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Tops in Blue (TIB) - WTF?


Steve Davies

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Mmmmm-kay....

So are their shows considered a "mandatory-fun" event, or do you get the option to not partake?

It's mandatory when they've got a captive audience. When I did my ROTC summer camp, they made us endure a tops in blue show, and when we were deployed in '03 for OIF, they made everyone that wasn't flying go to their show. Thank God I was flying that day...

They've visited my base a few times over the past 5-6 years, and it was optional.

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  • 2 years later...
I can't really talk I've never seen a show...but still, wow.

I've never seen a show either. Mostly, because I could hear from my tent how shitty they really were. No need to get closer to hear it any louder. But, I'll still bash them. :bash:

Had to carry them from Jaco-bad to Manas once. The other airplane broke so we crammed all their shit into mine and carried them up there. It was mighty tight in the back (sts).

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I'm gonna ask a stupid-but-serious question.......

Is this REALLY an official, government-funded, "entertainment" organization within the Air Force???

Two years later... I know a little better now.

Incidentally, they fly with us a lot. For some reason, our mission crew director really likes snagging the TIB-transport missions.

To date, I've been successful at avoiding those missions. I want nothing to do with the whole concept.

edit: added quote of myself

Edited by JarheadBoom
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I know the fiddle player. Good dude and great fiddle player. That said, I've never seen the TIB show mostly due to extreme embarassment that an organization that uses "combat" and "warrior" relative to a 2 hour drive in Montana would approve and encourage terrible theatrics. I keep hearing that there's a real Air Force out there somewhere. Anyone know where I might find it?

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I know the fiddle player. Good dude and great fiddle player. That said, I've never seen the TIB show mostly due to extreme embarassment that an organization that uses "combat" and "warrior" relative to a 2 hour drive in Montana would approve and encourage terrible theatrics. I keep hearing that there's a real Air Force out there somewhere. Anyone know where I might find it?

They're holed up in a compound on the south side of Pope. You won't know they're air force though, they wear civvies and beards. Good luck trying to get in!

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I did the Nellis airshow back in '07. One night after hours, me and a couple other bros went to Fremont Street to gamble/drink/sin/look at naked girls...and we saw the USAF 60th anniversary logo on the Freemont overhead screen (if you've been there you know what I'm talking about).

We tried to figure out what was going on, and then we saw the stage. We showed-up just as TIB was starting to perform.

So there I was ("NO SHIT...tell us about it, motherfucker!"), at a TIB show, INVOLUNTARILY (the stage was blocking access to the rest of the casinos we wanted to see. And we're hammered.

What else was I to do, other than stand there and heckle for 30 minutes. Never in the history of man have the phrases "CHOKE YOURSELVES" and "EAT A DICK, HOMOS" been shouted so much, so loudly, by so precious few.

Every little bit helps. Do your part to rid the world of this crap.

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Guest Hueypilot812
I want nothing to do with the whole concept.

You mean you never were forced to watch the Navy "Sea Chanters" while you were in the USMC? TIB is pretty gay...then I saw the "Sea Chanters" ad on AFN...looks like the Navy is really trying to give the USAF gayness a run for its money.

The thing that really gets me...these are actually "career fields". Can you imagine? "I joined the Navy and spent 20+ years signing in a choir".

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Had to carry them from Jaco-bad to Manas once.

Carried them from Bagram to Manas last year. Two of them practically demanded to sit in the cockpit for a take-off and/or landing. I essentially told them to eat sh!t without swearing.

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Carried them from Bagram to Manas last year. Two of them practically demanded to sit in the cockpit for a take-off and/or landing. I essentially told them to eat sh!t without swearing.

So did you say "Eat poopie" instead? I was unfortunate enough to watch the TIB about 6 years ago and I question why we allocate money for this? It could be better spent somewhere else and I'm sure morale would improve with their removal.

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What else was I to do, other than stand there and heckle for 30 minutes. Never in the history of man have the phrases "CHOKE YOURSELVES" and "EAT A DICK, HOMOS" been shouted so much, so loudly, by so precious few.

Well done. Now if we could get all operators across the globe to do this at every TIB show, we might have a chance.

You guys ever seen a USO show from the past?

I was lucky enough to see one USO show while over in the sand. It was awesome, entertaining with John Popper playing music and Patriots cheerleaders showing the goods. The Brits did even better when they brought strippers and dirty comedians. TIB sucks. TIB performers, both past and present, are loads that their mothers should have swallowed.

HD

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You guys ever seen a USO show from the past?

Huggy, just because you enjoy reruns of The Lawrence Welk Show and Hee Haw doesn't mean you should try making everybody feel bad for making fun of TIB. Come on, tell me you aren't just the tiniest bit embarassed to see AF members up their singing and dancing in ridiculous outfits making asses out of themselves.

Reminds me of a story. I was volun-told to help out for Air Force Week in Sacramento couple years back. Did the GLO thing for the flybys during the day and that night, did PA-type crap at a reception. You know, talk about the deuce, answer questions, shake hands, etc. I also ended up helping TIB get all their shit squared away so they could dance around for a bunch of retirees and civilians. Talk about a bunch of pompous a-holes. They acted like they were God's gift. We were just the dirty hired help. They even had a receiving line at the end so everybody could come shake their hands and "thank them for serving". Man that pissed me off.

EDIT: made this an even better post.

Edited by Spoo
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I was just asking a question, Spoo. Nothing more. A few comments certainly made me think that the poster would have flamed Bob Hope and Co.

Even Bob Hope would screw up on those tours! He came to Chu Lai in 1970 with his USO tour and put on a big show...Connie Francis, Les Brown and the Band, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, etc. They were filming it for one of his big TV specials. The outdoor amphitheater was right next to the helipad for the 91st Evacuation Hospital, where the Dustoffs would bring casualties in from the field. During the show then had several emergency runs from the field straight into the 91st with wounded grunts, and the noise inturupted the show. He got pissed and stopped the show several times, complaining about the interuption and calling for someone to stop those "damned eggbeaters". I can assure you the TV watchers at home didn't see the loud boos and people walking out of the show!!

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My 2/10th's of a cent...

These guys showed up while I was pulling a force protection detail at Salem a few years ago. Couple of em came in to the chow hall and sat down a seat over from my buddy and me (at least they gave us man space). Asked em who they were because of their funny ass uniforms, and they were very standoffish and holier than thou about the whole thing. "We're TIB, we travel the world entertaining the troops. It's a hard job and a huge responsibility, blah blah blah..." Wasn't too keen on them in the first place, that just killed any little bit of respect I might have had for them.

This is just one more thing to add to the list for the reorganization and prioritization of our service.

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My turn,

These asshats came to Kunsan right before X-Mas in 1992. I'm walking down the street as they get off the bus from Osan and go into the rec center and no-shit, they have cops blocking off the sidewalk so no one breaks/interrupts thru their line. A warning sign I’m to dumb to catch. So later, like stupid shits me and another guy went to the show which was in the phase dock (which those guys had to clean the crap out of for DAYS in order to get the TIB seal of approval). Tried to get a good spot on top of some B-4 stands like you see guys in all those old USO shows from WWII to Vietnam. Wasn't a bad spot until some SP dill weed kicked us off of them because "we could get hurt". Funny, spent hours on-the-job on those things and nobody could give a crap. So pissed off as we were we're out on the hangar floor with the shoes and other assorted dweebs and the show starts (you'd think it was The Who or somebody good judging by the cheering). Then about a half a second into the first number, it hits me like a ton of bricks, and I realize that these goobers are getting a USAF paycheck to sing, dance, and act like God's gift to entertainment. Meanwhile, me and everyone else on the sortie generation side of the world work our asses off on 12+ hours shifts in all weather to put jets in the sky DOING THE MISSION. Then add in all the asspain the Phase boys went through getting kicked out of their hangar and thereby ######ing up the pahse flow for this crap. So we did what any self respecting weapons troops would do; walked out and went to A-Town there we drank a shitload of beer and numerous Soju based intoxicants while watching the juicy girls do their thing. TIB bullshit is nothing new, its as old as TIB itself.

Edit cause I left something out.

Edited by Stitch
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So did you say "Eat poopie" instead?

I used the more aggressive term "doo doo"...

I said we needed to have actual crew members up in the cockpit doing actual crew duties like scanning for threats, and we weren't there for their entertainment.

Bunch of pompous cocklick douches...

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