Iron Gump

A place for ACers to come and hang out after a hard day of escape-and-evade or survival training.

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Sandrat
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Post by Sandrat »

That was you and Gordo - I told that story over in the Top Ten Moments earlier in this thread - a true classic!
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Post by Spanky »

Have we discussed (in detail) the "Raghead" squadron?
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Post by Sandrat »

You know, we haven't really and I'd love to - that was single-handedly the best team I remember seeing in my teams at AC.
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Post by Spanky »

OK....to begin the stroy of the "Raghead" Squadron.........

This was my second team as a M3 counselor in 1996. They were truly a great team and worked well together. Hindsight.....they worked a little to well together...:) I picked the Grim Reapers up on Sunday with their night team leader ( I was the day team leader, but had to meet these kids) and we all did the icebreaker together. I was excited to see what chance had brought onto me........
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Post by Spanky »

As the week progressed we worked hard in the sims, developing our ACM ATC deliveries. I felt like they worked hard to be the best team in camp. They were motivated, teflon coated and rocket propelled. They were adopted by my fellow counselors Joker and Gordo (the best friends a person could have). Well mission time was coming up and I had not briefed them yet.

M3 SOP for the mission was the team leader would recieve his mission from Sandrat (the 3rd part of the Brotherhood) and we would brief the team the day of their mission. This would change as some team leaders would start mission prep on Sunday, trying to gain an edge (AC brought out the competive nature in everyone). Well Rat brought me the mission brief and I opened it up to discover that my team was to fly the F-14 Tomcat for.......
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Post by Spyder »

come on!!! the anticipation is unbearable!!
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Child parachutes

Post by ApolloXI »

This didn't happen at AC but it has to do with parachuting. I have been working at Target for about a year now and I have heard some real dozies from guests but this takes the cake. One day while doing the 1300 hour pulls from the backroom and I heard one of my fellow team members call over the walkie asking a question from as guest, “Do we carry any child parachutes?” Once I heard that I was almost rolling on the floor laughing, first what does this guest think Target is some kind of extreme sports store and what Team member would even think to ask this question over the walkie. I wanted to step out of the backroom and slap both the guest and my fellow team member up side the head. :lol:
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Post by Spanky »

We were to fly the mighty F-14 Tomcat for......

The Imperial Iranian Air Force.....WHAT YOU SAY!!!!

I can't believe this. So I turned to my team of intrepid young warriors and informed them that would would strike fear into the hearts of the infidels of the "Great Satan" (Keep in mind...these missions were based off of the really old M3 sims and there was only so much you could do and hit as targets. Plus it was fun to be the bad guy once in a while). Our squadron would take off from our home field and attack an American aircraft carrier. Simple mission....or so we thought. Well I sent the young pilots off to plan for their mission and the briefing that would come before. (During 1996-1997....the M3 trainees could plan their mission based on certain requirement we set and then had to brief Sandrat....think T-ops before the CAG and briefing slides and cool music and Grunt whooping us into a hero sandwich)
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Post by Sandrat »

Finish your side of the story, Spanky. I'll pick up from when I first saw them when I entered the Briefing Room.
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Post by Boomerang »

Wow does that bring back memories. My team flew that same mission in July 1996 July 3rd 1996 to be exact. Sandrat i didnt know it was you that sat in on the briefing. You tour our squadron lead apart on the briefing but i think you probably did that frequently. I do remember you complimented him on how well he handled things though and had an answer for each question not allways the best answer but he had one.
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Post by Sandrat »

I tried to pretty much tear up every team. The team that Spanky's talking about...well, you'll get my take on them when Spanky finishes the story of their....emergence....and their arrival in the briefing room.

I still tore them apart, mind you - but it was one of the harder briefings to do so in.

More later. :D
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Post by ACluvR »

I loved T-Ops... especially with Grunt... Who woulda thought someone could be so scared by him! Oye... Add some Doolittle and it was a fun party. I think a guy on the other team started crying. I only had one real T-Ops before it became a Rated-G version. :( But I feel happy I at least got to do it once.

Hurry and finish the story, I wanna know what happened to their team!!
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Post by tennisrox014 »

acluvr... you were at camp for xmas '03-'04? I was there too...
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Post by ACluvR »

nope, 02-03... I just put the end of the camp date cuz i didn't know which to put. I graduated in 03... :(
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Post by Spyder »

Spanky!!! Story!!!!
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Post by Spanky »

Ok.....we continue.....when we last left our intreipd warriors, they were preparing to fly for the Iranian Air Force.

As I was sending the team off to prepare for their briefing, we ran into my partner in crime.....JOKER!!! The questioned as to what they should do for their briefing. We gave them so ideas and told them to figure it out. When the time came for me to meet my team in front of the Barn (Hab 3 for you techie types), I went out to meet them.

My tem had replaced thir flags and patches with duct tape that said "IRAN" or "RECCE RAGGERS", Etc. The team took play with some of patches that I had on my flight suit. My RF-4C "RECCE REBELS" patch, as well as my "PHANTOMS PHOREVER" patch.

KEEP IN MIND, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WAS NOT IN PLAY.

OK...so my team is now wearing their flight suits, custom duct tape patches, as well as...........
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Post by Spanky »

traditional male Arab dress is a long white tunic, a sleeveless cloak and a distinctive headcloth. The tunic is loose fitting, allowing air to circulate, preventing sweat from evaporating too quickly and slowing dehydration in hot, dry air (NEEDED FOR THE HOT ALABAMA AIR AND HUMIDITY).

The team had raided the laundry bins for towels, sheets, and bead spreads...they had elected a flight leader, a spokesman and.....a religious leader - callsign SMIRK (He hated AC at first, but became a great team player). They had security for the Mullah (religious leader) and the team played it to the hilt.....the proceeded to the bubble to brief Sandrat.

I have to give it to Joker, when he gave the kids ideas....he gave them ideas!! They had accepted their roles and were playing it to the hilt.

Into the briefing goes my team....I entered into the back of the room to watch the carnage as I fully expected them to be chewed out for their choice of dress and behavior....ENTER SANDRAT.....
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Post by Sandrat »

I walk into the Bubble, hearing hushed voices in the classroom above. I'm the only counselor in the building having moved past Spanky and Joker with a smile and handshake, as was our custom.

In my flightsuit and boots, I make sure and step loudly up the lakeside stairs to the room and open the door smoothly and quickly. I step in and my first reaction is something like "You've got to be kidding me." I didn't say a thing and I managed to not make too much eye contact as I moved to my "desk" for the briefing. I opened my folder, scanning the briefing information (or so the trainees thought) and prepared myself.

At this point, I'm really struggling to maintain my proper military bearing - not smiling, not acknowledging their attire, and playing my role. It took every ounce of demeanor I had not to smile. I looked at Smirk and said, "Let's get started."

Again a warning - THERE IS NOTHING POLITICALLY CORRECT ABOUT THE FOLLOWING. NOTHING WHATSOEVER, BUT IT IS THE TRUTH OF THE DAY.

In the worst fake Arabian accent, Smirk says something like "Before the briefing, our Mullah something-or-other must lead us in a prayer."

At this point, all of them kneel on the carpet except for the trainee who played the Mullah who begins the accented long and rambling prayer about destroying the infidel American carrier and guiding their bombs and missiles, etc, etc, etc. I was thankful they all had their eyes closed (I checked) before I managed a tiny shake of my head and a small smile to appear. They were really into it.

So, the prayer complete, the trainees take their positions in the room and began to brief me on their plan. Now it's pretty much common knowledge that the Initial Briefing documents were presented to the trainees in the form of an altered operations order format. Having a bunch of experience in that format allowed me the opportunity to pick apart even the best of the trainees plans.

This team was good, but I did the best I could to make them sweat bullets. At the end, I scowled at them and announced I marginally approved their briefing and walked from the room as they called themselves to attention and saluted.

I opened the backdoor of the classroom and nearly lost it.

I managed to get outside, again finding Spanky and Joker both pacing like expectant fathers. Having been told I have a moody streak (gasp!) I figured they expected me to be mad. I wasn't. I smiled and shook my head. I'd never seen a team go that far in their preparations and their "roles."

They were the only perfect score I ever gave for that scenario.
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Post by Spanky »

This team would fly their mission (not perfect) but good enough to win Red Flag. Hail the Grim Reapers....that was a great team.

Please keep in mind, we are not condoning this behavior. In this time period, the Iranians had been a quite country and we were building real world scenarios for the kids to fly. I promise you, the IIAF would love to hit an American carrier today (let's pray they never do) and cause pain and harm to the U.S. These kids (as many of you have) got the opportunity to play "roles" at AC and they did it to the best of their ability. Having us as role models might not have been the best influence....:) But from 1996-2004....our trainees had some fun!!
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Post by Sandrat »

This was also the summer when we transitioned into the full fledged Kosan scenario as well.
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