and wait. I didnt
know where we were going. But they told us we would know when we were airborne. Well after everybody
was loaded up they said "Well its not today" So we disembarked the aircraft go turn in our gear and back
to the barracks. It was terrifying enough to just go once and mind you we wouldnt be front line troops
but our F4Gs were. But we did this over and over till your nerves were just shot. I remember guys breaking
down and some guys crying after the 5th or 6th time. I wish they would have just let us go to Saudi Or
where ever they were going to send us to.
But I think of that terrifying experience and then think back to WW2 when these KDIS and they were just kids.
FLYING those missions with Flak think enough to walk on, getting shot at and SOME DID survive the 25th mission
to be told it was now 35 and then later it was 50. I am just glad I didnt have to go through that at all! It was
bad enough just going through the 5% of what they did comparatively. Amazing Kids this country puts
out thats all I have to say!!
they talk about getting their 25th mission so they could go home. Now I am reading Ambroses'
book D-Day and Steve talks about pilots being told it was 25 and they could go home, but
not many made it, then they made it 35 missions and then 50. Wow that would be disheartening.
This is in no way comparable but its all I have to compare it to, so I will tell the story anyway.
When the Iranians took over the embassy in 1980, I was in the service and worked as a Wild Weasel
Tech. The Weasels go in first low and then pop up and get enemy radars to come on then shoot HARM
antiradiation missiles at the SAM sites. Well they told us to get ready because we were going. We didnt
know where but every so many days we would alert at around 4AM get our gear, go to the hangar and
get what ever it was we needed to go to war, and then load up on a C-141 Transport and wait. I didnt
know where we were going. But they told us we would know when we were airborne. Well after everybody
was loaded up they said "Well its not today" So we disembarked the aircraft go turn in our gear and back
to the barracks. It was terrifying enough to just go once and mind you we wouldnt be front line troops
but our F4Gs were. But we did this over and over till your nerves were just shot. I remember guys breaking
down and some guys crying after the 5th or 6th time. I wish they would have just let us go to Saudi Or
where ever they were going to send us to.
But I think of that terrifying experience and then think back to WW2 when these KDIS and they were just kids.
FLYING those missions with Flak think enough to walk on, getting shot at and SOME DID survive the 25th mission
to be told it was now 35 and then later it was 50. I am just glad I didnt have to go through that at all! It was
bad enough just going through the 5% of what they did comparatively. Amazing Kids this country puts
out thats all I have to say!!
