-Maj. Donald "Beak" Beck- History doesn't begin to mention the enlisted troops who kept the aircraft flying. Marine RF-4Bs were an amalgamation of parts from several different versions of the F-4. Their efforts, particularly on the dangerous ground of the aircraft carrier flight deck, allowed a lot of good aircrew to go and accomplish the mission. While our airplanes were never the prettiest RF-4, leaked a lot of fluids, and were sometimes flown when they shouldn't have been, I can't think of a single aircraft accident that was charged to our maintenance department. They were the best. The complexities of the jet and its systems required a high number of maintenance hours per flight hour. The successful launch of flyable jets was due to the perseverance of the maintenance Marines. Similar to any other aviation squadron, it is broken into several smaller departments including : Maintenance Control, Airframes, Avionics, Quality Assurance. The intricate process of producing a flyable jet requires the cooperation and coordination from all departments who often work through the night to provide the aircraft requirements for the following day's flight schedule. MOS: 6014 Aircraft Mechanic, Plane Captain RF4B MOS: 6019 Aircraft Maintenance Chief MOS: 6024 Aircraft Power Plants Mechanic, J79 MOS: 6042 Aircraft Structures Mechanic -Kevin W. Burdeshaw - I really enjoyed my time in this squadron. I served in the flight-line division, and really learned a lot about the upkeep on a very complex aircraft. I went on deployment to MCAS Iwakuni, and on the USS Midway. I enjoyed all of the Marines I served with, and I very much miss the willingness to get the job done, that the Marines in this squadron always had, no matter what the difficulties we faced. MOS: 6046 Aircraft Maintenance Admin. Clerk MOS: 6047 Aircraft Maintenance Data Tech. MOS: 6054 Aircraft Hydraulic/Pneumatic Mechanic MOS: 6060 Flight Equipment - BOB HANSON- The Airforce guys always get me going when they talk about how rough they had it, driving to the flight light in a maintenance van full of Snap on Tools, living in two man "dorms". When they are done with their sob stories, I tell them how we "Power Plants" guys had to steal a Von's shopping cart so we could haul our tools to the last bird on the flight line. Then when you tell them about "Open Sqaud bays" in Iwakuni, they think the Corps was barbaric. Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome, if you can fix F-4s you can fix anything. MOS: 6072 Ground Support Equipment MOS: 6084 Safety Equipment/Seat Shop MOS: 6094 Aircraft Structures Mechanic F-4 MOS: 6314 Aircraft Com/Nav. -BILL SCHIELD My entire adult life has been shaped by the things I learned while in the Corps and with P-3. I made long lasting friends and met and married my wife of 10 years there. "They were the best of times; they were the worst of times." The days were long, the nights longer and the work was hard but we endured and had a great time. Semper Fi!!!! MOS: 6334 Aircraft Electronic Systems MOS: 6334 Aircraft Electronic Systems MOS: 6363 Radar Reconnaissance System Technician MOS: 6432 Aircraft Electrical Flight Control MOS: 6475 Aircraft Radar/IR Recon Systems MOS: 6672 Aerial Camera Systems My memory is fading so if I have not listed a MOS above that helped maintain the RF-4B Phantom please send one or more along to me and I will post it. Thank you for your help. info@rf4bphantom.com Trivial Facts Marine Corps Cadence serves multiple purposes but the most important one is quite practical: Breathing rhythm is very important to long distance runners, and calling cadence requires you to breath properly. You alternate between taking in plenty of air, and expelling it while you sing at the top of your lungs. In fact, without actually singing you aren’t getting the benefits of cadence. (Click on sound, see if this brings back memories?) Recommended Screen Resolution 1024 x 768 Enable pop-ups to fully enjoy this site. This website is not affiliated with the U.S. Government or the United States Marine Corps in any way. This website is a copyright and the property of the Phabulous Phantom Productions and the information and photos gathered for this website are intended for the purpose of providing un-official information and entertainment for those interested in the history of Marine Corps RF-4B Squadrons and the RF-4B Phantom II aircraft.