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From: ron@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ron Miller)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Side arms for Fly boys.
Message-ID: <1990Oct26.015453.25069@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 26 Oct 90 01:54:53 GMT
References: <1990Oct15.033827.12908@cbnews.att.com>
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From: ron@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ron Miller)

> From: sean%limerick@Sun.COM (Sean Browne)
> 
> 
> When my father flew AD`s off the Ticonderoga during
> Vietnam he wore a .357 revolver. He seemed to think
> it was more for those who wanted the option of doing
> themselves in rather than defending themselves. You
> can't exactly "Rambo-fy" the country with your revolver.

Gee! My dad flew F3H's off the Tico in '59 thru '61 before transitioning 
to F-4s.  He went to war in 1965 and again in 1967.

I distinctly recall going along to the home of a recently-deceased 
airman and my dad purchasing a .38 revolver from the widow. Dad carried
the .38 loaded with tracer ammo as his sidearm. I don't know 
if it was because no one was issuing sidearms or whether he had
a preference for a revolver over the standard-issue whatever. 

I also recall that the standard flight suit in 1965 was bright
international (catch-me-and-kill-me) orange. My mother converted
a couple of sets of Marine fatigues into his combat flight suit to
offset this.

I think I'll ask more about this when I seem him next month.....

And yes, suicide was an option. Some of his friends killed themselves
in captivity.


Ron (could have been a fatherless child.....)

Off the subject: One AD squadron had a very small guy in it. He was the
envy of all the other AD drivers. You see, the AD had LONG missions
due to their great endurance. And, well, humans have needs. The AD
also had a good autopilot and ... well, the short pilot was the envy
of the others because he could put his plane on autopilot, turn around,
crawl up onto the seat, and [defecate] into a plastic bag. He was probably 
the only "regular guy" in the squadron!