Incirlik Air Base Airman Gets Assaulted
Tough situation to be in. Part of me wishes he would have just dropped the dude, or at least fought back. The practical side knows that would probably just get him into trouble with his command. The military really hamstrings servicemembers in situations like that. I don't think it was a good idea for him to be wearing his uniform off base in the first place.
Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.
Stephen
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It's damn close to Russia and has a surety mission. That's why it still exists.
Then it's in Turkey's best interest to prevent shit like this from happening.
We need to stop wringing our hands every time someone says no, I am willing to bet Turkey gets more out of this relationship then we do.
No speaky-speaky and keep moving, LN touches you, drop their ass and run like hell. Better to face the command than get choked out with a plastic bag.
Turkey is garbage and our relationship there is very one-sided at times. Were it not for their strategic location we wouldn't give two shits about the Turks. Like Pakistan their usefulness is driven by geography, they know it, and it allows them to extort us.
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Couldn't have said it better myself; Pakistan is an apt comparison.
Even getting out of shit holes like Turkey and Pakistan, you will always have service members at some point put in those situations. It's kinda the nature of the beast. But as seen all too often, service members are attacked here just like anywhere else in the world. Any commander should be able to rationalize self defense, yes it becomes incredibly more difficult in a host nation where you have to abide by their laws and customs, but at the end of the day, don't get choked out with a plastic bag is a good solid philosophy to have...
$.02
$.02
Red Flag 1
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It has been that way since I was in USAFE. You did not want to residing in the BOQ when their crews would RON, or longer.
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I had a Sulfa reaction over there. Docs at Incirlik saved my ass - heart was beating so fast they told me the next morning that they were surprised I survived the night - still remember the body rash was so bad that I was quarantined for the first few days as they thought I might have German Measles or some other fucked up disease.
I'll always have a soft spot for any medical personnel that worked there - especially in 91'.
I'll always have a soft spot for any medical personnel that worked there - especially in 91'.
During and right after Vietnam American servicemen were hated even in London. Somebody's going to hate us wherever we go, but better to be hated where there are clean bathrooms and full liquor bars.
I was actually a bit surprised that Russia let the Turks off the hook for shooting down their aircraft/pilot. It's too bad they are a NATO member.
Grab your tinfoil.
I've seen the radar data and watched their history prior to that day. They were line-stepping with every mission in that area, pushing it further and further. One reason the Turks could respond so quickly is because they had -16's within 20 miles, they had full radar coverage of that area and none of this was a surprise to anyone. They had those -16's in place because of previous incidents.
After the shootdown the war changed dramatically. The Russians moved in their best SAM's, intercepts increased, and areas we worked with impunity found us sharing the airspace with a potential missile threat and Russian aircraft. We backed off and ceded control of the skies to the Russians. Their bombing stepped up in the aftermath of the shooting, which they could do because they were the sole users of supposedly joint airspace. Remember too that their bombing was largely unguided munitions against civilian areas.
The shootdown gave them cause to move in their best SAM's, upgrade their strike packages, and intended or not forced us to blink and give them the skies. It also let Putin see what we'd do if one of our allies stepped on its dick. The Russians won every battle in the aftermath of the shooting, planned or not.
I think they goaded the Turks into shooting at them.
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Never let a good crisis go to waste.
