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We used to fly cover for some of these extractions and the willingness to sacrifice by Jolly Green crews still amazes me...
[video:youtube]chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvRcP4go-eg[/video]
You better be afraid of a ghost!!
"Woody you were baptized in prop wash"..crossfireoops
Woody
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"That others may live"
That's what it's all about.
I looked this up to make sure i had it correct.......
"A total of 179 Air Force Crosses were awarded to airmen fighting in the Vietnam War. Many of these were awarded to men assigned to Air Rescue."
Last edited by chapped_lips; 04/18/12.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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Those guys had gigantic brass cojones for sure, we did some escort for them as well and they went where angels fear to tread.
George Orwell was a Prophet, not a novelist. Read 1984 and then look around you!
Old cat turd!
"Some men just need killing." ~ Clay Allison.
I am too old to fight but I can still pull a trigger. ~ Me
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I'd like to believe that angels were along for the ride.......
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Humbling. I have no higher respect for those that put their lives at risk for their fellow Americans.
Thank you for that, Woody.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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The last couple of minutes pretty much define what our fight for freedom is really for.
Unfortunnately, some of our resident socialists/Progressives don't get it. After all, someone may garner "excessive" profits and thereby keep the downtrodden masses in poverty.
Gen. Ritchie IS a hero.
Ed
"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
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My father Cmsgt William Vargas USAF ret., was a Pararescueman (PJ) for over
25years. He did the first rescue extraction in Vietnam , as well as the first
open water recovery of a space satellite, Discoverer 25. His last four years
of service were as the Commandant of the Pararescue school at Kirtland AFB
in Albuquerque,NM. He retired with some of our nations highest decorations
including the Legion of Merit,Air Force Cross, and Bronze Star. He was a true
American hero, but to me just dad. I grew with house full of PJs all over the
world. They are truly some of our finest and bravest. Sadly he passed away a
year ago, and is deeply missed our and the Pararescue family.
Last edited by coolpapabill; 04/18/12.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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A hand salute to a fine man Sir.
Very sorry for your loss.
George Orwell was a Prophet, not a novelist. Read 1984 and then look around you!
Old cat turd!
"Some men just need killing." ~ Clay Allison.
I am too old to fight but I can still pull a trigger. ~ Me
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
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A hand salute to a fine man Sir.
Very sorry for your loss. I'll second that! Not many LOM handed out. Less than 250 IIRC, since the inception of that award. I've run PJ's through our Urban Rifle Course and I've always been impressed with their abilities. BTW, welcome to the 'Fire! Ed
"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
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Campfire Outfitter
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Posts: 10,896 |
My father Cmsgt William Vargas USAF ret., was a Pararescueman (PJ) for over
25years. He did the first rescue extraction in Vietnam , as well as the first
open water recovery of a space satellite, Discoverer 25. His last four years
of service were as the Commandant of the Pararescue school at Kirtland AFB
in Albuquerque,NM. He retired with some of our nations highest decorations
including the Legion of Merit,Air Force Cross, and Bronze Star. He was a true
American hero, but to me just dad. I grew with house full of PJs all over the
world. They are truly some of our finest and bravest. Sadly he passed away a
year ago, and is deeply missed our and the Pararescue family.
WOW ! you must be very proud..will certainly add your Dad's name to my list I toast every Memorial Day..What they did under a hail of gunfire is and always will be legend in my book! Thank you for that bit of family history...
You better be afraid of a ghost!!
"Woody you were baptized in prop wash"..crossfireoops
Woody
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Outstanding......makes you have to clear your throat and blink your eyes. Great Americans, how lucky we truly are to have people like these to represent us and inspire us.
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A salute to all of those who served and especially those brave souls who went in harm's way to save the lives of their fellow me. May the good Lord watch over all of them.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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Thanks for the post woody!
Liberalism is a mental disorder that leads to social disease.
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Campfire Ranger
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Outstanding story!
God Bless those men.
Mike
God, Family, and Country.
NRA Endowment Member
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Thank you one and all, ground or air, all for one, one for all!
Some spelling errors can be corrected by a vowel movement.
~ MOLON LABE ~
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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The most wrenching thing I did back then was to write down what the pilot and I believed were his last words to his family from a pilot we couldn't get out. One of the choppers that was working the extraction took a lot of fire from what looked like 50 cal guns. No one got hit but I still marvel that the thing could fly looking like swiss cheese.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Saw a few of those episodes during the live fire exercise is SE Asia. Big Balls.
Be afraid,be VERY VERY afraid ad triarios redisse My Buddy eh76 speaks authentic Frontier Gibberish! ![[Linked Image]](http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/EvilTwinMar/Sabretooth-1.jpg)
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FlyboyFlem....I emailed this to my BIL who is retired Master Sgt from the Air Force. My BIL tells me he was working on the airfield at the time Brig Gen Ritchie shot down his first MIG. My BIL says " I was just a 19 year old kid then and watched him fly victory rolls over the airfield ". My BIL last duty station was Kirtland AFB and he took us through the PJ school. That was a lot of fun. The guys that make it through that school are some real studs.
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Dust or pollen or something in the air this AM. Thanks for a great post, and a great thread. The greatest generation sired some worthy descendants, for sure.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing."
Robert E. Howard
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Campfire Outfitter
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OP
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This is really the way it went down...check this out, gives me goose bumps!
[video:youtube]chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ATcN-Wgz1U[/video]
You better be afraid of a ghost!!
"Woody you were baptized in prop wash"..crossfireoops
Woody
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