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I'm guilty of the sunglasses trend myself...but I honestly don't care. If I just got done spending 16 hours in a C-130 sweating my ass off flying a bunch of Army dudes to Kuwait to catch their ride home, and flying a bunch of new dudes in to pick up the fight and move on, having a ing pair of sunglasses on my head doesn't matter. If I see an enlisted mx dude with sunglasses on his head, I don't give a damn. Uniforms matter if you're doing a pass in review. But all that matters to me downrange or on any other given work day is that you do your damn job. I have photos of my grandfather when he was in WWII, Korea and Vietnam (retired as an O-6) and most of them, he's out of uniform by today's standards. But I'll be damned if some modern-day asshole wants to point out stupid queep on a man who jumped into Normandy, fought off the Chi-coms and NKs in Korea in the infantry, and then resupplied Green Berets while commanding the 18th Aviation Company (flying U-1 Otters) in Vietnam...he got the ing job done. I don't give a damn if he did or didn't have his hat on, or if he had on the right color of socks. There are a number of other photos of my other grandfather sans shirt...wearing sandals in some pictures...all sorts of things that would have a modern day SNCO uniform Nazi's head spinning...yet he participated in the invasion of Okinawa. Sure, go ing tell him to put his shirt back on after he just waded to shore in red water and bodies floating in the surf...and then working on young men who were dying (he was a medic)...I'm quite sure people like the uniform Nazis would say a guy like him could never serve our country with distinction because, despite all the other things he did, he was out of uniform 90% of the time. I'll take the heat of people saying "hey, you're not a good officer" or "we can't trust you to do your job". Fine, then go find some asshole who sucks at flying C-130s but can dress well. I'm sure that'll work out well for our country.

You can't polish a turd, Jango. I'd much rather see a guy sporting sunglasses on his head getting the mission done, than someone maintaining a professional appearance telling me "it's not my job sir" or "sir, we close at 1300." It's all about perspective and it sounds as if your perspective is not mission focused. This lack of mission focus is one of the largest fundamental flaws of the Air Foce today. At least your boots look good as the mission fails, right?

Well they aren't getting into Jango's chow hall, that's for damn sure.

Standing by for the line about how "if you dont follow the rules about sunglasses and PT shirt-tuck-ins, you wont follow the rules when it counts," because apparently every aircrew member with an unzipped flight suit pocket and a friday nametag or pen-patch is without-a-doubt going to be behind the next Mai-Lai massacre... in 3...2....1... Chuck

Jango, why are you here? You will not convince anyone here of your viewpoint. It is unlikely anyone here will convince you of theirs. We don't go to the bus driver forum and troll, so please let it go.

Shoe: "Hats gentlemen?" Crew: "No Thanks, we already have hats in our pockets."

just more invented psudeo heritage while the AF tried desperately to minimize our real heritage (which includes FLYING)

I bet these guys never got anything done...look at all those uniform violations...

Everything we do, Steve? Everything we do supports the boots on the ground. That is the mission of the air force. Securing Air Dominance and using it to support the Army/USMC/USAF/SF/whoever who need it to defeat all enemies foreign and domestic. All the other shit we do supports that mission. I believe this is a primetime example of what is wrong with and what I hate about my generation. Apparently to him there is no honor in supporting someone besides his twitter account, youtube channel, or facebook friend counter. If it doesn't directly impact his ego, he's not interested. Same shit with reality television, TMZ, grocery store line magazines, and SNAP UPT studs crying at assignment night (or worse threatening lawsuits...it happened at CBM a year ago) because they got KC/C/MQ/B/F-XX when they DESERVED and were OWED KC/C/MQ/B/F-YY. I think it was when I played 10 and under soccer that tournaments started handing out participant trophies. WTF?! I didn't win, I shouldn't get a trophy. That's my motivation to work harder and do better next time. I am not the pointy end of the spear, I am not a warrior, I have not done anything to earn the military discounts or the "thanks for your service" I get while at lunch in uniform. Do I work hard and am I proud of the work I do? Yes, but I don't get why so many people born after 1984 require the world to revolve around them. If Steve from Tampa had said to himself "well, fvck, maybe I'm not the guy who flies the KC-135s at MacDill, but I am the guy who works 12 hours a day in MPF/LRS/POL/MX/Comm/CP/CE to make sure that the guys who ARE flying the KC-135s to the war zone 3 times a month are getting the TDY credits they need and their records aren't fvcked up because they're probably too busy to check up on them. This is an important job I have, making sure that the records are straight. I am a valued member of the Air Force not because I carry a rifle but because I help the guys who do." Why can't we just be proud of helping each other out? Makes me think about the guy on here a month or so ago talking about pilots in afgan...something about "you're helping someone out on the worst day in the life and they're counting on you." Certainly making sure I get paid the right amount is vastly different than keeping a fire team alive, but it is along the same spectrum. I know this is a generalization and there are countless examples of how this doesn't apply ( like this guy who is 6 months younger than me), but clearly this is a generational thing because it sure as shit wasn't like this 30 or 40 years ago. I don't know how to fix it, but I'm trying my best for myself and I'm open to suggestions. That is all. /rant EDIT: Better, AlarmRed? Seriously, I'm not trying to be a dick, I want to know what I screwed up so I get it better next time. I added some other acronyms for who may have boots on the ground. What else does the USAF do besides support this end-state goal? Cyberwarfare? Ok, I would argue that Cyberwarfare hinders an enemy's ability to fight thus making things easier for the ground guys. Space assets? That's obvious, GPS, Comm, ISR, SBIRS, etc. AFSOC stuff in unnamed countries? Yeah, that's part of who the rest of the USAF supports, that's my point.

Ok, lots of responses, let's see if I can concisely answer all in one post. As a support person I do care about the mission, you can look sharp doing and still get the job done. Uniform wear gets relaxed on worksites all the time ie: not wear your ABU top, hat....ect. Once you leave the jobsite you adjust back to the proper standard. So going from the flightline to say the base side you would need to adhere to the standards. Not wanting to do so because you are tired or think you are entitled to it does not count. When I was a convoy commander in Iraq once we got off the FOB, morale patches went on and uniform standards were relaxed, once we were near another FOB to drop off cargo morale patches came off and were got back into standards. So yea I understand the concept of bending the rules to get the job done. Converts...no not looking for converts here gents, it would be nice to modify the mindset just a little bit. And yes pawnman, there is a HUGE difference between "Get those sunglasses off your head now!" and "Sir, the reg says you can't have your sunglasses on your head", customs and courtesies should always be adhered to. If someone disrespects your rank to correct you....make that SOB stand at attention and give them a refresher on customs and courtesies. FGOs or CGOs I was generalizing....and with that respect my comment was for all officers flyers/qweeps/and support types. Joe1234, seriously if my opinions didn't matter to you....why did you hit reply and post a response? Chuck, I agree with you on using your brain and bending the rules, there is a time and place for it. And you said it best yourself "If something makes no sense or a process sucks, change it, ignore it or find a better way to do it." If you guys don't like the policy....why not change it? Surely you either are or going to be policy makers one day rather flouting the rules? That makes more sense to me. When is my enlistment up? What does that even matter? Won't flex for Ops? I go out of my way for them, what I won't flex for is something that clearly violates the AFIs, DoD or policy. Does my support end there? Sure doesn't, if I know another way to get the job done and meet your needs I do it. Here is an example: fini flight for Col X, he wants a DV Van to take his parents/family/friends into the secure area on the ramp and show them around. Can I give him a vehicle and driver for this? No. What do I tell Col X? Sir we can't do that and this is why....and this is what I can do, send me another request for driver fam training, what you do with it on the ramp isn't my concern. Again the difference between following the rules and doing the right thing. Purposely breaking the rules to be lazy....please. And if you want to keep beating a dead horse, I am game. I have said what I needed say. Am I leaving the forums? Dropping this topic not in the least.

I agree completely, I have managed to get the CP folks from my base to do an 'immersion' with my dispatchers, and in turn we have done the same with them, home station area, deployed area....I couldn’t sell it well enough to them. As the eyes and ears of the Wing/CC I know and appreciate the fact they are busy....a lot more than what you may think, again that's why I would rather work with the SOF or the Ops office for the flyers. It builds a rapport with the end customer, CP doesn't have that much of a vested interest.

Try again.

So as you mentor the newer generation of Air Force professionals you are good with telling them follow only the rules you want to and to hell with the rest, so long as you get the job done. Sorry, that shouldn't fly. Maintaining standards is a primary foundation to good order and discipline, your flippant attitudes in not adhering to these standards paves the way to complacency. Besides that, where is your integrity? Isn't that the first core value? You betcha. Am I mission focused? Don't doubt for a minute my dedication to the mission, I go out of my way to help my customers, it doesn't matter if they are home station, TDY or sister service....if what the customer needs isn't unlawful or outside of our scope of practice we give 110%. That "it's not my job sir" or "sir, we close at 1300", that mentality...that's not service before self, that's I have something else to do than help you, and lazy. Just as its someone being too lazy to pluck those glasses off the top of their head. Can't polish a turd you say? Well if you look like a piece of crap, you are going to act like it. You are either part of the problem or the solution, get with the program.

Vertigo, I will say this, I don't care if you fly for a living or not....everyone must maintain uniform standards and I don't care if you are a CGO or a jr enlisted you will maintain standards and I will correct you if do not. You know how bad it looks to the jr enlisted when an officer walk around looking like Gomer Pyle? You do your profession a discredit if you cannot maintain military standards....I don't care how nitnoid they might be. I don't like tucking in the PT shirt or wearing a disco belt either, however it's something I have to do. Take some pride in the uniform you wear, look like a professional. If you are too lazy to maintain a professional appearance, what other corners are you cutting? If you are proud of what you do....your appearance will reflect just that. Bash the 'shoe clerks'....for what? Doing the right thing? Enforcing standards? You can still get the mission done and not wear your glasses on your head, don't be lazy....how many pockets do those flight suits have? How long would it take to properly stow those shades?