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Drone Pilots: We Don’t Get No Respect


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Some more gems:

"When a manned aircraft with two spare engines scrapes the top of a combat zone, well outside the range of any realistic threat, why do we consider that scenario “combat” yet deem a Predator firing a Hellfire in anger “combat support”?"

"I do not believe that RPA operators are in less danger than their manned counterparts."

"...the individuals killed in the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001 on the Pentagon received the Purple Heart, a combat medal."

How about we just answer this in the same manner that you tell that questionable piece of ass in the morning: "Of course I respect you.... Now... move along...."

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SHUT YOUR MAN PLEASING CAKE HOLE!

You get to go home every night, throw the wife's heels to the ceiling, and watch kiddo's t-ball games and NFL Sunday Ticket on the weekend...oh yeah, Booze!

Meanwhile the lowly manned aircraft are flying low level airdrops and shows of force....in the mountains......with weather.....at night! Oh yeah, no Booze!

No amount of air medals is worth the time I've missed watching my kids grow up

Chow My Hog!

Cap-10

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SHUT YOUR MAN PLEASING CAKE HOLE!

You get to go home every night, throw the wife's heels to the ceiling, and watch kiddo's t-ball games and NFL Sunday Ticket on the weekend...oh yeah, Booze!

Meanwhile the lowly manned aircraft are flying low level airdrops and shows of force....in the mountains......with weather.....at night! Oh yeah, no Booze!

No amount of air medals is worth the time I've missed watching my kids grow up

Chow My Hog!

Cap-10

Easy dude, most of us were forced to be here. Anyone who tries to stay in manned aircraft and then bitches about the job needs to check themselves. Most of us would love to be back out there, but this is what we've been told to do. If you want to join in on the banging, football and drinking then raise your hand the next time the must-fills come up. Otherwise, shut the f up.

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Drone Pilots: We Don’t Get No Respect

That is some serious whining. Get over the drunk F-22 pilot. Our enemies also think fighting a war remotely is not honorable but they are the same ones who go blow up a market place full of women and kids. There is no honor in war. If fought correctly, there are only winners and losers and the winners get to do what they want - which in our case, we tend to treat the losers pretty nicely (for the most part.)

And as for the guys who envy getting to go home at every night and knocking the bottom out of their spouse and watching all their kids games. Think again. RPA caps run 24/7 which means you get to see the T-ball game if your spouse video taped it and sports recorded on your DVR and hoping that someone does not tell you the results of the game. But you do get booze...which is nice. And occasionally you get to put her heels up and you do get to see a kids game while you in the AOR get nothing. Whatever...everyone needs to get over it and move along.

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While the whole "being away" thing was not what I found completely ridiculous about the article.....

No amount of air medals is worth the time I've missed watching my kids grow up

This.

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Easy dude, most of us were forced to be here. Anyone who tries to stay in manned aircraft and then bitches about the job needs to check themselves. Most of us would love to be back out there, but this is what we've been told to do. If you want to join in on the banging, football and drinking then raise your hand the next time the must-fills come up. Otherwise, shut the f up.

Simmer down Francis,

Wasn't bashing the UAV pilot community as a whole....just the a$$ clown who is whining to the media about it.

I know you are there as a non-vol....I know a couple of bro's from my community are there as non-vol's as well.

Please get off your soap container....what sh!tty deal / take one for the team have you "raised your hand for"? I have vol'd (and got selected) for a 1 yr remote...figured it was better to try to get'er done when the timing was good for me and the kiddo's where young. Or the time I vol'd for an SIB to Afghanistan and was on the plane that evening.....any more credentials you would like?

Look, my point was he's crying to the media about not getting medals....anyone worth their salt could give 2-sh!ts about air medals (or any medals for that matter!)

He was also trying to say that UAV pilots at home are in just as much risk as the guys down range by saying that terrorism can strike anywhere (people got purple hearts in the pentagon) therefore they are at risk even while at home....WOW!

Using that mentality, I would argue pilots down range are at MORE risk once they get home. The article states that UAV pilots name aren't released in press articles unlike other pilots....so Al Queda could get the rank and name of a C-130 pilot mentioned in an article, then just wait 179 days until he rotates home and then google his address and blow it up...so wouldn't you agree that UAV pilots are acutally MORE safe while at home compared to the manned aircraft pilot who had his name all over an af.mil article?

Bottom line, he's whining to the media about lack of medals and perceived lack of respect from his peers and big blue....poor form!

Cheers,

Cap-10

While the whole "being away" thing was not what I found completely ridiculous about the article.....

This.

I'm ridiculous for saying I would prefer to have 0 air medals in exchange for being able to be home for my kids birthdays and sporting events?

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Easy dude, most of us were forced to be here. Anyone who tries to stay in manned aircraft and then bitches about the job needs to check themselves. Most of us would love to be back out there, but this is what we've been told to do. If you want to join in on the banging, football and drinking then raise your hand the next time the must-fills come up. Otherwise, shut the f up.

2.

That said, the writer of the original article actually gives a shit about getting an aerial achievement medal vs an air medal? ######ing really?

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That said, the writer of the original article actually gives a shit about getting an aerial achievement medal vs an air medal? ######ing really?

Yeah, my takeaway from that whole "article" was: Nothing to See Here.

Hell, I'd cash in one or two of my AMs to get a reliable ARC210.

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Some more gems:

"When a manned aircraft with two spare engines scrapes the top of a combat zone, well outside the range of any realistic threat, why do we consider that scenario “combat” yet deem a Predator firing a Hellfire in anger “combat support”?"

"I do not believe that RPA operators are in less danger than their manned counterparts."

"...the individuals killed in the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001 on the Pentagon received the Purple Heart, a combat medal."

How about we just answer this in the same manner that you tell that questionable piece of ass in the morning: "Of course I respect you.... Now... move along...."

So if he's not in less danger than his counterparts flying manned aircraft, we're all at risk all the time at home, right?

I wonder if I can start getting air medals for flying from a "combat zone" on CT sorties.

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This guy whining about not getting combat medals while facing zero physical risk. Count me as unsympathetic...unless the monitors explode and kill people when the Predator crashes.

The bit about being in more danger because of the potential for an Al-Qaeda assassination in the US is just ridiculous. Why would anyone with any self-respect say that after the number of "green on blue" incidents we've had?

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All I see is an article written by someone who feels he deserves more prestige for his job. Sorry you got non-vol'd or didn't do well in UPT, whatever. Get over it, move on. Being a pilot, manned or unmanned has its perks and suck ass moments, like not getting her heels up for 4 months, or missing birthdays or having 24/7 shifts at our job. We are on the same team, we all made the decision to raise our hand. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. After all, this is 'MERICA DAMNIT!

Edited by 135ASelect
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I'm ridiculous for saying I would prefer to have 0 air medals in exchange for being able to be home for my kids birthdays and sporting events?

Maybe it was the way I wrote my reply...

I was trying to say that my original reaction to the article about the drone guys was that it was ridiculous that they felt that they were in just as much danger as those in manned aircraft.

I was highlighting your comment about trading in AMs for time back with the fam as a sidenote. Yes, of course I would do that (in a heartbeat), but that was not what grabbed my interest in this story.

:beer:

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I do not believe that RPA operators are in less danger than their manned counterparts.

FUCK YOU!

Blair wraps up by noting only the pilots who actually fly aircraft, and not drone jockeys, are eligible for combat medals.

“On the current trajectory, the only Air Medals will be the ones in history books.”

Who the fuck cares about medals?!?! You can have mine!

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...it was ridiculous that they felt that they were in just as much danger as those in manned aircraft.

It is beyond ridiculous and as far as I know, the cud-chewer that wrote this article is the only person that feels that way.

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shit I know this guy. FWIW he's a good dude and was himself non-vol'd. he has very strong (and meticulously developed) opinions and knows more about world and military history than most people I've ever met. he's a brilliant dude that I think we need at a strategic level.

that being said he's way off target on this one. my guess is he's trying to get more recognition for the enlisted side of the house - i know he cares alot about the issues that some of them have been forced to deal with, especially at Canon. regardless, he missed the mark.

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Who the ###### cares about medals?!?!

People that don't get them.

I remember reading something awhile ago about the criteria for the AFCAM being too restrictive and non-ops folk thought it was unfair that their chances of "getting" one was slim to none.

People that focus on medals need to be face punched.

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