GA: Vehicle runs gate at RAFB, 3 killed at barrier

[Trigger Time]

Send them back ... in pieces

 

[Rookie]

Yes, that job sucked. I remember one day that was fun...

I was working patrol, and I stopped at the gate to talk to my buddy. Between 10pm and 6am, it was 100% identification checks. It was 5 minutes before 6 and my buddy asks the driver for his id. He checks and tells the guy to go ahead. This guy burns rubber as he takes off. I ask my buddy, "what's his problem?" and he tells me he was pissed because he had to show id. I said, "he's really going to be pissed", and take off after him. I pull him over, call in the reason for the stop, get out of my vehicle, he gets out, and I can see him immediately checking
my rank (E-3). He was an E-6 and he starts cussing and hollering about how he outranks me and I shouldn't have pulled him over. All of a sudden, I hear, "airman rookie, what's going on?" I turn around and there's my captain. I tell him what's going on, he looks at the sergeant and yells, "STAND AT ATTENTION!" After the sergeant comes to attention, my captain looks at me at says, "this guy will stand at attention until your shift is over. If he doesn't feel free to take him to jail." He looks at the sergeant and says, "I'll let your first sergeant know why you're going to be late." He hops in his car and drives away. I sat there for two hours with my lights on, watching this sergeant stand at attention while most of the base drove by.

 

[KittySlayer]

What does this security barrier look like?

It looks like a giant stack of dollar bills needed to pay for a potentially less than lethal method of stopping idiots who are possibly planning on committing evil.

The alternative would have been a couple of bucks worth of ammo and a well placed shot but this VvVvVvV

I could imagine the outcry had the guards on the gate had to open fire with small arms fire. Since it's "only" a vehicle collision, can't be shoved into any convenient leftist narrative except for "HATIN' ON IMMIGRANTS."

 

[Dead Duck]

Yes, that job sucked. I remember one day that was fun...

I was working patrol, and I stopped at the gate to talk to my buddy. Between 10pm and 6am, it was 100% identification checks. It was 5 minutes before 6 and my buddy asks the driver for his id. He checks and tells the guy to go ahead. This guy burns rubber as he takes off. I ask my buddy, "what's his problem?" and he tells me he was pissed because he had to show id. I said, "he's really going to be pissed", and take off after him. I pull him over, call in the reason for the stop, get out of my vehicle, he gets out, and I can see him immediately checking
my rank (E-3). He was an E-6 and he starts cussing and hollering about how he outranks me and I shouldn't have pulled him over. All of a sudden, I hear, "airman rookie, what's going on?" I turn around and there's my captain. I tell him what's going on, he looks at the sergeant and yells, "STAND AT ATTENTION!" After the sergeant comes to attention, my captain looks at me at says, "this guy will stand at attention until your shift is over. If he doesn't feel free to take him to jail." He looks at the sergeant and says, "I'll let your first sergeant know why you're going to be late." He hops in his car and drives away. I sat there for two hours with my lights on, watching this sergeant stand at attention while most of the base drove by.

Please tell me it started to rain on him.

 

[Mgderf]

My money is on alcohol and the driver being lost.

That's why he accelerated through the gate, right?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

That's why he accelerated through the gate, right?

Well I certainly know that when I'm drunk and lost, I drive as fast as I can until I realize where I am.

 

[Alamo]

OK, to hijack my own thread slightly: When I was in Saudi Arabia the RSAF base I was at had pop up barriers at the gates that consisted of big steel spikes, not bollards. A couple of our NCOs stopped at the gate, showed their ID, and the RSAF guard waved them through. Somehow E-1 Abdul in the guard shack hit the barrier button as the NCOs vehicle crossed over it. They stopped right there. They were not hurt, but the vehicle was totaled.

After that we always held our breath driving through the gate.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

OK, to hijack my own thread slightly: When I was in Saudi Arabia the RSAF base I was at had pop up barriers at the gates that consisted of big steel spikes, not bollards. A couple of our NCOs stopped at the gate, showed their ID, and the RSAF guard waved them through. Somehow E-1 Abdul in the guard shack hit the barrier button as the NCOs vehicle crossed over it. They stopped right there. They were not hurt, but the vehicle was totaled.

After that we always held our breath driving through the gate.

I was just thinking that spikes would've been pretty cool. Kind of like a "Vlad the Impaler" defense. Your timing on hitting the "deploy" button would have to be just right though.

 

[Rookie]

We had a drunk guy leave the NCO club, make a wrong turn, and end up driving down the runway. They said he sobered up pretty quick with 5 M-16s pointed at him!

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Pop was jogging across the runway to his work hanger one morning, unaware that LeMay was on base. He had a similar experience with m1's. No coffee was needed that morning. Fresh knickers, maybe.

 

[KittySlayer]

Pop was jogging across the runway...

Did he run serpentine?

Was his name Shelly?

 

[KellyinAvon]

I only got "jacked-up" once in my USAF days. Had nothing to do with me, I was about #20 in line going in Command and Reporting Center in Iceland. SFers are doing a two-ID check (line badge and military ID), somebody didn't check everything on their line badge (which were typed out on an IBM Selectric III by the guy with dyslexia) and numbers were transposed/didn't match/got all of us jacked-up. Really early in the morning, in Iceland, in the snow.

 

[Sigblitz]

That colonel is general material.

“This is a tragedy which we all feel deeply at Robins Air Force Base. We will thoroughly investigate to determine the facts and circumstances and what can be learned from this tragedy", said Col. Katrina Stephens, vice commander, 78th Air Base Wing. "Our thoughts are with the families of those lost.”

Until all the facts were in, medical condition or mechanical problems as unlikely possible causes, I was hoping this would be the type of statement I would be reading. Condemning too early would be a international relations blunder.

 

[SmileDocHill]

Do terrorists just not have Google? I was never in the military but I fully assumed the barriers I see in front of base entry points are not your run of the mill concrete lane dividers.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Until all the facts were in, medical condition or mechanical problems as unlikely possible causes, I was hoping this would be the type of statement I would be reading. Condemning too early would be a international relations blunder.

Run the gate at the Amazon Fulfillment Warehouse? Yes. Run the gate at a military installation? This matter is under investigation. We are also working with local authorities. Further information will be provided by our Public Affairs Office when available.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Do terrorists just not have Google? I was never in the military but I fully assumed the barriers I see in front of base entry points are not your run of the mill concrete lane dividers.

You go through the concrete barriers, slowly approach the gate with parking lights on, at least the driver (often everyone in the vehicle) show ID, slowly drive off, THEN you cross the in-ground barrier that pops up really quick when the button is pushed.

 

[Sigblitz]

Ok I read the articles. One of the brothers came forward. It sounds like they didn't know where they were and his brother had an expired work Visa, probably why he fled. So no one came out and called them terrorists, and nobody is backpedaling.

 

[HoughMade]

Until all the facts were in, medical condition or mechanical problems as unlikely possible causes, I was hoping this would be the type of statement I would be reading. Condemning too early would be a international relations blunder.

So: “We are investigating the incident” was not an option?

 

[BigRed]

If I had a damn to give, I wouldn't waste it on these jackasses.

 

[Sigblitz]

So: “We are investigating the incident” was not an option?

That's what she said. It's news. People's first thoughts might be terrorism but it doesn't seem that was the case, and these fears weren't fueled by a statement suggesting it was.