Hey all,
I may have to change my screen name now that I’m on terminal leave from the US Marine Corps. I’m no longer the Airframe Extrodinare of HMH-464. I’m going to miss these pigs:
Now I have a ton of time to build up some models. Does anybody know when Academy’s CH-53E is coming out?
Semper Fi,
Chris
Hey, Chris, thanks for your service, brother. You may be getting out of the Green Machine, but you’ll always still be a part of it, too. Good luck in your future endeavors.
I’m hoping the -53s are on the shelves when I get home this summer. Haven’t seen or heard a solid date yet, though.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t there a saying that goes “Once a Marine, always a Marine”? If that’s the case then there’s no need to change your ID unless you want to. Regardless of your screen name, thank you for your service!
As for the 1:48 CH-53E, rumor has it hitting the shelves late May/Early June. Let’s hope it’s not like that Little Bird rumor from a couple summers back.
Like Trigger said “once a Marine, always a Marine” and thank you for your service. Yes you will miss those helo’s, I know I do, can still do a daily and it’s been over 25years since I had to
Ridle,
Thanks for your service!
Terminal Leave is a wonderful thing, but I believe ‘open gangway’ is even better, that is what my chief allowed me to have my last month. . .of course it was in February. . .
I live on a main road that leads to the ‘big water’, so I can hear my old planes as they fly over on the dark and stormies. . .don’t miss that part!!
Don
Congrats!
Now don’t go using this as an excuse to get all fat & happy, lol. I actually think that I do more PT now that I’m out, compared to when I was still in. Difference being, I’m not working 12 hours a day on the aircraft anymore. I sure do miss the birds, but not the maintenance meetings! [banghead]
Just be sure that you get all your good reference pics taken before you make that last trip out the gate.
Semper Fi,
Andy
Yes it is a good thing. I did it…twice, first when I left the Marines (And the guys are right, a person may leave the Corps, but the Corps stays with the person the rest of their life) and about 17 years later when I retired from the Army.
The guys are also right about photos, get as many reference photos as you can before you check out, and when takin photos, don’t think “Well, I’ll never need a photo of this part, or that part”. Those are famous last words.
I wish I had taken more close up photos of mundane stuff like engines, transmissions, landing gear, rotor blades, rotor heads and APUs, cockpit and cabin interior stuff on '46s and '47s.
Thanks for your service to the country Jarhead! [tup]
Jonathan Primm
Thank you sir! [#toast]
Thanks for your service, semper Fi. I feel your joy, I was a trigger puller, got out in ‘94, and man was I happy, yet I miss it dearly. It is a weird thing, being a Marine. You know, I can remember being on ship or out in the field cryin’ about how much this or that sucked. But when some non-Marine had anything bad to say he was lit up. Know what I mean? Believe it or not, you will miss it. Welcome to your new command-1st/2nd CivDiv!
So true.
And once your civilian first class, even the bad times are viewed with some humor. . .
I said “some”!
Don
Thanks guys for the kind words. I’m having alot of fun doing absolutely nothing on terminal leave. You’re right about the bad times being worth a laugh, and the maintenance meetings.
I did get some reference pics few months ago. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any since mid march because the choppers were… somewhere else. I posted the pics on my photobucket page, which is open to the public. The 53E pics are on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pages.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v491/ridleusmc/?start=20
Thank you and
SEMPER FI,
Chris
thank you for your service…I have a question, if a person is not a marine or never was, is it incorrect for him to say “semper fi” to a marine? I started to say semper fi, as a note of respect for your service, but I don’t know if it’s proper since I’m a civi…[:)]
I’ve heard people say it who have never been Marines, and while none of the guys I served with (and myself) would probably never say anything about it, it would probably be considered bad form.
It would be sort of like a situation in High School when someone in the band tries to make themselves sound like they are part of the Football team.
At least that is my take on it.
Jonathan Primm
Chris:
I retired last August. 26 years AH-1Js,AH-1T,AH-1T+,AH-1W. UH-1Es and UN-1Ns.
HML-267,HML-367,HMA-169,HMT-303,HML-767. Then we went composite, the L/A route.
Retired out of HML/A 267, completed the circle. Get ready for the civilian world.So you were a tin bender, I started out as a power plants type. That CH-53E kit looks impressive.
Semper Fi
Don
Hey Don,
I saw your list of squadrons there and wondered if you ever ran across my father-in-law, LtCol. Laurens Grandy. He was CO of “Scarface”-I believe it was HML/A 267 from 86-87, then XO of MAG-39 until '88 when he retired. I think he actually began in Vietnam with HML/169. Small world, you know, the Corps-even smaller, Marine helo aviation. Thanks for your dedication and duty.
Ridle,
I’m a former 53 Airframer as well, so I wanted to thank you for your service and let you know that there’s a lot of oppurtunity out there for you. Are you wanting to stay in aircraft maintenance? I’ve kept my hand in it since I got out 7.5 years ago, and it’s been good to me. I even had a chance to work on -53’s again last year, and loved it.
If you are indeed wanting to stay in maintenance, I can give you some leads, if you haven’t found some already. Just reply to this message in the forum if you’re interested, and I’ll arrange to e-mail you some info.
Semper Fi,
Brian
Sure I’m interested. I’m working on my A&P right now.
The helicopter company I work for is ALWAYS looking for sheetmetal/airframe types. It is a pretty good company to work for. I’ve been with them since 1997. We don’t have anything as big as CH-53s but there is always ALOT of sheetmetal work to be done.
Chris,
Thank you so much for serving our country and good luck with whatever you maybe end up doing.
Chris,
Job well done man! There are certianly many opportunities out there if you want to stay in A/C maintenance. The nice thing is that the Arts and Crafts Shop is basically the same where ever you go, there are only so many ways to bend metal and a good tin man is worth their weight in gold no matter what their background is. I can give you and idea or two, not really specific leads though.
Mac