CH, this didn't seem right to me. The forums, which I assume is the area to which you refer, is only one part of the baseops site. I freely acknowledge and defer to your greater experience and knowledge of the behind the scenes workings of the site and any poster leaving or not and the operations of the site.
That said, if the condemnation for some posters is that great, then why not ban them? I don't want that and argue that the opinions of nsplayer, vertigo, et al, are as valid as anyone elses. Certainly they are different than many of us and thus provide a different view and perspective that is just as valid.
Without such, this becomes a backslapping community that stagnates.
The departed poster choose to remove himself rather than continue to engage. So be it is my opinion. It appears he ceded the field to his adversaries and negates much of what he posted about doing the opposite.
Our national society is undergoing some pretty significant changes. Some are cheering them on, some are dreading them. But the dudes who are in or want to be in have to deal with those issues as they affect our military and our Air Force specifically. Punching out metaphorically is one way to deal with it, but what does that do for those seeking advice from those that have been there, done that? Like it or not, gays in the military, dealing with fair treatment under the regs, etc, is something that commanders now and in the future have to deal with. Tuning in here, to me, seemed to offer some perspectives that could help a dude make a good call when it came time to do so.
On that line, it also appears that homage regarding every post as the greatest thing ever written wasn't received and it appeared green to be somewhere else from now on. Combat employment of the A-10? Definitely worth STFU and listening to. How to handle various situations elsewhere in the military or in one's life, not so much, especially when the response was often derogatory and belittling which is what I observed when young'uns were engaged. Even the relevancy of the employment posts has to fade with time as the world moves and things, including TTPs, change.
This appears an exercise in free will to no longer waste time engaging here. Fair enough. But replying to any post is also an exercise in free will. It's just as easy to say nothing than encourage buffoonery that is being called "sh1t thrown on the wall."
But it is a personal choice, not the fault of others.