T-Tail-Tall-Tail:
SIR, I NEED TO SEE YOUR LINE BADGE
Jimmy Jones
C-141B Crew Chief, 437th OMS, Charleston AFB
1990-1992
We've all been there as Crew Chiefs. You know, the
night where it's your
turn in the truck as the parts runner. There were
some guys that got that gig a
lot more than others for obvious reasons. Let's just
say it wasn't the most challenging job in the Air Force.
For me, when my
time came, it sure was a
needed break from busting ass on the line,
especially when we had to change all
of the inboard re-caped tires!!!! Anyone who has had
the pleasure of completing
that task knows exactly what I mean! More than
anything, when I was assigned
the job, I wanted to be fast and efficient. Go get
it and get back .... that
way I could have my chill time parked somewhere
listening to the radio or just
goofing around. There are, however, some annoying
things that you encounter as
the parts runner.
Charleston AFB 437th OMS offices, 1991
Is it me or are SPs some of the most bothersome people (other than QA) on the flightline? They think that they are really somebody with that Beret & M-16 in their little shack at the Entry Control Point. We were supposed to stop and show them your flightline badge each time we went in or out. Some SPs were cool, if they saw you once, they would just wave you through the next time, no big deal. Well, of course we had the guys that went by the book and stopped you every time and made you pull out the badge so that he could look at the picture and look at you and then give his little "I'm an SP God" wave gesture. When you are the parts runner on a busy night, you will be in and out hundreds of times. If you had the "SP Prick" working, it was a long night. I know these guys are just doing their job, but some of them take advantage of the situation with the "I'm a bad-ass cop don't mess with me" attitude and those guys are the ones that got under my skin. It took a trip to Spain to witness some pay-back to an SP prick. Justice was enacted with the help of a Crew from the 172nd Airlift Wing out of Jackson, Mississippi.
Segovia, Spain - The Roman Aqueduct
In early March of 1991, I was sent to Torrejon AB in
support of Desert
Storm. As usual, I was assigned to my home on grave
shift. The nights were
typical. Blocking in, blocking out, refueling,
pre-flight inspections, a tire
change here or there and of course the always
favorite: babysitting.
I was
rather fond of babysitting because I could call home
on the HF radio and speak
to my folks and my friends. "Thule Airways, Thule
Airways this is MAC 650267 on
11175...how copy, over?" My mom was so amazed that I
could call her from the
airplane. We still talk about that now, nearly 15
years later.
I really enjoyed
my 33 days in Spain. It was the first time I had
ever traveled outside the US
and I such a wonderful time. I saw a castle in a
village called Segovia, a
Romanesque beauty, which also boasts a Roman
Aqueduct that is over 2000 years
old and still works today. I saw the sights and
sounds of Madrid, Spain's
largest city. I fell in love with Spain. I didn't
care for the trash and
graffitti, but it had charm in it's own unique way.
Grave Shift briefing. March 1991, 1900 HRS
Meanwhile, back on the flightline .. one particular
night there was
an SP prick working the shack. He'd seen me come in
and out all night, but kept
asking to see the badge. He was annoying everyone.
He stopped everybody and
went by the book … looked down at the badge,
looked at your face, back at
the badge, and then gave the SP God wave gesture.
We'd had enough of this guy.
The final straw was when the parts runner was in
hurry to get to a blocking
plane and didn't stop. SP prick screamed at him and
of course made him pull out
the badge!
It was time for a little revenge. It just
so happens that the Entry
Control Point was located right behind a parked
C-141, which was the
1st spot on the line on that particular
row. I had the pleasure of
working that spot, which had a crew from the
172nd Airlift Wing of
the Mississippi Air National Guard. I always enjoyed
working with Guard crews.
They were the best. Very down to earth (for the most
part) and always had great
stories to tell and most had a great sense of humor,
which was the case with
this crew on this particular night.
They had been
basically frisked at the
Entry Control Point by the SP prick. When they
arrived at the plane they were
all talking about how much of an ass the "cop" was
at the ECP. We shared our
experiences with him and all agreed that he needed
to be taught a lesson or
two. So, the Aircraft Commander came up with a great
idea. Since the spot
required a right hand turn on block out, he would
nudge the #1 & #2 engines an
extra bit, thus an "accidental desired effect" would
occur. Took some balls and
my respect for the Guard was just that much more
reinforced.
When it came to time to block out, that's exactly
what he did and the shack,
along with SP prick inside, went flying across the
road! It was the funniest
thing that I had ever seen. I laughed so hard that I
nearly pissed myself. And,
by the way, no one from the flightline ran to his
aide. That might sound mean,
but I think he learned not to mess with the guys on
the flightline!
Scene of the crime. Circa March 1991.
The SP Shack is no where to be found.