- Reaction score
- 15
- Points
- 230
Zoomie, actually the original topic was Cadpat and the blue nametags, etc. I commented on that and never stated that it was necessary for Tac Hel to have the C8. What Tac Hel needs are the same basic equipment that anybody in the Army gets, including RMS clerks, etc. that deploy with the Army. I'm not saying that we need the same equipment as the infantry, etc. But, when I go to supply to get the tac vest instead of webbing (GO!!, never did I say that Tac Hel needs more webbing) and I'm told that I can't have it because I'm a member of an AF unit, then there is something wrong. That was my point. Why can Tac Hel pers not have the same BASIC equipment that everybody in the Army can have. That includes non-combat MOCs. A tac vest is an item that a person gets when they deploy overseas. From my time in the ARMY, I learned that you train with the equipment that you will use in ops. Thus, the need to have tac vest and the proper equipment.
It is true that I have flight gloves, but I would gladly return them if I could get the Army cadpat gloves as these are better suited for my job. But I can't as they won't be issued to me. Why? The simple reality is that any CF member, be it Army, AF, or Navy, should they be at a unit that deploys to the field, they should be able to get the same basic equipment as any non-combat MOC in the Army would get.
The Griffon. This a/c was not the choice of the operators, nor the maintainers. The a/c can perform well for what it was designed for and if you choose the missions for it. However, it is not a be all helo like the Government wanted the public to think it was. Thus, the new CDS (and I highly respect him since we finally have a CDS who remembers that he wears a uniform first) is pushing for a new medium/heavy lift helo.
Doing what the CF intends to do with the Griffon. Considering what I said above about the Griffon, I agree that the Army is sometimes disappointed with the results they receive. However, it is important to realize that the Army has taken a considerable long time to tell 1 Wing what they wanted Tac Hel to do. This has improved dramatically with the Army sitting down with 1 Wing and telling them what they want from Tac Hel. GO!!, if you're not satisfied with what support you are getting, then this needs to be brought up at the "hotwash" or after action report. My problem that I had with you was your approach. Insulting fellow CF members is not the way to get your point across. People get their backs up against the wall if this approach is taken.
Capabilities of the pilots at night. I am NOT a pilot, as has been assumed by other pers on this site. However, I have many friends who are pilots. As in any trade, some are more experienced than others. Thus, mistakes are made and not everybody gets 100% satisfaction. GO!!, you are concentrating on specific examples of when you weren't satisfied. However, I would venture to say that there are far more satisfied customers than unsatisfied.
Army Air Corps. I never mentioned this until GO!! brought this up. However, I am in the AF and am actually a proponent of this idea as I agree that the Army would most likely be better served if Tac Hel was in the Army Air Corps. Thus, I stated "No problem". However, the reality is that this would not work. For example, the entire training system for pilots, FEs, maintainers, etc. is run by the AF. Right now we have a shortage of maintainers throughout the AF. Putting Tac Hel in the Army will only result in increasing the shortage of maintainers and pilots. That is the reality as most AF techs would not want to be a part of the Army. Plus, the cost of setting up identical training systems would be ridiculous. Spending money on new a/c, infrastructure, etc. makes a lot more sense.
Flight gloves. I see that I got the response that I wanted from GO!!. Now you know what it feels like for an AF pers to go to supply on an Army base and ask for basics like gloves and be told that you can't have them because you're not in the Army (even though you deploy to the field). Whether or not pers on this site think that Tac Hel doesn't do anything when they go to the field is their choice, but the fact remains that they do deploy and are expected to function in the field. No one can debate that.
Ignorant comments. I used the word ignorant because when one offers their opinion about something that they don't know about, then that is ignorance. Having flying time has nothing to do with the comments that were made by GO!!, such as the mess tent ones, comments about Tac Hel in general when his experience seems to come from a few bad experiences with 408 Sqn, and the big one, the Air Force exists only to support the Army. So, I will not "can" the ignorant comments as long as they are continued to be made. These comments stop and I will stop the ignorant comments.
WWII. Actually GO!! I brought up these comments in regards to your comment that the AF only exists to support the Army. Never did I compare a Tac Hel unit to the USAF. My point was to counter your comment about the AF. Once again, I state that I am NOT a pilot. You don't have to be a pilot to be insulted by ignorant comments like the AF exists only to support the AF. I am positive that GO!! would be just as insulted if I made a comment about the Army. However, I wouldn't as I have been in the Army and thus highly respect those who are in it.
Taking and holding ground. I agree 100% that only an Army can hold ground. I disagree that only an Army can take ground. I would like to see a modern Army take any ground in the face of a strong enemy Air Force. The modern reality is that all services need to work together today in order to accomplish the mission (I think that I already said this).
Comparing ourselves to the Americans, etc. When did I ever do this? Hmm, someone let me know??????
Upgrades to the Griffon. I will pose a question to GO!!, what upgrades to the Griffon do you think that 1 Wing wants to do to it? Once you answer this question, I will comment on your comments you made about the "upgrades".
1 Wing is spread throughout the country and it seems that GO!!'s comments only centre on his experiences with 408 Sqn. I know that 408 Sqn has excellent pilots as I have friends that belong to that unit. I also have friends that are pilots at the other Tac Hel Sqns and they too are excellent pilots. This opinion comes from the fact of sitting in the back while they piloted and observing first hand their skills. Landing in a blinding snow ball, skimming along the river at 15 feet, landing in spots extremely small, dropping off assaulters on tops of buildings without landing, etc. are just a few of the things that I have seen our EXCELLENT TAC HEL pilots do. I have first hand experience with this and even though I am not a pilot, I will not stand by when they are insulted. In fact, my primary job while I was at a Tac Hel unit (just posted one month ago) was to deal with pilots. I had lots of problems with them and had to put a few of them in their place, but the respect was always there, both ways. I am extremely sure that if given the chance and the right machine, Tac Hel would have superbly performed in Afghanistan. GO!!, do you even know why Tac Hel wasn't sent to Afghanistan? It wasn't because we didn't want to go. In fact, every time my unit heard about a possible deployment (as we were the high readiness unit), the Sqn was abuzz with excitement. We want to deploy and support the Army. That is what we train and exist for. Ask any member of Tac Hel that question.
My field experience. Did two years Infantry reserve and then five years with Tac Hel (that included numerous field ex's, both winter and summer, and 3 ex's in my last year at the Sqn getting ready for high readiness). My field experience is enough to know what type of equipment a Tac Hel unit needs to deploy and properly defend itself in the field. I know enough that a Tac Hel unit will never be expected to do a section attack against an enemy postion or trench (even though I have the trg to do so). The equipment needed by Tac Hel certainly includes the basics to stay warm in the field (gloves), have the tac vest, and a C7 (never said that we need the C8), and the other equipment necessary (C6, trip flares, etc) to set up a proper defensive of the Sqn lines.
My experience in the Army has taught me to respect those that are in it. I only offer my opinion on what I know about and do not make comments about someones professionalism or skills, as GO!! has done. Nor would I insult other CF members. The time and place to bring your concerns up about how a mission went is at the after action report or through your chain of command, not on this website, hiding behind insulting and ignorant comments.
Scoobs out...
It is true that I have flight gloves, but I would gladly return them if I could get the Army cadpat gloves as these are better suited for my job. But I can't as they won't be issued to me. Why? The simple reality is that any CF member, be it Army, AF, or Navy, should they be at a unit that deploys to the field, they should be able to get the same basic equipment as any non-combat MOC in the Army would get.
The Griffon. This a/c was not the choice of the operators, nor the maintainers. The a/c can perform well for what it was designed for and if you choose the missions for it. However, it is not a be all helo like the Government wanted the public to think it was. Thus, the new CDS (and I highly respect him since we finally have a CDS who remembers that he wears a uniform first) is pushing for a new medium/heavy lift helo.
Doing what the CF intends to do with the Griffon. Considering what I said above about the Griffon, I agree that the Army is sometimes disappointed with the results they receive. However, it is important to realize that the Army has taken a considerable long time to tell 1 Wing what they wanted Tac Hel to do. This has improved dramatically with the Army sitting down with 1 Wing and telling them what they want from Tac Hel. GO!!, if you're not satisfied with what support you are getting, then this needs to be brought up at the "hotwash" or after action report. My problem that I had with you was your approach. Insulting fellow CF members is not the way to get your point across. People get their backs up against the wall if this approach is taken.
Capabilities of the pilots at night. I am NOT a pilot, as has been assumed by other pers on this site. However, I have many friends who are pilots. As in any trade, some are more experienced than others. Thus, mistakes are made and not everybody gets 100% satisfaction. GO!!, you are concentrating on specific examples of when you weren't satisfied. However, I would venture to say that there are far more satisfied customers than unsatisfied.
Army Air Corps. I never mentioned this until GO!! brought this up. However, I am in the AF and am actually a proponent of this idea as I agree that the Army would most likely be better served if Tac Hel was in the Army Air Corps. Thus, I stated "No problem". However, the reality is that this would not work. For example, the entire training system for pilots, FEs, maintainers, etc. is run by the AF. Right now we have a shortage of maintainers throughout the AF. Putting Tac Hel in the Army will only result in increasing the shortage of maintainers and pilots. That is the reality as most AF techs would not want to be a part of the Army. Plus, the cost of setting up identical training systems would be ridiculous. Spending money on new a/c, infrastructure, etc. makes a lot more sense.
Flight gloves. I see that I got the response that I wanted from GO!!. Now you know what it feels like for an AF pers to go to supply on an Army base and ask for basics like gloves and be told that you can't have them because you're not in the Army (even though you deploy to the field). Whether or not pers on this site think that Tac Hel doesn't do anything when they go to the field is their choice, but the fact remains that they do deploy and are expected to function in the field. No one can debate that.
Ignorant comments. I used the word ignorant because when one offers their opinion about something that they don't know about, then that is ignorance. Having flying time has nothing to do with the comments that were made by GO!!, such as the mess tent ones, comments about Tac Hel in general when his experience seems to come from a few bad experiences with 408 Sqn, and the big one, the Air Force exists only to support the Army. So, I will not "can" the ignorant comments as long as they are continued to be made. These comments stop and I will stop the ignorant comments.
WWII. Actually GO!! I brought up these comments in regards to your comment that the AF only exists to support the Army. Never did I compare a Tac Hel unit to the USAF. My point was to counter your comment about the AF. Once again, I state that I am NOT a pilot. You don't have to be a pilot to be insulted by ignorant comments like the AF exists only to support the AF. I am positive that GO!! would be just as insulted if I made a comment about the Army. However, I wouldn't as I have been in the Army and thus highly respect those who are in it.
Taking and holding ground. I agree 100% that only an Army can hold ground. I disagree that only an Army can take ground. I would like to see a modern Army take any ground in the face of a strong enemy Air Force. The modern reality is that all services need to work together today in order to accomplish the mission (I think that I already said this).
Comparing ourselves to the Americans, etc. When did I ever do this? Hmm, someone let me know??????
Upgrades to the Griffon. I will pose a question to GO!!, what upgrades to the Griffon do you think that 1 Wing wants to do to it? Once you answer this question, I will comment on your comments you made about the "upgrades".
1 Wing is spread throughout the country and it seems that GO!!'s comments only centre on his experiences with 408 Sqn. I know that 408 Sqn has excellent pilots as I have friends that belong to that unit. I also have friends that are pilots at the other Tac Hel Sqns and they too are excellent pilots. This opinion comes from the fact of sitting in the back while they piloted and observing first hand their skills. Landing in a blinding snow ball, skimming along the river at 15 feet, landing in spots extremely small, dropping off assaulters on tops of buildings without landing, etc. are just a few of the things that I have seen our EXCELLENT TAC HEL pilots do. I have first hand experience with this and even though I am not a pilot, I will not stand by when they are insulted. In fact, my primary job while I was at a Tac Hel unit (just posted one month ago) was to deal with pilots. I had lots of problems with them and had to put a few of them in their place, but the respect was always there, both ways. I am extremely sure that if given the chance and the right machine, Tac Hel would have superbly performed in Afghanistan. GO!!, do you even know why Tac Hel wasn't sent to Afghanistan? It wasn't because we didn't want to go. In fact, every time my unit heard about a possible deployment (as we were the high readiness unit), the Sqn was abuzz with excitement. We want to deploy and support the Army. That is what we train and exist for. Ask any member of Tac Hel that question.
My field experience. Did two years Infantry reserve and then five years with Tac Hel (that included numerous field ex's, both winter and summer, and 3 ex's in my last year at the Sqn getting ready for high readiness). My field experience is enough to know what type of equipment a Tac Hel unit needs to deploy and properly defend itself in the field. I know enough that a Tac Hel unit will never be expected to do a section attack against an enemy postion or trench (even though I have the trg to do so). The equipment needed by Tac Hel certainly includes the basics to stay warm in the field (gloves), have the tac vest, and a C7 (never said that we need the C8), and the other equipment necessary (C6, trip flares, etc) to set up a proper defensive of the Sqn lines.
My experience in the Army has taught me to respect those that are in it. I only offer my opinion on what I know about and do not make comments about someones professionalism or skills, as GO!! has done. Nor would I insult other CF members. The time and place to bring your concerns up about how a mission went is at the after action report or through your chain of command, not on this website, hiding behind insulting and ignorant comments.
Scoobs out...