.22 LR for training

[retdetsgt]

I worked with quite a few guys who had been stationed in 'Nam and they predominately spoke of mortar/rocket attacks and firing on sappers trying to make it to the aircraft bunkers on the flight line. I don't recall anyone talking about an actual all out assault on an air base.

I never heard of an all out on any AFB's either. I don't know what happened during Tet, I was up north then. When I first got there, the AF depended on the Army or Marines to go after anyone outside the base. The AP's weren't allowed to cross the perimeter because they really had no combat training, only trained to provide security. Sending them out in the bush probably wouldn't have been a good idea. So either us or Marines would get called out when they started taking incoming, which was sometimes not real convenient.

Before I left, they started getting some trained airmen who could go off the base and chase them down immediately after an attack. They had been sent by the AF to Ft. Benning for some basic Army infantry training, I don't know how much. I saw a few before I left and they thought they were pretty bad@ss because they'd essentially gone through our advanced infantry. But I have to give them credit, they did a pretty good job after a while. My initial impression from the first group I saw was that they had more guts than anything else, but they learned pretty quickly. It wasn't a fun job after the VC figured out they were going to be chased right away.

One of our CO's suggested at one time to an AF equivalent of our Provost Marshal that it might be a good idea to assign a few of our NCO's to them until they got the hang of it, but he wouldn't hear it and said they had their own NCO's. Never mind that initially their NCO's had no more experience than their airmen, but what did we know? It worked out though as usual in spite of the command.

[retdetsgt]

I did. In fact, I think it' safe to say RDS hates the Air Force.

Only when they didn't wear pants....

[Hudson69]

I didn't mean that as any kind of slam at all against AF guys. Correct me if I'm wrong, but unless an airman is assigned to a specialized or security unit, they aren't really around small firearms, are they? Sorta like the Navy, you don't see the average sailor on a ship toting around a shootin' iron.

And if your duty isn't going to entail grabbing a rifle, what's the point of worrying too much about qualifying?

That's what always impressed with the USMC, everyone there is a rifleman first and whatever else is secondary.

This is my take on the Air Force and shooting; having been to the sandbox and as an Air Force (Reserve) Combat Arms (firearms) Instructor there was a time when you could actually fail to qualify with your weapon system assigned (M-16A2 or M9) and stay in the service. Plus if you didn't fall into a combat/armed AFSC duty then you would only have to qual every two or three years.

Now, like the Army (I cannot speak for the Marines or Navy) you qualify at least once a year regardless of job and you can get booted out of the service for not doing so. It used to be pretty easy to skip out on shooting but the GWOT got that straightened out.

In regard to base defense Security Forces, the newest title to Air/Security Police do guard the perimeter but I understand it was because the Army/Marines had said "It's your area, you defend it." There is also supposed to be a high-speed, low-drag unit called the 820th SFG (Security Forces Group) that are jump or AA qual'ed and do a ton of field training but I have never seen them in action to rate them. I went through Air Base Ground Defense at Ft. Dix in '95 and it was ground combat skills taught by Army Cadre and AF SP's.

[retdetsgt]

In regard to base defense Security Forces, the newest title to Air/Security Police do guard the perimeter but I understand it was because the Army/Marines had said "It's your area, you defend it."

I don't know a thing about anything in the last 40 years, but in Vietnam it was my understanding that it was the AF that wanted to create their own perimeter defense forces. The reason was quite simple and logical, the Army and Marines weren't always right there to respond and if the AF had control of the responding forces. Military branches never voluntarily give up any responsibility to another branch.

I finally found this site that explains who they were and how they came about:

Safeside Association - AIR FORCE LIGHT INFANTRY - JOINED TO FIGHT

They were just showing up about the time I was getting ready to get on the Freedom Bird.