Sunday, November 29, 2009

Snippets From the AOR VII

Photo opportunities...  In this case it was a visit to the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing from Gen. William M. Fraser III, the commander of Air Combat Command.

Pictured above is Gen. Fraser and several of "the management" of the 451st Maintenance Group...SN1 being second from the left.  I dunno how things are today... but back in the days shortly after we retired the last of the bi-planes a visit from a general officer was always a thing of dread.  When I was a young airman I used to think generals were all ten feet tall.  I mean they HAD to be at least that tall... coz my buddies and I had to get up in the cable racks suspended eight feet overhead in our radar towers and wash all the cables down just for the general's visit.  And that was just a start to what was usually a solid week of operating-room level cleaning.  But we digress...

So... there are photo ops and then there are photo ops:

That would be SN1 and Gary Sinise.  And then there's this:

That's SN1 and Leeann Tweeden, who's been visiting the troops and raising morale in The Af since back in 2002.  Good On Her... and Good On all the other fine folks who do the same.

18 comments:

  1. Oh dear lord I love me some Gary Sinise. Fine actor, ridiculously handsome and supports the troops with his whole heart.

    What's not to love about that!

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  2. Thanks for pointing out my typo, Kris. Fixed.

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  3. Great photos, thanks for sharing.

    Your son looks very handsome and BADASS!

    I ADORE Gary Sinise and he's wearing a t-shirt I would kill for. Good to know SOME LA types are well meaning people.

    Not sure who the bird is but she has reaffirmed my commitment to getting hair extensions. They even look great in Afghan desert!

    Hope they all stay safe. I think of them daily.

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  4. Leeann Tweeden? Cool. I like some of her politics. She's a repeating guest on "Hannity's Great American Panel." Good on her as you say.

    She was a Fredrick's of Hollywood calendar regular in the '90s. (Gifts from wife of course). I have her '06 calendar stuck on October of that year out in the garage-- cowboy hat, lip gloss and STRETCHED US flag-like tee (also gift from wife).

    Say, what's that collectible object in the good captain's left hand? And why does Ms. Tweeden have a Sharpie in her right?

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  5. Bob: I'll defer to the captain... or that would be major, by the time he reads this... for answers to your questions.

    re: Tweeden. I need to get out more, coz I had to google her to find out who she was (other than being a FOX).

    Alison: Thank ya, Ma'am! And I agree with you on all counts. Well, maybe I'm agnostic on the hair extensions... but only coz it's way the Hell outta my ballpark. ;-)

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  6. No, you're connected just fine. Tweeden is slightly famous for being pretty AFAIK. But hey, that works for troop morale sometimes. (The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders visited the _Cape Cod_ ca. 1987 deep into a deployment. Cheered people right up!)

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  7. Hey, pretty tough group of AF people there!!

    Ohhhh, and Gary Sinise is way cool. Very much so. Mm-hmm!

    Seems like SN1 is bringing home an autograph. Wonder if he got one for you? She is really pretty.

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  8. Kath: Yeah, the USAF contingent looks pretty good in the photo but they don't hold a candle to the Marines in the "tough" department. Let's just call a spade a spade... ;-)

    I doubt SN1 got me an autograph... he knows I'm not big on that sorta stuff. But I DO like talking to pretty women!

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  9. Now...that is WAY cool. I don't know who this Tweeden chick is, but I'm sure she is a breath of fresh air in the sane.

    But Captain Dan...man, I'd like to shake his hand. Thanks for the pix dude. That's just cool.

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  10. Oooops...It's Lieutenant Dan...I'm "sundowning."

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  11. Oooops...it should read "sand," not "sane." Crap, I am sundowning...

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  12. I always detested visits from the Admirals. We'd spend days cleaning the ship. And, of course, the Admiral never set foot beyond the wardroom. A waste of effort, and another reason to make the enlisted despise the Flag Officers.

    Thanks for displaying the pics. In knew that Gary Sinise was a big supporter of our troops. Didn't know about Ms. Tweeden. Good to know that not all "celebrities" are left wing wackos.

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  13. My mother used to tell us kids that we were having guests over so that we would clean the house - then no one came. It sounds like the military uses something similar to get everyone to clean house.

    Nice pics - SN1 looks pretty dashing.

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  14. "Hey, pretty tough group of AF people there!!"

    Yeah, I'm with Buck on that one...the most terrified I've ever been around firearms was when I was with a bunch of USAF personnel who were doing actual live shooting. "Tough" and "Air Force" shouldn't really go together, unless you're talking about TACPs (who are basically Army personnel that wear an AF uniform) or some of the AFSOC folks.

    Notice from the picture that some of the folks are wearing nylon shoulder holsters, some are wearing leather ones, and I think I see a couple of thigh holsters...any rhyme or reason to who gets what?

    Great to see that Chief Lowe has the appropriate Chief look on his face. ;-)

    And it would appear that Ms. Tweeden has given me yet another thing to add to my list of "reasons I need to deploy sooner rather than later."

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  15. This is so great!!! I am amazed at how much Gary Sinise does for our troops and veterans... great guy!

    I have to admit, that I giggle at the rhinestone belt on the cammo jacket!

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  16. Reese:
    Great eyes! Leeann was handing out a promo card with (I assume) her favorite magazine covers on it. I did get her autograph.

    Mike:
    As far as the holsters go...you get what your base issues you. Some bases are pretty basic and other go all out.

    I've got a modular set-up that let's me bounce between shoulder and leg holsters. The leather you see are personally procured holsters. They also come in black.

    As for the weapon you carry, depends on what you're qualified on. Pistols are mostly for Chiefs, Officers and some Security Forces personnel. There are others, but the vast majority of Airmen carry the M-16.

    As for deploying sooner rather than later...good call!

    Chief Lowe ALWAYS has the appropriate look! He's an AMMO Chief!

    As for me being a Major yet...roughly two hours until the ceremony!

    Good times!

    SN1

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  17. Andy: First time I've heard the term, but... LOL!

    BR: Oh, do I EVER hear ya! I never once saw a general in a radar tower, either. They'd hit ops, which is another building entirely, but NEVER the towers...

    Lou: That's funny about your Mom! But our generals actually showed up... but never in MY work spaces (when I was a radar guy). Thanks for the compliment re: SN1.

    Mike: Agreed on the exceptions you mentioned concerning toughness. PJs and Special Operators are seriously tough... especially the PJs and their bus drivers.

    Cynthia: I noticed the "accouterments," too!

    Buck: Thanks for the response. And congrats, Major!

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  18. I saw some special on TV Thanksgiving day of Gary Senise over there. But didn't get into it before one of the 6 children in attendence turned on the playstation. I'll have to search to see if it's on again anywhere.

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