I dug this up from an old email I recieved a long time ago...thought I'd share the memories it gives me.


"IN THE WING

I can't ever remember reading an article about the Marine air wing mechanics
and technicians, and what it's really like. I often read about what it's
like to work in Washington or be a pilot. I've seen articles about this war
or that battle, and I've seen columns of opinions about our status in the
world; our good pints and bad. I've seen volumes by Colonels, Majors, and
Captains on strategies, tactics, and defense budgets. But if anyone is
curious, this is how this Marine sees our corner of the Corps.

The UH-1N is often called "TITS"(Tiny Individual Taxi Service) or "TWA"
(Teeny Weenie Airlines). The transmission "Hell Hole" is aptly named and
walking guard duty on the flight line at sunrise is beautiful.

The Gunny is mad, the lieutenant is flying, the Lance Corporal is learning
and the PFC is scared. The hangar deck is too small when we're busy and too
big on field day. The pubs are outdated, my desk was slightly damaged in an
airdrop over Normandy and the sound of a hangar queen's lift into a hover is
music to the ear.

We work with wrenches, meters, screwdrivers, and ratchets, but are promoted
by knowing the dimensions of a fighting hole. Maintenance Control tells us
what to...Quality Assurance tells us how to...Tool room lends us the tools
to...S-1 lost my AA form to...the plane defies us to...but the job gets
done.

Operations just upped the flight hours, supply gave me the wrong part and
Top wants to know where I've been all day. The club is closed for
inventory, we're working Saturday, the mess hall is practicing field
maneuvers in the parking lot, and the Staff pitched in for a keg of beer
after work.

They want two bucks for a burger, two bucks for the coffee mess, two bucks
towards a plaque, two bucks toward the shop party and then somebody had a
baby.

Take the radio out, put the generator in, replace the pump and adjust the
linkage, If the sun is still up, take it to the wash rack...no, scratch
that, take it anyway. Now clean the shop, clean the hangar deck, clean the
head and go home. Clean your room, clean the passageways, and clean the
head. If it weren't for the graffiti I wouldn't know what was going on
around here.

We have hearing tests, PFT's, EST's, and urinalysis tests. LES's, RED's, and
read and initial everything in sight...now NAVAIRSYSCOMPOOP will be here
tomorrow for an inspection. The MAF says "Down", the schedule says "Fly", my
stomach says "Eat", and the four-plane break at the end of the runway says "A
JOB WELL DONE!"

I see FOD posters, NATOPS posters, Safety posters, and Traffic posters. I
haven't seen my four-poster in days! There's hills of paper orders, stacks
of paper instructions, mounds of memos and hoards of paper reports. There's
paperwork when it breaks, paperwork when it's fixed. If you don't want to
find any paper go back to the head.

Avionics has a job only they understand; and Ordnance does a job they don't
see completed. S-4 has a job but no one knows what it is, S-2 has a job they
can't tell you about, and Corrosion Control has a job nobody cares about.
Metal Shop's job is to fix what everyone else breaks; Flight line's job is
to put fluids in the aircraft while Hydraulics tries to keep their fluids
from falling out. Meanwhile, Power Plants figures that nobody has a job
until they finish their job. FOD walk is the ONLY thing we do slow.

Now in all honesty, if I were you, I'd be jealous, because we've got the
BEST DAMN JOB IN THE CORPS!!"

Pain is temporary, pride is forever

Thank You. Ain't that the truth !

That is the God's Honest truth.

good one there coastie! just like i remember it too! and lets not forget the late nite calls for exrep boxes n such, gettin called in on weekends for duty section......