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Deployments post Afghanistan

81montedriver

81montedriver

Well-Known Member
pilot
phrogpilot73 said:
I think you missed the humor in HD's post. I didn't. KC-130's have been doing MEU support for quite some time - but he was referring to KC-130 guys saying "when I was on the MEU" - while they were staying in some pimped-out joint, drawing per diem - OCCASIONALLY flying in support of the MEU. As opposed to Harrier/Cobra/Huey/Phrog/Osprey/Shitter guys stuck on the ship, flying their balls off, OCCASIONALLY getting off the ship for an exercise/port call.
...
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Ha, I get it now, haven't slept alot in the last few days.
 
Harrier Dude

Harrier Dude

Living the dream
I've never actually seen any of the MEU C-130s except on paper. Not once.

I did see their LNO a couple of times. Briefly.
 
Hotdogs

Hotdogs

I don’t care if I hurt your feelings
pilot
After the C-130 taxiied in next to us, all their aircrew hop out of their aircraft, with shotguns and set up a 360 perimeter - doing their best to look menacing
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That sounds like something the Air Force would do.
 
pourts

pourts

former Marine F/A-18 pilot & FAC, current MBA stud
pilot
MIDNJAC said:
West coast rep from Miramar is VMFA-323 with CAG-11 and the Nimitz; East Coast/Beaufort squadron is VMFA-312 with CAG-3 on the Truman.
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Vmfa-251 is on a boat somewhere right now. 312 hasnt left yet.
 
MIDNJAC

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
pourts said:
Vmfa-251 is on a boat somewhere right now. 312 hasnt left yet.
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Yeah, both 312 and 323 are in work-ups right now. We did a deck cert with 312 a couple months ago on their boat. Sorry if I left some peeps out, I'm no encyclopedia :)
 
vick

vick

Esoteric single-engine jet specialist
pilot
None
phrogpilot73 said:
Good example - 26 MEU, circa 2003. Humanitarian support in Liberia. We had been flying there for quite some time, and have since realized that the rebel factions loved the US, and only hated the GOL. They were no threat to us, whatsoever. Roberts International Airport had Lima Battery acting as a QRF, and a battalion of Nigerians protecting the outer perimeter (complete overkill) and I was supposed to do a tail-to-tail transfer with a KC-130.

When they landed, me and my co-pilot were enjoying a cigarette in the cockpit, one crewchief was sitting on the crew door, and the other was racked out on the ramp. After the C-130 taxiied in next to us, all their aircrew hop out of their aircraft, with shotguns and set up a 360 perimeter - doing their best to look menacing. And they were serious.

We laughed. And made a comment over interflight that we had to cut them some slack, because they were accustomed to the Club Med in Dakar, Senegal (literally, that's where the C-130 det was staying) and Liberia was WAY different.

Meanwhile, once the tail-to-tail was done - we headed back to the ship, dropped off the mail & parts, then headed back out to do another mission to the embassy. While the C-130 guys who were "with the MEU" flew back to Senegal and endured their time at the Club Med. We went back to the ship, and were excited that midrats had reheated sliders from lunch.
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Same deployment, same 130 jokers. Month 8 of our 6 month MEU thanks to the 2 extra months in Liberia. Tanking on one of our unarmed CAS missions (except for flares, turns out you can burn down grass huts with them - doh!), in the basket when the Herc asks if we can hurry up with whatever we're doing there so we can all go home. "Wow", we replied, "is the Club Med that bad?" I'm sure the per diem made it more tolerable, hope they got the herp from the skanks by the pool.
 
Renegade One

Renegade One

Well-Known Member
None
Apropos of nothing whatsoever, allow me to opine that the occasional "wank" some of us "old guys" see about 6-month cruises turning into 8 months (or whatever) simply falls a little flat with those of us who did 10 or 11 month cruises as the normative feature of our young lives. Deployment dates could be fairly certain, albeit sometimes after a 4-month turnaround (unless another carrier caught fire...in which case all bets were off), but best advice on return date was usually obtained at ship's extension 2411...the Chaplain's Office.
We probably had a shittier "contract", I guess...
 
phrogdriver

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
Renegade One said:
Apropos of nothing whatsoever, allow me to opine that the occasional "wank" some of us "old guys" see about 6-month cruises turning into 8 months (or whatever) simply falls a little flat with those of us who did 10 or 11 month cruises as the normative feature of our young lives. Deployment dates could be fairly certain, albeit sometimes after a 4-month turnaround (unless another carrier caught fire...in which case all bets were off), but best advice on return date was usually obtained at ship's extension 2411...the Chaplain's Office.
We probably had a shittier "contract", I guess...
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The ship also was harder to steer going through all the snow on the Pacific Ocean, uphill, both ways...
 
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