Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Sketch on August 07, 2006, 12:31:48 PM
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Got my orders to PCS and will be leaving Italy and heading to North Carolina. Anyone been to Seymour Johnson or been stationed there? Was just wonder for some tips on it. :aok
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I was stationed there for 3 years from 83-86.
Not sure what it's like now but back then the only thing to watch out for was going out the back gate. Slocumb(sp) street was not a safe place to be day or night. There seemed to be a murder and/or rape every single night.
Plus base housing was limited so about the only place to rent was trailer parks.
I hope it has changed because as far as location goes it's not bad at all. About an hour from the coast and about the same to Raleigh.
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It's better than Biloxi in the same way you'd rather stick your hand in your armpit than your ass-crack.
Good luck.
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Originally posted by Mini D
It's better than Biloxi in the same way you'd rather stick your hand in your armpit than your ass-crack.
Good luck.
:rofl
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You're about 15 min from Spivies Corner. Every year the have the Pig calling world championships. Me I was at Pope AFB by Ft Brag. Went to Cee'J for some body work after part of a C-130 droped in my lap(1984). Man are those things heavy.
Seemed like a nice place compaired to Fayettnam.
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Thanks for the info guys. I think a couple other guys on the Rooks side with me are from around Ft. Brag. Once again, thanks! :aok
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I was stationed there from Sept 81 to Aug 83. Back then the base had 3 squadrons of F-4E Phantoms, 1 squadron each of B-52's and KC-135 tankers along with four F-4D's from the Michigan ANG that were tasked with alert duty. Later, the B-52's and tankers were replaced by a 4th squadron of F-4E's.
Now they have F-15E's.
Here's a link to the base website. http://www.seymourjohnson.af.mil/
It's been a long time since I was there. Undoubtedly much has changed.
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i think thats the name of a bar in frisco
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Originally posted by Elfie
I was stationed there from Sept 81 to Aug 83. Back then the base had 3 squadrons of F-4E Phantoms, 1 squadron each of B-52's and KC-135 tankers along with four F-4D's from the Michigan ANG that were tasked with alert duty. Later, the B-52's and tankers were replaced by a 4th squadron of F-4E's.
Now they have F-15E's.
Here's a link to the base website. http://www.seymourjohnson.af.mil/
It's been a long time since I was there. Undoubtedly much has changed.
I got there right before the B-52 left.
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Originally posted by Mightytboy
I got there right before the B-52 left.
I was originally assigned to the 335th Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU), then was reassigned to the 337th AMU when the 4th fighter squadron was activated. I was a 462X0 and normally worked the 2nd shift.
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Part of 4th TFW from '81-83 .. ECM 32873, spent some time in QA as Wing TODO, made Tsgt there, sewed the stripes on my last day there :) (BIG Surprise to the Ssgt that was bein a total jerk and ridin me alla time .. I had a day of payback .. life was good ..then it was off to Taegu Korea :)
Nice lil town outside the main gate, very southern accents, and you could go to a junkyard and buy a '67 440 Belvedere that still had all the chrome on it for $500 ..they would charge the battery, pump up the tires, and you could drive it back :)
They had a nice car auction downtown every other Saturday nite, some real bargains now an then .. friend of mine bought a nice '55 chebby pickup, 283, burned oil, for $100
..nother friend bought a '69 firebird convertible there for 2k, ran great, had a small block chebby in it.
I bought a '67 440 GTX there (numbers checked out) and drove it home . had a rod knockin and 7 coats of paint on it .. but was all original ..$500.
I'd have to say it was the best coupla years I spent in the USAF .. went over an played on the f-4 flight sim in the evenings when I could.
Took 2 yrs of aerodynamic courses through Embry Riddle, taught by one of the B-52 check ride pilots. Crested Cap in '81 to Ramstein was a blast.
Got a chance to see where my Dad (and Patton's 3rd army) crossed the Rhine, visited Heidelberg and the castle there, built in 49 B.C. by the Romans.
Base housing was not bad at all, ranch-style brick homes with carports. Neighbors useda play volleyball an bbq on weekends. Great R/C club there.
-GE
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ROFL I work w/ a guy that was stationed there. Always cracks me up to hear him tell stories about "Shady J." :lol
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It's Bragg, 2 tours at Ft. Bragg you REMF Legs!!!! Also did 4 years at Taegu, South Korea...Cp Walker and CP Henry..Loved it!!!!
Seymore Johnson sounds GHEY.
Mac
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Originally posted by AWMac
It's Bragg, 2 tours at Ft. Bragg you REMF Legs!!!! Also did 4 years at Taegu, South Korea...Cp Walker and CP Henry..Loved it!!!!
Seymore Johnson sounds GHEY.
Mac
Seymour Johnson AFB was named after an airman that died. I dont recall the details though.
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Originally posted by Elfie
I was originally assigned to the 335th Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU), then was reassigned to the 337th AMU when the 4th fighter squadron was activated. I was a 462X0 and normally worked the 2nd shift.
I was POL/Fuels.
Probably touched the same AC.
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Originally posted by Mightytboy
I was POL/Fuels.
Probably touched the same AC.
Heh, probably. Remember when they put up the stadium lights on the flightline?
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I was a 462 a while ago too. Different planes, though.
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Originally posted by Mini D
I was a 462 a while ago too. Different planes, though.
No kidding? I worked F-4E's and F-15A/B's, which planes did you work on?
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Originally posted by Mini D
It's better than Biloxi in the same way you'd rather stick your hand in your armpit than your ass-crack.
Good luck.
:rofl
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Originally posted by Elfie
No kidding? I worked F-4E's and F-15A/B's, which planes did you work on?
F-111s, but I didn't do any loading... all release shop.
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Originally posted by Mini D
F-111s, but I didn't do any loading... all release shop.
Most of my time was spent either on the flight line or training load crews. I did spend about a year in release shop in Alaska.
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"..sounds ghey"
coupla things:
First Red Flag I went to as part of 4th TFW ..our F4's tagged as escort for the british buffs that were part of the days exercise took out the aggressor interceptors on the first mission.
Pentagon desk jockey got assigned so he could get his 'star' ..had a few 'ideas' that were ..er .. shall we say .. 'impractical'
ie: Wing Scramble exercise. Ever try to launch 100+ F'4's all at once?
ie: Taking the hangar queen of the fleet as his own.
It sure was purty ..had new paint, alla squad stripe colors on the rudder ..just *gleamed* in the sunlite.. on engine start the breech exploded (cart start).. the signal to depart the plane was given by the crewcheif (ya, he signalled CUT and took off running) ..aircrew scrambled out and away, and that plane burnt to a greasy spot on the tarmac while the fire crews kept the others around it from doin the same as tow crews pulled 'em away.
I watched from the ECM shop, just up the hill. It was a great show.
I heard he got his star.. later.
One of our Avionics Senior Master Sgt's nearing retirement told a bran-new 2nd Lt. that he dint have to salute them anymore .. LOL .. he got in a bit of hot water .. but it was *priceless* ..a 'Kodak' moment.
G-man (aka Rolf Penzel) and I were there at the same time, I helped him build his '67 belvedere up, and flagged his first street race outside o' town ..he blew the *doors* off an orange 396 powered '70 camaro (we suckered them so bad, and they never knew what hit 'em)
Lost an F-4 and crew off the coast near Christmas one year .. they were doin ACM ..made a HO attack on another F-4, never seen again. I was TODO in QA then, so got to sit in as part of avionics debreif ..
..there are no easy days on the line.
-GE (that movie 'the Great Santini' came out a year or so later.. seemed like a lotta stuff was right outta typical flightline ops ..and Duvall nailed the wing commander character)
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It sure was purty ..had new paint, alla squad stripe colors on the rudder ..just *gleamed* in the sunlite.. on engine start the breech exploded (cart start).. the signal to depart the plane was given by the crewcheif (ya, he signalled CUT and took off running) ..aircrew scrambled out and away, and that plane burnt to a greasy spot on the tarmac while the fire crews kept the others around it from doin the same as tow crews pulled 'em away.
I saw that too. Only I watched it from the AGE yard, I was going through my initial AGE training and had only been on the base 2 weeks. When they started cart starting the planes, we stopped our class to watch. Was pretty darn cool watching them start those jet engines with cartridges. Then a cart fired, followed by another loud bang and the plane was on fire. I saw the pilot and wso go running across the red line. Never again did I see so many tow *trucks* and towbars at one time again at that base as people frantically towed F-4's away from the one that was burning.
Lost an F-4 and crew off the coast near Christmas one year .. they were doin ACM ..made a HO attack on another F-4, never seen again. I was TODO in QA then, so got to sit in as part of avionics debreif ..
I remember when that happened too. Very sad.
Where you there when the Michigan ANG F-4D hit the private jet near the coast? I saw that jet later, it was missing it's starboard wing all the way to the inboard pylon.
This thread is bringing back some memories. :)
*edit* The squadron commanders and wing commanders planes were marked by stripes on the fuselage, not the rudder. :)
*edit again lol* I remember when they flew that wing commanders plane back into Seymour after it had been taken apart, put in crates, and flown to a depot for repairs. The thing looked brand new again. Pretty amazing they fixed all that damage.
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yassir . .I had forgotten the angled stripes on the fuselage.. there were also horizontal stripes just under the rudder tip (a lot smaller) to show what squadron the plane was part of ..an the Wing King's plane had 'em all.
edit: ok ok .. fin aka vertical stab.. not rudder :)
I may have been gone to Crested Cap or Red Flag or somethin when that F4 mid-air happened. I don't remember that.
I do remember the A-10's comin over from down south as part of one of our 'ORI' things ..4th was sposed to pick em up incoming and scramble to intercept as part of the exercise ... I was on EOR duty as part of QA so I got to stand outside the shack an watch .. those wascals came over right at tree-top level and lined up guns passes on our f4's sittin at EOR ready to scramble .. LOL . .they were SO vulched!!
Radar never saw em comin.. I heard a small whine and looked behind me and one A-10 was droppin below treetops linin up on 'em, ..then another came by offset towards me .. and I swear that pilot had a grin ear-to-ear as he went directly over my head a few feet up.
-GE
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Originally posted by Grayeagle
yassir . .I had forgotten the angled stripes on the fuselage.. there were also horizontal stripes just under the rudder tip (a lot smaller) to show what squadron the plane was part of ..an the Wing King's plane had 'em all.
edit: ok ok .. fin aka vertical stab.. not rudder :)
I may have been gone to Crested Cap or Red Flag or somethin when that F4 mid-air happened. I don't remember that.
I do remember the A-10's comin over from down south as part of one of our 'ORI' things ..4th was sposed to pick em up incoming and scramble to intercept as part of the exercise ... I was on EOR duty as part of QA so I got to stand outside the shack an watch .. those wascals came over right at tree-top level and lined up guns passes on our f4's sittin at EOR ready to scramble .. LOL . .they were SO vulched!!
Radar never saw em comin.. I heard a small whine and looked behind me and one A-10 was droppin below treetops linin up on 'em, ..then another came by offset towards me .. and I swear that pilot had a grin ear-to-ear as he went directly over my head a few feet up.
-GE
Good chance we have met each other, at least briefly.......I was on EOR duties during that very same ORI when the A-10's from Myrtle Beach *attacked*. (I just dont recall whether I was on Arm or DeArm duties that day) I remember those passes by the A-10's including the ones that came in 3 inches over the treetops, I was at the other end of the runway though so didnt get to see the attack runs up close and personal like you did.
Wasn't the stripe on the tail for each squadron with a single angled stripe on the fuselage for the squadron commanders plane? Actually, I think every 334th jet had a blue stripe, 335 was green, 336th was yellow, and when they added the 337th it was red. Could be wrong, it has been over 20 years now heh.
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Aye Elfie . . we walked some o' the same flightline for sure ;)
I don't even remember the colors ..purty sure there's a book somewhere with 'em all listed.
I do remember bein a bit jazzed at gettin the 4th TFW flaming arrow patch when I arrived on base .. such a cool part of History to be in Blakeslee's outfit even if seperated by quite a stretch.
The pilots I met were very much 'into' what they could do with an F4 .. and the grins when they returned from that first Red Flag mission I was part of ..they *rocked.*
They couldn't wait to tangle with the Aggressors again.
The brits were out-an-out crazy.
They flew so low they kicked up dust trails.
Lot of our pilots commented on it, just unreal.
What ended that first red flag I was part of.. lead buff hit a rise in the ground (wasn't even a hilltop) and his wingmen went in alongside.
-GE
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The internet has truly made the world a smaller place. :)
Crested Cap, wasnt that the deployment to Denmark? If so, I didnt get to go on that one. I left the 335th AMU for the 337th AMU just before that deployment. The guys that did get to go, wow, did they have some stories to tell about the Danish wimmins!
In fact, I didnt get to go to any of the Red Flag exercises either until I got a PCS to Elemendorf AFB. I did get to go to the Red Flag museum one time, that was really sweet.
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Crested Cap '81 was to Ramstein .. and with a weekend off, you could go *anywhere* in Europe ;)
A coupla guys in avionics got arrested in Paris ..LOL. They were a day late returning.. seems they were harrassed by a french dude ..an they harrassed back .. and it esclalated to a brawl in no time :)
I went to where the 3rd Army crossed the Rhine ..my dad was one of the first men across as he was forward radio observer for the artillery. They have a small monument there.
Went to the Rheims Cathedral .. just an amazing building.
Another weekend saw a few of us in Heidelberg for a firework show at sundown, re-enacting the French attack on the Castle ..an awesome show that just blew me away.. disney fireworks got nothin on those guys.
Funniest moment: Tryin to ask a bus driver if his bus went back to base (was in Kaiserslaughtern, small town outside Ramstein) .. he kept pointing at the roof ..I shook my head, stepped back off bus, looked up .. er ..it was an *electric* bus and had the wires an commutator assembly atop the bus .. it only went where the wires went ..an they dint go out of town .. ROFL. I about died laffin.. an the whole bus was laffin by then :)
-GE