Best USAF experience

TSAX · 02-05-2011, 09:29

Basic Training - Confidence course was fun.

Security Forces Academy - All the cool guns we shot and going into town.

Active Duty - The life long friends I made.

Veteran - No trips to really hot places with lots of sand and having to wear MOPP gear, although some people lost weight in those suits

**MrMurphy** · 02-07-2011, 05:29

My best experience was and shall remain classified. You know how it is.

JBnTX · 02-07-2011, 12:30

My best experience was the entire 21 years that past so fast.
Looking back, it seems it was just the blink of an eye.

Ralff · 02-08-2011, 06:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBnTX

My best experience was the entire 21 years that past so fast.
Looking back, it seems it was just the blink of an eye.

Yes. Basic and tech school seemed to take 10 years to get through, but the following 10 just blew past.

***faawrenchbndr*** · 02-08-2011, 08:46

I was Gen Tommy Franks' Aircraft Crew Chief from mid 2000 to early 2002.
On September 11, 2001 we landed at a location overseas for a routine
AOR trip. Little did we know but about four hours later the Twin Towers were struck.
We departed for the US in the early morning hours of 12 Spetember 2001.
We were one of only 12 aircraft airborne that day in United States airspace over Washington DC.

USAFE7 · 02-08-2011, 13:18

The best? There were really thousands of them, the friends, the bars, the fun....I really can't single just one out.
Now the worst would be a lot easier but, I don't like thinking or talking about them.

USAF 94535 · 02-13-2011, 15:31

tech school was fun but the best was the going away parties and welcome to the squadron ones every two weeks. a great reason for a drunk fest

Flattop67 · 02-13-2011, 17:28

The Best: The first 18yrs.
The Worst: The last 2yrs.

gardy90 · 02-14-2011, 08:16

basic had some good memories but by far the best times ive had have been out in the missile field, driving from site to site, usualy in a blizard haha

meeko · 02-15-2011, 18:58

Looking back the best were the 5 years I spent at Eaker (Blytheville) AFB AR. Had a lot of good times, working wasn't really work. Giant Sword, EST and ABGD FTX's at Little Rock. Sad thing is we couldn't wait to get out of there and none of us knew how good we had it til it closed and we moved on!

usafsfvet · 02-20-2011, 17:10

Some of my best experiences involved deployments to Kuwait pre 9/11 (around the 1999-2000 time frame). Back then, we used to be able to venture out to the markets without any problems. I remember being able to visit <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Kuwait</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">City</st1:PlaceType> and dined at a restaurant in one of the towers right off of the <st1:place w:st="on">Mediterranean</st1:place>. I was impressed with that region as it was a nicer area of the country, where as most of it was littered with trash or dead camels along the side of the road, Bedouins tending flocks of sheep, and things left over from the first gulf war. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

After 9/11, deployments to the mideast were more frequent and quite tumultous, particularly in the past couple of years.

Ralff · 02-22-2011, 07:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by usafsfvet

Some of my best experiences involved deployments to Kuwait pre 9/11 (around the 1999-2000 time frame). Back then, we used to be able to venture out to the markets without any problems. I remember being able to visit <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Kuwait</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">City</st1:PlaceType> and dined at a restaurant in one of the towers right off of the <st1:place w:st="on">Mediterranean</st1:place>. I was impressed with that region as it was a nicer area of the country, where as most of it was littered with trash or dead camels along the side of the road, Bedouins tending flocks of sheep, and things left over from the first gulf war. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

After 9/11, deployments to the mideast were more frequent and quite tumultous, particularly in the past couple of years.

I deployed to Kuwait late 02 early 03. The first weekend we were there, they had an off base trip. I decided not to go because I was tired, thinking I could just go the next weekend. That week they shut down off base travel. I never did get to see Kuwait City. :(

VA_lockup · 02-22-2011, 09:37

Funniest memory-
Basic Training. 323rd... SSgt Listenbee walks in after we finished our cleaning and showering after PT and took a huge dump in the latrine and blames it on us. I couldnt help but to laugh my ass off.

Best memory-
Sitting at Ft. Hood for .50 cal school on the range. apparently their ranges have herds of cattle on them... free roaming cattle.

Worst memory-
Stuck at the same base the whole time. Ok, so im glad I didnt end up at Minot or some missle base, but Randolph AFB, a headquarters base for EVERYTHING apparently. All we did was look pretty. nothing ever happened there.. ever. For SF, that sucked.

usafsfvet · 02-22-2011, 11:25

I was at Randolph a few weeks ago...I can see it being mostly an LE base for SF. And since it is the AFPC base, I'm sure a good deal of it is political.

VA_lockup · 02-22-2011, 12:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by usafsfvet

I was at Randolph a few weeks ago...I can see it being mostly an LE base for SF. And since it is the AFPC base, I'm sure a good deal of it is political.

oh yeah... 13 assigned Generals to a base no larger than your local shopping center...

usafsfvet · 02-23-2011, 04:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by VA_lockup

oh yeah... 13 assigned Generals to a base no larger than your local shopping center...

At that point, the mission seems to be more about making sure your uniform is heavily starched and your shoes shined rather than any type of force protection.

I remember we had a base commander who implimented a policy where SF patrols and gate guards had to wear their blues. That didn't last long after 9/11.

***JimBianchi*** · 02-23-2011, 05:09

Best?

See avatar at left.

VA_lockup · 02-23-2011, 08:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by usafsfvet

At that point, the mission seems to be more about making sure your uniform is heavily starched and your shoes shined rather than any type of force protection.

I remember we had a base commander who implimented a policy where SF patrols and gate guards had to wear their blues. That didn't last long after 9/11.

you are exactly right. everyday there was someone on the gate that was in dress blues with an M-4. in 120 degree weather, it sucked.

TSAX · 02-25-2011, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by VA_lockup

Funniest memory-
Basic Training. 323rd... SSgt Listenbee walks in after we finished our cleaning and showering after PT and took a huge dump in the latrine and blames it on us. I couldnt help but to laugh my ass off.

Best memory-
Sitting at Ft. Hood for .50 cal school on the range. apparently their ranges have herds of cattle on them... free roaming cattle.

Worst memory-
Stuck at the same base the whole time. Ok, so im glad I didnt end up at Minot or some missle base, but Randolph AFB, a headquarters base for EVERYTHING apparently. All we did was look pretty. nothing ever happened there.. ever. For SF, that sucked.

Wow, you named dropped, I remember when that TI lost a strip for have "relations" with a trainee and she was hot even the women wanted to do her

.

VA_lockup · 02-26-2011, 13:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by TSA

Wow, you named dropped, I remember when that TI lost a strip for have "relations" with a trainee and she was hot even the women wanted to do her

.

i am unaware of this. PM me some details!

Brianharless13 · 02-26-2011, 13:44

Basic Training blew at the 3708 BMTS. Met a good group of guys that we later went across base to the Security Police Academy. Had a wonderful time and visiting San Antonio and the hotels.

Air Base Ground Defense rocked but hated Ft. Dixx, New Jersey.

+10 for TSA cause I ended up going to a missile base and it totally sucked and caused me to choose a career change and leave the Air Force.

Would love to be back at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Many pleasurable experiences there.

Scamp · 03-03-2011, 19:59

Best - My 2 years at RAF Lakenheath 82-84

Worse - My 2 years at Blytheville, AR. 84-86

Jeepnik · 03-05-2011, 18:28

Easy, best and worst were the same place, the same day. Landing at Travis AFB in June 1970. If you gotta ask, you wouldn't understand.

ravenkeeper98 · 03-05-2011, 18:37

The years I spent in the 429 ECS working on the EF-111A as a Comm, Nav, ECM Journeyman

Caver 60 · 03-07-2011, 23:11

Tons of flying experiences. I'll always remember my last T-38 solo ride just before I graduated from undergraduate pilot training. After doing about 15 minutes of acro I rolled out level to check the gages and decided I had just enough fuel to return to base and shoot three touch and goes and a full stop. The base was directly behind me.

I decided to do a split S to get headed back to base. But I had misread the altimeter by 10,000 feet. I was pointed straight at the ground when I thought the ground looked a little too close.

A quick glance in the cockpit revealed my mistake. Quicker than it takes to tell, I pulled both throttles to idle, popped the speed brake, looked at the fuel gage and saw I could pull 7 1/3 G's without over stressing the plane, and set the G meter on 7 1/3 G's. Then I looked outside to see if I was going to pull out of it OK. Fortunately I pulled out with room to spare.

That was the last time I ever misread an altimeter. (In my defense it was the old style altimeter, which was very easy to misread.) I sure didn't tell anybody about that experience for awhile.