Happy Fourth of July to ALL our Allies

[Icarus]

Really enthusiastic aren't we ? Well I can't blame you for that, Happy 4th of July even though it's the 1st of July !

 

[American Eagle]

We celebate all weekend long here our Fourth of July. My family and I on "the" Fourth of July go to a lake with friends to do a charcoal cookout of hamburters, hot dogs, bar b que, with home made potatoe salad, baked beans, and all sorts of deserts. You wash it all down with lemonade, iced tea, Dr. Pepper, Coke, and Pepsi. Young folks run around splashing in the lake, I usually swim a few lazy laps off the pier, and everyone has a laid back good time. We talk young folks futures, the economy, the war in Pakistan and Afghanistan (we all have friends and family serving or having served n Afghanistan...and I served in then West Pakistan myself 1963-65, with tourist type side trips to Kabul, Afghanistan when I was on conference visits from Karachi to my HQ in Peshawar. Photos I see on line here and elsewhere suggest the Khyber Pass has not changed since 1963, at least in the pictures and videos I have seen of late.

So, to suit your comment, Happy Fourth of July Weekend to you all, US, NATO, all Allied forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and elsewhere in SW Asia.

 

[Icarus]

pakistan is not your ally, stop kidding around, remove pakistan from your post

We are allies, uncomfortable allies but allies all the same. What's needed is to increase people to people interaction so as to remove the inhibitions we have about each other. I hear Pakistanis in Utah are getting a pretty tough time. Can anybody shed some light on that ?

 

[Icarus]

We celebate all weekend long here our Fourth of July. My family and I on "the" Fourth of July go to a lake with friends to do a charcoal cookout of hamburters, hot dogs, bar b que, with home made potatoe salad, baked beans, and all sorts of deserts. You wash it all down with lemonade, iced tea, Dr. Pepper, Coke, and Pepsi. Young folks run around splashing in the lake, I usually swim a few lazy laps off the pier, and everyone has a laid back good time. We talk young folks futures, the economy, the war in Pakistan and Afghanistan (we all have friends and family serving or having served n Afghanistan...and I served in then West Pakistan myself 1963-65, with tourist type side trips to Kabul, Afghanistan when I was on conference visits from Karachi to my HQ in Peshawar. Photos I see on line here and elsewhere suggest the Khyber Pass has not changed since 1963, at least in the pictures and videos I have seen of late.

So, to suit your comment, Happy Fourth of July Weekend to you all, US, NATO, all Allied forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and elsewhere in SW Asia.

Interesting comment, might I ask under what capacity you served in Pakistan during the 60s ?

 

[American Eagle]

Islamabad was not yet built when I was stationed at the old US Embassy in Karachi, West Pakistan. Videos and photos of the city look architecturally very interesting and pleasant place. I hope that the Pakistan military and police/militia are making it a safer place for you and yours since the unhappy and wild events like the Red Madrassa hot shootings and week long fighting.

 

[American Eagle]

I am in the SE USA but have when younger skiied at Park City, Utah. I was unaware of problems or issues in Utah but will try to look that up and post any current info I can find here.

People to people friendships are indeed very important. We have a sizable ex-patriate Pakistani population here in our city. I have several friends among the, believe it or not, due to having written so many published letters and articles in the Karachi DAWN and Peshawar FRONTIER POST since 911 trying to do exactly that, build up better relations. Of course, the good, the bad, and the war on terrorism are hard topics which have to frankly be delt with.

Thank you for your comments, Fourth of July Wishes to you, and will try to check out your comment about Utah.

 

[Icarus]

Islamabad was not yet built when I was stationed at the old US Embassy in Karachi, West Pakistan. Videos and photos of the city look architecturally very interesting and pleasant place. I hope that the Pakistan military and police/militia are making it a safer place for you and yours since the unhappy and wild events like the Red Madrassa hot shootings and week long fighting.

Karachi isn't the place you remember now. A bustling city of about 2 Million now, it is over crowded and a good hiding place for terrorists. On average 10 people fall prey to target killers each day and a lot of sectarian violence erupts near the Shia's months of mourning.

 

[American Eagle]

I was while in Pakistan a young USAF Second then promoted to First Lieutenant, filling a USAF Lt. Colonel's billet at the US Embassy. I was the USAF Liaison Officer for the 6937th USAF Security Service Communications Group in Peshawar (Communications Intelligence) . My technical title was Commander, Det. 2, 6937th at the US Embassy. I worked with all the US Military Attache offices, with the Office of the Commanding General of the US Military Advisory Group to Pakistan and with the Pakistani Ministry of Defense, the Pakistan Foreign Office, and often at the Pakistani Air Base then named Maripur outside Karachi. Also did some work at/with the Drigg Road PAF technical base, and at the Karachi Civil Airport. I was tangentially involved in supporting the RB-57F (2) when they arrived from Ft. Worth, Texas. These two intelligence airplanes were free from the USAF for joint intelligence use of the PAF. The two RB-57Fs were initially based at Maripur PAFB. in Karachi. Also responsible for all movements of USAF base personnel to and from the US Air Base at Peshawar via contract on Pakistan International Airways.

After the January 1965 Rann of Kutch dust up wherein I was wounded I was given additional duties with the CIA Country Team Office at the US Embassy to develop a Peshawar USAF Base contingency evacuation plan as the 1965 India-PaksitanWar unfolded. My mission was increased in 1965 to handle walking US wounded being USAF airlifted to Charleston AFB, South Carolina via Karachi from Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin. We had several times a week flights of walking wounded stop enroute for Rest Over Night (RON) in Karachi. I managed soup to nuts those transit flights, diplomatic passports, hotels for overnight stays, tours and restaurants for the few who wanted to use part of their overnight stay to see Karachi. I rotated back to the States in summer 1965 and was statioend for a year thereafter next to Yale University in New Haven, Conn. *I was "walking wounded" myself as the my PIA officers freinds took me as their sole US national gueston 30 January 1965 in a PIA Land Rover on a boar hunt into the Rann of Kutch (which hunt we never got to) where ran into an Indian tank firing at a Paksitani heavy duty truck coming at us on the road. I and all my Pakistani/PIA friends in the PIA Land Rover were pretty badly wounded when the oncoming truck was literally blown into us. But, life went on and here we are.

 

[American Eagle]

Again Happy Fourth of July all weekend to our allies and many friends there.

And Pakistan Zindabad as an emerging democracy whose future can be bright with more education for the total population.

 

[Icarus]

you visited pakistan, used our hospitality, and still you hate and curse pakistan to the core and love india

no wonder all pakistanis want US out

When did he say that ? I missed it entirely.......

 

[Icarus]

I was while in Pakistan a young USAF Second then promoted to First Lieutenant, filling a USAF Lt. Colonel's billet at the US Embassy. I was the USAF Liaison Officer for the 6937th USAF Security Service Communications Group in Peshawar (Communications Intelligence) . My technical title was Commander, Det. 2, 6937th at the US Embassy. I worked with all the US Military Attache offices, with the Office of the Commanding General of the US Military Advisory Group to Pakistan and with the Pakistani Ministry of Defense, the Pakistan Foreign Office, and often at the Pakistani Air Base then named Maripur outside Karachi. Also did some work at/with the Drigg Road PAF technical base, and at the Karachi Civil Airport. I was tangentially involved in supporting the RB-57F (2) when they arrived from Ft. Worth, Texas. These two intelligence airplanes were free from the USAF for joint intelligence use of the PAF. The two RB-57Fs were initially based at Maripur PAFB. in Karachi. Also responsible for all movements of USAF base personnel to and from the US Air Base at Peshawar via contract on Pakistan International Airways.

After the January 1965 Rann of Kutch dust up wherein I was wounded I was given additional duties with the CIA Country Team Office at the US Embassy to develop a Peshawar USAF Base contingency evacuation plan as the 1965 India-PaksitanWar unfolded. My mission was increased in 1965 to handle walking US wounded being USAF airlifted to Charleston AFB, South Carolina via Karachi from Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin. We had several times a week flights of walking wounded stop enroute for Rest Over Night (RON) in Karachi. I managed soup to nuts those transit flights, diplomatic passports, hotels for overnight stays, tours and restaurants for the few who wanted to use part of their overnight stay to see Karachi. I rotated back to the States in summer 1965 and was statioend for a year thereafter next to Yale University in New Haven, Conn. *I was "walking wounded" myself as the my PIA officers freinds took me as their sole US national gueston 30 January 1965 in a PIA Land Rover on a boar hunt into the Rann of Kutch (which hunt we never got to) where ran into an Indian tank firing at a Paksitani heavy duty truck coming at us on the road. I and all my Pakistani/PIA friends in the PIA Land Rover were pretty badly wounded when the oncoming truck was literally blown into us. But, life went on and here we are.

Wow, you were a busy young fellow. Were you by any chance involved with the U-2 flights from Peshawar ?

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Happy 4th of July too! Don't know if I qualify as any kind of ally?
However I do celebrate 4th of July every year-- its the birthday of a family member!
Mine comes later in July too. So always a "happening" July.

 

[W.11]

Again Happy Fourth of July all weekend to our allies and many friends there.

And Pakistan Zindabad as an emerging democracy whose future can be bright with more education for the total population.

this is your fourth time

this guy is really funny man, stop self asserting your self, we will send some candies and fire crackers to your stationed troops in afghanistan, dont get emotional

 

[Capt.Popeye]

I was while in Pakistan a young USAF Second then promoted to First Lieutenant, filling a USAF Lt. Colonel's billet at the US Embassy. I was the USAF Liaison Officer for the 6937th USAF Security Service Communications Group in Peshawar (Communications Intelligence) . My technical title was Commander, Det. 2, 6937th at the US Embassy. I worked with all the US Military Attache offices, with the Office of the Commanding General of the US Military Advisory Group to Pakistan and with the Pakistani Ministry of Defense, the Pakistan Foreign Office, and often at the Pakistani Air Base then named Maripur outside Karachi. Also did some work at/with the Drigg Road PAF technical base, and at the Karachi Civil Airport. I was tangentially involved in supporting the RB-57F (2) when they arrived from Ft. Worth, Texas. These two intelligence airplanes were free from the USAF for joint intelligence use of the PAF. The two RB-57Fs were initially based at Maripur PAFB. in Karachi. Also responsible for all movements of USAF base personnel to and from the US Air Base at Peshawar via contract on Pakistan International Airways.

After the January 1965 Rann of Kutch dust up wherein I was wounded I was given additional duties with the CIA Country Team Office at the US Embassy to develop a Peshawar USAF Base contingency evacuation plan as the 1965 India-PaksitanWar unfolded. My mission was increased in 1965 to handle walking US wounded being USAF airlifted to Charleston AFB, South Carolina via Karachi from Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin. We had several times a week flights of walking wounded stop enroute for Rest Over Night (RON) in Karachi. I managed soup to nuts those transit flights, diplomatic passports, hotels for overnight stays, tours and restaurants for the few who wanted to use part of their overnight stay to see Karachi. I rotated back to the States in summer 1965 and was statioend for a year thereafter next to Yale University in New Haven, Conn. *I was "walking wounded" myself as the my PIA officers freinds took me as their sole US national gueston 30 January 1965 in a PIA Land Rover on a boar hunt into the Rann of Kutch (which hunt we never got to) where ran into an Indian tank firing at a Paksitani heavy duty truck coming at us on the road. I and all my Pakistani/PIA friends in the PIA Land Rover were pretty badly wounded when the oncoming truck was literally blown into us. But, life went on and here we are.

That is indeed an interesting circumstance. Hope you were not hurt too bad, else you might have a "chip on your shoulder" about India and Indians (just kidding). But I am sincerely pleased to note that the outcome was not worse than that. Else we would not be communicating now.
And yes, did you bag any boars that day?

 

[Icarus]

That is indeed an interesting circumstance. Hope you were not hurt too bad, else you might have a "chip on your shoulder" about India and Indians (just kidding). But I am sincerely pleased to note that the outcome was not worse than that. Else we would not be communicating now.
And yes, did you bag any boars that day?

He already mentioned he never got to the hunt........