Back in my days as a C-141 Aircraft Commander stationed at Charleston AFB, SC, we rolled into Nairobi, Kenya, after one of those long, butt-numbing hauls across Africa, which started in the US and featured stops in Senegal, Liberia, and South Africa.
Engines still winding down, the crew was wiped out but excited. We knew crew rests in Kenya usually meant something special — and brother, it really delivered this time!
The crew bus picked us up at the jet late at night. The US Embassy rep told us there were no hotel rooms at hotels they considered “safe,” so he drove us out to a real safari resort on the outskirts of town. It was about 2 AM, and I didn’t care…I was dreaming of a hot shower and a cold bed. We checked in, and I got exactly that!
Read More of My ‘Bedtime Stories’: Fighting Commies and Breaking Speed Limits
Growing Up an American Kid in Oslo
The sun rose up, and I stumbled to my windows and pulled the curtains open. I was jet-lagged as hell. I was immediately shocked!
I’m talking the full deal: wide-open savanna views, acacia trees, and wildlife just wandering around like they owned the place. Lions, giraffes, and a few elephants are hanging out in the distance. “OK, I gotta get up for this!” I thought!
I walked around to a few rooms and woke up the guys. “Mandatory crew briefing on the porch!” I yelled. Laughing.
They all showed up, and we kicked back on the view deck, with cold Tusker beers in hand, and watched giraffes stroll by at sunset while the day burned hot and the sky turned blood orange and then deep purple.
One of the young loadmasters almost crapped himself when a zebra walked right up to the fence. The whole crew was laughing, swapping flying stories, and soaking it in.
After a week of MREs, flight bag Chef Boyardee and beanie weinies, and “hurry up and wait,” that place felt like paradise. Pure Africa magic!
The next day, the Embassy called and told us they were going to move us downtown, “to a more secure location.” We groused a little, and they moved us into a sleek, high-rise hotel right downtown. Talk about whiplash!
From listening to lions roar in the distance to city lights sparkling 20 floors up with modern rooms, hot showers that actually stayed hot, and a view overlooking the bustling streets of Nairobi.
After dragging our bags again, we hit the town like proper aircrew — found some great local spots for nyama choma and cold drinks, swapped lies with the hotel staff, and headed out to our favorite night spot, The Carnivore!
Often called the ultimate “Beast of a Feast,” is one of Nairobi’s most iconic dining destinations. And an aircrew’s dream! Everything from prime beef, lamb, chicken, and pork to adventurous meats, crocodile, ostrich, and yak-– all carved directly onto sizzling plates at your table! And the drinks?! The drinks flowed!
When we got back to the hotel, the whole crew hit the pool after a long day, with a swim-up bar. It just so happened that one of my NCO flight engineers needed to be reenlisted before we got home.
No worries! This is America! One of the other E’s ran up to his room to grab his American flag patch from his flight suit. So, while we all stood there in the pool, nine Americans in bathing suits, I reenlisted my NCO in the hotel swimming pool. The other flight engineer held the flag patch behind us as we stood there, in the pool, only in bathing suits, hands raised, and I reenlisted my flight engineer.
That was the wild beauty of the C-141 world. One day, you’re hauling tanks and troops into some bare-bones dirt strip, the next, you’re going from safari animals at your doorstep to high-rise luxury in one of Africa’s biggest cities.
No two crew rests were ever the same. It was exhausting, unpredictable, and absolutely unforgettable. It was also one of the single best moments in my life!
God bless the airlift mission, the crews who flew it, and those wild nights that made all the hard days worth it.
