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From: David Baker
Date: 26 Jul 2000
Time: 18:51:36
During the waning days of Vietnam (mid 1972), the draft was tapering down to a few slots, basically to retain the system intact in case of an escalation. I was fortunate enough to be within the age group affected by these dwindling requirements, and having enlisted in the Air Force Reserve for 6 months delayed duty, I was in Boot Camp at Lackland when I received my Draft Notice. There was still plenty of missions left to fly in 'Nam, and replacements were being cranked out of training bases at a furious pace. My first duty station was Williams AFB, AZ, an ATC base billed as the Air Force's largest. In it's heyday, "Willy" was a going Jessie, with airplanes flying in every direction by the 10s and 20s. There was a comraderie among the working class airman which stood the test of very difficult, wearying duties required to support the mission. Young and full of piss and vinegar, I, and the cadre of bucks who arrived around the same period, labored in the fields we were assigned, then we hit the clubs to wash away the tensions of the day. It was an idyllic existence, for we were not yet burdened with the responsibilities that were to come with a virtually automatic increase in rank. This was soon to change, though. The war was winding down, and many troops were being sent home from battle, discharged the day they arrived, and given cab fare back to square one. Change was in the wind, too, as the teeth of our formerly amiable sergeants started to show. Why this was happening, I would learn quickly, as the military started to implode. We were now excess, and the military was looking to get rid of G.I.s who were just barely getting by. The problem was not one of duty performance, several airman wanted out who were trained well, and performed admirably. However, their particular specialties were still low manned, and if they had six months to go on their enlistment, they stayed six months. No, it was not a friendly prose which the military sought to eliminate manpower, it was a deliberate effort to discourage, irritate, upset, and nit-pick excess airman out of the military. And who better to do this than one who is an expert? Yes, the tried and true "Lifer"! These usually alcoholic brownnosers are professional patriots: That is, they love their country when they can force other people to leave government service, and remain with a promotion to brag about. Let one Congressman make a statement as to how "Top Heavy" the military is, and you'll witness these lifers in full battle gear. They cannot function outside the gate of a military base, because their entire concept of authority revolves around nit picking, stupid mandates that do not reflect any realistic application in civilian life (i.e.; One must align one's shoes under one's bed whilst one is asleep) Any threat to their ability to drink the finer beer they can afford with their government largess is immediately counterattacked with...You guessed it; Patriotism. I remember the cutbacks at a civilian military depot, where a closure loomed a few years away. The lifers (Double dippers who sort of retired from the military, but found private sector jobs menial, because they were hired as security guards, and convenience store clerks, with the exception of a few insurance and car salesmen) were having great difficulty finding nose space among their peers as the population of available colonels dwindled. A very large RIF occurred at our facility, and several double dipping "TAPER" employees were laid off. With news cameras rolling, these drunks saluted the flag, whined about their nation "abandoning" them, and just before the camera was shut off, started to relate their incredible war record. They were not retained, though, and several congressmen were threatened with a "veto" (How many of these drunks do we have out there??) vote if they were not rehired. It's bad enough that retired military sergeants and officers are allowed to receive two and three federal paychecks, but it is truly sad, when another war starts, that these same "Veterans" manage, again, to avoid combat, or military recalls, and they go right on irritating people out of their skins, and jobs.