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Monday, Aug. 27, 2001. Page 1
Bottoms Up for Visiting U.S. General
By Lyuba ProninaStaff Writer
Russian pilots swinging a senior U.S. Air Force official by the arms and legs might seem to be breaching international military etiquette, but Lieutenant General Thomas Keck took all this and more with good humor on his visits to Russian air force bases last week. On Wednesday, Keck became the first NATO serviceman to fly a Tu-22M3 "Backfire" strategic bomber, and dropped bombs on a test field, after which Russian pilots in Ryazan gave him a shot of vodka, then grabbed his arms and legs and swung him against the craft's landing gear in an initiation ritual they said is often inflicted on newcomers. "I was very impressed with everything from the beginning, from the ground crew preparing the aircraft to the aviators in the sky, the ones who make it all happen," the U.S. 8th Air Force commander told reporters after meeting Russian air force commander Anatoly Kornukov in Moscow last Friday. "When I landed I was also introduced to your tradition of drinking vodka and the opportunity to touch my backside to the front tire of the nose gear of the bomber. It's a wonderful tradition," Keck said. Keck arrived last Monday with five other air force officials, on a six-day visit to promote military-to-military contacts. The visit was to reciprocate a trip by Russian air force officials to a U.S. air base in Texas last year, during which the commander of Russia's strategic air force, Lieutenant General Mikhail Oparin — who accompanied Keck during his visit — flew in B-1B bomber. The U.S. delegation visited the Ryazan air force training base and air garrisons in the Saratov region city of Engels and Soltsy in the Novgorod region. They were also flown in an Il-78 refueller, just as their counterparts last year were given a ride in KS-135 refueller. Keck also took the opportunity to try his hand in the simulator of a Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber. "It has been a very jam-packed five days but every minute has been worth it," Keck said. "The opportunity to see your units firsthand and fly your aircraft has been incredible … something I will never forget for the rest of my life," Keck said. Commenting on his unusual initiation as a Russian strategic air force pilot, Keck said there was a similar tradition back home. "Sometimes you get very wet being dumped in water, sometimes your neck tie is cut off, sometimes even a tail of your shirt is cut off," he said. Kornukov said that apart from the official side of the visit, the unofficial meetings with pilots and air force officers were also important, and pledged friendship between military aviation professionals of both nations. "Our meetings are a guarantee against us looking at each other through the grids of the gun aim, but rather facing each other like we do now," he said. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2001/08/27/003.html | ||||
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