Hmmm, 15 Years Ago Today?
I was an active duty Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, the NCOIC of COM/NAV in VMA(AW)242, and we were on a Marine Aircraft Group-70 det. to Fallon, NV. MAG-70 was a huge innovation at the time ~ Marine Aviation’s component of the RDF (Rapid Deployment Force). The concept was simple ~ have certain elements of both ground and air tagged to be able to move a complete Marine Expeditionary Force into any situation anywhere as rapidly as possible, should the flag go up. We’d be first on the beach, the tip of the spear, as it were. Our squadron of A-6’s was the attack element of the MAG and we were in Fallon to test how all the Marine Air parts ~ aircraft, supply, maintenance, support ~ came together. Everyone’d been out in the ville ’til the wee hours of the morning, so it was a bleary-eyed bunch wandering in at 0730. We woke up real fast.
At the maintenance meeting all the shop heads were there, but also quite a few of the big dogs. That was unusual. The XO spoke with deadly earnestness and we were riveted. Kuwait had been invaded and our ‘war game’ was now for real. Everyone was to be sent to the barracks, gear completely packed up and then back to the flightline by 0815 to get the planes launched and the squadron packed up. The aircraft would be leaving by 1000 for the return to El Toro and the maintenance troops would be on their heels with the first C-141’s inbound. Myself and a small crew were remaining behind to repair a bird that had had an engine fire days before. It had to be in the air and on it’s way home before twilight, since it wouldn’t have been checked out in time for a safe night launch. All the assets had to get home to El Toro.
From 0900 on, it was the most amazing, magnificent, impressive and memorable day of my Marine Corps career. The second the word was passed that the flag had gone up, men and machinery fell into an otherworldly synch that defies description. The no-nonsense beauty of C-130’s landing every 15 minutes like clockwork, picking up embark boxes or getting gassed up on their way to somewhere else to pick up somebody else. I had no idea there were that many C-130’s in the whole Marine Corps! The F-18’s taking off for home in glittering sections. Our Intruders lumbering down the long runway in the late Nevada morning, their wing tips almost brushing the ground with the weight of fuel and ordnance, wheels in the well delayed by the lack of lift in the shimmering heat. The Airforce KC-10’s and C-141’s touching down, only to turn around and take off again on their own priorities. An amazing symphony of confidence and competence. And I’ve never been so proud to be a part of something in my life.
Like the song says, “Ah, yes, I remember it well.”
Thank you Trey.
Military Thingies | Crusader | 
August 8, 2005 4:11 pm
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I remember that morning well.
I found your website again through Trey, via Instapundit. Glad to finally find it again.
A big part of my coming back into the USMC after all this time is my disappointment that even though we were on the force list to go to Op Desert Shield (before it was even named) we never made it all the way there.
I’m glad I finally got here, never thought it would be in an infantry battalion though.
It was neat to read your description of that day and wonder who the heck you were, then I finally saw the URL and I knew it was you.
I remember it a little different because I was briefed in on what was happening quite a bit earlier. The day and a half earlier I had to go around to everyone and tell them to make all the jets work, be able to fly no matter what at short notice. I got a lot of quizzical looks, but everyone jumped in and did it.
I was very disappointed that we lost an engine right before we left, but you guys did a great job getting it replaced while the rest of us left.
I also remember Capt Haley breaking his hand from slamming it on the desk when “talking” to the ops officer Maj E. because he flew them right through a thunderstorm, risking our readiness right before going to war.
I remember that morning well.
I found your website again through Trey, via Instapundit. Glad to finally find it again.
A big part of my coming back into the USMC after all this time is my disappointment that even though we were on the force list to go to Op Desert Shield (before it was even named) we never made it all the way there.
I’m glad I finally got here, never thought it would be in an infantry battalion though.
It was neat to read your description of that day and wonder who the heck you were, then I finally saw the URL and I knew it was you.
(OH, you elitest officers, bwahahahaha!!!)
Hey ya, Mike!! (Too cool to hear from you, since my ‘puter dumped in a major fashion right after you deployed, pffft.) How’s Iraq holding up? I am so GLAD you found us and a warm Swill welcome! {8^P ~
Remember how pissed we all were when they gave the planes away? Arggh!! I’ll also never forget listening to Sprout on the 2 way radio, in the middle of the desert at 3 a.m., driving a certain somebody’s roofless, curtainless Jeep all the long way back and freezing his tookus off.
(And Comet was prone to excitement, huh?)
That’s right you and my other favorite SSgt had the grand privilege to drive my topless and doorless vehicle back. I’ll never forget seeing you guys show up wearing plastic bags. Hah, letting a little rain ruin your pure jeep experience.
I finally sold it a few years ago and I’m still kicking myself for it.
That was one of the toughest days I’ve ever had in the Marines, when we had to go from being on the tip of the spear to trying to hitchhike back to El Toro with no planes but a couple pallets of rifles and commsec gear. Finally got a reserve C-130 to pity us and fly us home. I think you had already left with the main body. I got plenty drunk that night they passed the news to us, never did that again.
It’s changed so much now, yet still strangely the same. The people are all the same. There’s no more cold war. Military technology is no longer cutting edge, civilians are so far ahead in many ways. The Soviets were so much more capable and a bigger threat, but the muj are an immediate threat, if less capable and more barbaric.
Take care.
Too. cool.