(BUFDRVR) wrote in message ...
There has been some talk of men who wanted combat but due to "timing" or
"luck"
they missed out. Well if you are in a unit that won't get into the fight,
just
try this. Go to your CO and say," Sir, I hear the 344th is moving out to the
ETO. I want to go with them. Here is my transfer request. Please sign it".
He
will immediately. After he signs it walk it through and you will go into
battle
with the 344th. Or of course you can just keep a low profille , keep your
mouth
shut, do nothing, then for the rest of your life you can always say " I
wanted
combat but timing and luck kept me out" and see if you can live with that.


Art, you really need to step out of the 1940's and into the 1960's (at least).
Every guy I know that has missed out on operations has done everything in their
power to get into the fight. Combat operations today is not World War Two,
1943. Not every B-52 crew was deployed for operations in Iraq, in fact some
were deployed to keep an eye on North Korea (no combat ensued there so their
service is not noteworthy or honorable by your standard). Not ever F-16CG unit
was deployed and the list goes on. Its all timing, luck and some skill to get
deployed for real world ops now a days. If it only took a request, you couldn't
meet a B-52 crewmember today with out combat time.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"

Back in the middle to late 60s there was a document you cold sign and
have enclosed in your personnel records that indicated that you were a
volunteer for a Viet Nam assignment. Several of my B-52 pilot friends
cross trained and made it to Nam in Helicopters, Fighters and as FACs,
etc. Three of them were killed in Helicopters. When I was promoted my
wife wanted to move into field grade housing, but I refused because I
thought I would be re-assigned shortly. Two years later I was still
there. I later found out that each SAC wing could freeze two IPs as
essential personnel not subject to re-assignment. I was frozen and
didn't know it, but later when we started flying ARC LITE missions
everyone got into the fray.

Gene Myers