Army Chief Warrant Pilot Retires after 43 years!

[Birdog8585]

21,000 hours (5300 military). Flew everything from H-1's to H-47's from Vietnam to Iraq. Didn't think they'd allow you to stay in that long as a Warrant pilot, even in the Army.

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=58485

 

[scoolbubba]

"All my peers have gotten out,” Dargue said. “It has a different atmosphere to it. The Vietnam vets, they were just a little crazier than the generation nowadays -- a little more fun. They're a little more business-like now. The atmosphere is not the same."

I think he just called our generation a bunch of candy asses. Well played...

 

[Uncle Fester]

Well...if the shoe fits...

 

[scoolbubba]

Well...if the shoe fits...

You consider yourself to be old enough to be part of his generation? By all means....

 

[Uncle Fester]

No, I'm agreeing with him about our generation.

 

[scoolbubba]

Ok. -1 for my reading comprehension.

 

[A4sForever]

....I think he just called our generation a bunch of candy asses. Well played...

As a 'senior' on this august board .... I, for one, would NEVER call 'your' generation 'a bunch of candy asses' ... perhaps a few individuals in it (?) ... but as a entire generational species -- NO WAY!! You guys, like other generations of Naval Aviators, are better than that ...

I just think you have been suckled, coddled, trained, and if all else failed: beaten down to a point that you're willing to live (barely) and breathe (barely) under a host of 'candy ass' rules & regs.

We had rules & regs, too ... we lived by 'em, for the most part. The difference: they just weren't stifling or emasculating.

 

[phrogpilot73]

The problem as I see it, isn't A4's generation and it isn't our generation. It's the generation in between that are unable to cede power once they are done with command. Couple that with technology and you end up with squadron commanders that are merely information portals to higher headquarters.

 

[scoolbubba]

The problem as I see it, isn't A4's generation and it isn't our generation. It's the generation in between that are unable to cede power once they are done with command. Couple that with technology and you end up with squadron commanders that are merely information portals to higher headquarters.

Amen.

 

[phrogdriver]

I was surprised to learn while in Kuwait that you can join the Nat'l Guard after retiring from AD. I involves some weird math for pay and retirement, but it can be done. I wouldn't mind doing that for a bit, if I could get a flying gig. Hang out with NG units, and you see some OLD dudes. The ones that weird me out are the specialists and junior NCOs or below who look 45+. I'm thinking, "Man, I wouldn't want to have to deal with field days at that age!"

 

[Pepe]

I don't know if I could handle the Nation Guard. Seems like the adult version of the Civil Air Patrol to me.

 

[RobLyman]

I don't know if I could handle the Nation Guard. Seems like the adult version of the Civil Air Patrol to me.

I am sure with an attitude like that you would get along famously in our unit. You do know 60% of the units deployed are guard and reserve don't you? Seriously, if you think that is what the guard is like, you need to stop by a guard aviation unit getting ready to deploy or returning from deployment. Or stop by our unit anytime in J'ville.

To get this back on topic..We have a CW5 getting ready to retire next year at age 60 and 30+ years in the guard. He has flown everything, including Apaches in Afghanistan. He's got some great stories. I think he has over 10000 flight hours, ALL in helicopters. A lot of his time has been as an MTP, where you log 1 flight for every 5 to 10 ground run ups you do.

Adult CAP indeed!

 

[HAL Pilot]

I was surprised to learn while in Kuwait that you can join the Nat'l Guard after retiring from AD. I involves some weird math for pay and retirement, but it can be done. I wouldn't mind doing that for a bit, if I could get a flying gig. Hang out with NG units, and you see some OLD dudes. The ones that weird me out are the specialists and junior NCOs or below who look 45+. I'm thinking, "Man, I wouldn't want to have to deal with field days at that age!"

It's possible in the US too. At least in the Air Force. I know a AF pilot who retired after 20 then joined the guard a few years latter. He has some sort of pay offset but he wanted to keep flying.

 

[phrogdriver]

It's possible in the US too. At least in the Air Force. I know a AF pilot who retired after 20 then joined the guard a few years latter. He has some sort of pay offset but he wanted to keep flying.

I did mean in the US. I just was implying that I met a LOT of Army National Guard while at Udairi AAF in Kuwait, and some of the old dudes were retired Marines.

If it works in the Army Nat'l Guard, I'm assuming the same might work in the ANG?

 

[Lawman]

One of my instructors in Instruments had literally just retired (like weeks) from the Alabama Guard with some rediculous amount of years in the high 30's. He had originally flown Hueys and OH-6's in Vietnam. Flew Hawks in Desert Storm, Afganistan, and Iraq. Real great guy, and full of info. Funny thing is that you can still find a few Vietnam vets floating around still in the ranks of the Aviation Warrant Officer Corps.