Good Read - HL 179 (2)

From: "Pete Kammerrmeyer" <easykamm@garlic.com>
Date: August 15, 2013, 4:55:26 PM CDT
To: <mark@pilotcommunication.net>
Subject: ENQUIRY
Reply-To: "Pete Kammerrmeyer" <easykamm@garlic.com>

I am a retired WAL/DAL pilot. My friend Bruce Cowee is publishing a book titled Vietnam to Western Airlines. Bruce and I were in the AF together and then on to WAL. This book will be on the shelves by Veterans Day 2013. Could you post this in your next "High Life"

Mark,

  I forgot to mention Bruce was hired by WAL in 1972 and retired from DAL in 2004 as a B767A in LAX.

 

Pete Kammermeyer

 

Copyright © 2013 by Bruce T. Cowee

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means without written permission for the publisher and

author/editor.

Printed in the USA by Advanced Publishing LLC

ALIVE Book Publishing

ALIVE Publishing Group

3200 A Danville Blvd.

Suite 204

Alamo, California 94507

Alivebookpublishing.com

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The following is admittedly political, but makes valid points concerning this attack. 

From: "Dave Norvell" <dgnorvell@hotmail.com>
Date: August 16, 2013, 3:42:24 PM CDT
Subject: RETIRED PILOTS VIEW

PILOTS VIEW
Bengazi truth from a fighter pilot.

"Hands" was my boss when I was on the USAF Stan Eval team when you and
I were both stationed at Ramstein in the late 70's. I guess
"outspoken" is an understatement because Phil would tell it like it
was and that is the main reason he was so well respected by all of
those who ever worked for him. As far as I know he was the only pilot
"living" to loop a C-130. His "outspokenness" did get him fired as the
F-15 wing commander at Luke. At his going away speech he was given a
45 minute (or something close to that....I wasn't there, just heard
about it) standing ovation. Phil is kind of like a George Patton in
that he needed to be wrapped up and saved for combat. He is a hell of
a guy and I would fly with him anytime.

Gentlemen

I would say every US fighter pilot, retired or on active duty, knows
that Panetta and Dempsey both are full of crap when they said there
was no time to send help to Benghazi. They claim it was a problem of
"time/space." All my friends and I said, "Bullshit." We know they
could have gotten F-16s there from Aviano.

"Hands" Handley is a well-respected USAF fighter pilot. Here is his
short resume and what he just wrote about Benghazi below that. If
anything, Handley is pessimistic in his timeline of when F-16s could
have reached Benghazi . I think they could have been airborne even
sooner and turned quicker at Sig. The decision to not try was not
based on capability. We had the operational capability in every way.

I hope Handley's taxes are in order. His IRS audit is forthcoming.

111111         `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Eagle Biography

Eagle Biography

 

Colonel Phil "Hands" Handley

 

 

 

Colonel Phil "Hands" Handley is credited with the highest speed air-

to-air gun kill in the history of aerial combat. He flew operationally

for all but

11 months of a 26-year career, in aircraft such as the F-86 Sabre,

F-15 Eagle, and the C-130A Hercules. Additionally, he flew 275 combat

missions during two tours in Southeast Asia in the F- 4D and F-4E. His

awards include 21 Air Medals, 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and the

Silver Star.

 

 

----------------------------------------------

 

Betrayal in Benghazi

 

Phil "Hands" Handley Colonel, USAF (Ret.)

 

The combat code of the US Military is that we don't abandon our dead

or wounded on the battlefield. In US Air Force lingo, fighter pilots

don't run off and leave their wingmen. If one of our own is shot down,

still alive and not yet in enemy captivity, we will either come to get

him or die trying.

 

Among America's fighting forces, the calm, sure knowledge that such an

irrevocable bond exists is priceless. Along with individual faith and

personal grit, it is a sacred trust that has often sustained hope in

the face of terribly long odds.

 

The disgraceful abandonment of our Ambassador and those brave ex-SEALs

who fought to their deaths to save others in that compound is nothing

short of dereliction-of-duty.

 

Additionally, the patently absurd cover-up scenario that was

fabricated in the aftermath was an outright lie in an attempt to

shield the President and the Secretary of State from responsibility.

 

It has been over eight months since the attack on our compound in Benghazi.

 

 

The White House strategy, with the aid of a "lap dog" press has been

to run out the clock before the truth is forthcoming.

 

 

The recent testimonies of the three "whistle blowers" have reopened

the subject and hopefully will lead to exposure and disgrace of those

responsible for this embarrassing debacle. It would appear that the

most recent firewall which the Administration is counting on is the

contention "that there were simply no military assets that could be

brought to bear in time to make a difference" mainly due to the

unavailability of tanker support for fighter aircraft.

 

This is simply BS, regardless how many supposed "experts" the

Administration trot out to make such an assertion.

 

The bottom line is that even if the closest asset capable of response

was half-way around the world, you don't just sit on your penguin ass

and do nothing.

 

The fact is that the closest asset was not half-way around the world,

but as near as Aviano Air Base, Italy where two squadrons of F-16Cs

are based.

 

Consider the following scenario (all times Benghazi local): When Hicks

in Tripoli receives a call at 9:40 PM from Ambassador Stevens

informing him "Greg, we are under attack!" (his last words), he

immediately notifies all agencies and prepares for the immediate

initiation of an existing "Emergency Response Plan."

 

At AFRICON, General Carter Ham attempts to mount a rescue effort, but

is told to "stand down". By 10:30 PM an unarmed drone is overhead the

compound and streaming live feed to various "Command and Control

Agencies" and everyone watching that feed knew damn well what was

going on.

 

At 11:30 PM Woods, Doherty and five others leave Tripoli, arriving in

Benghazi at 1:30 AM on Wednesday morning, where they hold off the

attacking mob from the roof of the compound until they are killed by a

mortar direct hit at 4:00 AM.

 

So nothing could have been done, eh? Nonsense. If one assumes that

tanker support really "was not available" what about this:

 

When at 10:00 PM AFRICON alerts the 31st TFW Command Post in Aviano

Air Base, Italy of the attack, the Wing Commander orders preparation

for the launch of two F-16s and advises the Command Post at NAS

Sigonella to prepare for hot pit refueling and quick turn of the jets.

 

By 11:30 PM, two F-16Cs with drop tanks and each armed with five

hundred 20 MM rounds are airborne. Flying at 0.92 mach they will cover

the 522 nautical miles directly to NAS Sigonella in 1.08 hours. While

in-route, the flight lead is informed of the tactical situation, rules

of engagement, and radio frequencies to use.

 

The jets depart Sigonella at 1:10 AM with full fuel load and cover the

377 nautical miles directly to Benghazi in 0.8 hours, arriving at 1:50

AM which would be 20 minutes after the arrival of Woods, Doherty and

their team.

 

Providing that the two F-16s initial pass over the mob, in full

afterburner at 200 feet and 550 knots did not stop the attack in its

tracks, only a few well placed strafing runs on targets of opportunity

would assuredly do the trick.

 

Were the F-16s fuel state insufficient to recover at Sigonelli after

jettisoning their external drop tanks, they could easily do so at

Tripoli International Airport , only one-half hour away.

 

As for those hand-wringing naysayers who would worry about IFR

clearances, border crossing authority, collateral damage, landing

rights, political correctness and dozens of other reasons not to act,

screw them. It is high time that our "leadership" get their priorities

straight and put America's interests first.

 

The end result would be that Woods and Doherty would be alive. Dozens

in the attacking rabble would be rendezvousing with "72 virgins" and a

clear message would have been sent to the next worthless POS terrorist

contemplating an attack on Americans that it is not really a good idea

to "tug" on Superman's cape.

 

Of course all this would depend upon a Commander In Chief that was

more concerned with saving the lives of those he put in harm's way

than getting his crew rested for a campaign fund raising event in Las

Vegas the next day.

 

 

As well as a Secretary of State that actually understood "What

difference did it make?", or a Secretary of Defense whose immediate

response was not to the effect that "One of the military tenants is

that you don't commit assets until you fully understand the tactical

situation." Was he not watching a live feed from the unarmed drone,

and he didn't understand the tactical situation?

 

Ultimately it comes down to the question of who gave that order to

stand down? Whoever that coward turns out to be should be exposed,

removed from office, and face criminal charges for dereliction of

duty. The combat forces of the Untied States of America deserve

leadership that really does "have their back" when the chips are down.


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