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Valk wrote:

C-dub wrote:

howdy wrote:Doing the "Duval crawl" in Key West, Florida, and trying not to smile in Olongapo City.

In reference to the Belgian beer Duval, right? I like that beer. I've been to Belgium a few times and have some of the Duval glasses.

Looks like I wasn't the only person taking souvenir glasses from Belgium bars.

i8godzilla wrote:There are a few memorable places. As a single soldier, Diego Garcia was real cool. Being in the Army and stationed on a Navy base in the middle of nowhere was a real challenge. I would bet I have seen just about every square inch of the island. Also, being stationed at Vint Hill Farms, VA was a great assignment. It was literally an old horse farm outside of Manassas, VA. Lots of history and only a short jaunt from DC. Getting to see all of the monuments and museums was the highlight.

howdy wrote:Doing the "Duval crawl" in Key West, Florida, and trying not to smile in Olongapo City.

terryg wrote:

C-dub wrote:You were I-level, cool. Always thought I might like that side, but really liked the flight deck. Makes me wonder where the Hornet guys I sailed with learned about the system and what they did when one went down at sea. If our shops at sea were able to repair them I don't know why you wouldn't have been sent to the same school. Or maybe you were.

I know that our NCOIC, who arrived six months are so after me was re-trained onto FLIR systems and they also sent him to Moffett.

I liked working I level repair. But I must admit sitting in the cockpit to troubleshoot the mounted FLIR pod was pretty cool too. It always made me wonder what O level would have been like. We got more of a taste of it than most other systems.

C-dub wrote:Maybe the Marines didn't get the Hornets until 1988 and wanted to set up their own shops. I guess they would need to, so they wouldn't have to send everything to the Navy to be fixed.

I think they started to role out in the early and mid 80's. It seemed like we might have been a little behind the curve in Hawaii. I know they had spent some time de-commissioning the F-4's. I heard stories about them finding beer cans that had been used to patch up wings. They had probably been flying the 18's for a little while before I arrived. I think, perhaps, the FLIR's were a fairly new system to our birds though. Maybe the Corps bought the planes first and other systems later. Can't say for sure - I was pretty green.

And as for a getting a little help - it works both ways. We had more than one navy bird land at our airbase during Desert Storm needing a few repairs. We always sent out those pods with personal message to our squid-ly buddies.

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terryg wrote:Well, I can't speak to the experiences of your peers. I can tell you that after leaving boot camp in San Diego, in May 1988 I headed to NCAS Memphis for Avionics Basic training with all the other Sailors and Marines. But when my C-school started in November of 1988, I learned all about the P-3 IRDS system as a substitute for the FLIR system. The heart of both systems - the actual infrared detection unit was completely identical - but much of the rest of the system was different.

When I arrived at MCAS Kaneohe Bay, I was the first 6466 billeted Marine in the I-level shop. We didn't have any test gear for the FLIR system yet, so we did most of our troubleshooting in the cockpit using service codes.

But then, you have to remember, the Marines always end up do more with less - including the other branches left overs.

terryg wrote:Best location, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Hawaii.

Best time: C-School training in Moffett Field, CA. My MOS was FLIR Systems (Forward Looking Infrared Cameras) on F/A-18 aircraft. Trouble was, the fleet was just getting them in '88 and so they didn't have a school set-up for them yet. So they sent us to IRDS System (Infrared Detection Systems) school for the P-3 Orion with the Navy at Moffett Field for 6 months.

We were the only three Marine Student at the whole facility. In fact, they sent our records to a local reserve unit in San Jose - so we had zero Marine SNCOs or Officers in our chain of command on the base. We would line up for inspection with the Navy boys and girls and get a quick glance over by the chiefs. There were lots of WAVES in our barracks (but I don't think the Navy refers to female sailors as WAVES any more).

We were actually on per-deim, so we paid for our space in the barracks and our meals at the chow hall. After the 6 months was up and I arrived at my duty station, I was surprised to get a check for about $4k in remaining per-deim.

FishInTx wrote:

AEA wrote:1973: CTF-77/Commander Carrier Group Five Staff, Leading Radioman. Stationed at Subic Bay Philippines.

Although stationed ashore in Subic Bay (which was a fun place) we routinely rode the Carriers that came into our Operating Area (Vietnam): USS Oriskany, USS Ranger and USS Constellation.

I was on the USS Ranger cv-61 for 2 years. Marine Detachment 1985-1987. I hated being on the boat but loved every stop on the west/pac loop. Hawaii, Korea, Japan, Philippines. We were stationed at North Island in San Diego, that wasn't too bad. As a grunt I spent 6 months in Okinawa. Great group of guys, we made the best of it. LOL

sawdust wrote:SP duty, Olongapo City (adjacent to Subic Bay Naval Base).

Exciting.