Friday, June 06, 2003 :::
 
Date: 6/6/03 8:11:47 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: MIchael.Shaudis@*****.af.mil


Hi again- computer ate my last email-I'll try again-back on bravo 3 alert so
I gots to be quick-


We had a busy couple of days, POTUS was in town (also known as the CiC) who
came out to the Qatari desert just to visit his airmen (and soldiers,
sailors, and marines as applicable). Unfortunately, we were on alpha alert
again, so we could'nt go meet him (although several from our squadron were
able to do just that). We were too well armed, and the secret service does
not like that. Incidentally, at dinner the night before, I sat next to a
table of SS agents, and they looked really silly in their black wool suits,
ties, and wires sticking out of their ears. I bet they enjoyed the 114
degree temp yesterday. Ha! ha!

More about yesterday: there was an emergent airevac mission to Iraq- and the
crew that took it (my old crew from Scott) turned back after about 45
minutes because of a massive fuel leak. So our alpha crew was alerted to
take the mission over on the alpha bird, and the mission was upgraded (to
30+ patients, several critical) to include a CCATT team (surgeon, trauma
nurse, respiratory tech) and all their specialized equipment, and we also
picked up a two-man AF public affairs team, there to document a priority
medical airlift from "the box". Anyway, about an hour fifteen out, our
aircraft develops a fuel leak, threatening shutdown of number three engine.
(it's about three hours to Baghdad from Al-Udeid) So we turn back, and radio
ahead to have a new 130 ready and configured for us. So we touch down,
transfer all the gear into the new bird, and go through the run up, where
the flight engineer finds excessive fluid leakage from the aileron linkage
gear. So we stop, and they determine that it's safe for the duration of the
flight, and we head out to the runway, where the throttle for number three
engine starts running up by itself! Flight scrubbed, equipment offloaded,
and reloaded onto a fourth aircraft. But by this time, both the up front
crew and us (who all volunteered to go on, and were overridden) burned out
our crew duty days, so a third medcrew and third flight crew manned attempt
number four (which was ultimately successsful) . And yes, the PA guys went
all the way through. They got a real taste of how missions actually work! I
wonder if the press release will say anything about how many airplanes it
took to fly one mission?

Incidentally, on my current crew, the MCD from the bronx went home, so my
new MCD is a McChord person. I am now on an all-Washington crew! (I know
Chuck is still with the 714th at mcGuire, but he's really from the Maryhill
area and has a "5" SSN.) This makes things easier, especially
communications-wise.

Hot, windy, and sandstormy today, with that fine grit that gets everywhere.
(the kind of grit that makes good brass polish) But my Bennington '76 flag
is flying high from our tent's radio mast flagpole, so that's kind of cool.

Got an Email from Dave A. today.

Let me know what's going on that's exciting, and even things that aren't.

Love you!

Michael


::: posted by Chy at 10:15 AM


 
Date: 5/31/03 10:26:14 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: MIchael.Shaudis@******.af.mil


Hi again!

Got your box yesterday, thank you! It was a good selection, but it arrived
opened on the end. Doesn't look like anything's missing (unless there was
money in it). Did you make the soap? The ginseng tea will go well for health
maintenance, and so will the vanilla flavored stuff :) . My folks sent me
some GNC mega-men vits, so I'm back on a vitamin routine again. I think
"cat" is probably my favorite Heinlein book, even if it does bog down in the
end - but the first three quarters of it can be re-read adinfinitum. There's
some mystery about rotation dates right now - some of the crewmembers who
thought their rotation out was in September have just been given a heads up
that they may leave in July. I'm not on the list in any form. I may not have
shown up on the theatre manning document yet. Today was a safety down day, so no flying- but now
my crew is now sliding into the alpha alert position- so chances are pretty
good that we'll go somewhere interesting in the next 48 hours. I'm painting
and drawing some artwork for you, hope you like desert landscapes (they're
pretty easy to do, too!). Any luck on that silver colored fountain pen or
.05mm pencil leads? Everything else is good. I'm starting to get a little
bit of an art reputation, and am starting to get some requests. (for barter,
of course.) Haven't been able to make an LDS service here on camp (We have a
real LDS chaplain who's pretty cool) because I'm either always flying on
sunday or on alert. It's called a "high ops tempo" or something like that.
Rumor is that the Commander-in-Chief will be here this week sometime... I'll
probably be flying and miss it. How's Daven doing? I haven't heard from him
on line or from you yet. Oh, yeah, and the cat? Got to go , talk to you
later!

Love,
Michael


::: posted by Chy at 10:13 AM


 
Date: 5/27/03 12:05:39 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: MIchael.Shaudis@*********.af.mil

Hi!

I'm counting on getting extras. Having a hard time coordinating the jpeg files for the patches, they keep getting dumped. T-shirts haven't been ordered yet.

Awards and decs, I have been assigned as awards and decs NCOIC as an addittional additional duty (everyone has at least two extra duties), because when the command cell started to figure out squadron assignments, the 714th people said "Sgt Shaudis ran our A&D program, he'll do it!" when I was flying a mission and couldn't defend myself. But I'm good at it, so that's actually a good thing because it keeps me in the air conditioning, also.

This is as safe as it gets out here .
Only Seeb was hot and humid- here it's REALLY hot and dry, with random blowing searing sand storms. (like yesterday).

Of the 714th aircrew, I got real lucky with the two I got attached to. SSgt Chuck Hunt was an "outcast" like me, who is originally from washington state; and
Capt D'alois-Velez is goofy enough to be Okay, if you can look past the New York city (He from da bronx) attitude. (he can't help it, it's environmental).

I was planning on sending the Choctaw box to you when I refilled it with local stuff, but one of my new scott buddies needed a box really bad yesterday so I gave it to him.

More artwork is on the way.

Good news on vartec et all- I take it most of the allowances are showing up on the checks already? cool.

Tea? like the british east india company? I'll see what I can find if I ever get off base.

oops got to go

-M.



::: posted by Chy at 10:10 AM

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