Old Birds

[PBJ2500CTD]

About 15 years ago I "forced" my FIL to visit the airshow here in Lincoln where they had a B17 and aB24. He was in N Africa and a sometime crew member on the 17. He reluctently went on the tour, and had a blast, posing with the waist guns he used back then and bsing with all the other WWII guys there. One little guy, was a ball turret gunner, posed for pictures by his old position. A tad too large to fit into it anymore. He's gone now, but it sure brought back memories for him. We tried to talk him into a flight, but he said he used to get paid for flying and wouldn't pay for one. I thought that they should have had free flights for the WWII guys.

We got to tour a B-17G at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville. Oregon a couple of years ago. If you ever get to the west coast this museum is a must see. http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/ There is a very nice and reasonably priced RV park adjacent to the museum.

Here we are getting our imaginations fired up with some stories from someone with first hand experience as a belly gunner on the B-17. That is one small hatch to enter the turret. Amazing amount of electrical equipment stuffed in that sardine can. Barely room for the operator.

The turret from inside the fuselage just fore of the waist gunner's station

Waist gunners station. Imagine how tight the space is when both the port and starboard waist guns were in action. Note the turrent behind the guide. No pressurization or heat at altitude. These boys had to be tough.

A shot down the backbone.

 

[BIGNASTY]

PBJ

Great Pictures those guys were tough as nails if it weren't for the B17 and P51 we could be speaking German now.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

I took my wife and grandson to the airport [again] today and grabbed a few more pictures of some classic WWII birds. I had my wife video the P47 when he fired her up and I’ll try and post that video but not sure if it will work.



Early model P-47 and a beautiful polished out P-40

 

[BoeingDiesel]

Continued

F4-U Corsair in for some work and FW-190

 

[BIGNASTY]

P40 was a rare sight haven't seen one of those!!!! static or flying

 

[BoeingDiesel]

Continued

Original POW-MIA poster, no longer PC and Edwards AFB sign.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Boieng

Its funny how fast some forget about our little piece of HELL, I have a hat that was given to me by some VERY SPECIAL young men at the

Loma linda veterans hospital in Calif. I went thru some rehab there for one of my knee replacements they all had various combat injuries and were there for the same reason as I. They ALL had their campaign hat's on and asked about mine? I told them I GOT OUT ALIVE THATS ENOUGH FOR ME, they got a Viet Nam Vet hat for me and said we dont forget the ones that served before us, I dont wear it very often (dont know why? or why I do sometimes?) but the other day I had it on and went into town to do some shopping and a young man standing in line asked what was that about and pointed to my hat? I had to pull it off to remember what one I had on!!! I was kind of dumb founded and Maggie our check out gal at the Grocery Store said Well BIG tell him!!!!!!



SAME REASON AS FOR ALL OF THEM ... . MONEY!!! GREED come to mind



He really didnt have a clue to what VN was about or as to why we were there!! THEY WERE ALL BS REASONS ANYWAY but still.











BIG

 

[GCroyle]

Guys really nice pics, I think I'd be kinda suprized as to whats under the nice skin, that big engine is hanging on that and that is attached to what and so it goes.



Back in my HS days a friend built a Baby Great Lakes biplane in a barn from the ground up. Taught himself what he needed, full inspections etc. I helped him fire it up one day as a complete plane, tied to a tree and all powered up for a few minutes. Pete then moved from OH to AZ IIRC and the last I heard was that the plane burned in a fire in the building it was stored in, 7 years of his life up in flames, never got off of the ground.







BIG and all others who earned the right to wear the Veterans hats.



You guys earned the right, you fought the fight, you served America and paid prices us civilians cannot imagine. Wear 'em proud for yourself and those that served with you that aren't here with us to wear one today.



Thanks guys.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

Boieng

Its funny how fast some forget about our little piece of HELL, I have a hat that was given to me by some VERY SPECIAL young men at the

Loma linda veterans hospital in Calif. I went thru some rehab there for one of my knee replacements they all had various combat injuries and were there for the same reason as I. They ALL had their campaign hat's on and asked about mine? I told them I GOT OUT ALIVE THATS ENOUGH FOR ME, they got a Viet Nam Vet hat for me and said we dont forget the ones that served before us, I dont wear it very often (dont know why? or why I do sometimes?) but the other day I had it on and went into town to do some shopping and a young man standing in line asked what was that about and pointed to my hat? I had to pull it off to remember what one I had on!!! I was kind of dumb founded and Maggie our check out gal at the Grocery Store said Well BIG tell him!!!!!!



SAME REASON AS FOR ALL OF THEM ... . MONEY!!! GREED come to mind



He really didnt have a clue to what VN was about or as to why we were there!! THEY WERE ALL BS REASONS ANYWAY but still.











BIG

My intent in posting the POW-MIA poster was to illustrate how the Times’ have changed. My grandson (and USNA hopeful) pointed out a little piece of trivia when he told me that the originals [posters of that era] no longer exist and that there is one subtle difference in the past vs. current illustrations. I couldn’t see it until he put his finger on the man in the tower. I did a google search and was unable to find a match.

My father spent a lot of time @ Loma Linda University in his declining days and as far as hospitals go…the staff was exemplary.

 

[BIGNASTY]

My intent in posting the POW-MIA poster was to illustrate how the Times' have changed. My grandson (and USNA hopeful) pointed out a little piece of trivia when he told me that the originals [posters of that era] no longer exist and that there is one subtle difference in the past vs. current illustrations. I couldn't see it until he put his finger on the man in the tower. I did a google search and was unable to find a match.
My father spent a lot of time @ Loma Linda University in his declining days and as far as hospitals go…the staff was exemplary.

Ohhhh I didnt notice the little G***** in the tower wearing the Hanoi Hanna hat. I will have to slap myself for that one.

Yes Loma Linda has some really great surgeons but the nurse medical staff are stand up folks!!!!!!! unlike the VA hosp in ( I call it Los Angles) off the 405 frwy. I felt better liked being in the front hole in Nam than I did in that hospital. Didnt want any thing but a kind word maybe once a day they found it hard the month I was there.

 

[BLNRAY]

Here's some old birds,picture quality not too hot,but for a kodak instamatic not bad

 

[PToombs]

That SR-71 is awesome! I love those things!

Those pics are of the most unnatural act in aviation, mid-air refueling.

What's the plane in the top right pic?

 

[BLNRAY]

Top right is an F-100,B-52 is from Linbacker 2,SR-71 over Thialand or somewhere in that region.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

Top right is an F-100,B-52 is from Linbacker 2,SR-71 over Thialand or somewhere in that region.

BLNRAY, are you familiar with the Linebacker Ops'?

 

[BIGNASTY]

BLNRAY, are you familiar with the Linebacker Ops'?

We took some birds in that participated in Linebacker II, started out to be 11 days of non stop around the clock bombing but ended up many more for the ground crews. Our FAC pilots we Quarterbacking the strikes for the Buffs cause they didnt have the bomb nav gear that the 111's did or the eyes of the FAC planes. Tricky Dickey Nixon got PO at the NViet Damees and 11 days later the commies were BEGGING TO COME BACK TO PARIS TO TALK. If they would have done the bombing the way the pilots wanted to the war would have been a hell of allot shorter.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

We took some birds in that participated in Linebacker II, started out to be 11 days of non stop around the clock bombing but ended up many more for the ground crews. Our FAC pilots we Quarterbacking the strikes for the Buffs cause they didnt have the bomb nav gear that the 111's did or the eyes of the FAC planes. Tricky Dickey Nixon got PO at the NViet Damees and 11 days later the commies were BEGGING TO COME BACK TO PARIS TO TALK. If they would have done the bombing the way the pilots wanted to the war would have been a hell of allot shorter.

Big', you left out one important little fact, OLB was a joint force strike.



Operation Linebacker; compliments of RMN brought the Viet to the table. The NV knew that Uncle Sugars’ military force could have decimated the landscape within hours, but they held the china/russ trump card.



LBJ’s operation “Rolling Thunder”, should have been called, “Rolling Cluster ****. ” It was a total failure with unnecessary loss of life, aircraft and captured crew.



I'll post something later when I can find it.

 

[Tractorat]

Altitude is my friend... the ground is my enemy.

BoeingDiesel, someone once told me that the Lord said "Low, I will be with you always. " He didnt say anything about if you were up high.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Big', you left out one important little fact, OLB was a joint force strike.



Operation Linebacker; compliments of RMN brought the Viet to the table. The NV knew that Uncle Sugars’ military force could have decimated the landscape within hours, but they held the china/russ trump card.



LBJ’s operation “Rolling Thunder”, should have been called, “Rolling Cluster ****. ” It was a total failure with unnecessary loss of life, aircraft and captured crew.



I'll post something later when I can find it.

BDiesel

The Vietnam I was in, the guys that wore the American Flag on the sleeve of their shirt were ALL ON THE SAME TEAM!!! We had NAVY,MARINE,ARMY birds and pilots as house guests at our emergency air strip, that WERE DAMN GLAD JUST to be alive, even if they were with a bunch of AIREDALES and were picked by our ( then called Para Rescrue) So PLEASE!!! excuse me for not picking a side of OUR TEAM I did not care who,what,why,when, if they needed HELP at any time, IF MY BIRDS ( all the planes were mine I just let the pilots use them every so often)could save one of our TEAM IT WENT and all of the 30 or so that were imprisoned AIREDALES there FELT THE SAME WAY!!!



I think that ALL of the guy's that I served with and had the PLEASURE to meet in Vietnam felt the same way. At least I HOPE SO!!!! because when I got hit and needed blood AND LOTS OF IT!!!! the Army Dust Off crew that took the Navy Corpsman working on me, myself and another Army,Marine soldier and two other Airedale's hooked up to me with tubes giving me the red stuff I ABSLOULTY HAD TO HAVE to a Navy Hospital ship DIDNT SEEM TO MIND HELPING ME!!!!



AS FAR AS BEING A CLUSTER **** THE ENTIRE VIETNAM WAR WAS ONE BIG CLUSETER ****



BIG

 

[JLeake]

Thanks for serving Big. I share your view and my two brothers who were in SF guard units for 20+ years shared you view.

 

[BIGNASTY]

My Pleasure!!!! BUT I WISH I STILL HAD MY LEG SOMETIMES :-laf:-laf



I think we ALL forget sometimes the 58,242 Team Members that didnt get to come HOME!!!



BIG