Images

U.S.

Harvey: New York Militia deploys to Texas!

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26 AUG 2017, one HC-130, three HH-60 Pavehawk Helicopters and 104 Air-militia personnel from the New York National Guard deployed to Fort Hood Texas to support the Texas National Guard.  The HH-60s and their crew were loaded onto C-17s.

U.S. made C-17 Globemaster-3 being loaded with U.S. made HH-60 Pavehawk, bound for Texas

ARIZONA MILITIA DEPLOYED FOR HURRICANE HARVEY!

Idaho, International, U.S.

Pocatello militia returns from Malaysia, is it about the oil?

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27 AUG 2017 (14:06 UTC-07 Tango 06) 05 Sharivar 1396/04 Dhu l-Hijja 1438/06 Wu-Shen 7th month 4715

“Due to the training we received, if called upon for a state disaster, the Idaho Army National Guard will be extremely prepared for any situation.”-Lieutenant Colonel George Hanson

One of my old Guard alma maters returned from mission Keris Strike in Pahang, Malaysia.

Command post exercise portion of the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training known as Keris Strike 2017. Idaho Army National Guard photo via Captain Robert Taylor, 10AUG2017.

1st Battalion of the 148th Field Artillery Regiment, based in Pocatello, Idaho, was in Malaysia for a ten days war game (I mean natural disaster response training) connected to United Nations’ military ops (so called UN Peace Keeping) and led by the U.S. Army-Pacific Command.

Militia personnel of the 1-148th Field Artillery Regiment (Head Quarters in Pocatello, Idaho) during Keris Strike 2017 in Pahang, Malaysia. Idaho Army National Guard photo via Captain Robert Taylor, 10AUG2017.

The 1-148th Field Artillery Regiment is part of the Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th Calvary Brigade Combat Team (I served both with 1-148 as a 13F in Pocatello, and with 2-116 as a 19K in Burley). The unit has artillery batteries located in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Rigby, Blackfoot, Rexburg, Preston, Saint Anthony and Burley.

According to Wikipedia, Malaysia has a lot of petroleum oil.  The state run oil company Petronas is the 69th largest company in the world and generates 30% of the Malaysian government’s income.  Malaysia also sits in the militarily and economically strategic ocean going trade route called Strait of Malacca, which sees most of the world’s Middle East oil shipments by sea.

SPAWN OF OPERATION JUPITER? MALAYSIAN ESCAPES QUARANTINE!

3 YEARS LATER MALAYSIAN MH370 CONSPIRACIES DEEPEN!

MISSING & CRASHED MALAYSIA AIRLINES AIRCRAFT ACTUALLY SAVING THE COMPANY’S FINANCIAL ASS?

U.S.

Military Eclipse pics from around the U.S.

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KC-10 Extender approaches Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, during the solar eclipse 21 August 2017

Partial solar eclipse over Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia

Sailors onboard USS Frank Cable, Oregon

Air Force Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class, Oklahoma

Young Air Assault Strip, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin

Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland

Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas

Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

This is what an eclipse looks like through cloudy skies, Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, Missouri

Ohio Air National Guard KC-135 Stratotanker refueling USAF C-17 Globemaster-3 during eclipse

Idaho, Technology, U.S.

Smoke ’em if you got ’em!: Pocatello Airport Fire Bombers are Back!

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06 AUG 2017 (03:39 UTC-07 Tango 06)  15 Mordad 1396/13 Dhu l-Qa’da 1438/15 Wu-Shen 4715

The sky around eastern Idaho is socked in with smoke as the 2017-18 wildfire season roars up (I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so smokey around here, and I’ve been here 20 years).  The water bombing aircraft based at Pocatello Airport were busy during daylight; non-stop landings, reloading, take-offs, for hours on-end until dark.

Photos by AAron B. Hutchins. Click pics to make bigger:

April 2017: MAFFS BOMBS IDAHO!

At the end of  2016 U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Defense warning: WILDFIRE SEASON 2018 GOING TO BE A HOT ONE!

BOISE FIRE UPDATE: CHUBBUCK ALLSTATE ALREADY HIT WITH FIRE CLAIMS!

U.S. WILDFIRES 2016: DC-10 POCATELLO AIRPORT

2015: IDAHO WILDFIRES KILL WOMAN

IDAHO’S 13+ YEARS OF DROUGHT ADD UP TO BIG ASS WILDFIRE SEASON FOR 2014!  (didn’t happen)

2013: POCATELLO, IDAHO, CHARLOTTE FIRE 2?

POCATELLO AIRPORT, 2012 IDAHO WILDFIRES: CANADAIR CL 215

IDAHO WILDFIRE UPDATE, 20 SEPTEMBER 2012: ANOTHER SMOKEY DAY, STILL LEADING THE NATION WITH MOST FIRES

IDAHO WILDFIRES, POCATELLO TANKER BASE: 13 SEPTEMBER 2012, SIKORSKY & USMC IN TOWN

EAST IDAHO WILDFIRE 2012: BUSY 30 MINUTES AT POCATELLO AIRPORT, AS FIRE FIGHTING AIRCRAFT FLY INTO ACTION

POCATELLO CHARLOTTE FIRE UPDATE: 100% CONTAINED, FIREWORKS FOR 4TH OF JULY, SEED FOR REBUILDING COMMUNITY!

June 2012: POCATELLO BURNING! EVACUATIONS!

Kit Bashing

World’s largest C-141B Starlifter model?

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U.S. Air Force by Airman First Class Thomas Charlton.

In June 2016, members of the USAF’s 437th Maintenance Squadron sheet metal and corrosion shop at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, got a new project; restore an old C-141B model.

USAF photo by Airman First Class Thomas Charlton.

The giant model was originally built back in the day when the USAF used C-141 Starlifters.  It was built to represent a C-141 that crashed in 1982, killing its crew.

USAF photo by Airman First Class Thomas Charlton.

After only a few months the model was fully restored in August 2016.

USAF photo by Airman First Class Thomas T. Charlton, 07SEP2016.

Airman First Class Drew Maifeaphomsamouth, Technical SergeantAndrew Finley, Airman First Class Michael Mooney, Airman First Class Shawn Casey, Airman Riley Carter and Senior Airman William Treiber were proud to have restored what might be the world’s largest C-141 model.