Here is an article that I got a kick out of and thought some of you might enjoy it. I have been in similar situations where the order of the day was to "make do" and it brought back memories.
http://www.afa.org/magazine/feb2001/0201mule.asp
The movies and lots of written literature doesnt always give a true story of the military. The movies often shows the military running around shouting Yes Sir, No Sir or Right Away Sir!! Also moving in formation, turning square corners and clicking heels. In my experience, only a very small part of that stuff was true while the actual operations were much less formal and regimented. Especially in my old outfit of the Air Commando's. And while the military is great at making great detailed and precise plans to carry out an operation, those plans often lasted only for the first two or three minutes of the operation.
After that, all hell broke out, and you figgered your way out the best way you could. I cant tell you the number of times I have sat in a planning conference around a long polished conference table as the only (or one of a few) non-commissioned officers with State Department and Pentagon Officers planning an operation in great detail while I and the planned operations pilots would just look at one another and smile........plans were nice and necessary but we knew we would get attacked by Murphy's law and have to work our way out by the skin of our teeth and the seat of our britches.
This little story gave me a laugh because it describes how things often were. These airmen were flying by the seat of their britches and making up procedures as they went along. Whatever worked was the plan untill that quit working and you figgered out something else. I have been on some of their corkscrew landing patterns and it was a real thrill.
I especially got a kick out of the load of vietnamese who built a fire in the C-123 airplane to cook their evening meal.
This was happening in 1961 but it reminded me of something in 1967 when I was a maintenance supervisor in a C-130 outfit. We had what was called Max-Pack flights to move Vietnamese units. Those units were allowed to take their famlies and everything they owned with them. So we would strip the cargo area of the C-130 and then run cargo straps about knee high across and every three feet. Then trucks would pull up and off-load Vietnamese soldiers along with wifes and children and gramma and grampa and pigs and chickens, and dogs, etc. You never knew what you were gonna get but whatever, you just packed them all forward over the rear loading ramp untill nothing else would fit. They all sat on the floor with the cargo straps for them to hold on to. It kind of bugged me that the soldiers would have their rifles, ammo, and even hand grenades strapped on amongst all those civilians. I doubt if this highly efficient method of moving troops was ever discussed over a conference table but it got the job done in as short a time as possible.
These C-123 airmen became some of the first Air Commandos after President Kennedy formed them in 1961. They kept that name untill 1968 when the name was changed to Air Force Special Operations Forces, or as we abbreviated it SOF. I joined SOF in late 67 and spent my last four years of duty with them. This article brought some chuckles as I remember some of my own "make do" experiences on some of my assignments.
http://www.afa.org/magazine/feb2001/0201mule.asp
The movies and lots of written literature doesnt always give a true story of the military. The movies often shows the military running around shouting Yes Sir, No Sir or Right Away Sir!! Also moving in formation, turning square corners and clicking heels. In my experience, only a very small part of that stuff was true while the actual operations were much less formal and regimented. Especially in my old outfit of the Air Commando's. And while the military is great at making great detailed and precise plans to carry out an operation, those plans often lasted only for the first two or three minutes of the operation.
After that, all hell broke out, and you figgered your way out the best way you could. I cant tell you the number of times I have sat in a planning conference around a long polished conference table as the only (or one of a few) non-commissioned officers with State Department and Pentagon Officers planning an operation in great detail while I and the planned operations pilots would just look at one another and smile........plans were nice and necessary but we knew we would get attacked by Murphy's law and have to work our way out by the skin of our teeth and the seat of our britches.This little story gave me a laugh because it describes how things often were. These airmen were flying by the seat of their britches and making up procedures as they went along. Whatever worked was the plan untill that quit working and you figgered out something else. I have been on some of their corkscrew landing patterns and it was a real thrill.
I especially got a kick out of the load of vietnamese who built a fire in the C-123 airplane to cook their evening meal.
This was happening in 1961 but it reminded me of something in 1967 when I was a maintenance supervisor in a C-130 outfit. We had what was called Max-Pack flights to move Vietnamese units. Those units were allowed to take their famlies and everything they owned with them. So we would strip the cargo area of the C-130 and then run cargo straps about knee high across and every three feet. Then trucks would pull up and off-load Vietnamese soldiers along with wifes and children and gramma and grampa and pigs and chickens, and dogs, etc. You never knew what you were gonna get but whatever, you just packed them all forward over the rear loading ramp untill nothing else would fit. They all sat on the floor with the cargo straps for them to hold on to. It kind of bugged me that the soldiers would have their rifles, ammo, and even hand grenades strapped on amongst all those civilians. I doubt if this highly efficient method of moving troops was ever discussed over a conference table but it got the job done in as short a time as possible.These C-123 airmen became some of the first Air Commandos after President Kennedy formed them in 1961. They kept that name untill 1968 when the name was changed to Air Force Special Operations Forces, or as we abbreviated it SOF. I joined SOF in late 67 and spent my last four years of duty with them. This article brought some chuckles as I remember some of my own "make do" experiences on some of my assignments.
