Prince Harry JTAC

[JarheadBoom]

The quick answer is a resounding no. There are many things attractive in the British military, this being one of them.....that would not last five milliseconds in the US DOD.

Believe me, I know. I spent 11 years in a branch of service that teaches delegation of authority to everyone... yet it rarely happened in real-life.

[M2]

Interesting article in today's AFA Update, given the 4th's lineage to the RAF Eagle Squadrons...

Cheers! M2

Mixing with Royalty: F-15E aircrews from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., didn't realize it at the time, but a close air support sortie they carried out in Afghanistan's restive Helmand province late last year was called in by none other than Price Harry, third in line to the British throne. "It was just a standard troops-in-contact call, and we checked in with him," said Capt. Ben Donberg, who led a pair of Strike Eagles that took out a trench line of anti-government forces in relief of the prince and his British compatriots. His accent didn't give him away because the US pilots were used to working with the British. But the item that did stand out at the time was the "extraordinarily high" skill and proficiency of the person coordinating the attack at the other end, Donberg said. "In fact, everybody in that sortie, all four of us, once we got down, we all commented on the proficiency and the skill he was providing us," he said. The strike took place on Dec. 30, a spokeswoman with the wing told the Daily Report yesterday. (Seymour Johnson report by Kenneth Fine)

[Guest Jimmy]

Cool beans and props to this Harry dude.

[broncoflyer05]

Any idea where the hat that Prince Harry is wearing can be bought?

[Bergman]

Any idea where the hat that Prince Harry is wearing can be bought?

You might be able to convince him to sell it via celebrity charity auction on eBay.

[budderbar]

Any idea where the hat that Prince Harry is wearing can be bought?

Check your local BX! They come rolled up in a tube with a t-shirt. Why I know this, I have no idea. Maybe I need to stop hanging out at the BX.

peace

[pawnman]

Apparently Harry impressed the Ghurkas he was serving with...they gave him one of their prized daggers and named him an honorary Ghurka.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/...icle1880886.ece

[Guest JorryFright21]

Do the Brits not have hair cut regs?

Obviously this guy's never hung out with deployed JTACs, or anybody that does "special" stuff before.

Edited to add: I was in Kandahar when this was going down. Lots of Brits really respect him for this. I think it's pretty cool, and you don't see a whole lot of our political leaders' children going out there. They're busy being privileged.

[pawnman]

Obviously this guy's never hung out with deployed JTACs, or anybody that does "special" stuff before.

Edited to add: I was in Kandahar when this was going down. Lots of Brits really respect him for this. I think it's pretty cool, and you don't see a whole lot of our political leaders' children going out there. They're busy being privileged.

There was a related story that Harry was going to try for pilot school and fly Apaches, because that wouldn't lead his unit to shoulder so much danger because of him. He's chomping at the bit to get back in the fight.

I read a series of books where Harry was the commander of an SAS unit. The books were mediocre, but I thought that part was pretty good. The author was John Birmingham...can't remember the titles of the trilogy off the top of the ol' cranium, though.

[Guest zookrider]

Edited to add: I was in Kandahar when this was going down. Lots of Brits really respect him for this. I think it's pretty cool, and you don't see a whole lot of our political leaders' children going out there. They're busy being privileged.

As long as you don't count the sons of one presidential candidate and both VP candidates.

[Guest JorryFright21]

As long as you don't count the sons of one presidential candidate and both VP candidates.

Yeah, you're right, I now see how 3 qualifies as "a whole lot". Thanks for clearing that up for us.

[uhhello]

Yeah, you're right, I now see how 3 qualifies as "a whole lot". Thanks for clearing that up for us.

There are more than you think. Not enough, but some.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/20...-congress_x.htm

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., lost his nephew, Philip, in Iraq. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., says his son, Alan, had two close calls: one from an improvised explosive device, the other from a sniper.

Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., credits his nightly prayers with his son Perry's narrow escape from a mortar attack in Fallujah.

Almost four years into the war, the conflict in Iraq has begun to touch some of the lawmakers who authorized it in a very personal way.

That reality — which stands in stark contrast to the popular stereotype of Congress — will be embodied tonight by Sen. Jim Webb, the Virginia Democrat delivering the response to President Bush's State of the Union address.

Webb's eldest son, Jimmy, is a Marine in the combat zone. He can't bring himself to talk about his son — not even to the president — but others speak eloquently of their loved ones' sacrifices.

"I understand and sympathize with the Americans who continue to support this war because they do not want their family and friends to have died in vain," Baucus said of his nephew's death in a Senate speech Feb. 10. "I know what it is like to pray for a reason and to become determined not to lose."

[Butters]

Yeah, you're right, I now see how 3 qualifies as "a whole lot". Thanks for clearing that up for us.

Yea, it is a "whole lot" more than any Democratic candidate has done recently.

[M2]

It looks like ol Arry is trying to get back into the mix...good on 'im!

Prince Harry Passes British Army Pilot's Course

JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer

LONDON (AP) - Just call him Your Royal Fly-ness: Prince Harry has earned his wings, his office said Friday.

Harry, the younger son of Charles and the late Princess Diana, is third in line to the British throne, but known in the military simply as Lt. Harry Wales. Earlier this week, he passed the final exams to become an army helicopter pilot - a career he hopes will take him back to the front lines in Afghanistan.

Harry has already served with British forces in the country's restive Helmand Province he spent nearly three months directing air strikes as a forward air controllerand has said he hopes his new career as a helicopter pilot in the Army Air Corps will help him return there.

"To get out to Afghanistan again would be fantastic and my best chance is to do it from a helicopter," he said last year. "I'm really enjoying it and, as everyone knows, it's my easiest way of getting back to the front line. Maybe safer, maybe not, I don't know."

A spokeswoman at Harry's St. James's Palace office said the prince was "very pleased" to have passed the course, which began last January. She said any decision on returning to the war zone would be for the army's chain of command.

"Like any soldier, Prince Harry would deploy to where he is asked," she said on condition of anonymity, in line with palace policy.

Harry will learn next week whether he will fly the Apache attack helicopterused in Afghanistan to assault enemy ground positionsor the Lynx chopper, described as the army's "primary battlefield utility helicopter."

The army will ultimately make the decision about what helicopter he will pilot, but Harry is entitled to request a specific aircraftand his preferences, "to some extent," are considered, the palace said, along with his ability and the army's operational needs.

A Defense Ministry spokesman said Harry will undergo further training once he is assigned to a specific aircraft. If he were to deploy to Afghanistan, it likely wouldn't be until at least 2011, he said on condition of anonymity, in line with government policy.

The prince will be presented with his pilot's wings next week by his father, Prince Charles who qualified to fly choppers in 1974 during his time in the military.

Flying is in this family's royal blood: Harry's older brother, Prince William, is learning to fly search-and-rescue choppers and will be posted to a Royal Air Force base in Wales when he completes his training. Their uncle, Prince Andrew, flew a Royal Navy helicopter during the Falklands War.

[Guest]

It looks like ol’ ‘Arry is trying to get back into the mix...good on 'im!

Choppers are cool. Royally so.

[Timbonez]

Saw the article too; apaches would be my pick. Regarding the picture of him in the first post, he has a Browning Hi-Power (I know 2 years ago). There is no way he could have an AD, even if he tried pulling the trigger, because it's a single action only pistol and the hammer is clearly down. There is either no round in the chamber or a round is chambered and he rode the hammer down, so he is pretty much safe.

[M2]

Looks like Harry’s going to fly Apaches after all! It's damn cool that he’s doing this, I think he’s doing a lot to turn around the image of the royals (as well as his own) in the UK…

Cheers! M2

Prince Harry to fly Apache Attack Helicopters

JANE WARDELL, Associated Press Writer

LONDON (AP) - British Army commanders have selected Prince Harry to train as an Apache attack helicopter pilot, his office said Friday, in a boost to the 25-year-old's hopes of returning to the front lines in Afghanistan.

Prince Harry - who is due to receive his pilot's wings from his father, Prince Charles, later Friday - said it was a "huge honor" to learn to fly "an awesome helicopter."

"There is still a huge mountain for me to climb if I am to pass the Apache training course," he said in a statement issued by his London office.

"To be honest, I think it will be one of the biggest challenges in my life so far," he added. "I am very determined, though, as I do not want to let down people who have shown faith in my ability to fly this aircraft on operations."

The prince, who is third in line to the British throne and is known in the military as Lt. Harry Wales, passed his basic helicopter training course last month.

That granted him the right to choose to apply to train on either the Apache, or the Lynx, a battlefield utility helicopter. His office said that Army Air Corps commanders judged that the prince's skills and flying abilities best suited the Apache, which was designed to hunt and destroy tanks.

The helicopter has been extensively used in Afghanistan to assault enemy ground positions and fly cover for Chinook heavy-lift support helicopters.

Prince Harry has made no secret of his desire to return to the front lines in Afghanistan.

The young royal - who was denied the chance to go to Iraq when the British army said it was too risky - served in Afghanistan in 2008 as a battlefield air controller until his time was cut short by a media leak.

Flying is in the family's royal blood: Harry's older brother, Prince William, is learning to fly search-and-rescue choppers. Prince Charles qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1974, and their uncle, Prince Andrew, flew a Royal Navy helicopter during the Falklands War.