Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: All-American T3

There is no vehicle more critical to the US military than the Bluebird All-American. Pretty much every serviceman and woman has been on one of these things from the day they they entered basic training. It has no armor, no guns, and is entirely unglamorous, but you always loved seeing one roll up at the range at the end of the day...
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[@AsbestosMuffins]

armor thickness not great but you can't argue against the troop capacity vs other apcs

[@tdmddo]

If fully loaded the inclosed firepower is great

[@jakobc.2558]

​@@tdmddo *fully crewed

[@TheTruePopeFrancis]

Not a problem for the marines! They normally don’t face any resistance when dropping the troops off at the kindergarten.

[@jeffthebaptist3602]

I mean opening the windows gives you a lot of firing ports.

[@danielblohm7485]

​@@jeffthebaptist3602 fireports!? What, we the Navy now?

[@GoSlash27]

Excellent review. The only thing missing was the "Oh dear, the bus is on fire" escape demonstration.

[@treyhelms5282]

I was thinking the same thing. He could set a new personal record with that vehicle.

[@andrewallason4530]

He didn’t demonstrate how to adjust the track tension!

[@herbertkeithmiller]

​​@@andrewallason4530 maybe he could have got the tire pressure 😅

[@martinpollak7039]

Also missed the "oh bugger, the bus is on fire" test

[@Jwnorton]

Armaments? Ammo loadout and storage(wet\dry\'blow-out' panels\Halon\fire suppression system\"Can it make hot water for tea\coffee?\'fridge to keep the Gatorade cool?) Crew listings\loadouts?

[@robertsmith4681]

This may be an April fool's joke, yet it was still genuinely interesting, well done sir.

[@ninus17]

Not going to lie. I wouldn’t mind seeing more videos on some of the other support/logistics and non frontline vehicles.

[@empath69]

Best kind of April fool's prank.

[@swirvinbirds1971]

The Bluebird is no joke.... It's a war machine!

[@nickrowe7451]

An April fools prank? That’s the backbone of the US military

[@didboy74]

I too like more on logistics and stuff moving vehicles.

[@nepocrates]

Chieftain a point of clarification. The first mirror is called a cross-over mirror it main purpose is to see in front of your bus to make sure the front is clear of children or very short military personal before you start driving. The noise suppression/cancelation switch is used when the bus approaches a railroad track to kill most of the fans and radios so the bus is quieter. The driver opens the driver side window, activates the hazards and turn on the noise impression and finally opens the door. Then the driver checks and listens for a train. If it is safe to proceed, the driver crosses the tracks, closes the door and window and then turns off the noise suppression. Thought you would like to know

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

I now know

[@alantoon5708]

I guess this gentleman is an actual skill qualified bus driver..

[@johnladuke6475]

I refuse to believe this explanation, and prefer to think that "noise suppression" does something unpleasant to the passengers if they get too wild.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

@@johnladuke6475 Nah, THAT feature is still installed in the driver as standard.

[@woongah]

Thanks. Quite interesting.

[@steveturner3999]

This is without a doubt the easiest military vehicle for the Chieftain to get in and out of.

[@davydatwood3158]

Those small highly convex mirrors are actually for seeing what's directly in front of you. A 3 foot tall grade schooler is utterly invisible through the windscreen when they run directly in front of your bus. Now that I drive delivery vans instead of school buses, I seriously miss my crossover mirrors.

[@Aliceintraining]

same, though for me I drive transit buses and they only have the bike rack mirrors. but they do work like wonders for being able to see anything infront of you. heck a co worker of mine nearly ran over someone who passed out infront of their bus. so if I do have a pick of buses, I always get one with a bike rack mirror.

[@butchs.4239]

School busses around here have a barrier to keep the kids from running right in front of the bus. It's the height and width of the front bumper, and hinged from the bumper on the curb side.

[@llllib]

​@@butchs.4239wouldn't mine flail also work agains children being run over by the bus? 🤔

[@MrKronikDeception]

The one advantage of the cattle car over the Blue Bird is the added feature of "room for one more" no matter how many soldier, sailor, airmen, etc, there is always room for one more.

[@petesheppard1709]

Always...

[@markcollins2666]

The other advantage is, the cattle car trailer can last for decades, you only need to upgrade the tractor. And a 5 ton, single screw tractor is cheaper than a whole bus. Here I am, seeing the same cattle car trailers I rode in 1976.

[@petesheppard1709]

@@markcollins2666 I figured the cattle cars were replaced for crash safety reasons.

[@markcollins2666]

@@petesheppard1709, what crashes?!? Usually, they are the only thing moving on a range trail dirt road! I've never rode a bus to a range, those are for VIP"s, or outsiders of the base, that bring their own. Cattle cars forever! It's more or less like riding on a subway train, when you have 60+ pounds of gear and weapons. Buses are too awkward.

[@petesheppard1709]

@@markcollins2666 I'm not aware of any either; I was just speculating.

[@MikaelKKarlsson]

Notice the numerous sliding side ports allowing soldiers to fight from the vehicle. Ingenious.

[@davydatwood3158]

The noise suppression button is for crossing train tracks. It kills the fans, a/c, 2-way radio and sound system. In Alberta, and I assume in most North American jurisdictions, before crossing a train track you stop, kill the noise, open the driver's window and the passenger door (even when it's -30), yell at the kids to shut up, and *listen* for an oncoming train. It's also very useful for when you need to talk to the kids, because they tend to notice when the commercial radio cuts out. Finally, the "emergency exit" lever on the passenger door is just a latch, it disconnects the door from the power so you can just push it open.

[@DerAlleinTiger]

Here in the US, most places that have a crossing have systems that alert you at least lights or noise, if not straight up block the crossing/road, when a train is coming. Those in any kind of well-traveled or suburban places tend to have gates that lower and raise as needed. If you come across one that doesn't, it's usually out in the country, in which case you just look and see if one's coming.

[@TurboHappyCar]

And I was thinking it was some kind of anesthetic gas to get the privates to shut up. 😂

[@Its-Just-Zip]

​@@TurboHappyCar not on this model, we decided that gassing our kids and troops to get them to shut up was a bad idea a few years ago

[@ReptilianLepton]

@@DerAlleinTiger On the contrary, there are many, many rural at-grade crossings, especially over infrequently-used short lines, with no lights, no gates, and nothing other than your ears and Mark I Eyeball to figure out if you're about to get pasted.

[@athompso99]

​@@DerAlleinTiger Close... but, [almost] no matter where you are right now, anywhere between 10% and 25% of the crossings in a 10-mile radius of you will be completely uncontrolled. As much as 10% (depending on location) are completely unmarked! You are right when you say "well-traveled", but: the school bus that drives along the gravel road near my in-laws' farm twice a day has to cross a mixture of controlled, partially-controlled, and uncontrolled crossings along its route. Some of those feature curved segments of track that are well-treed, so no, the driver *can't* see the train coming until it's far too late, but then *can* almost always hear it. "Out in the country" doesn't always mean flat, or obstruction-free, even in the middle of Nebraska! (or Kansas or North Dakota or ) Moderating this is that both railroads and governments are still strongly incentivized to upgrade every single crossing to a fully-controlled crossing, so the # of uncontrolled or unmarked crossings IS dropping every year. [Source: close family member was Superintendent of Signals for the entire midwest region for a Class-1 railway.]

[@Andarion00]

I'm disappointed to see that the chieftain didn't talk about the track tension of this vehicle

[@kanrakucheese]

Tire pressure?

[@77gravity]

I came here to say this.

[@MoparNewport]

If memory serves, 110PSI on average. Been a while since i looked though!

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Yeah, I was going to say in this case track tension is measured in PSI. 😉

[@18robsmith]

That light by the main "cargo" door is very useful when it comes to making sure there is a nice deep puddle to decant a particularly rowdy load of kids or squadies into

[@johnladuke6475]

I thought the particularly rowdy ones were what the "noise suppression" switch was for.

[@douglasbeveridge1861]

@@johnladuke6475 when you press the noise suppression switch does a SSgt immediately jump up and bellow "attention" to quiet down the rowdy squaddies

[@johnladuke6475]

@@douglasbeveridge1861 I was thinking that it might just connect various parts of the seats to the alternator and battery so you have to sit very still.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

Ah yes, the most unwanted addition cert on your military drivers license you were ever Voluntold to get, yet possibly the most useful once you ETS. An absurd number of my guys went on to be bus drivers and garbage men. Best OJT in the service.

[@DrLoverLover]

what?

[@carlost856]

​@@DrLoverLover good union and steady government jobs. It's great.

[@Cryptovariable]

What are you talking about?!? Bluebird was the best license you could get! Sham central. Goldbrick city. Post-range cleanup detail? "Can't sarnt driving the bus"

[@zotfotpiq]

This might be my new favorite the chieftain video. More love for ordinary things that make the military go, please!

[@YanBaoQin]

I unironically agree

[@thegodofhellfire]

What about seatbelt tensioning?

[@craigmoffitt2374]

This is a school bus, only the driver has a seatbelt. In the event of a crash everyone else gets to be the rocks in the can.

[@ssgtmole8610]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ymishaus2266]

There's only the metal bar at tooth level

[@Bob_Betker]

@@craigmoffitt2374 Boy did you miss the intended humor. The Chieftain always explains how tracks are tensioned on his tracked vehicle reviews, something of a running joke.

[@IONATVS]

@@craigmoffitt2374 Tho at least the structure is designed to be extremely durable in a rollover, so the can is unlikely to be crushed with you in it

[@Jako1987]

1:05 Rear engine gives more weight distribution and traction to the back tires. Good in winter. Front engine is normal lorry/truck chassis witch is cheaper but bad in winter if you have no cargo.

[@AsbestosMuffins]

idk bout that, in Ohio you almost never see the flat front buses outside of an inner city district. my school district only ever had 2 and still only has a couple

[@ZGryphon]

Rear exit's a lot better in a front-engine bus, though.

[@bastarddoggy]

As a bus driver I loved my rear engine bus because it put that noisy hot monster about 40 away. Also, as you noted, having that weight in the rear made the front ride much smoother.

[@tangydiesel1886]

​@@ZGryphonyou're correct, front engine allows for a "full height" emergency exit.

[@maybenot7202]

@@bastarddoggy yes having it 40 feet away and a foot under the floor is very nice, I can barely hear mine.

[@silmarian]

For some reason, I wasn’t expecting actual school buses in use by the Army. Even the spacing on the old one looks like me squeezing myself in them on my kids’ field trips. Being rather taller than your average mom, I’m so very glad they’re off to college and I don’t have to do that anymore! It got real old real fast once I was over 30.

[@johnladuke6475]

Schoolkids, privates, even generals... if you've got up to 48 people to move and you're not overly concerned about comfort, schoolbus is probably the cheapest rental or purchase on the lot.

[@darthcalanil5333]

Here in Syria, city buses became standard issue military troop transport vehicles. I believe wheel tension became a really important part of the military course 😂

[@shaider1982]

Hope you are ok after the earthquake and the on-going conflicts there.

[@darthcalanil5333]

@@shaider1982 it's alright. luckly my town is far away from the centre point of te quake.

[@trulyinfamous]

I can't imagine how hot those things would get in a desert climate if they didn't have air conditioning, especially if they were crammed full of people.

[@burhanbudak6041]

Add some scrap armour with fun holes and you got a tool battlebus.

[@shaider1982]

​@@darthcalanil5333 good to hear that.

[@cavalryscout9519]

I literally drove one of these things across open desert in Iraq. We also had a bunch of Hyundai and Mitsubishi commuter busses for the same mission, but they broke down constantly because they didn't have the rugged suspension of the Bluebird. We had to take them cross-country because they aren't armored so only an idiot would drive them on pavement in Iraq. The Bluebird was the best bus we had for that mission, but we only had one. It was usually down for maintenance 1-2 days. week, unlike the rest of our fleet of which only about ⅓ were running at any given time. When I enlisted as a Cav Scout, I never imagined that my first time taking fire would be in a Bluebird. War is weird.

[@Celebmacil]

Somewhat surprisingly to me, this brought back more memories from, and feeling of, being in the Army again, than perhaps any other vehicle ever could have. Thanks, Chieftan!

[@alantoon5708]

As a retired Army Bandsman I spent more delightful hours on those conveyances than I care to remember...

[@jangschoen1019]

The "School Bus" model even comes with its own pop-out stop sign with flashing lights!

[@RG001100]

“I have time to kill” it is an awful lot of effort, for an informative and hilarious joke.

[@_ArsNova]

Excellent review Nick. Can you possibly cover the anti-aircraft and German halftrack variants next?

[@norad_clips]

XD

[@markcantemail8018]

Buggar the Bus is on Fire . Thank you Chieftan .

[@chopper7352]

Being wheeled... it's obviously the "Recon Bus". Can't wait for the "Tracked IFV" version...so we get a 'Track Tension Test'. 🔧

[@oldmangimp2468]

Thanks for this: my dad retired from driving (school) busses around the turn of the century. While many improvements have been made since then, the genius of the design has remained unchanged.

[@DamnedSilly]

Mostly unchanged. I'm old enough to remember when the fuel tanks were just sheet-metal cans outside the frame which sat just high enough for the front end of a car to slide neatly under the body.

[@jeffreypierson2064]

I never understood the change on the door opener. Why add the complexity and weight of pneumatics when you had pushrods to open the door?

[@keithlarsen7557]

I was in a school bus that got t-boned by an SUV going upwards of 50 mph. Nobody on the bus was hurt at all. It just rocked back and and fourth like a ship taking a big wave. The clever bit of engineering is that the passengers of the bus are sitting up higher than the rest of traffic. The SUV had a good 2 to 3 feet of penetration into the bus, but was bellow where our feet were.

[@darkserra1]

Wow, so many memories of riding those things! Bucket seats and A/C, the Army is getting soft :) Thanks for the memories.

[@DeePsix501]

Oh bugger the bus is on fire

[@EmperorNefarious1]

As a bus driver I can say that even the fattest of men can get out if they can get in, from multiple places at great speed.

[@MarkS-qp6pz]

Yes! The combat bus! B Co 1/75 sent a couple of our Rangers to "Combat Bus Driver School" so they could drive everyone around. First day they were driving us they crashed the busses. One bus rearended the other bus. It was hilarious. Luckily, we were better at combat operations than transportation.

[@dohnflick161]

In OBC they were referred to as the mobile horizontal training platform. And yes I have sat in a bus load of lieutenants on what passes for a snow storm at Fort Sill calling for fire out on the range. No, there wasn’t a VIC-1 or VRC-46 mounted in that particular bus, we were using a PRC-77 with the antenna poking out the window.

[@oldmangimp2468]

Additional notes: IIRC, the power pack at the rear does lower the overall height of the vehicle somewhat, providing a more stable transportation platform and better on-road performance. On the downside, engine maintenance does become more difficult due to the confined space. It goes without saying that the lower ground clearance and the location of the front wheels further back from the front of the vehicle do limit the (minimal) off-road capability of the vehicle.

[@edwardloomis887]

Stateside, Blue Birds were the standard. When I was in West Berlin, the Bonn government paid for many things that weren't pay, ammunition or MTOE gear, so we got Mercedes buses for admin moves. Every company had to designate some Soldiers to get bus drivers' licenses. They were a nice ride.

[@timcaretti4682]

When I used to ride on this bus as a young officer (~30+ years ago), they were named by the number of passengers that they could carry. I was trained to drive a few buses, the largest being a 44 pax (passenger) bus. They could carry 4 passengers to a row (two per side with the aisle down the middle), so a 44 pax had 11 rows. They were also all bluebirds then, though. I repeat, if this was a gentle April Fools joke by the Chieftain, it was still well done.

[@petesheppard1709]

PLEASE, do a cattle car! I was gratified that you mentioned them and a bit surprised that there were some still in service! At Marine Corps OCS back in the '70s, cattle cars were our secondary mode of transportation, after Leather Personnel Carriers...

[@alantoon5708]

Brings back many bad memories.

[@dandysmecatholique]

Rode in cattle cars during basic in 2020. Advantage over the bluebird was the drills would never ride in them

[@petesheppard1709]

@@dandysmecatholique Good one!

[@Vexed_Vixen]

​@@dandysmecatholique we listened to 90s hip hop in the bluebirds. Got to sing and everything and the drills didn't care. Summer of 2020, Jackson

[@chrisgay4786]

I was waiting for 20 minutes of detail on the door mechanisim, and making sure the tension is right.

[@geofftimm2291]

Luxury transport! We were lucky to have cattle cars instead of LPC. Geoff Who rode one around Ft. Polk on time off and little of that.

[@Muzzled]

Need more logistics vehicle reviews, especially the stuff in active use.

[@TJ-USMC]

Nothing beats the Wonderful "Cattle Car" when traveling (Just Kidding) stuffed in standing "Asshole to Belly-button"

[@tomservo5347]

If you're going down this path you should do one on the glorious 'cattle truck' trailers that hauled us to and around base during Army BCT. I didn't get to enjoy the view my first time on one because I was too busy keeping my face buried in the top of my duffel bag, courtesy of my drill sergeants during Day 1. I'll never forget it.

[@DanielWW2]

Pretty much everybody who has even seen a Hollywood movie about the US military has seen these.

[@HB45175]

Impressive feat of "can't be bothered" to make a high floor bus like that still have intruding wheel arches.

[@gitgut4977]

The american schoolbusses in Bamberg (from the time when they were garrisoned here) are still used for tourists! what monstroscitys, but ones i like to see because of history :)

[@rogersmith7396]

You can tell Chief has lost his security clearance. No more tanks. Please review the Nash Metropolitan. Or a Gremlin.

[@16Tango]

I got a bus license my first AT in the Guard off of Active Duty. Much older than that one but having that on my license got me out of doing less pleasurable things than riding around all day.

[@Scottinqc]

as a driver of the yellow school bus variant of the All American, here are a few points to expound on. The rub rails on the sides denote three things, the floor height, seat base height and top of the seat height to aid in rescue operations if needed. (oh bugger, the bus is on fire type stuff). they are also handy for moving wayward Sgt Majors out of the way without damaging the skin of the bus. The doors are actually pneumatic and not hydraulic, as we dont need to be spraying oil on our privates (or school kids) The noise supression switch turns off all interior accessories when crossing railroad tracks or such, It doesnt do much against the noise coming from the kids or privates.... The emergency exits are however very functional and are tested daily as part of the inspection to make sure that they are functional in case of "oh Bugger, The Bus is on Fire!!!!"

[@kristoffermangila]

You forgot "Oh bugger, we got T-boned by a runaway supercar and got toppled over the side!"

[@PatFarrellKTM]

I used to work in Roslyn VA (right across the river from Washington DC). You would see BlueBird painted blue all the time, they made constant trips from the CIA out in Langley down to Roslyn and on to the Pentagon. Some when to the State Departments language courses, or to assorted beltway bandits' offices. There might have even been some CIA overflow office space, but of course they would never say.

[@andreimonov7261]

Правительство на вас сильно экономит.

[@doughudgens9275]

Rear engine helps with turning radius and smoother ride. To keep the same distance between the wheels on a front engine bus, the rear wheels are almost in the middle. Then the back of the bus is cantilevered some distance from a pivot point, and the ride gets “sporty”.

[@ssgtmole8610]

I love this. 🥰I guess my major nostalgia is for the buses that ran on the Elmendorf AFB daily bus service and their drivers. Especially the drivers when the base engineering department would insist on plowing the snow down to a layer of ice, and the busses became large ice toboggins. They weren't flat nosed Bluebirds though.

[@timothykelly5588]

the bus is on fire!

[@markcollins2666]

Ah, the Bluebird of Happiness! I drove one for 3 years, in the Army. But mine was configured to double as an ambulance, with racks for litter patients, and all kinds of mounts for medical equipment.

[@kenibnanak5554]

I have ridden those many, many times. In the 70s and 80s Bluebirds were a very common sight near DC. Almost every agency had some, from HEW to DOE and of course the military.

[@armydude131]

Hey, finally a vehicle I’ve driven!

[@totensiebush]

One of the advantages of rear engine is something you mention later: it gives space in between the frame rails for very well protected fuel tanks. On a front engine bus, there's a driveshaft running from the back of the transmission to the rear differential (well, a series of driveshafts), meaning you can't really put fuel there. Not sure where they put it on those buses.

[@Scottinqc]

the rear axle is further forward, the tank is behind the axle on those models. The front engines have the added advantage of an even smaller turning radius, but the tail swing is horrendous. Do not make sharp turns near anything breakable....

[@johnm2056]

@@Scottinqc not always I own a bus international 3000 the engine is a conventional out front like a truck. No dog house inside. The fuel tank is 105 gallons at the front behind the passenger door inside a cage of tube steel that protects it from any impact.

[@redssracer4153]

I was half expecting the Chieftain to do the "I'm on fire" bail-out drill...🤣🤣🤣😁👍👍

[@theghotihunter1239]

I’m an EO in the navy and drive these regularly, Let me tell you getting an accurate count off from the rear in one of these is like trying to pump fresh water out the ocean.

[@davidstrother496]

No instruction on how to adjust wheel base length, and no "oh bugger, the bus is on fire" exit. LOL. Happy April Fools Day, greetings from Texas.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

Thank you bus driver. 😌 _Nothing_ gets done without *you* bringing the manpower.

[@509Gman]

I’ve driven these (in school bus service). The turning radius is indeed impressive. Noise suppression switch cuts off the heat/ac/fans for railroad crossing stops (you are required to open the window and door and listen for an oncoming train before proceeding). Rear engine busses are imo better in icy and snowy conditions.

[@coldwarrior78]

Love it. Absolutely every American serviceman has been there. Usually accompanied by the dulcet tones of a loving drill sergeant.

[@Silverhks]

Of note, the 22.5 wheel is the defacto standard for trucks. Widely available and cheap wheels/tires

[@warbeast416]

It's bad that I know exactly where this bus was built, I used to work down the road from the main Blue Bird factory in Fort Valley, Ga.

[@dandysmecatholique]

So nostalgic, these things were the only time we got a break, ac, and a nap during basic. Maybe even music if we were lucky

[@markbogunovich3920]

When I was in basic and AIT at Fort Leonard Wood in the summer of 1996, we had the old cattle cars and sometimes stake body trucks. Everywhere else after that, the Bluebirds. Freakin' memories!

[@johnknapp952]

No Track tensioning, but you do need to check tire pressure and wear. Navy and Marines used the School Bus type bus (yellow and everything). Got a license in Hawaii to drive one but never had to use it.

[@Cancun771]

Best April Fool's joke ever. Not a joke: There is actually a video entitled *"Noise suppression switch on a 2008 CNG Blue Bird school bus."* And it actually makes as much sense as anything about this bus.

[@armybaka7804]

Memories of fort jackson coming off range 7 is starting to flood me.

[@JJ-si4qh]

I'm surprised how many memories this specific vehicle brought back

[@PaperworkNinja]

1995. Aviano AB. The base was so overcrowded our squadron had to live in a beachside town. The Marines decided that they needed our allocation of the tent city on base, so we were sent to a hotel in Lignano Sabbiadoro. As such we had to ride Blue Birds to and from the base every day. One night our bus drivers decided to race, stopped only by a toll station. One of the drivers handed the booth attendant the toll and drove through, leaving an airman at the back of the bus to take the receipt from the gobsmacked attendant. He deserved his win that night.

[@Tagawichin]

"Ass to ass, face the glass!" This was the command to load the buss to max capacity after the seats were filled. It put a double row of privates standing down the isle. It did leave just enough room for one more rider in the front leaning rest position over the engine cover. Fond memories of AIT at Ft Lee.

[@danielstickney2400]

I spent many hours driving Bluebirds in my younger days, as well as Thomas, Scania, Flxibles, RTS and even a couple of MCI 9s Those front doors are pneumatic, by the way. From my perspective the biggest advantage of the rear engine was more room for the driver's feet and not having to listen to the Cat 3418 under the doghouse next to you for an entire shift.

[@Plumbump]

I didn’t ride in one. Me and two other guys flew into Louisville from Chicago, where we were picked up by some random Spc, we then took a taxi driven by this pimp-looking black dude into ft Knox. We then waited like half a day for everyone else to show up and get the party started. Couldn’t have been a more fitting introduction to the army. This was circa 2004. It was a clusterfuck :)

[@origamichik3n]

Sadly, two existential questions will forever remain a mystery: 1. Can Chieftain fit in the driver's position? 2. "Oh bugger, the bus is on fire!"

[@michaelguerin56]

Thank you. Good video. I had a feeling that someone (apart from a public transport museum) would still be using semitrailer buses and am looking forward to your presentation on a ‘cattle car’.

[@robdgaming]

At Fort Belvoir these buses have/had "Military District of Washington" painted on the top of the sides. There was one with an inside mural showing an MDW bus jacked up as a dragster, with flames coming out the back.

[@jamesshepherd5222]

One of the memories I have of my father was him driving a bus on a base in the late 60's. He was a EO1 in the seabee's. Usually he was driving construction equipment in Vietnam.

[@michaeldwyer3466]

in the absence of track tension I am shocked that you didn't at least discuss tire presure.

[@wacojones8062]

I remember the cattle car Semi one per platoon going to the range to get soaking wet waiting for the range to open. Ft. Lewis WA 3rd Plt. D-2-1 spring 1971. Good quick presentation with many good follow on answers from the crowd.

[@Bob_Betker]

Cattle cars, oh that brings up memories of Fort Sill and Fort Benning. I can't believe they are pampering troops nowadays with music and A/C in the bus.😄

[@popuptarget7386]

The old cattle car would be true nostalgia

[@LegionOfEclaires]

I bet you could transport an entire platoon and their equipment. And the stealth factor is unparalleled. The enemy will think it's nothing more than a school bus taking kids to school. The Battle Bus truly is the ultimate APC.

[@alantoon5708]

We once upon a time had a former M60A3/M1A1 TC in the unit who wanted to drive the bus so badly they finally sent him to bus drivers school. On his first official trip as the unit bus driver he wrecked attempting to exit the reservation. The 1SG had me write the report as I had a lot of experience with accident reports. This bus driver was later permanently fired after almost running town a POV full of civilians on 1-16 one night on the way to FT Stewart. In my very early days in the Army buses were painted an olive green color and were thus called somewhat inelegantly "green weenies". One time we took one down the tank trails at Stewart and that bus was never the same...

[@randchoochinwah3814]

Perhaps the best ever Inside the hatch episode.... This is a real pleasure to watch....

[@matthabir4837]

'Boots on the floor; we're getting the whole damn platoon on here': every gunny ever.

[@tuckcuttertuck6802]

Chieftain. You forgot to state that the wheels on the bus do indeed go round and round.

[@stalkingtiger777]

Don't forget that they can also come with an optional Drill Sergeant, and they smell like rotten fish after a rainy day at the range! Also, the new ones have AC and individual seating? Fancy. I remember sitting in this bus going to the range in Fort Bliss. It was like an oven.

[@stevewatson6839]

I reallly shouldn't be surprised but the informative comments were very welcome. I always wondered at the local buses opening their doors at a junction.

[@alanbare8319]

Brings back memories of my "commute" from the dorms to the flight line at Al Dhafra in 2012.

[@57thorns]

The best video published this day. Informative, interesting and shows off an American icon. The blooper at the end var hilarous.

[@davidbrennan660]

At least he can get out of it.... “Oh dear the bus is on fire!”

[@jamesturner9651]

There are very few Americans who have never ridden on a Blue Bird. It's one of those ironic things you almost take for granted. Nearly every student in the school system has ridden on one as well as most service members.

[@anticarrrot]

"Ah Mr Chieftain, I hear you want to do one of your famous walkabouts of one of our fine military vehicles." ... "What do you mean 'bus'?"

[@jeffralston8946]

"You have 30 seconds to unass this bus, and 15 of them are gone! Get off my get off my "F"ing bus!"

[@cirian75]

Kid leaves school, "Finally I can join the army, no more getting on that damned bus again", two weeks later "Omg why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[@myparceltape1169]

So Bluebird Coaches have got a contract with the US military. I remember them as a civilian outfit that specialised in mystery tours. I don't see much of them any longer but South of Oban I passed a Bluebird hotel in a comfortable place in the Scottish Highlands.

[@Maurice00PA]

The rear window should be an emergency exit. From experience, I can say they are tough MF's to tear apart in a rescue situation. There are specialized classes for firefighters in rescue just for these vehicles. Great idea to review these common vehicles.

[@99Racker]

Interesting article. Now, you have raised interest in one on the troop carrying "cattle car" that we also rode about.

[@yolkiandeji7649]

So when is The Chieftain going to do an Inside the Hatch on the E-4’s Dodge Charger?

[@BRAVOACTUAL]

Also of note. The rub rails on the side are also are specific heights for cutting open for firefighters in the event of an accident at floor, seat and headrest level of the interior seating of a standard school bus seat.

[@AbramsGunner]

Sweet Jesus! Last ride I remember was 3 guys to a bench, plus duffle bags... and smoking was still a thing (Feb 1991). Hell, smokers were trying to climb out the windows looking for air...LOL