Monday, June 30, 2014

Just Some Stuff

From the Usual USAF Source...
The European Diet Plan

During the 1990s, US Air Forces in Europe supported one combatant command. USAFE was made up of four separate staffs, including headquarters and three numbered air forces. There were 25 main operating bases, at which some 72,000 Air Force personnel were assigned, and a total of 805 aircraft in 34 aircraft squadrons. By comparison, US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa now supports two combatant commands with one integrated staff, including headquarters and one numbered air force. Instead of 25 main operating bases, there are just six. The number of aircraft assigned to the theater has dropped from 805 to 204 and there are just 10 aircraft squadrons. Lt. Gen. Tom Jones, USAFE-AFAFRICA vice commander, said seeing those stats side-by-side can be "enlightening" to those who may not be aware of the command's full scope of operations. "When I hear talk back in the [United] States, and sometimes in the Pentagon, about bringing things back from Europe, I tell them there is not a lot of Air Force things to bring back," Jones told Air Force Magazine during a briefing at command headquarters at Ramstein AB, Germany, in mid June.
—Amy McCullough
I suppose I served at the right time, which is to say the assignment opportunities over the course of my career were pretty danged good compared to the airmen of today.  OTOH, I can never go home again, coz only three of the bases where I served... Tinker AFB, OK; Keesler AFB, MS; and Yokota AB, Japan... still exist.  All of the other bases/sites were closed long ago.  This also means that 16 of my 22 years were spent at places that no longer exist, if you're keeping score.

And then there's this:



That's a very nice rant, innit?  We're still not watching the tournament but it's like a bad penny... it still keeps coming around, no matter how hard ya try to ignore it.  This tweet is a case in point, seein' as how I'm not on anyone's futbol list.  Twitter sends me a daily summary of "you might have missed this" tweets and the tweet above was part of that.  Thanks, Twitter.  I think.

Finally...



Hula hoops?  They still exist?  Well, yes.  Yes, they do.  And young Rachel is pretty danged good at what she does.

6 comments:

  1. I'm like you, Buck. I served when the USAF was at its apex, now ALL the bases I was stationed at are gone save for my old UPT base at Laughlin in Del Rio. Thanks to Obama the AF has been gutted....but the mission hasn't..

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    1. Yeah, I hear ya, Virgil. Sometimes I just hate to read the Daily Report.

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  2. Nostalgia Vexed30 June, 2014 22:37

    I stopped at Tinker on my way to Kansas City, and it is pretty sad looking. Not many planes on the ramps, and the Third Herd 80 acres is barren. The old hospital is torn down, and I read where the Pentagon is going to shit-can 7 AWACS and a couple squadrons of people (reserve outfit and one of the active duty). I drove through there in 1973 and it was a bee-hive of activity, although they put me up for the night in a WW2 barracks. Now they have nice new buildings but they are all abandoned. I can see where it might be on the hit list if they don't do something about making themselves useful. Maybe put all the illegal immigrants in the third herd buildings and at least get some tax dollars off of them. Maybe teach them fucking English so they can become useful.

    I'd like to see us get out of Europe and Japan permanently. Unless they want to pay for our services.

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    1. ... the Third Herd 80 acres is barren.

      It was a sad day when the the Third Mob went away. I was by Tinker last year when I went out to the Right Coast but didn't stop. I have no ideer how busy they were, as you can't see the flight line from the freeway. I was there for a lil over two and a half years from '83 - '85... my last assignment.

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  3. For more hula hooping fun, you may enjoy watching this young lady in France.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qN8sWzzwuRs

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    1. Wow. That chick looked like she was inside a giant slinky for her last trick. Amazing.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.