[Rhodes22-list] Naked Truth Revisited

[Bill Effros]

Brad,

No problem revisiting that story.   What are FAQs and friends for?

>  Dear Rhodies,
>
>  My better judgement tells me not to share this story,
>  but what the hell! You have to expect that when you
>  fly for a living for over 30 years, sooner or later,
>  something bad is going to happen. Like all aviation
>  accidents, small events take place that don't seem
>  like a big deal at the time, but, later come back to
>  bite you in the ass.
>
>  I've been flying Memphis to Washington Dulles all
>  week. A good trip, excellent crew, nice layover.
>  Last night I went out for a sandwich and a couple of
>  beers and went to bed around ten. Sometime in the wee
>  hours of the morning it was time to get rid of the
>  beer. I got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom,
>  opened the door, took two more steps, and heard the
>  door close behind me. WAIT! WHAT THE ####. Oh shit!
>  I'm in the g@#d#$d hallway NAKED! Don't panic, don't
>  panic, find the house phone and call the front desk,
>  have the night watchman bring a new key. Good
>  thinking Bradley! So I slink down to the elevator
>  where the house phone is, as best one can slink with
>  no clothes on. F#$%, they don't have a house phone!
>  SHIT! OK, OK, THINK! I slink back to my room and
>  notice the room next to mine has a DO NOT DISTURB sign
>  in the key card slot. Maybe I can use it to open my
>  door or if not, wake that person up and have them
>  call. Jeezo Peezo is this going to be embarrassing.
>  Folks, when those doors lock, you're not going to
>  jimmy it open with a plastic card. So, I start
>  knocking. No answer, shit! Don't panic, don't panic.
>  What the hell am I talking about? You're bare ass
>  naked in a hotel you dipshit. Panic, this is not
>  going to look good on a resume. OK, OK, you have to
>  go to the front desk. I slink to the other end of the
>  hallway to the stairwell past the Coke machine. Hey
>  wait a minute, there's a liner in the trash can. Its
>  clear, not black, but its something! I pull the liner
>  out and fashion a loin cloth of sorts. Try riding an
>  elevator eight floors naked without feeling just a we
>  bit self-concious. Fortunately, the elevator lands
>  within sight of the front desk. Even more fortunate,
>  the night clerk is actually there, not sleeping in the
>  back as usual. And its a HE. "Hey buddy! I locked
>  myself out of my room and I need you to bring a key to
>  807 ASAP. I mean, right now! 807! He shows up two
>  minutes later with a key and a really bad aviation
>  disaster that could have gotten even worse was
>  avoided.
>
>  Like all accidents, there's lessons to be learned.
>  Let me share this lesson with you. LOCK THE DAMNED
>  DOOR TO YOUR HOTEL ROOM WHEN YOU GO TO BED!
a  

brad haslett wrote:

>Phillip,
>
>Thanks for the "gouge".  He put in an application at
>FedEx this week to work in the hub.  I can't do
>anything to accelerate his hiring - if they find out
>his dad is a crewmember it would probably be the kiss
>of death - the company always blames us prima donnas
>for everyone else not getting a raise.  We're in
>contract negotiations right now so the same old BS is
>flying.  Anyway, I think Alex's best bet would be to
>get on here and then join the local Air National Guard
>unit.  They just got C5's and are building a new
>airport facility (we're getting their old one). I work
>with a lot of the officers in the unit and could
>provide some help there. He's already said he doesn't
>want to get stuck on a boat.  His grandfather on his
>mother's side is retired Army Special Forces.  He's
>said much the same thing to him as you did about the
>Army.  Unfortunately, I didn't do a very good job of
>dividing up the work ethic and motivation between my
>two sons.  The oldest I have to throttle back
>constantly and the youngest seems to always need a
>kick in the ass.  Right now the youngest is
>discovering the joys of poverty and has finally
>figured out he needs to do something.
>
>If Alex can get on at the hub and in the Memphis Guard
>it will be the best of both worlds.  FedEx will pay
>for college as well as the Guard.  I promised to put
>the equivalent amount in an IRA for him.  Of course at
>19 he has no idea what an IRA is or why anyone would
>want to put money away that couldn't be spent for 40
>years.  The Memphis Guard has been getting activated
>alot lately but mostly its trips to the desert and
>back.  I met a guy in the bar at Tysons Corner outside
>DC last night who's made some trips to/from Baghdad. 
>He said the airport was opening up to passenger
>traffic this week but they're still using special
>approach procedures.  There are a lot of SAMs out
>there and still unaccounted for Stingers from
>Afghanastan.  After seeing the photos and reading the
>story of the DHL Airbus that took a missle through the
>engine, I'm glad I don't fly there. My biggest worry
>is making sure that when I get up in the middle of the
>night to go pee, I'm really in the bathroom (long
>story from before you arrived here that I don't want
>to repeat.) 
>
>Brad
>
>--- Philip Esteban <3drecon at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Brad,
>>    It is a good move to push the Air Force.  After
>>31 years of both USMC
>>and US Army service, I would not counsel any young
>>person to join the Army
>>(the reasons are too long to go into here).  I do
>>tell the kids if they are
>>full of P*ss and Vinegar and want to Shoot, Move and
>>Communicate, the USMC
>>is their best prospect for training and esprit de
>>corps, however; if they
>>want a good tour, making the same money, in decent
>>quarters and great
>>training/education opportunities, the Air Force is
>>the way to go.  The Navy
>>is ok, but you spend a lot of time on "floats".  In
>>the end, if you are
>>injured or wounded, the Army tends to kick you to
>>the kerb.  You can
>>ultimately get treated but you have to fight for it.
>> The pat' answer is "go
>>to the VA".
>>
>>Philip
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>>[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf
>>Of brad haslett
>>Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 11:50 PM
>>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>>Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Wally's reply- not on
>>WMD
>>
>>
>>Wally,
>>
>>First, you need to be a bit more PC.  My 'boy' Ford?
>>You would get a "nine" up your butt for saying that
>>in
>>this town.  Unfortunately, Ford Junior seems to be a
>>nice kid and is on track to be our next Senator if
>>not
>>something bigger down the road. Bad timing for him.
>>His father was a crook, his uncle is going to jail
>>for
>>being a crook,  but for the race card which will
>>surely be played, just like it was for Harold,
>>Senior.
>> I'm not quite sure why Jr. wants to leave his
>>secure
>>congressional seat for the Senate, but hey, it's his
>>life.  The only Republican announced against him is
>>that idiot that ran against Bredeson for governor.
>>
>>I do think Iraq is turning but it will be a "long
>>row
>>to hoe".  My youngest son is still on the verge of
>>enlisting.  I'm pushing Navy and Air Force but we'll
>>see.  This is where the "rubber meets the road"
>>between your political beliefs and reality.
>>
>>Brad
>>
>>
>>
>>--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Brad,
>>>
>>>My nephew emails me every month or so with updates
>>>from Iraq. It does seem
>>>we are making progress. In the end history will be
>>>the judge.
>>>
>>>How about your boy Ford. It sure doesn't take much
>>>to buy a TN politician.
>>>:-0
>>>
>>>Wally
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>From: brad haslett <flybrad at yahoo.com>
>>>>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>>>>        
>>>>
>>><rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>>>>        
>>>>
>>><rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Wally's reply-  not
>>>>        
>>>>
>>on
>>    
>>
>>>WMD
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2005 09:36:59 -0700 (PDT)
>>>>
>>>>Wally,
>>>>
>>>>Yesterday I got the opportunity to "de-brief" a
>>>>helicopter pilot just returned from Iraq.  I had
>>>>        
>>>>
>>a
>>    
>>
>>>>jumpseater on my flight from DC to Memphis who
>>>>        
>>>>
>>was
>>    
>>
>>>>meeting a former co-worker for a "meet&greet"
>>>>        
>>>>
>>with
>>    
>>
>>>our
>>>      
>>>
>>>>chief pilot to get on the short list for a pilot
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>job
>>>      
>>>
>>>>interview.  The jumpseater introduced me to his
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>friend
>>>      
>>>
>>>>who belonged to a Guard unit from NY that had
>>>>        
>>>>
>>been
>>    
>>
>>>>activated.  She was home on medical leave because
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>of a
>>>      
>>>
>>>>broken foot (not combat related).
>>>>
>>>>Here was her take on Iraq.  A lot of positive
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>progress
>>>      
>>>
>>>>is being made that isn't being reported by the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>MSM.
>>    
>>
>>>>The military is putting a great deal of efforts
>>>>turning the Iraqi kids to our side, schools,
>>>>        
>>>>
>>soccer
>>    
>>
>>>>fields, etc.  She felt most of the adults were
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>happy
>>>      
>>>
>>>>we were there and more than happy that Saddam is
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>gone,
>>>      
>>>
>>>>but, many are wary and cautious after 30 years of
>>>>oppression.  Insurgency is a huge problem and the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>bad
>>>      
>>>
>>>>guys are difficult to identify because people are
>>>>scared to turn them in, not that the average
>>>>        
>>>>
>>Iraqi
>>    
>>
>>>>supports the insurgents.  Here, we'd call the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>cops
>>    
>>
>>>if
>>>      
>>>
>>>>we thought our neighbor was engaged in illegal
>>>>activity.  There, they and their family are
>>>>        
>>>>
>>killed
>>    
>>
>>>if
>>>      
>>>
>>>>they rat the bad guys out.  Most are not Iraqi's
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>but
>>>      
>>>
>>>>jihadists from other countries.  It will continue
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>to
>>>      
>>>
>>>>be a problem for some time.  She felt good about
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>her
>>>      
>>>
>>>>duty there and supported the war but expressed
>>>>        
>>>>
>>that
>>    
>>
>>>>morale was fading amongst the troops because of
>>>>        
>>>>
>>the
>>    
>>
>>>>long and extended deployments.  I asked her
>>>>specifically what her take was on WMD and she
>>>>        
>>>>
>>gave
>>    
>>
>>>me
>>>      
>>>
>>>>this question and answer.  "Captain, haven't you
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>ever
>>>      
>>>
>>>>made a decision in the jet based on the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>information
>>    
>>
>>>>you had at the time and realized later there were
>>>>other options? Bush made a decision on the intel
>>>>        
>>>>
>>he
>>    
>>
>>>>was given, the CIA and everybody got it wrong".
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>For
>>>      
>>>
>>>>the most part, she was upbeat and proud of her
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>service
>>>      
>>>
>>>>and thought she and her unit were having a
>>>>        
>>>>
>>positive
>>    
>>
>>>>impact.
>>>>
>>>>Some people don't support the war because they
>>>>        
>>>>
>>just
>>    
>>
>>>>don't like war.  Who does?  Most of the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>non-supporters
>>>      
>>>
>>>>just hate W.  Regardless, we're stuck with this
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>thing
>>>      
>>>
>>>>and it would be a horrible tragedy for the Iraqi
>>>>people for us to abandon them at this point.  We
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>did
>>>      
>>>
>>>>that once. We've had a huge military presence in
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>the
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Middle East and Europe for a long time and now
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>those
>>>      
>>>
>>>>assets will continue to move to Iraq. W is a
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>lameduck
>>>      
>>>
>>>>now and I've lost interest in the WMD issue, just
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>as I
>>>      
>>>
>>>>have with where Slick Willy went with his pecker.
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>No
>>>      
>>>
>>>>matter who the next President is (my current
>>>>        
>>>>
>>money
>>    
>>
>>>is
>>>      
>>>
>>>>on Hillary) we're in this for a good long while.
>>>>
>>>>Brad
>>>>
>>>>--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>Ed,
>>>>>
>>>>>Thanks for changing the sugject line but my
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>post
>>    
>>
>>>was
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>not about "WMDs".
>>>>>Perhaps you should have changed it to "Cuba is
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>not
>>>      
>>>
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
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