Introduction

[myhacoach]

Hello Rangers, my name is Mike and I want to thank you and all the Veterans for their service to this great country and to the Rangers who run this forum for allowing me to participate here. I am retired from the USAF after 20 years of service 1986 to 2006.

I enlisted in 1986 and after basic and tech school started out at Hurlburt Field in the 1st Special Operations Wing as an Air Cargo Specialist loading airplanes. This is where I saw Combat Weatherman, PJs, CCT’s, and even Rangers from Camp Rudder loading on our planes for jumps and I new I wanted to be a part of these groups. I tried to retrain into Combat Weather but there were no openings at the time, so I volunteered and was accepted as a Military Training Instructor (MTI) the equivalent of the Army’s Drill Sergeant. This allowed me a second chance to retrain as a first term enlistee (much easier to retrain as a first term Airman in those days) and this time I was successful; the rest is history. I became a Combat Weatherman after about a year of training and Indoc and joined my first Special Operations Weather Team. I was stationed at Ft. Lewis from 1993 until 1999 and assigned to 1ST Special Forces Group (Airborne) and worked with both 2nd and 3rd Battalion prior to getting my own team and assigned to 3rd Battalion. I then went to Korea and supported 2nd Battalion 52nd Aviation Regiment at Camp Humphreys. After this tour I went to Hurlburt Field and taught at the Combat Weather Training Center. I ended my career in a staff job at Scott AFB and retired after 18 months in a staff job, couldn’t take being a staff weenie any longer.

I have to say during my first tour at Hurlburt I linked up with a good friend of mine from high school who served three plus years at 3rd Battalion and was an RI at 6th RTB. He was a great source of motivation and proved to me I could survive whatever was thrown in front of me. He pushed me through mental obstacles I never thought I could get through. This is where I gained a basic understanding what Rangers and Special Operations were about and I wanted to serve with a group of men who had this level of dedication and professionalism. I am proud to call him my friend and hopefully other Rangers on this board will accept me as he did.

Thank you all for your dedication to this great country and your warrior ethos.

Respectfully,
Mike

1st Special Operations Wing (SOW) (AF) 86-89
3711 BMTS 89-92
Retrain in Combat Weather (92-93)
10 CWS (1st SFG (A)) 93-99
607th WS (2/52 Aviation) 99-00
16th SOW (00-04)
AMC HQ (04-06)

[Ranger Ron]

Welcome to ArmyRanger.com, Zoomie and thanks for your service to our great country! You are certainly welcome here.

[garyedolan]

Brother-in-Arms, Mike, it is a pleasure and honor to welcome you to these forums. Thank you for your service.

[Buzz]

Welcome.

[al_2ndWolfhounds]

Welcome, thank you for your dedicated service.

[K.Ingraham]

Welcome Grey Beret.

[myhacoach]

Thank you all for the welcome, I look forward to reading and learning from this site.

Ranger K.Ingraham, even though we serve with the 75th Ranger Regiment, SF Groups and the 160th not too many folks know about the grey beret. Only about 80 - 100 grey berets in the AF at any given time and most are being moved to Hurlburt Field.

[Jim]

Welcome...

[RangerTee]

Welcome...