I agree with you, Sasha. I am a woman who wants to see only the best in those roles, rather than allowing the whole vital Mideast process to hinge on the outcome of DEI and virtue-signalling.
And let's face it -- the very best individuals in these advanced military pilot roles are usually men. Young, well-trained, highly skilled men. That's just the way it is. Evolution spent a vast amount of time mouding males for roles such as these. I am happy enough to hand it over to them. Women have their own specialized skillset.
I try to call a spade a spade, Texyz. I have learned that reality will catch up with you eventually, so you might as well admit to it in the first place.
Actually, I had no trouble admitting to this. When I look at teenage boys who know their way around an engine intuitively (I am still trying to work out the basics there, myself), or young men who can navigate large ships and planes as if it was second nature....I stand aside.
As Coco Chanel once supposedly said, "Why do women want what men have, when women have men?"
Let them do what they're good at naturally, and let us do what we're good at. Have you ever seen a man stop a baby from crying intuitively? I haven't. Ever. Not even the father. A random strange woman is better at it than the father in most cases. Can most men instinctively read somebody's emotions with utter ease and do with that knowledge what they will? Some at very high levels in certain positions (politicians, businessmen, lawyers) can, but the average woman can, and the average man can't. Have you ever seen a straight man try to make a holiday table look nice and succeed, or have the idea even occur to him? Add little details to make a child's Christmas better? Me, neither.
You are all phrasing it like it demeans us not to be able to do certain physical things. Have you ever seen a man give birth? Me, neither. I'm not "admitting" anything or "owning" it. I'm very pleased with being good at certain things and men being good at other certain things. I also have never seen a straight man put on a well-chosen outfit and walk into a bar and come away with offers to pay the rent, or with a phone number of a man to do handy work around the house for free in exchange for a smile.
I'm proud to be a woman. A traditional woman. Granted, I can be a tomboy, too, so I take the best of both worlds, but I say, vive la difference.
The way in which a child is Attached to and raised by the mother (or mother-figure) will set certain functions of the brain/mind/psyche. For good or for bad. The power in the mother-child relationship is immense.
True, but I take exception with "anything", as there are those who are disabled (born that way or acquired disability through illness or injury) and we need to include them, consciously.
When it comes to matters of great importance…life and death…only the best will do. I am a 5’7” inch 130 lb woman who can’t do a pull up. I should NOT be a firefighter. You would NOT want your life in my hands if you were stuck on the second story of the burning inferno of your home. You would not want your life in the hands of a paraplegic in the burning inferno of your home. You would want the best of the best fighting for you and your family. And so would I. There is room in our society for everyone, but not everyone is qualified for every job. The sooner we accept that, the safer we will be.
Critical jobs - 100%. But doing the stocking of the shelves and sweeping up at the hardware shop? Decades ago, the graciousness of society meant that the slightly hard of hearing, with a bit of a limb young man, would be hired.
Not if they can’t do whatever needs to be done. People who have disabilities - are you saying women are disabled? - should be able to do whatever needs they can actually do not what you blindly and ridiculous hope they can do. That is what DEI is. It is dangerous and fantasist. Give it up.
I wasn't talking about women and I meant having the disabled do what "they can actually do", but it may not be at the top standard....but if it's for occupations that aren't critical, a more gracious society would allow it (which used to be the case many decades ago: the young man who couldn't talk well and had a somewhat lame arm helped out at the local hardware store, etc.).
I watched Maverick in the movies when it came out; one of only two films I saw in theater that year. As with many of Tom Cruise's movies (such as Dead Reckoning) it wasn't until I watched it the second time that I saw it for the epic adventure it is. Look, I'm a senior, and my brain doesn't process as fast. Only b/c of yesterday's post did I give it a second look, and was SMOKED by the film. WOW.
I have a little bit of inside experience re gurly pilots in the military...
My daughter spent her life prepping for getting a slot at Navy fighter school. She saw Top Gun as a child and was all in. Got commissioned as an 2nd Lt USMC 30 days before 911, finished the Basic School & was off to Pensacola for flight training.
She washed out b/c of an inner ear condition after 6 months. Had she been a guy, she would have been shown the door in 3 months (her words). But b/c she owned a utereus, they moved heaven & earth to get her up to speed. They sent her to NASA for centrifugal training, they sent her to three different ENT specialists, some across the country. All to no avail.
It was heartbreaking for her. And me to watch her dream of 15 years die. Especially when her bunkie since OCS ended up being Obama's Marine One pilot.
Today, she's a joyful mom of 2 in a solid marriage to an outstanding man; so it worked out for the best, OK?
Everyone in that community...KNOW that woman on the stick in DC should NOT have been there. She only was due to the brass sucking up.
The Air Force is THE MOST WOKE of all the services. Nevertheless, if there was a chest feeder in the seat on that mission, in light of the new SecDef...that woman would have been an outstanding pilot; no brass would have jeopardized their career by putting a DEI in that seat. Back in 1980, when Jimmy Carter authorized the failed raid into Iran to rescue the hostages many, MANY careers ended.
Yesterday's post was great, Sasha; you got NOTHIN' to apologize for. Keep up the outstanding work, Grandma-in waiting! LOL
Man … er People, I am SO tired of us still zooming in on "are women/asians/blacks/gays/trans etc. etc. included" being played over and over. In the scope of things "boys" rather than "men and women" is really not a big deal. Matter of fact if the SecDef had used "boys and girls" he’d have gotten clobbered by the tiny mind crowd even worse. I would have preferred he’d used "guys" because that term has presumed to include both genders since I was in high school in the 1960s. C’mon folks, let’s ratchet things up to a level at least an order of magnitude higher than the ‘small-ball’ we’ve foolishly grown used to. Time to start being reasonable humans again. The last 40 years have been miserable.
I just care that the job was done effectively and that all returned home safely. I don't care if the mission was flown by fourteen women or fourteen men or whatever combination.
Just tell me the mission was accomplished and everyone is home safe.
Agreed only if outside the mission, combat readiness is the central tenet of the armed forces. I do care that we operate units led by and staffed by men if not totally, nearly so. If you emasculate men in the forces, you are no longer a functioning defense force and the state is broken. No equivocating in arenas of life and death and protecting the country.
I will guess/hope that with Biden and his DEI group out of power that the military will no longer feel the pressure to put unqualified DEI types in critical positions. I can't imagine the pressure the military faced to put the "right" person in certain positions. We need the best qualified flying these B2s not the best based on race, sex etc
The effort to “civilianize” the armed forces has been going on for about 4 decades, embedding reporters with the war fighters in Desert Storm and then Iraqi Freedom and GWOT wars. Sending officers to graduate schools for MBA’s and other masters degrees. Requiring 1 civilian instructor for every uniformed military instructor at the advanced military schools and colleges, forcing the Marine Corps to allow women to attend Infantry Officers Course and forcing them to lower standards to allow a few of the strongest women to graduate. What no one understands is that yes, there are roles for women in conflicted areas, and sure a female pilot is capable of flying a B2, no doubt. But as a USMC Rifle Platoon Commander, (commanded two separate rifle platoons) this writer can tell you that the DEI criteria are causing complications that need not be caused, especially at the pointy end of the spear. General Robert Barrow 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps came out of retirement decades ago, (1990’s) and testified before the senate or house armed services committees on the applicability and desirability of having women in “combat.” General Barrow’s comments were worthy of a look see. He knew war, WWII, Korea (awarded the Navy Cross) and Vietnam. He doesn’t question the ability of women to perform in combat. He questions the motivation and necessity to do so, and to what end? Either the nation wants a military used sparing (very sparingly) to advance its national policy and goals or it wants a nursery school with free milk and cookies twice a day and nap time after the second batch of milk and cookies. This riding the middle rail with 11,000 volts of live electricity will not and has not ended well. It is understandable when only 1% of us serve in the military and the film and tv producers make fictional movies that are designed to entertain that skip the reality of war fighting, that there is a lack of comprehension on the part of the American pubic writ large. Real service and combat are not a video game, the services are not a Petri dish in a lab for experimentation. (despite what Demi Moore and GI Jane will tell you) The services must be driven to higher purposes and one must be prepared at all times to potentially sacrifice one’s own life to defend and support the constitution of the United States of America. This doesn’t mean woman can’t and have not done so, they have, but women in the combat arms brings a host of difficulties to the four combat arms that are totally unnecessary. This is understood by the current SecDef, and this is why he is so hated in Washington, D.C. Thusly he must be on to something…..
Amen. This every day and twice on Sunday. "If a woman is the best person for the job" in combat boils away all of the unpleasant realities expected of a pilot, ranger, seaman, etc. In total the idea is an answer looking for a reason. Just look at Special Forces to understand the crucible of fighting. A woman Seal or Delta is unimaginable.
So true! It is a shame (but still the case) that women who fly on these missions are going to be assumed to be there for DEI for a while to come. We've created a system where women who achieve have to both achieve and prove they achieved on their own merits.
As far as I am concerned, the worst accolade a woman can get is: "She's the first woman to ...."
Just do the thing. Do it the best. Stop with the first of X or the best of Y. Best is best.
It shouldn't have happened under Trump either. The man campaigned with the promise he would get us out of war, not commit an act of war against a nation we are not in any kind of hostilities with. On top of that, Iran is a signator to the nuclear proliferation treaty. Israel, which has had nuclear weapons since the Sixties, is not. Donald Trump just guaranteed that the Democrats will take control of Congress in 2026 after which he will accomplish zero. Then they'll retake the White House in 2028. I am done with the man.
Between 2005 and 2011, approximately 196 U.S. service members were killed in Iraq by Iranian-made explosively formed penetrators (EFPs), a type of IED.
Additionally, between 2003 and 2011, at least 603 U.S. personnel deaths in Iraq were attributed to Iran-backed militants, including those caused by EFPs and other attacks.
So effing what? How many Iraqis do you think were killed by American-made weapons during that time frame? The United States is responsible for more deaths than any other country in history. An attack on another country without provocation is an act of war, period. I supported Trump but I am through with him.
I totally get what you're point is. As the dad of 4Gs, I know their capabilities and in fact they are smarter than me. But none are pilots or soldiers. I chose the Navy during the draft and retired a chief (E-7). I didn't serve with women until I went into the reserves. They did my kind of work. Never fired a weapon. Don't own any weapons. "pen mightier than sword." I can't imagine how tough it would be living in tight quarters with women. I recall doing a two week tour at Pentagon and being put at a desk facing a burly guy dressed as a woman. He showed up every morning to the office of Chinfo to assemble the faxed messages containing news from around the world, printing hundreds of copies for delivery to top brass. He left after completing that job. Saying all this, I still think Hegseth could have gone about things differently. This woke crap has brought out the worst of human beings. I was born at the outset of WWII and read about women like Rosy the Riveter and I live in a retirement community with veterans of my era including a lovely Donut Dolly. May the Great Kahuna watch over us all. Keep looking and wishing "on the stars!!"
The Lobach debacle should never have happened. Lobach had 450 hours of flight time, which is nothing. Students have hours in that range coming right out of flight school. She was Biden's fluffer in the White House, and also the Executive Officer of her Company. She was active in a military organization devoted to redress for women who experienced sexual harassment in the military.
Aviators in office jobs must fly a minimum amount of time to maintain their qualifications and receive their flight pay. It's guaranteed she was at best rusty, and flying an incredibly dangerous route. In fact, flying Route 4 at night, with NODs, is plenty scary for anybody.
DEI will go down in history as a mass hysteria event, like the witchcraft trials, the Martian invasion, and the day care Satanists.
I have a good older business friend who was a carrier pilot in Vietnam. We had long conversations about what life and work was like on a carrier. Landing a plane in rough seas, with the carrier deck pitching around, is no treat. They are all "Top Guns". Landing requires exceptional skills and if the pilot makes even a minor error in timing, altitude or speed, it is over. The plane either plows into the hull of the carrier, misses the deck wide or overshoots and runs off the other end, especially if it misses the wire. An Air Force pilot never has to deal with a moving runway and the planes fly on autopilot much of the way, which is why a B2 has only two crew, compared to older bombers which had 6-8.
For the Iran mission, if I understand correctly, those pilots/co-pilots were in their seats for about 37 hours, without cabin service, lavatories, pillows, etc. Takes balls (or equivalent) just to do that.
There is a toilet on the B2 and a place to throw down a sleeping bag (according to a report filed by a journalist allowed to fly along). The two aviators take turns at the stick to stay fresh. We do not want exhausted pilots on the stick of a $2B machine.
LOL! Thank you for your service! I am a USAF guy myself (post Vietnam ROTC so bailed out after a year when I was told they did not need more pilots, which was immature, but that is who I was at 18). I did not mean to put down the USAF, only build up a carrier pilot. I will bet those B2s have autopilot, though (they are pretty classified, so no news on the nature of the controls).
Totally agree with your comments on your correction. Pick the best because they are the best. The rest of us can strive to achieve to be our best but not because of gender or color. Thank you!
Look, we all live in this world. Increasingly, we know who the DEI hires are… not because of their color or race, or religion. It’s because of their ineptitude, attitude, laziness and stupidity. It’s real and it’s true. They give everyone else a bad name.
Agree, but plenty of people of all colors, races and religions have ineptitude, bad attitudes, laziness and stupidity. I want to make America competent again!!!
I'm an old graybeard Marine tailhooker from the Vietnam years. The single most impressive aspect of this mission is that the Administration - neither Trump nor Hegseth's shop - said a peep about the doodads and chest plumbing of the aircrew until asked point blank. A Democrat would have been handing out press releases before the hangar doors closed at Whiteman. That tells the country the gender doesn't matter.
Was killed due to DEI she might have been great but was pushed ahead of her training.
Last year two female navel aviators flew their jet into very rugged terain near Mt.Rainier wa.
Both were killed & recovery took days due to the rugged remote area. Training accidents have killed as many millitary aviators as combat. Shit happens. However It is morally wrong to advance anyone for political reasons.
I agree with you, Sasha. I am a woman who wants to see only the best in those roles, rather than allowing the whole vital Mideast process to hinge on the outcome of DEI and virtue-signalling.
And let's face it -- the very best individuals in these advanced military pilot roles are usually men. Young, well-trained, highly skilled men. That's just the way it is. Evolution spent a vast amount of time mouding males for roles such as these. I am happy enough to hand it over to them. Women have their own specialized skillset.
The person (woman) who flew the Black Hawk into flight 5342 certainly wasn't "ready" under those circumstances.
They actually shouldn't have even been flying close to those commercial flights regardless. Sad.
Well said, A.A.
I try to call a spade a spade, Texyz. I have learned that reality will catch up with you eventually, so you might as well admit to it in the first place.
Actually, I had no trouble admitting to this. When I look at teenage boys who know their way around an engine intuitively (I am still trying to work out the basics there, myself), or young men who can navigate large ships and planes as if it was second nature....I stand aside.
As Coco Chanel once supposedly said, "Why do women want what men have, when women have men?"
Let them do what they're good at naturally, and let us do what we're good at. Have you ever seen a man stop a baby from crying intuitively? I haven't. Ever. Not even the father. A random strange woman is better at it than the father in most cases. Can most men instinctively read somebody's emotions with utter ease and do with that knowledge what they will? Some at very high levels in certain positions (politicians, businessmen, lawyers) can, but the average woman can, and the average man can't. Have you ever seen a straight man try to make a holiday table look nice and succeed, or have the idea even occur to him? Add little details to make a child's Christmas better? Me, neither.
You are all phrasing it like it demeans us not to be able to do certain physical things. Have you ever seen a man give birth? Me, neither. I'm not "admitting" anything or "owning" it. I'm very pleased with being good at certain things and men being good at other certain things. I also have never seen a straight man put on a well-chosen outfit and walk into a bar and come away with offers to pay the rent, or with a phone number of a man to do handy work around the house for free in exchange for a smile.
I'm proud to be a woman. A traditional woman. Granted, I can be a tomboy, too, so I take the best of both worlds, but I say, vive la difference.
The way in which a child is Attached to and raised by the mother (or mother-figure) will set certain functions of the brain/mind/psyche. For good or for bad. The power in the mother-child relationship is immense.
Yeah, childbirth ain't no picnic, and that's what the female body was designed for. So it's not surprising that they could withstand greater G-forces.
The best of the best. How ridiculous that anyone would want otherwise for such a mission!
…or any mission. Or anything!
True, but I take exception with "anything", as there are those who are disabled (born that way or acquired disability through illness or injury) and we need to include them, consciously.
When it comes to matters of great importance…life and death…only the best will do. I am a 5’7” inch 130 lb woman who can’t do a pull up. I should NOT be a firefighter. You would NOT want your life in my hands if you were stuck on the second story of the burning inferno of your home. You would not want your life in the hands of a paraplegic in the burning inferno of your home. You would want the best of the best fighting for you and your family. And so would I. There is room in our society for everyone, but not everyone is qualified for every job. The sooner we accept that, the safer we will be.
Critical jobs - 100%. But doing the stocking of the shelves and sweeping up at the hardware shop? Decades ago, the graciousness of society meant that the slightly hard of hearing, with a bit of a limb young man, would be hired.
Pretty sure that’s what I said ;). We agree.
Not if they can’t do whatever needs to be done. People who have disabilities - are you saying women are disabled? - should be able to do whatever needs they can actually do not what you blindly and ridiculous hope they can do. That is what DEI is. It is dangerous and fantasist. Give it up.
I wasn't talking about women and I meant having the disabled do what "they can actually do", but it may not be at the top standard....but if it's for occupations that aren't critical, a more gracious society would allow it (which used to be the case many decades ago: the young man who couldn't talk well and had a somewhat lame arm helped out at the local hardware store, etc.).
I watched Maverick in the movies when it came out; one of only two films I saw in theater that year. As with many of Tom Cruise's movies (such as Dead Reckoning) it wasn't until I watched it the second time that I saw it for the epic adventure it is. Look, I'm a senior, and my brain doesn't process as fast. Only b/c of yesterday's post did I give it a second look, and was SMOKED by the film. WOW.
I have a little bit of inside experience re gurly pilots in the military...
My daughter spent her life prepping for getting a slot at Navy fighter school. She saw Top Gun as a child and was all in. Got commissioned as an 2nd Lt USMC 30 days before 911, finished the Basic School & was off to Pensacola for flight training.
She washed out b/c of an inner ear condition after 6 months. Had she been a guy, she would have been shown the door in 3 months (her words). But b/c she owned a utereus, they moved heaven & earth to get her up to speed. They sent her to NASA for centrifugal training, they sent her to three different ENT specialists, some across the country. All to no avail.
It was heartbreaking for her. And me to watch her dream of 15 years die. Especially when her bunkie since OCS ended up being Obama's Marine One pilot.
Today, she's a joyful mom of 2 in a solid marriage to an outstanding man; so it worked out for the best, OK?
Everyone in that community...KNOW that woman on the stick in DC should NOT have been there. She only was due to the brass sucking up.
The Air Force is THE MOST WOKE of all the services. Nevertheless, if there was a chest feeder in the seat on that mission, in light of the new SecDef...that woman would have been an outstanding pilot; no brass would have jeopardized their career by putting a DEI in that seat. Back in 1980, when Jimmy Carter authorized the failed raid into Iran to rescue the hostages many, MANY careers ended.
Yesterday's post was great, Sasha; you got NOTHIN' to apologize for. Keep up the outstanding work, Grandma-in waiting! LOL
Man … er People, I am SO tired of us still zooming in on "are women/asians/blacks/gays/trans etc. etc. included" being played over and over. In the scope of things "boys" rather than "men and women" is really not a big deal. Matter of fact if the SecDef had used "boys and girls" he’d have gotten clobbered by the tiny mind crowd even worse. I would have preferred he’d used "guys" because that term has presumed to include both genders since I was in high school in the 1960s. C’mon folks, let’s ratchet things up to a level at least an order of magnitude higher than the ‘small-ball’ we’ve foolishly grown used to. Time to start being reasonable humans again. The last 40 years have been miserable.
Miserable humans make for miserable times
I just care that the job was done effectively and that all returned home safely. I don't care if the mission was flown by fourteen women or fourteen men or whatever combination.
Just tell me the mission was accomplished and everyone is home safe.
Agreed only if outside the mission, combat readiness is the central tenet of the armed forces. I do care that we operate units led by and staffed by men if not totally, nearly so. If you emasculate men in the forces, you are no longer a functioning defense force and the state is broken. No equivocating in arenas of life and death and protecting the country.
I will guess/hope that with Biden and his DEI group out of power that the military will no longer feel the pressure to put unqualified DEI types in critical positions. I can't imagine the pressure the military faced to put the "right" person in certain positions. We need the best qualified flying these B2s not the best based on race, sex etc
The effort to “civilianize” the armed forces has been going on for about 4 decades, embedding reporters with the war fighters in Desert Storm and then Iraqi Freedom and GWOT wars. Sending officers to graduate schools for MBA’s and other masters degrees. Requiring 1 civilian instructor for every uniformed military instructor at the advanced military schools and colleges, forcing the Marine Corps to allow women to attend Infantry Officers Course and forcing them to lower standards to allow a few of the strongest women to graduate. What no one understands is that yes, there are roles for women in conflicted areas, and sure a female pilot is capable of flying a B2, no doubt. But as a USMC Rifle Platoon Commander, (commanded two separate rifle platoons) this writer can tell you that the DEI criteria are causing complications that need not be caused, especially at the pointy end of the spear. General Robert Barrow 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps came out of retirement decades ago, (1990’s) and testified before the senate or house armed services committees on the applicability and desirability of having women in “combat.” General Barrow’s comments were worthy of a look see. He knew war, WWII, Korea (awarded the Navy Cross) and Vietnam. He doesn’t question the ability of women to perform in combat. He questions the motivation and necessity to do so, and to what end? Either the nation wants a military used sparing (very sparingly) to advance its national policy and goals or it wants a nursery school with free milk and cookies twice a day and nap time after the second batch of milk and cookies. This riding the middle rail with 11,000 volts of live electricity will not and has not ended well. It is understandable when only 1% of us serve in the military and the film and tv producers make fictional movies that are designed to entertain that skip the reality of war fighting, that there is a lack of comprehension on the part of the American pubic writ large. Real service and combat are not a video game, the services are not a Petri dish in a lab for experimentation. (despite what Demi Moore and GI Jane will tell you) The services must be driven to higher purposes and one must be prepared at all times to potentially sacrifice one’s own life to defend and support the constitution of the United States of America. This doesn’t mean woman can’t and have not done so, they have, but women in the combat arms brings a host of difficulties to the four combat arms that are totally unnecessary. This is understood by the current SecDef, and this is why he is so hated in Washington, D.C. Thusly he must be on to something…..
🫡Word!
Amen. This every day and twice on Sunday. "If a woman is the best person for the job" in combat boils away all of the unpleasant realities expected of a pilot, ranger, seaman, etc. In total the idea is an answer looking for a reason. Just look at Special Forces to understand the crucible of fighting. A woman Seal or Delta is unimaginable.
So true! It is a shame (but still the case) that women who fly on these missions are going to be assumed to be there for DEI for a while to come. We've created a system where women who achieve have to both achieve and prove they achieved on their own merits.
As far as I am concerned, the worst accolade a woman can get is: "She's the first woman to ...."
Just do the thing. Do it the best. Stop with the first of X or the best of Y. Best is best.
This B-2 mission over Iran would never have happened under Harris “the best of the best” for the Democrats.
It shouldn't have happened under Trump either. The man campaigned with the promise he would get us out of war, not commit an act of war against a nation we are not in any kind of hostilities with. On top of that, Iran is a signator to the nuclear proliferation treaty. Israel, which has had nuclear weapons since the Sixties, is not. Donald Trump just guaranteed that the Democrats will take control of Congress in 2026 after which he will accomplish zero. Then they'll retake the White House in 2028. I am done with the man.
Between 2005 and 2011, approximately 196 U.S. service members were killed in Iraq by Iranian-made explosively formed penetrators (EFPs), a type of IED.
Additionally, between 2003 and 2011, at least 603 U.S. personnel deaths in Iraq were attributed to Iran-backed militants, including those caused by EFPs and other attacks.
So effing what? How many Iraqis do you think were killed by American-made weapons during that time frame? The United States is responsible for more deaths than any other country in history. An attack on another country without provocation is an act of war, period. I supported Trump but I am through with him.
Trump killed few if any in Iran.
I totally get what you're point is. As the dad of 4Gs, I know their capabilities and in fact they are smarter than me. But none are pilots or soldiers. I chose the Navy during the draft and retired a chief (E-7). I didn't serve with women until I went into the reserves. They did my kind of work. Never fired a weapon. Don't own any weapons. "pen mightier than sword." I can't imagine how tough it would be living in tight quarters with women. I recall doing a two week tour at Pentagon and being put at a desk facing a burly guy dressed as a woman. He showed up every morning to the office of Chinfo to assemble the faxed messages containing news from around the world, printing hundreds of copies for delivery to top brass. He left after completing that job. Saying all this, I still think Hegseth could have gone about things differently. This woke crap has brought out the worst of human beings. I was born at the outset of WWII and read about women like Rosy the Riveter and I live in a retirement community with veterans of my era including a lovely Donut Dolly. May the Great Kahuna watch over us all. Keep looking and wishing "on the stars!!"
Quick note: When my daughter began her app to USMC OCS, the recruiting Capitan gave her three small-ish posters when she got the greenlight:
1. The first one showed exhausted Force Recon's in training, and the title was 'Nobody Ever Drowned In Sweat
2. The second one said "Pain is the experience of weakness leaving the body
3. Was a poster of Rosie The Riveter that said YOU can do it!
She told me when she was commissioned that the memory of those posters got her through.
Awesome.
The Lobach debacle should never have happened. Lobach had 450 hours of flight time, which is nothing. Students have hours in that range coming right out of flight school. She was Biden's fluffer in the White House, and also the Executive Officer of her Company. She was active in a military organization devoted to redress for women who experienced sexual harassment in the military.
Aviators in office jobs must fly a minimum amount of time to maintain their qualifications and receive their flight pay. It's guaranteed she was at best rusty, and flying an incredibly dangerous route. In fact, flying Route 4 at night, with NODs, is plenty scary for anybody.
DEI will go down in history as a mass hysteria event, like the witchcraft trials, the Martian invasion, and the day care Satanists.
I have a good older business friend who was a carrier pilot in Vietnam. We had long conversations about what life and work was like on a carrier. Landing a plane in rough seas, with the carrier deck pitching around, is no treat. They are all "Top Guns". Landing requires exceptional skills and if the pilot makes even a minor error in timing, altitude or speed, it is over. The plane either plows into the hull of the carrier, misses the deck wide or overshoots and runs off the other end, especially if it misses the wire. An Air Force pilot never has to deal with a moving runway and the planes fly on autopilot much of the way, which is why a B2 has only two crew, compared to older bombers which had 6-8.
For the Iran mission, if I understand correctly, those pilots/co-pilots were in their seats for about 37 hours, without cabin service, lavatories, pillows, etc. Takes balls (or equivalent) just to do that.
There is a toilet on the B2 and a place to throw down a sleeping bag (according to a report filed by a journalist allowed to fly along). The two aviators take turns at the stick to stay fresh. We do not want exhausted pilots on the stick of a $2B machine.
Thanks for that info. I struggle being in a coach seat for three hours.
Welcome back. I’m Ubon RTAFB, 8TFW, 68TFS 1965. Front seat driver of the Phantom.
LOL! Thank you for your service! I am a USAF guy myself (post Vietnam ROTC so bailed out after a year when I was told they did not need more pilots, which was immature, but that is who I was at 18). I did not mean to put down the USAF, only build up a carrier pilot. I will bet those B2s have autopilot, though (they are pretty classified, so no news on the nature of the controls).
Totally agree with your comments on your correction. Pick the best because they are the best. The rest of us can strive to achieve to be our best but not because of gender or color. Thank you!
Look, we all live in this world. Increasingly, we know who the DEI hires are… not because of their color or race, or religion. It’s because of their ineptitude, attitude, laziness and stupidity. It’s real and it’s true. They give everyone else a bad name.
Agree, but plenty of people of all colors, races and religions have ineptitude, bad attitudes, laziness and stupidity. I want to make America competent again!!!
Werd.
I'm an old graybeard Marine tailhooker from the Vietnam years. The single most impressive aspect of this mission is that the Administration - neither Trump nor Hegseth's shop - said a peep about the doodads and chest plumbing of the aircrew until asked point blank. A Democrat would have been handing out press releases before the hangar doors closed at Whiteman. That tells the country the gender doesn't matter.
Fourth Turning, here we come!
Kara Hultgrin...
Was killed due to DEI she might have been great but was pushed ahead of her training.
Last year two female navel aviators flew their jet into very rugged terain near Mt.Rainier wa.
Both were killed & recovery took days due to the rugged remote area. Training accidents have killed as many millitary aviators as combat. Shit happens. However It is morally wrong to advance anyone for political reasons.