<< We need to clarify the term "Lifer." >>

A "lifer" is the fat bastard who, never flying a single minute, drew flight pay by stealing logged hours from CEs and gunners who actually flew the missions.

A "lifer" is the fat bastard who was in for a free ride to retirement, then when an unexpected, inconvenient war came along, and because of his cowardice, almost destroyed the United States Army.

A "lifer" is the fat bastard who cannibalized your helicopter while you slept then ordered you to fly it with some cobbled-up replacement part the next morning.

A "lifer" is the fat bastard who would trade any number of lives for his own comfort, plywood, air conditioners, booze. Never capitalize the word, it implies respect for the scum.

Never use the term "lifer" in jest. The word is in a class with "traitor," "turncoat," "spy," and other rat bastard vermin.

A "lifer" is the fat bastard who left Vietnam wearing innumerable Air Medals (aka the elusive Promotion Points) that belonged to others.

Career NCOs are those who, after our disaster, the one presided over and orchestrated by Vietnam fat/rat lifers, and at the worst possible time in the history of our country's military, stuck with it through impossible odds and successfully rebuilt the US Army into the force that went into the Persian Gulf. God bless 'em.

Please don't allow anyone who doesn't know any better to use the scumword "lifer" interchangeably to describe the NCOs who "put it on the line" every day, the ones who were first in and last out. Damn, they were good.

Later, if you want, I'll tell you how I really feel.

Bob