Sorry it has been SO LONG since I've been in touch. Life has been very busy for me these past 3-4 weeks. In the military, our "Fiscal" year ends Sep 30 so this is the time of the year that I get overwhelmed with the task of writing Quarterly/Annual Awards packages for my troops. It is a tiresome process, especially when trying to write 10-12 different packages, but it is worth it; these guys and gals are all bustin' their asses over here. Some of this may go over your heads but bear with me. This is how well my folks are performing…
We are here with 12 jets. 2 jets stay on a 15-min Alert commitment and can launch at anytime. There is always 1 jet going thru a "Phase Inspection" which is a lengthy, thorough tear-down of the jet that is due at certain airframe flying hour marks. See, like a car's maintenance is tracked by mileage, these jets and some of their maintenance is tracked by "flying hours". Ok, so that's 3 outa of the 12 already committed elsewhere. We lost one jet about 2 weeks ago to an engine fire on landing. The pilot landed the jet safely and egressed the aircraft on the runway (that means he shut it down, jumped out and ran like hell!) as the fire trucks were pulling up to extinguish. The jet is pretty much ok but the engine is junk, the engine bay that houses the engine is badly damaged and there is a lot of structural damage. So that jet will soon be tore down, disassembled and sent home in crates, no lie. So what's that leave us, 8? Now with only 8 jets to tinker with, we are responsible to have 2-4 jets in the air, 24hrs a day, flying 4-5hr missions… To sum up how well we are doing, we haven't missed a single sortie (combat mission), we've dropped upwards of 30 bombs, became the first F-16 unit in the AF to actually drop a Laser Guided Maverick bomb (2k lbs bomb that goes to target lit up by a targeting pod carried by the jet), my troops are volunteering time at the Base hospital in the ER, taking patients to-and-from the helicopters that are bringing in wounded US forces as well as wounded Iraqi civillians non-stop, 24hrs a day… Basically, we are working our tails off and couldn't be prouder!!!
I had a guy come in to work tonight, been in 18 years, 38 yo, and he had tears in his eyes. He had just finished his volunteer work at the helo pad and his tears were a mix of pride and sadness he later told me. A helo landed earlier in the night carrying a 9 yo Iraqi child that had been shot in the head during an attack on there village by some insurgients. Her mother was with her, couldn't speak any english but was completely devestated. This guy, Mike, spent over an hour trying to comfort her in the ER while they both watch the medics trying to save her child's life. Thankfully, the wound wasn't that bad; the child's left ear is gone but the bullet never actually penetrated his skull. Once the docs got him stable and explained thru a translator that he would be all right, the mother just sat in Mike's arms and cried on his shoulder… He stayed with her until she calmed and could be sedated. he explained all this to me (he's my Assistant and room-mate) and the tears just kept welling up because he was so proud of what those docs did and how he felt about himself, helping the mother… but he was also sad because this kind of thing happens everydasy the docs told him. Now you see one of the lesser known reasons we are here…
Before I forget, I have some BIG THANK YOUS to send out!!! Over the past few weeks I have received some wonderful packages!!!
Debbie, My Soul Sistah, YOU crack me up! I got a package from Debbie with mary Kay soaps, lotions, after shaves and the box had pix of me and Jeff taped on the outside, a few bald eagles and a pic of Deb and neal Schon… Too Funny!!! Thanks for the stuff, Debbie!!! The girls grabbed up the soaps and suncreen and I am sharing the after shaves
~ I do, however like the soap and the aftershave cream in the bronze tube!Suzie!!! Thanks for the Evans Blue debut cd!!! These guys are pretty damn great! Think of Breaking Benjamin thrown into a bowl, toss in a cup of Staind and add a pinch of Tool, whisk together and you have Evans Blue! HIGHLY recommend checking them out!
Kim, the New Pumpkins cd ROCKS!!! It gets back to the Siamese Dream sound and is loaded with great tunes! And this Special Edition booklet it came is is another story… it is WAY cool but WAY weird
~ Thank you thank you thank you….Kelly, the one AugeriHead other than Maria that I fought with relentlessly, THANK YOU for the new Silverchair cd, young modern! It takes off where Diorama finished and is a great album. Gotta listen a few times before you really "get it".
Nothing much else going on… My STEELERS are 2-0, I hear I'm missing out on the big VH tour, my wife tells me Sixx AM is coming to Utah and I will miss that too…
Oh, before I forget!!! NIGGY, Chuck Norris was in-country 2 weeks ago hanging with the troops!!! But he's a punk cause he didn't come to my base
~Ok, gonna go for now and I promise I won't let too much time pass between my next email!!! I got yelled at by my wife, actually, about that! THANKS MARIA
~Take Care ALL of you!!!
BTW, ANY new info on that band Journey??? What's going on with Jeff??? Is everyone going to South Bend??? If Drew is selling MR t-shirts could you talk him into donating an XL to me???
~H@kk Out!!!"
Got any pix to share???