tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160951798742515830.post177289759063389939..comments2023-09-17T04:39:24.177-04:00Comments on Wrecking Ball Blog: Take a PictureHuman Wrecking Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15799205524837378335noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160951798742515830.post-27516123715477510832008-08-09T19:53:00.000-04:002008-08-09T19:53:00.000-04:00As I was riding my 102 miles today I was thinking ...As I was riding my 102 miles today I was thinking about Incirlik.<BR/><BR/>Gawd man, that place sucked so bad. It was one of those instances that match your, "I have never enjoyed anything when I was doing it" deals.<BR/><BR/>You have to have been down to the alley.... bought shit a Copper Ali's and had dinner down at the gas station (BP's).<BR/><BR/>Sadat's was the place all the guy's bought cartouches.<BR/><BR/>There was a guy in my squadron that spoke Russian. He said that he heard Sadat speaking Russian to some rusky bastard in there.<BR/><BR/>We were very careful what we said in the alley after that. We were careful anyway, but the bad guys definitely had eyes and ears there watching us.Bouncehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321723818189188304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160951798742515830.post-38574266668819113472008-08-09T09:13:00.000-04:002008-08-09T09:13:00.000-04:00I am out the door for my second century in as many...I am out the door for my second century in as many days.<BR/><BR/>But as I leave I want to tell you that you have really rousted some old memories.<BR/><BR/>I remember when I made the decision to get out of the USAF.<BR/><BR/>It was a WAR exercise at Incirlik. We did those things all the fucking time. It was at least 90 degrees outside and they had us under a simulated airfield attack.<BR/><BR/>We were all running around with our chemical warfare gear on and we were supposed to show a "sense of urgency" about the attack.<BR/><BR/>I jumped into a ditch.<BR/><BR/>As it turns out I landed near or on an ant hill. As I saw the ants on me I began to crawl away (they weren't going to bite me through all the chem-gear, but I just wanted to get away from them.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, as I crawled away (maybe 10 feet or so) I came upon a scorpion and a millipede in a death-match. They had each other in a death-grip.<BR/><BR/>As I laid there sweating my balls off in the chem gear watching this scene play out it occurred to me that my life was worth MORE than this.<BR/><BR/>I started doing some math on how much they were paying me to go through all that BS. It wasn't enough.<BR/><BR/>I had done my part to defeat the Soviets. The Berlin Wall was (at the time) on the verge of coming down. I had done my part for the country. I had earned my Honorable Discharge. I had fulfilled the commitment I signed up for in exchange for the million+ dollars of training they gave me. The airlines were hiring like crazy and were paying several times what the USAF was.<BR/><BR/>In that moment, I decided to move on. Once the simulated airfield attack was over, I had begun a new chapter in my life.Bouncehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321723818189188304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160951798742515830.post-37377784995546968332008-08-09T08:40:00.000-04:002008-08-09T08:40:00.000-04:00About Turkey...I have been to many of the air base...About Turkey...<BR/><BR/>I have been to many of the air bases there (Ankara is one).<BR/><BR/>We used to go out and fly with the Turks all the time.<BR/><BR/>It's interesting, but the Turks are surrounded by a shit load of bad guys, yet they have 90% of their guns pointed at Greece.<BR/><BR/>lolBouncehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321723818189188304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160951798742515830.post-55927362611960578052008-08-09T08:37:00.000-04:002008-08-09T08:37:00.000-04:00Oh shit man, we've eaten some of the same dirt!I w...Oh shit man, we've eaten some of the same dirt!<BR/><BR/>I was a Torrejon AB near Madrid from '87 to '90.<BR/><BR/>I spent one year of those three at Incirlik.<BR/><BR/>I've been to "The Alley" a million times.<BR/><BR/>Holy shit, man, I can't believe you were there, too. That's awesome.<BR/><BR/>I dropped a lot of bombs on Bardenas range just outside Zaragoza.<BR/><BR/>I got out of the USAF in April of '90 and Saddam invaded Kuwait in August, so I BARELY missed Gulf-1.Bouncehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321723818189188304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160951798742515830.post-82854447858797373922008-08-08T00:32:00.000-04:002008-08-08T00:32:00.000-04:00Where were you in Turkey and Spain? I did d.o.d. g...Where were you in Turkey and Spain? I did d.o.d. gigs in the early nineties at Incirlik, Ankara, Erzurum, I never got used to the Turks pointing the anti aircraft guns at out vehicles.<BR/> I played in Zaragoza an some little loran station on the med in Spain. Memory fails.Human Wrecking Ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15799205524837378335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160951798742515830.post-69181136146090587362008-08-07T22:23:00.000-04:002008-08-07T22:23:00.000-04:00I retired four years ago at age 47.Once you get al...I retired four years ago at age 47.<BR/><BR/>Once you get all the shitty little jobs done around the house, life gets a lot easier.<BR/><BR/>All I do is raise my kids, ride my bikes and fly my airplane - and anything else I happen to "feel" like doing.<BR/><BR/>What I can't remember, is what I "felt like" the day I signed up to ride LOTOJA.<BR/><BR/>LOL<BR/><BR/>I had no clue what I was getting myself in to.<BR/><BR/>This brings something else to mind.<BR/><BR/>When I was finally released from the USAF, I swore that I was going to stop "joining" shit. No book clubs, no magazine subscriptions and no more military services! No more "joining ANYTHING!" <BR/><BR/>lol<BR/><BR/>When I finally got back to the USA from my overseas tour (Spain and Turkey), I swore I'd never leave the lower 48 again.<BR/><BR/>After being married for 22 years, I decided there was no need to do it ever again. I'm happily married, I'm happy I did it once and everything is fine, but once is plenty. I will NEVER get married again.<BR/><BR/>When I finish LOTOJA, I swear I'll never "sign-up" for another 200+ mile bike ride.<BR/><BR/>Life is a journey for learning important lessons. One of my biggest lessons is to minimize official commitments.<BR/><BR/>When you agree to "join" some group or you sign-up to do something, they own your ass.Bouncehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321723818189188304noreply@blogger.com