Leaderboard

Stupid name. I wonder how much of it they will completely jack up though...

https://www.badassoftheweek.com/21sikhs.html

Shack. I'm constantly struck by people who forget the human element and continuously double down on the idea that if we just get the right equipment everything else will be successful. Philosophically it's akin to the E-8 who thinks enforcing uniform standards is corollary to mission success. The AF love affair with technology is closer to religious zealotry than military strategy. I could do succssful ISR with binoculars, strike with hand grenades or airdrop with a a sectional (while VFR!) and so could anyone who is a reasonably competent aviator filled with a burning desire to win. The great AF fail, which this author can't see, is the total mismanagement of and inability to identify the handful of people in every career who passionately want to win. I love my gadgetry, but it reaches a point where the time spent troubleshooting exceeds the time saved. At that point, it takes leadership and experience and drive to win the fight regardless. The AF continues to attract people who are capable of exactly that, I work with them and have been fighting with them for a decade. Unfortunately over time the system rewards the risk adverse and administratively minded instead of the warrior. I don't know how to change it, but i know it can be changed.

Good Riddance Gen Schwartz. I thank you for your service and I'm pretty sure you tried like hell to right this ship, but I'm fairly confident most people would say our service is worse off now than it was four years ago.

I usually got so paranoid about dropping a deuce on board that I would OD on vitamin I & turn my eyes brown for a few days. In the grand scheme, it probably wouldn't have mattered, those old girls are permanently imbued with the stench of 50+ years of sweat, farts, boogers, vomit, anger, frustration, and despair, with an underlying hint of cigarette smoke & anti-commie sentiment around the sextant port. It's a beautiful thing.