What You Mean "Guy" ????
What you mean, guy??? Well, sometimes, it's all in the translation, that's what. It's the kind of stuff that can start wars, as well.
Early in my airline career, we were dropping down into OSAN AFB, about 30 NM south of Seoul-Kimpo. We were flying an empty 747 MAC-charter ship into OSAN to pick up a full boat of GI's the next day and deliver them to
******* (oops, sorry, the censor made me take that out --- it's classified).
Picture this:
Typical Korea in the winter --- the weather was not good and there was a lot of airborne traffic. That's also the typical Korea summer, but why quibble? As we passed through Taegu Control, we had the dubious pleasure of picking up a Korean controller. We usually got a USAF GI-type who made our arrival painless until the turn-over to Kimpo approach. This guy's English was not exactly from the Court of St. James, in fact, if he were speaking native Korean, it would have been a distinct improvment over what we were getting on the VHF.
Picture this:
The Captain was screaming at me for directions and controller translation, the Second Officer was weeping, wetting himself and muttering things like: "we're going to die, oh God, we're going to die". And I was trying to figure out what the controller wanted us to do and asking myself why did I not listen to my Mom and be a doctor?
Long story short(er): We finally got a switch to approach and BEHOLD !! .... YES !!! an American controller. I transmitted something over the radio to the effect of:
"Jeez, we're sure glad to get rid of that other 'GUY'" ..... whereupon we shot the approach, landed, shut-down, and immediately repaired to the AF Officer's Club for a "debrief".
While sitting in the AF O'Club bar for the "debrief" (sans uniform coats and no epaulets, of course) a commotion arose at the entrance and in walked a Korean AF "bird"-colonel with a 3-man escort/entourage. He was very agitated and after a brief conversation with the local-girl bar hostess, he made a bee-line for our table. He was INCENSED and stood over us, glowering. He screwed up his face, pointed a finger at the three of us, and screamed (with little flecks of spittle flying):
:icon_rage
"WWWHHAAAAAA .... WHAT YOU MEAN GUY"??!!?? :hot_anima
As it turned out, HE had been on the radio @ Taegu, intent on impressing HIS troops with his radio dexterity. But, thanks to me, it had gone badly for him --- I had caused him a most grevious "face" loss with my radio comment(s).
I still do not know what
"GUY" means in Korean, but it evidently ain't too good .....
