Slang term describing a group of USAF airmen that were tricked into a job no one else wanted to do.
The USAF is on the hook to supply ground personnel to the US
Army in regard to Close Air Support (
CAS) operations. No pussy USAF officer (pilot) ever wanted to do this job, although they were tasked with it.
Said pussies found a way to have less intelligent USAF officers (Navigators or worse, Weapons officers) do the job for them (see the adventures of Huckleberry Finn).
These witless officers needed enlisted men to do the real work (carrying radios and actually operating
said radios). This is were our
poor ROMADS come in (Radio Operator Maintainer And Driver; some say it’s Rough On Mothers And Daughters, although I
don’
t deny the latter being the case its not the official story). These enlisted guys proved to be
pretty smart operators and eventually leaned how to control air strikes much better than the USAF officers that were originally sent to do the job. The USAF officers quickly figured out that this was actually dangerous work and soon the ROMAD’s were running the show down where the shooting actually happens. The USAF enlisted men called ROMAD’s rarely
get recognition and get a hell of a lot done. Now ladies, get down the ROMAD barracks at Hurlburt Field
Florida and show those men you care!