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I'm sorry that's the case for you (and--from what many dudes say here--other young CGOs around the CAF/MAF). My experience has been VERY different. With the exception of one SQ/CC years ago, I've been mentored/taught/given feedback from every commander I've ever had. The SQ/CC in any unit is a busy dude. Hopefully, he's spending a lot of time trying to screen his pilots from the inevitable queep stream that rolls downhill in any wing. Once he's done that, attended the meetings that seem SO important, and taken the time to write/edit the 14-ish OPRs/EPRs that cross his desk weekly, he doesn't have much extra time. This is where the Flt/CCs and other senior captains need to play a role in officer development. Think about it: Aside from the "community involvement" bullets your average CGOC produces in their self-licking ice cream cone of douchery, their original intent is fairly sound. They exist for the non-ops CGOs to provide informal mentoring, advice, cross communication, and growth that you simply can't get as the one CGO in a shop of 50 other SNCOs/NCOs/junior airmen. The mentoring and involvement the CGOC offers is EXACTLY what you get in a fighter squadron of 20 captains. The CGOC might not understand (and probably would be shocked to see) the "feedback" given during a roll call, but those young CGOs would KILL to have that kind of group CGO involvement and growth opportunity. We ops CGOs take it for granted, and the bad senior captains/majors we have ignore (or don't realize) the role they need to play. Flt/CCs, IPs, senior 4FLs/ACs, and junior majors need to realize that they have a HUGE role in developing the young pups. These are the guys who need to give feedback (mostly informal), motivate, and steer the younger guys. Since the senior captains/young majors can't do the things their SQ/CC does (see above), they need to focus their efforts on the developmental time the SQ/CC wishes he could do (but is stuck queeping in his office or at a meeting instead). "But the SQ/CC and the OG/CC should be doing XXXX and YYYY to develop the younger dudes!" <----- IPs and Flt/CCs I've heard in real life and here on BO.net ^To that I say "WTF do you think YOUR job is now that you've spent 8 years flying jets and completing your upgrade "normal development" ???

My HTML grand mastery takes time, I'm still going though BQZips moms stuff.

Bitte, I will say that I rolled into a squadron that had some of the same issues that you describe above. Some of that was CC driven but some of that was individual driven. Dudes pushing to be a Flt/CC so that it was on their SURF and then on to greener pastures. Box checking (sts) at its finest. But, I believe that much of that was driven by the Capts that were doing it as much as any external influences. People get the itch if they have been in a job for more than 6 months for some reason. It takes a concerted effort to stop this from happening and also a deliberate approach to development. There are AF-level decisions that factor into this (e.g, no masking of AAD for the O-4 board, etc), but many of these things are in your control. Not directed at you, but stop blaming everyone else and fix the problems that you can control when you have the chance to fix them. Don't let others drive the decisions that you make and make the best decision for the AF, the unit and the individual...while that does not always make everyone happy, it tends to work in the long run.

My favorite quote (this is a paraphrase) from "American Patriot" is after a reporter asked about why he wouldn't particpate in the program to return to Vietnam to meet former captors, see the prisons, etc like John McCain was doing. She asked something along the lines of "so you would never go back to Vietnam?" His response was "actually yes I would go back to Vietnam...leading a 4 ship of F-100s full of napalm."

You picked a bad day to start doing crack

So you want a "man licker" forum to talk, debrief style? That shit is down the hall, at NAMBLA HQ. Herk, nice use of the WTF goat.

Oh actually going to a MAJCOM staff isn't bad, just having it as your push is... So a couple years ago I had a supervisor/div chief (I'm a support guy) who was a 4 times passed over captain who somehow eventually made major and became my supervisor. She was actually a very nice person just dumb as rocks. Well I also had a new CC at the time who was adamant about officers NOT writing their own OPRs. In most cases I get it, but this situation was not a good combination. Well I just happened to be filling in temporarily on the Senior Rater's staff one week and I see my OPR come through with a "big MAJCOM program next" push, zero PME push and lots more bad code. This in a year when without the boring details had done some major mission-shit and also had some high level recognition to boot. She really was trying to write me a good OPR as best she knew how, she just didn't and was going off her old OPRs that I'm sure she thought were great. And the CC being new, he didn't really know most of us yet so I'm sure saw the OPR and thought "oh, I see the message here" and moved it on. Anyway, THANK GOD I had a couple good mentors earlier who taught me some of this sh-t... Additionally the exec also knew the code and called a WTF, called the CC and got things fixed before it went for signature. So yeah it sucks that code is there but somebody needs to be teaching it. That was my top OPR in my last RIF board - if nobody had known that Fing code that could have been a very bad thing. F the code - but until it goes away the young bucks need to know it. zach "MAJCOM Next" braff

Of course we did, then we googled to find actual vids, questions?

I can honestly say that I did not. After seeing the pic above, I didn't waste a mouse click....okay, really I'm at work. Had I been home, it may have been different.

Good. That is what I have seen as well. I agree wholeheartedly with what you said above. I think many dudes in the senior roles don't realize that it is their jobs to do much of the mentoring, etc. Lots of folks just want to wait for the Sq/CC or DO to do it instead. Does the Sq/CC have that responsibility, yes. But can he do it alone with the myriad of other trivial tasks, no. Why not? There is a place for much of that in the official feedback form.

When I was a Flt/CC, yes. The new SQ/CC wanted our rack/stack (and why) the very first day he was on the job. Don't confuse an OPR with a feedback session, and don't think for one second that a lack of official documents means the SQ/CC doesn't have the ability to stratify outside of PT/Masters/CGOC. If your Flt/CCs are in MQT, you're doing it wrong. (IMHBAO.)

8 Jul. No action. Why is the process not automated like the GI Bill TEB?

"Staff Sgt. Amy Weidner, a 15-year-veteran of the Idaho Army National Guard, was released from the Active Guard and Reserve last year after officials learned she was operating a pay-per-view website." This is absolutely absurd. People actually pay for internet porn? Read more here: https://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/07/12/2651547/porn-site-costs-idaho-guardsman.html#storylink=cpy

Just to save folks the trip to the link:

If you have not read the book "American Hero" by Robert Coram, then you should. The intro alone got me hooked on the book. It describes how an older retired pilot puts on his mess dress jacket, and then a very important medal around his neck. He could barely do this because of his torture in the Hanoi Hilton. I believe he spoke at Laughlin AFB during a dining out. I wish I had been there, because it would have been an interesting night. Instead of following protocol, the generals in attendance were introduced first. In order with tradition, a medal of honor winner should be introduced first due the medal's rarity and importance. The general's and base commander received modest applause. When Colonel Day was introduced last, spoons started to tap slowly at first, then faster, then louder, and then he received a standing ovation. If you have not read this book, or know of this great man, then you owe it to yourself as a member of the Armed Forces to see what he was all about. Nickel on the Grass.

Don't kid yourself. No matter what you fly, everyone is supporting someone else's mission.

It's also impossible for us to crash seeing as we have both an engineer AND a boom in the cockpit.

In the name of good AF critiquing, I'll start by saying something positive. I agree with a lot of the points that you make. First hand, I have seen far too many "continued" parasites that really were bottom feeders and are just nursing off of the gov teet. While some dudes are the grey beards that provide the backbone to squadrons, others really are parasitic. Much of what you say about the promotion system is painfully valid, but like someone else stated, we like to sit on this forum and bitch a lot about things that are so vividly and cosmically screwed up in our service (as an extension of politics I suppose it only makes sense). While I agree with much of your assessment regarding many (but not all)of those that get passed over, it is your stance on those top choice selects that I argue. You start your posts by laying out your virtual pecker in an online dick measuring contest, whilst you have not confronted any other challenge asking you for credentials of some degree. You could be the college kid from the other forum trying to "pull rank" and bitch slap everyone on this forum that made you feel so small. I give credit and respect where it is due, and a random internet blog post doesn't make anyone an O-6 or above. Bullshit guidance composed in grammatically challenged posts makes me question the validity of your persona. Just saying... The best argument folks have made to your guidance and judgment is that immediate peers and supervisors are the best measure we have in regards to the value an aviator presents to the unit. If he or she can hack the mission, fly the MWS, mentor youngsters, run his shop, and save or take lives in combat, then I can almost guarantee you that person is also an Instructor or Evaluator. That decision is made by people that understand the value or lack of that the person offers to the unit. That fukking box alone to a rated aviator is paramount and should hands down trump any bullshit online PME or AAD. IP or EP should be the first and a required box before even looking at the others. When it is time to take lead and focus less on just tactical aspects, the PME and AAD MUST be relevant to the further development of that leader. Our priorities from the last Majors board seem to be much more in-line with my (and many here on Bops) thinking. For once in a long time, something became slightly less fukked up and credit is due. Since you have graded thousands of PRFs, your type of thinking is likely the kind of shit we have dealt with since circa 2007 that is a poison to the future of our AF.