You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
-Short Attention Span Theater-
Petraeus Zinger Wounds Air Force Egos
2009-12-16
Click the link for the whole story and other services' "responses". :-)
"A soldier is trudging through the muck in the midst of a downpour with a 60-pound rucksack on his back," Petraeus began. "'This is tough,' he thinks to himself. Just ahead of him trudges an Army Ranger with an 80-pound pack on his back. 'This is really tough,' he thinks. And ahead of him is a Marine with a 90-pound pack on, and he thinks to himself, 'I love how tough this is,' " Petraeus said to appreciative cheers from his audience. "Then, of course, 30,000 feet above them, an Air Force pilot flips aside his ponytail," he added to howls of laughter and applause from the Marines. "-- I'm sorry, I don't know how that got in there I know they haven't had ponytails in a year or two -- and looks down at them through his cockpit as he flies over. 'Boy,' he radios his wingman, 'it must be tough down there.' "
Posted by:gorb

#20  OK Jar-Heads, Squids and Groundpounders... Youze guys/gals probably have not heard of the U.S. Air Force Special Ops Command (AFSOC)....

From: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1281461.html:

There is no easy way to join the ranks of AFSOC. But one of the best routes into this Air Force unit is to first join the Army, Navy or Marines and distinguish yourself as a Ranger, SEAL or member of Force Recon.

In other words, after some "learnin'", come see us and we'll get your training wheels off!!!!

Go Air Force!

Now I gotta' go oil the wheels on my chair (AFSC Certified!)....
Posted by: Uncle Phester   2009-12-16 20:21  

#19  I used to work with a retired Air Force E-9. He said the AF's philosophy was simple when building a new base: first put in the golf course, O Club and EM clubs, family housing. If they run out of money to build an airfield, they just go back to Congress and demand more. After all,what's an Air Force base without an airfield?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2009-12-16 18:59  

#18  Got to be nice to the USAF and AFSOC. They own Duke Field.

Link.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-12-16 11:39  

#17  My favorite AF comment was very simple,
unlike the actual military, the Air Force is a collection of gentlemen who share a common tailor!
Posted by: NoMoreBS   2009-12-16 11:38  

#16  Time for a rousing chorus of "Up In The Air, Junior Bird-men"?
Posted by: mojo   2009-12-16 11:09  

#15  The only funny Doonsbury I've seen was during the first Gulf War. He had some soldiers in the desert complaining of the heat. Drinking lots of water. Etc. Then cut to the Navy. I'm freezing, can someone turn down the Air Conditioner. It was pretty funny. I suspect some soldier sent him the idea.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2009-12-16 11:05  

#14  Retired Air Force here and these jokes never bother me. Each service has a job, ours usually can be accomplished miles away from combat and is accompanied by clean sheets and three squares a day.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge    2009-12-16 11:04  

#13  "and the AF guy in skivvies lying on his bunk was looking at his TV and saying, "No cable? This place sucks!"

And as a retired USAF MSgt who installed the satellite downlinks to feed our multiple channels of AFRTS television to those cable systems (on Navy, Marine Corp, Army and Air Force Bases)I feel safe saying we often resembled those remarks.
Posted by: Steve   2009-12-16 10:47  

#12  of course, "The Navy" lends itself to even better jokes
Posted by: 746   2009-12-16 09:51  

#11  Link for above.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-12-16 09:50  

#10  Comic book?

Preventive Maintenace Monthly Issue 50, 1956 (Will Eisner).

>"Merry Christmas to all --- And Lube Them Toys Just Right"

For obvious reasons, no longer in publication.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-12-16 09:48  

#9  How To Secure A Building:

If you tell the Army to secure a building, they call in artillery and have armor deliver covering fire until an infantry squad can attack and clear it.

If you tell the Marines to secure a building, they will charge it and clear each room until it's safe.

If you tell the Navy to secure a building, they will post an armed guard at each door and maintain a 24-hour watch.

If you tell the Air Force to secure a building, they'll put down 10% of the appraised price and sign an option to buy.


Frankly, if anyone in the USAF got upset about this, they need to lighten up. Considerably.

Mike
USAF 78-98
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2009-12-16 09:42  

#8  Seriously, and on behalf of Air Force members past and present, can I ask for them to lighten up, for heck's sake?

Oh, they do. When they hear the A-10's cannon raking the bush and clutter in front of them after way too many minutes that drag into what seems like hours of an intense ordnance exchange with people seeking to do them harm. Then its the sweetest symphony to their ears. They'll be more than happy to buy a round of cold drinks in an air conditioned abode if they ever see that pilot back in semi-civilization.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2009-12-16 09:34  

#7  Per the article, probably the best response from an AF type: "Remember, he is from the service that has to use comic books to teach soldiers how to do periodic maintenance."

Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)   2009-12-16 09:27  

#6  In the version that I knew (circulated at Youngsan AIG circa 1992) the infantryman (in the rain and mud) was saying, "This sucks," the Ranger up to his waist in a swamp was saying, "I love it when it sucks like this," the Special Forces guy with a knife in his teeth, up to his neck in the swamp with an alligator swimming by was saying, "I wish it would suck some more!" and the AF guy in skivvies lying on his bunk was looking at his TV and saying, "No cable? This place sucks!"
Seriously, and on behalf of Air Force members past and present, can I ask for them to lighten up, for heck's sake?
Posted by: Sgt. Mom   2009-12-16 08:48  

#5  Each of the services is ordered to secure a building. The Marines destroy theirs, the Army establishes a defensive position around theirs, the Navy paints theirs gray, and the Air Force leases theirs for 5 years.
Posted by: Spot   2009-12-16 08:27  

#4  I was stationed at OAFB many moons ago and, as the JSTPS was HQ'd there, had the opportunity to mingle with members of our sister services. The butt of the jokes rotated, and we all, for the most part, got along.


IMHO, the AF Association response is more, than anything else, symptomatic of todays hyper-sensitivity and lack of focus....
Posted by: Uncle Phester   2009-12-16 08:22  

#3  Well I have seen two variants of this joke.

In the first one the pilot is a Navy one, he doesn't have a ponyryial but he says it must be tough donwn there. For the airforce one he is watching TV.

On the second one (in the blog from an Airforce guy) the Army guy is walking in the mud, the Marine one is lying in the mud and wishing for thougher consition, the Navy one is suntanning and having a drink with friends on a carrier's deck and for the Airforce one, wel he is in a room with hamf a dozen scantily clad women.
Posted by: JFM   2009-12-16 07:22  

#2  Good 'ice breaker' nothing more. God Bless the USAF. Take a look.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-12-16 05:40  

#1  Boy, those Air Farce types sure are sensitive little tykes. Somebody got their panties all twisted up. That must really hurt! Us Navy types would calm down, adjust the AC and get another cup of coffee. See, no problem. HA!
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839   2009-12-16 05:29  

00:00