Agree with general concensus, an armed response was entirely appropriate - and never heard a dissenting voice at the time.
I once claimed that I was a Tail Gunner in a Harrier, when a couple of Navy lads spotted my holdall on a train one christmas - it threw them for a few minuites.
They got thier own back by drawing an enormous kn*b with wings, on the box containing my girlfreinds Christmas present!
The J/T rank was a good crack, (notwithstanding the 40% pay rise from SAC), if you said the whole 'junior technician' title quickly enough on answering the phone, people assumed you were a 'Chief' - as that rank was never abbreviated in speech. Amazing how much more polite people were if they thought you were a Chief!!
