European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 23, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 letters the stars and stripes tuesday june 23, 1987 writers critical of pilots leather jackets. i ii n., ,., Gnu on i Impf a rows. With the system operate smoothly ii definitely enhanced my Esprit to know that with budget cots i and Many others will not be promoted this year bul air Crews will be issued leather Jack ets just like during world War ii. It makes me want to Nin to Capo and re enlist just to know that soon Well dressed air Force pilots will be wearing their scarves draped Over new actually old leather flight jackets for less than s3 minion. A tech Stripe for a leather jacket sounds Aboul right in today s air Force. Maybe we should be compensated for our stripes with a leather jacket. This May enable the air Force to retain sever Al cos who would otherwise leave the service and would pay for itself in the first year. The air Force it s not just an adventure it s a contradiction. Stiff St. Lynn Freeman rim Tela a Germany it seems the department of defense will have to find some additional Money to cover the Cost of last january s 3 per cent military pay raise. I have an idea where to find a Little less than s3 million to make a Good Dent on the Aboul the new leather tight jackets to be issued to air Force pilots this fall with All the current budget cuts How can anyone justify such an expenditure to serve As a badge for an elite group . Air Force uniforms Are de signed to be functional and should con form to the four elements of neatness cleanliness safety and military 35-10 also Stales the air Force philosophy remains thai the uniform will be Plain distinctive and standardised across the air Force. I can t see How a leather flight jacket readily conforms Tony of these categories. All air Force personnel must understand that regardless of duty we All belong to the same big unit of Blue suits and whether you drive them Fly them guide hero maintain them or support them Only with everyone will it ail work. To set any duty apart through the uniform for reasons other than safety is contrary to even the definition of the word uniform. If this is such � great initiative Why not have the pilots buy their own jackets and just authorize them for Wear i am appalled to think someone is spending my us dollars on a fruitless Effort that will Only serve to further enlarge Pilot egos and broaden the rift Between rated and non rated officers and enlisted. I in Vite everyone to join me in writing Theair Force uniform Board and or their congressman on this matter. Tech sgt wan j. Crould Ramstein a Germany ,. I be been in the air Force for More than a few years now and have always heard thai we were supposed to be proud of our uniforms that they made us a. Pan of a greater whole and linked us together As individuals striving toward a common goal i do nol begrudge pilots a Leatherback cd personally i Don l need one but recognize thai such trappings could generate positive feelings among a few individuals. If the training costs of Only five pilots will offset the entire Cost of the new jackets then i am certain we can retain at least five individuals that might have separated otherwise. Other people will need More than a leather jacket to cure their frustrations. Insofar As the tradition behind the jackets goes i seem to recall that they were once issued to All flight Crew Mem Bers regardless of their position on an aircraft or the rank they wore. The Cap Tain Pilot and Corporal gunner got the same jacket they needed it to keep from being Frozen by the icy blasts of air ripping through their machines. I had once assumed that pilots wore their wings to set them apart and received flight pay to recompense for their More hazardous occupation. It appears those Are insufficient. Chief master sol. Brian a Bussler rims teen a Germany the entire article clearly demonstrates How the senior leadership would rather opt for band Aid fixes than concentrate on the real Pilot retention problems. In Case they be forgotten Here Are a few reminders time spent toy versus time spent with family. Delegation of additional duties not real Edo flying. A promotion system which rewards Square filling instead of performance. Eroding medical benefits. Threats to the retirement system. Lack of compensation. Shall 110 on in sum i Hope the upper Echelon of military leadership will refrain from publicizing unprofessional hype and concen trate on real retention issues instead. Leather jacket articles Only enhance the Grapevine theory that the air Force is not Only out of touch with their pilots but every officer and enlisted Man on Active duty. A Ranu Uta Pilot rust can a Germany this letter deals not with the jackets but rather the Captain s attitude toward the air Force and its personnel. The statement about pilots they re the ones out there every Day risking their lives. They re the ones thai go into Chevalley of death is totally out of line. Security police firefighters Eod personnel to name a few also risk their lives every Day. Today s air Force com plebes its Mission through teamwork which includes All Blue Fortuna Tely this View is nol widespread and most pilots recognize and appreciate the efforts of the Blue name withheld Runstein a Germany dependents Are wailing months to see doctors Money for education is non existent Field units Are driving trucks 90old Hal wheels have literally fallen off we put up with hours of Energy rapper nonsense on an and we Are going to waste millions on flight jackets is there really a Pilot out Here who is going to remain in the air Force because he got a flight jacket but what really burned me up was the comment to group pilots into the same big unit and have them look like every one else is not fair to the pilots. They re the ones out there every Day risk ing their we arc one big unit How Long Are you and your a-10 going to Fly without ground Crews without finance getting you your flight pay without ground radar units guiding you7 Are the pilots the Only people going into the Valley of death what about Mobile units that have a lift expectancy of hours if the balloon goes up or spa who have to pull Over drunks or age Guys who Deal with explosive fuel or electronic technicians who handle High voltage Why arc we All trained on weapons and do if there in t a common danger i Hope pilots realize that nol every one has been blessed with 20/20 vision or parents Rich enough to Send them to College. Some people can t even get enough time off to finish a degree off duty. There Are plenty of air Force troops out there wearing. Bus who would love to Wear the Blue suit they so casualty . Sgt. William Hallwachs set Ronald Herder set Vaden Dejarnette sgt. Brit . James Monticell the. Sgt. Michael Kygh airman Kelly Arnold . Eric . Matthew Frickey . David . Bryan Fitzgerald 1 St it. Stanley Sano tech. Sol. Aaron Price 1st i. David Cowen mister sgt. Billy Hulln senior masters to Roger a Holl Shah sgt Edwin Marsh tech. Sgt. Michael crr . Thomas . Timothy Dawson Sal. Todd Fager bolts suf sgt. William Arnett tech. Sri. Kenneth Gibbuns Stenbach Germany i Lake nothing away from the pilots fighter or otherwise who Are charge with the actual Fly and fight Mission. However the statement relegates the rest of us to the category of second class citizen. I remind the Pilot that his Job would be impossible without the Breslof us the clerks supporting his unil the financial people ensuring Nis plane and the work on it is paid for the maintenance peo ple who make his plane flyable these purity police who make sure one tampers with his plane and Many others insuring he has a place to land matter the actual Job we All sup port the defense of this country with our lives if need be. For me i Don t mind getting lost in All the Blue suits of Hal i already consider an elite group the . Air Force. Copt. Thomas l. Holz Raf Greenham common England the government can t balance the budget As it is. To think it will save the air Force Money by retaining a few i Lols is senseless. If they slay in just be cause they arc getting a new flight jacket what will we have to give them next. Every member of the service is a part of the Mission As a whole the de sense of our nation and its allies. Why then must we single out one party to say they Are the elite group we All Are a part of an elite group. Yes we All make the. Most of the Lime. Those glorious flight jackets traditional yes essential name and location withheld while 1 am flabbergasted by the statement that a 15 million initiative could possibly retain several operational pilots who would have otherwise left the service i feel that this flagrant misuse of Money should be addressed to my congressional representatives rather than being the subject of this let Ter. Suppose it must be senility catching up with me but i seem to re Call Hal a uniform is meant to be just that uniform All men and women being equal on the first impression. I can also vaguely recall in my 18 years As a dependent child and nine years of Active duly that we have lost Many excellent highly trained professional air men. Is memorial Day or veterans Day celebrated Only for our isl pilots . On these Days we As a nation mourn All our dead All of whom were out there risking their lives every Day. Staff sgt d. Youngwood Ramsten a Germany. It in t the clothes 8 person wears hat make them part of an elite group it s How they perform their duties and the Way they work As team members to reach a common goal. We re All Lilc and we re proud of what we do. We Don t need a jacket to help us stand out from everyone else Richard u snick or. In Nuten a Germany. If a Wii leather jacket can make a fighter Pilot perform better in the cockpit i suggest we save a Tew Bucks and buy them blankets. My six year old son plays Pilot All the time and i Only have to give him a Blanket to Wear around his neck that costs less than 10 Bucks. Ask the people that fuel. Service and turn your aircraft what they think Aboul my idea senior master sol. Richard e. Bettencourt Prem As Germany i m All for the leather jackets As any thing to improve on a Quality of life item is a step in the right direction. But Aboul the rest of that article piloting a typewriter May not be As Islo Nous As going Mach 2 at 30,000 feet. Bul the duties involved Are just Asim portent. Finally inc article leaves the Reader with one question in mind what is the air Force going to do with All of the very expensive flight jackets currently worn by aircrew members tech. Sgt. Charles Perry Ramstein a Germany Wake up and smell the Coffee. Suc Cess on tomorrow s Battlefield will be a result of team Effort not singular feats of heroism performed by members of an elite group. What makes a fighter Pilot s self disciplined flight through the Valley of death any different from the infantry Soldier patrol in the Valley of death or the Seaman recruit s duty m the bowels of inc Stark maj. Richard w. Baldwin Val Hintgen Germany pen pals � to ton part Pau. I in 27 Tyvi pm ind or Tow s. In a tin cd in it Amon in a Pimp pub us my Iwry m our in pal Kimn. In 1a and Man of Jehovah s Tam two. A Jim tub Fjon David i Hixi 94d7. i Hai 26-vf-ot3 5olir�fl Milf Woliung in aug Vaa i would a a Hin pan pals i vow to world my uni tit Phi a a Flim. 1ow�l. No amytal and bad Minton to singing i m also Laming Jipanee and oaf . Rohan h.t.8 Jumil 3m. to 60 hkbo&ar319s2kingdom of saudi Arabia Pitoau i T m your pen pm column. I am 21 Yean mind Hal i Immons. Dancing and gone in Moulin jul. Juba Qianna 12 Oil Phil spines i would Uxa in Hava pan Paia. I am 27 years old and inca ubom. Tag vhf my of Eva h. Soni of Magoli by. I would Lik to to Rapo id win anyone wet Fin reach 01 a Stara and str tape inlay Jadi m Wing of Anong and nun to 30 a an of ago of Mann Bawa a Neckin in Wiki 2. Now or an win emt�uyapony.v.tnah-uh i in 20 of Titi o4d and Wuu Lik to Cofre fond with pop ill Ort the new Enwin f. Narwat Nabong. Kunga Layla Abu cily. i would la to a Tat a few in Prtela. I Flat. 25 a Tiff of. My Hoot re to miming to . Cow nil irks a Walkling Pool Cavil 1ho Stamps Pama m. A not
