Admiral William "Fox" Fallon is not a fighter pilot.

[FightingIrish]

Like most Naval Flight Officers, NFO’s for short (Non-flying Objects to some sarcastic pilots), I would have loved to have had the eyesight to qualify for Navy flight training. For almost five years I trusted my life to Naval Aviators while I did my job in the back of the airplane. I have a great deal of respect for the good Navy pilots and cry foul when someone is erroneously reported to be or claims to be one. Bill Fallon has the same designator (job description) that I had and that did not qualify him or me to fly any aircraft. My connection with Bill Fallon goes back to the days we were in Naval ROTC together. We were at different universities but were assigned to two midshipman summer cruises together and later went through the Naval Aviation Training Command in Pensacola together. What was then the BNAO school, affectionately known as “Banana School” was where the mettle of future NFO’s was tested. The choice of aircraft and duty stations was based upon the students' performance in this school. The top of the class almost always got their pick and the bottom tier took what was left. During the Viet Nam conflict the worst possible assignment for an NFO was the back seat of an RA-5C Vigilante. This was a carrier based nuclear bomber that never quite found a mission. It was converted to a photo reconnaissance plane and the guy in the back seat was assigned to what amounted to a baggage compartment with a peep hole from which he took pictures of the ground. Bill Fallon’s sterling performance in the training command earned him this not so coveted assignment.

Why am I making such a big deal about what he did in the war? The fact that he was not a pilot is not the issue. His career path is. Bill was a Bush-class fuck-up when I knew him and now he is going to be running our next war and the two we haven’t quite figured a way out of yet. The “A” in RA-5C means that he is part of what the Navy affectionately terms the “Attack Community”, the guys who get their jollies flying off carriers and dropping things that go boom. This is John McCain’s military family. This is the guy you want for a nuclear air war, C student or not. When you are taking orders from this Commander-in-Chief, being cerebral is a liability. Bill Fallon is a guy I enjoyed having a beer with. I will not enjoy watching him carry out the plan of a maniac we seem powerless to stop.

[SidDithers]

1. K & R...

thanks for posting your recollections.

:toast:

Sid

[Radio_Lady]

2. Kicked and recommended... makes my skin crawl... thanks for posting.

[Rick Myers]

3. A BIG K and R to you!!! Excellent background info!!! Thank you!

:kick:

[magellan]

4. K&R

JHC. Bush** hasn't drawn from the top of the barrel once in six years. For ANYTHING.

[druidity33]

5. What's his job?

I'm not recognizing the name. Is he our new commander for something?

[FightingIrish]

6. He's the incoming commander of CENTCOM

The theater commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan will report to him.

[Rick Myers]

7. New CENTCOM chief

When it was announced by the President last week that Navy Admiral William J. Fallon, current commander of Pacific Command (PACOM), will replace Central Command (CENTCOM) boss Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, the reaction was nearly universal: why a Navy man to lead what are predominately Army and Marine forces in the Central Region?

http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/01/admiral_fallon_and_centcom.html

Interesting reading on background!

[smoogatz]

16. Interesting, but probably wrong.

Why send a Navy aviator to run two ground wars? That's a very important question. I think the answer is that they didn't--they sent him to run the naval/air bombardment of Iran, something Fallon is eminently qualified to do. Hold onto your hats, folks--it gets worse before it gets better. Lots worse.

[KoKo]

8. Oh Dear God! Another Bush screw up who lied about his resume and

has somehow managed to work his way up by being an "attack dog." Bush needs the "junk yard dogs" to cover his cowardice.

I hope this gets spread far and wide....

[eridani]

9. Please disseminate this widely--

--this needs to be known.

[BlueCollar]

10. Thamks for the background info

[KoKo]

11. K&R

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. K&R

[dogday]

13. And the lies just keep on coming from this admin.... nt

[AzDar]

14. kickety-kick.....

:kick:

[PATRICK]

15. Reads like a tailored profile

with only one purpose. To uncritically and enthusiastically drop as many big ones as Bush wants on a whim. The rest is just typical of what surrounds Bush. We must have a really superior armed services to endure these types of high leaders without fear of a botched military debacle.

[Aviation Pro]

17. So another....

...world class alcoholic, back slapping, fuck up of a frat boy rises to a position of prominence, eh? Well, the old axiom continues to hold true, it's not what you know, but who you blow (or fuck) that opens doors.

[nashville_brook]

18. k 'n r

[FogerRox]

19. vigilance

http://rdanafox.blogspot.com/2007/01/iranian-missile-systems.html