GA_Dave

Engine 619, Forest Hills, NC (collector owned) 1953 Mack 405A 500/500 #1045

I'm in! I've been a member for almost 9 years.

"Lady Lex", the USS Lexington, was lost on May 8th, 1942 at the Battle of the Coral Sea. The USS Yorktown was lost at Midway on June 7th.

I toured the USS Texas back when I was at Fort Hood in the late '70's/early '80's. An impressive ship. It is unfortunate that they let it get into such a sad state of disrepair, but hopefully, that will be corrected and she will be back on display soon. There are quite a few warships on display around the Country, mostly near coastal cities. They are well worth your time to visit!

The USS Midway, currently a museum ship in San Diego, is an aircraft carrier. The Midway was commissioned just days after WWII ended, named after the Battle of Midway. Battleships were always named after States.

I don't know how well an electric fire truck will work, but I have my suspicions. I do already know that these electric fire trucks, being produced in VERY limited quantities now, all have a backup ICE generator to keep them going. Kinda defeats the purpose! Also, water and electricity do not mix! I foresee this apparatus being a major problem within a year or two.

I'm right there with you! As the days since go by, more and more information is coming out and there are so many contradictions, I don't know who to believe. The sensationalist media has made many claims, NONE of which have been verified. Their latest is that the shooter had purchased 1,657 rounds of ammo. WHERE THE HELL DID HE FIND THAT MUCH???

Oh, and I'm not very mature either! :)

That data plate tells a bit of info. The truck is a CF model chassis, the 6 denotes a standard duty chassis, versus a 7 for the heavier duty one, the 11 is the motor code for the particular Mack diesel used, the F means it was a complete Mack fire apparatus, the 12 means a 1250 GPM pump and the 1316 designates that this was number 1316 of the CF's built with a 1250 pump. The date listed is when it was cleared to leave the factory. That engine code would be for one of the following Mack Thermodyne motors: ENDT673-211/225 h.p. ENDT673C-250 h.p. ET673-260 h.p. All three are the same motor, but with modifications to increase horsepower.

I have great respect for all veterans, but especially for those from WWII. My Dad went in during 1944, serving with the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). He carried a Browning Automatic Rifle on his stroll through Italy. His older brother served on the USS New Jersey. My Mom's brother was a gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber and never made it home.

I buffed my first fire at age 3. That led to a lifelong hobby and a 32 year career!

Spoons, you say? I never used any of them fancy, high-dollar tools! Granted, I didn't mess with big tires like you guys, but I used to remove and install tires with a bumper jack and two tire irons.

Missed it by an hour and a half, but Happy Birthday anyway!

If I need something load tested, I just get my wife to sit on it! There is more to that Celebrity's (#35) story, but I'll save that for another time. After about 30 minutes of prying, bending and pounding, the passenger side doors worked again, even though they looked like crap. The wife drove it like that for about three years. More later.

We can always hope.....