Actually not true.
Air force gets deployed there. We have one of the Satellite shops in Aircrew Flight Equipment deployed there now. My co-worker has been there twice and Air force DOES get shot at and we have mortar attacks at our locations. Hell I get to go to Balad next year.
I do not understand why we get the ridicule. Air Force is smarter than all of the other branches and we got the F-16's and the A-10's. I guess they make fun of us because we are not professional bullet stoppers like the marines?