Letters

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Thanks, I may use this as a letter.
 
POWs can get the same medals as anyone else.  A silver star for escaping, a bronze star for a brave deed in camp, the purple heart for injuries.  But I don't like the idea of a blanket award for everyone, like a lost truck driver in Saudi who was taken prisoner for a week.
 
Carlton
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Louviere" <clouviere@csbbanking.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 1:31 PM
Subject: Medals?

> First off I agree that the current system is over the top.  But I have a few
> comments...most good...one...well...you decide.
>
> 1).  I see no reason to just pick on officers.  If any service member does
> something "worthy" of a citation...they should get it.  And, it will not
> clean up the corruption.  I watched the same lower enlisted man receive the
> same medal 6 times.  In that same time period the rest of us in his section
> barely received 6 total...with the majority being see ya later medals.  The
> system is corrupt from the top down...and for both officers and enlisted
> personnel.
>
> 2).  Not all POW's surrendered.  I would not count all those Naval Aviators
> and Air Force pilots as "surrendered".  Being shot down in a dog fight over
> enemy held territory and landing in the middle of a NVA rice paddy as the
> same as surrendering.  But, perhaps other medals could convey the
> appreciation of a "grateful nation".
>
> 3).  Fixing the system includes fixing the culture.  The system can not
> change the politics and favoritism that exist at the Company and Battalion
> level.  So, having the grand council to dish out new rules without changing
> the mindset and culture of those at the bottom...will only change the
> paper...the medals...and the meaning...the corruption will remain.
>
> Chris


Used Transports

     I look forward to reading your online magazine every month.

     I found a great site about DC-10's http://www.taxiways.net/DC-10/ .  According to its aircraft list, many DC-10's have been broken up or scrapped.  Many of these DC-10's have been broken up this year.

     Could the USAF find a good use for these aircraft built mostly in the 1970's?  It seems that many of these airplanes were to be converted to freighters so it seems that they had some airframe life left.  With the KC-135 fleet being so old and the presence of KC-10's one might have expected the USAF to purchase these DC-10's at bargain basement prices.  Of course there are 747's available as well.       

     I could also mention the transfer of Oliver Hazard Perry FFG's to Egypt and Turkey even though these ships had many years of life left.  It seems as though these ships are being sold for a lower cost than for a single new F-22!  Meanwhile the USN will continue to buy expensive DDG's and no FFG's or FF's for the foreseeable future. 

                                                                                                      James

Ed: There are dozens of slightly used 747s parked at the Mojave airport. The airlines want the Feds to bail them out, so why not buy some dirt cheap 747-400s, all less than ten years old, now sitting in desert storage.  A couple squadrons of 747s could fill the long-range frequent USAF base to USAF base missions to free the expensive and smaller C-17s to fly theater support missions.