Leaderboard

My favorite thing is the "innovation idea" taskers that come down urging us to :cut the cruft and think outside the box." Then require us to route it through the entire chain, brief Sq/Grp/Wg CC's for it to get out of the Wing.

Guys, the military “hero” / “thank you for your service” / “veteran” culture has jumped the shark. At the airport today waiting to board, and the Delta gate agent announces “anyone w a active duty military ID can now preboard”. Damn near 25 people made their way up to the gate...including a brand new 2LT RPA pipeline student wearing his flight suit (very tacky). Now it’s not these individuals fault they took advantage of Delta offering them early boarding. But as military members we need to think of what that’s doing to the general public’s perception of its military. If I’m a first class passenger I’m going to be slightly annoyed that some 19 year old dressed in cutoff jeans and a tank top is boarding before me just because they’re holding an active duty ID card. thats certainly not endeering me to any of those young 20 something year old airmen. Again, not a shot at the airmen, but a call to reflect on how some of this has gotten out of hand. next example: in Texas anyone with a qualifying military medal gets that medal displayed on their license plate along with other perks (I think free parking fees some places, along with other smaller perks). now fellas you’d think after parking on Randolph AFB you were in the god damn Medal of Honor parking lot with the amount of “meritiorious service medal” (super lame), “expeditionary war on terrorism medal” (lame), “air medal” (not as lame) and other frivolous displays of military “heroism”. I’ve never seen so much bling on cars! Honestly it’s a bit off-putting. Again not a shot at those who have these plates...More of an argument at the state of Texas for allowing it. What happened to serving honorably with humility and quiet professionalism? Why is there a need for military members to have a medal saying “look at my meritorious service?” I know a lot of us on here are annoyed when random people come up and thank us “for our service”. These license plates don’t do anything to stop that from happening. They are helping promote a hero culture for all veterans which is harmful to our profession in the long run. We’ve already identified there’s a growing civilian/military gap. Having all of these perks is nice for sure, but I’d argue it’s doing nothing to close that gap. Having civilians awe at your meritorious service medal (to them they don’t know it’s lame, they just see an award) shows how out of touch the avg American is with its military. Silver star or higher? Hell yeah put that on there that’s legit but that leads me to my next thought... Not everyone who serves is a hero. Quite the opposite. Most of us are simply doing our jobs, quite well no doubt. But there are really few heroes. If everyone’s a hero then no one really is. few military members deserve the amont of recognition that the American public is showering all of us with. Deep down we all know this...am I really a hero for doing 20 missions in afg at FL260 in the ISR orbit, not getting shot at,playing angry birds on my iPad? Hell no. Eddie Rickenbacker left WWI as a major, but used the rank of captain for the rest of his life cause that’s what he felt he earned. I really hope we can return to that level of humility. My grandfather fought in Italy as a tank gunner in WWII and had a finger blown off (no big deal). While in England recovering, his tank, along with his friends, was obliterated. When he came home from war he didn’t slap a Purple Heart on his license plate. He didn’t get thanked for his service or board airplanes first. He didn’t even talk about the crazy shit he did or saw. He simply thought that he did his duty along with millions of other Americans. That type of thinking was common. Now Yes I know a lot of this over the top military hero culture has come from how poorly America treated her Vietnam vets. I’m certainly not arguing to return to those days... and I wish those dudes didn’t have to endure that pain coming home. But there’s a healthy middle ground, and right now we’re not standing on it. Thank you...for reading.

My OPR closed out in Dec. “2/10 Maj’s in YG” WG/CC. 1/3 in YG OG/CC. PRF result: 4/13 I/APZ... if I had one more DP to give... It’s going to be a long six months. Especially with cyber bros having billions of dollars in impact. Timing is everything. I’ve never been good at that.

Annoyed by being thanked for your service? First class customers upset by young military volunteers boarding first? Having anything military affiliated on your car is unseemly bragging? In a country where a significant portion of the population worships celebrities, you guys are concerned about people and companies doing some surface-level things to appreciate the troops?

I also took the extended bonus out to 20.5 years. I had an awesome job crushing enemies, doing well at it, my family was happy, and I thought it could continue. My last three years have been awful, I was at an irrelevant non-flying staff job & it was very disheartening professionally. I inadvertently brought my unhappiness home and my family, to my shame, was affected by my foul mood and lack of professional satisfaction. I knew I was rolling the dice by taking the bonus, but I rolled snake eyes and it was worse than anticipated. Not everyone who stays in the service past their commitment is a Kool-Aid drinking careerist. However, if I could make the choice over again I would have left the service and not taken the bonus. And I will certainly leave when my commitment is up because I just can’t stay in an organization that doesn’t care about its people or its mission..... and by not caring for the people doing the mission, the Air Force has shown me they don't care about the mission. For those who leave when their commitment is up, I salute you brothers and wish you the best. For those who stay, I salute you as well and hope that you will be gainfully employed by commanders who care about you.

I had returned from my 365 a year before and was in a pretty good assignment when I decided to sign the 5 year bonus. The next year the 20 YAS bonus was offered to MAF pilots and they allowed my year group to sign the longer bonus. Since I had decided to stay to 20 anyway I decided to go ahead and add the four more years of bonus payments. The AF didn’t have to allow my group to take the added bonus. I was pleasantly surprised when they offered it. I’ve had a good career except for the year of my life wasted in Afghanistan. I’ve flown in every assignment. Not a school select. Made O-5. Of course, all my friends are flying for airlines now and I’d also like to be done with military service but I’m getting close and am most likely in my final assignment. Flying is good. I’ll have to suck up a Group or Wing staff job soon, but such is life. I took the path of least resistance staying in and signing the bonus. I didn’t want to start a job search and grow up quite yet. It worked for me. The AF is dumb sometimes, but usually it’s not as bad as the board makes it seem. I’ve paid my dues TDY and deployed like all of you, but my life has also gotten better as time has gone on. I understand everyone is different and has different experiences though. And that’s fine.

Jeez, of all the things to bitch about, this is pretty low on the list... It doesn't bother me that someone with three months of service is leaving San Antonio and getting to board ahead of the boatload of retirees who did 20+ years any more than it does someone in uniform going to the head of the line during one of my rare visits to the commissary. Those perks were offered to us when we were in uniform, and it was our choice whether to use them or not. Nor do the free tags bother me, and you see a ton of them here in "Military City USA" (as S.A. likes to proclaim itself). If the state wants to offer free tags to certain individuals, that's their decision. At least the recipients did something to earn the perk, unlike many other government benefits. However, I will agree on the overhead bin issue. I am getting sick and tired of being told I need to stuff my small backback under the seat in front of me because some buffoon who is bringing half of what they own onto the plane needs to stick their obviously over-the-limit sized roller bag into it because they also need to jam their backpack under their seat. Tough shit, if the airline isn't going to enforce their own rules I am not going to reduce the meager legroom I am already getting because someone can't check their shit like the rest of us! When people thank me for my service, I just smile and thank them back. They are trying to be nice and I sure as hell am not going to piss in their Wheaties for it. Only a complete jackass would do so. Such gestures are getting less and less common in our society these days, so if someone feels compelled to show a little appreciate towards a servicemember than I for one will be grateful to them. Cheers! M2

Take what you need, not what you can. Try it as a life philosophy. It's not a popular one with the "me-first" crowd. The only time I board early is if I was put in a situation due to my service that I would not be otherwise. Like if I need the extra bin space because I have to hand carry a bunch of pro-gear or have a big computer bag because I am carrying my personal, VPN and JMPS computers. Or if the orders process/CTO put me in a position were I am in zone 10 or the C group with SWA. The license plate thing reminds me of the falling out I had with family members who used grandmas handicapped mirror tag when grandma wasn't with them. "But I am running errands for them" they said...Again, take what you need, not what you can. If your budget is so tight that your 6 figure salary can't afford $80 per year, go ahead and get your NDSM license plate. Another thing that irks me is when I am out with a group from work and someone asks the server for the military discount. It's usually after they have brought the bill and wastes 5-10 minutes of everyone's time just to save a few bucks. I usually politely decline which flabbergasts those who think 10% off is an entitlement. PS: Those dudes are usually lousy tippers. And Lowes...gents, Lowes is for housewives and people who don't know what they are doing. Find a local contractor, become friends, figure out where he shops for supplies and go there. It's usually better stuff, and beats the Lowes 10% off. Lastly, don't get me started on spouses and discounts....

Spot on. I had a candidate for political office knock on my front door the other day and ask my what my concerns were. When I told him that the US public and elected officials had lost accountability of its military and almost entirely ceded control to the President (and largely, the generals) he looked at me like I had just stepped off a UFO. It was as if he wanted to say "How dare you question what our military is doing? Every man and woman who wears the uniform is a hero, and every mission he does is just and right and holy and in keeping with the best traditions this country has to offer!" Then I asked him, politely, if he could tell me some of the countries in which we had troops that were actively involved in armed conflicts. He mentioned Afghanistan, struggled to find any additional countries he could name, and began stuttering. In his mind I could see the Ma, Apple Pie, and American Flag T-Shirts give way to an overwhelming sense of embarrassment that he, a candidate for public office, had no clue what our military was doing. The fake hero worship that we have all encountered is the US public's apology for the abdication of their civic duties and not actually giving a shit what their military is up to. The pilot shortage and likely coming shortage of the other branches will probably fix this long term - people will stop volunteering for the military and/or get out when they realize there's no coherent strategy in the conflicts we are engaged in, but the disconnect is a major problem. Just ask the Romans.... https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-price-of-professionalization

So Lowes wanting to sell you something 10% cheaper than a non-military person is ok, but an airline wanting to allow you to board 10 minutes earlier (to sit in your same seat) is not ok?

Met lots of “recats” who were either unsure how they had been recatted or felt they had been sold a bill of goods. Will be decades before the TAMI hangover is gone.

To your point, I’ve seen AFRC guys who stayed way past 20 YOS mil due to the radiation burns from the post-9/11 furlough years. Can’t fault them a bit for keeping two jobs, not being sure how the airline side of things would eventually turn out. I also don’t fault guys for the often hated phrase “keeping doors open”. But simple things like doing (dumb) PME can keep the promotion opportunities open for many years, particularly on the AFRC side. Having done Active Duty for over a decade, I enjoy the relatively low bar set in AFRC for progression. A pulse and PME is all that’s required for O-5. Masters and PME for O-6. One the flip side of that, I also don’t fault an ARC baby who got hired at an airline in his/her first 10 years on mil service, starts making great money and having amazing time at home, and finds the inherent stupidity of PME insatiable, retiring as an O-4 with a smile. Different strokes for different folks. In my AFRC unit, I fly with farmers, police officers, firefighters, teachers, dentists, airline pilots, you name it. My family’s best plan has literally nothing to do your family’s best plan. The ARC does a much better job of embracing that mentality than anything I experienced on AD (i.e. everyone should be a CSAF in training).

YMMV, but I know a good amount of O-5 through O-7s that at one time claimed they were getting out... some were disingenuous, many more really weren't as decided as they presented, and some just had major changes in life. Some are pessimistic and are concerned of another 911 and layoffs... all depends on your crystal ball. That being said, the more examples of positive outcomes for folks to look at does not bode well for the AF. But there will always be a regression to a mean, there will be layoffs at some point...

Getting into the check-of-the-month club makes a lot of follow on decisions much much easier. Recommend.

strat juggling at it's finest.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call a unicorn...

I stayed. I don’t like Kool Aid. I have a family.

Agreed. You mean I get the privilege of sitting in this tin can with no leg room for an extra twenty minutes? Gee, thanks. The biggest perk is that the registration is free, and renewing it is $5 instead of the standard $80~ish. You better believe I'm willing to display an Air Medal to save $75.

Mixed feelings: I agree it's unseemly. I also usually take advantage of early boarding for the overhead bin space reason. I think it's downright weird when the gate agent specifies "military in uniform," because IMO you've got to be dumb (begging for that lone wolf ISIS sympathizer's attention) or attention whoring to be traveling in uniform. (I understand the other branches might require you to travel in uniform on official travel. If so, those branches are dumb or attention whoring.) And I think the airlines do it for the same reason the NFL pays for patriotic symbolism—making us their damn mascots. I have no sympathy for the feelings of that first class passenger since I often pay for first class upgrades myself or get them for "free" with a mileage program, and I'm usually the only one traveling in a blue blazer and slacks while everyone else in first class is in sweat pants. At least in the armpits of America we base our bombers in, first class does not directly correlate to "the respectable bourgeoisie," rather it's "more of the unwashed masses, only with more money." The airlines brought this on all of us when they made air travel a Hobbesian state of nature—a war of every man against every man—by nickel and diming us over luggage rather than a pleasant experience one looks forward to. I'd prefer it if the airlines got rid of the early boarding thing altogether, but as long as I live at least one connection away from the rest of the world, and as long as my checked bags only have a 0.9 Probability of Arrival, I'm going to take a carry-on with the essentials and I'll do what it takes not to have to put it where my feet go. Completely agree on the license plates. I imagine for most veterans there's an inverse correlation between the degree to which a decoration was earned for legitimate heroism and their eagerness to put it out there for public display.

Exactly. I wish airlines would charge for overhead bins and make a checked bag free. Some of these carry ons are insane. I agree with the point of the OP. But I also do not mind my 10% off at Lowe’s. It’s a cognitive dissonance I live with.

How is it smart to put a bunch of UPT Next kids into Blk 30’s. They really need to be put into something with AGCAS. I’d prefer not to see more iron left in the desert.

Without seeing the charge sheet, and from what was reported, he sounds fucked. The rape/sex assault charges will walk him into a court martial, however military justice uses Lesser Included Offenses (LIO’s) a lot. That’s where another charge, that’s not originally charged, is found to be considered by the panel or judge, but cause the terminal element of the LIO is in the original charge. Example: Government charged him with rape (Art 120). A terminal element of rape is to use force or fear. Panel or jury find he wasn’t guilty of rape because of lack of force or fear, but that he did physically assault her, so now they find him guilty of Assault Consummated by a Battery (Art 128). His odds of going to prison are extremely high due to the charged crimes. And they’ll throw in all the catch all’s like Conduct Unbecoming (Art 133). If he’s sentenced to a dismissal, that’s the officer version of a diahonorable discharge. If he isn’t sentenced to a dismissal, he’ll go to a Board if Inquiry a few months later and the Government will use his court martial conviction, as trivial as Conduct Unbecoming, against him to have him separated. If he’s over 20-years, he’ll only be allowed to retire if SECAF approves it, and it probably wouldn’t be at the O-6 rank. The military justice system has ruined a lot of lives because of the politics. And if you don’t think this kind of stuff will never happen to you, all it takes is one false allegation.

Such bullshit that this article was even written or that charges were filed. The alleged victim, who made the allegations, is his soon to be ex-wife who, until a couple days ago, was fighting a losing battle for custody. Sad and disgusting that a dude's name is dragged through the mud before any of the facts of the case come to light.

“Allah has the airplane” - scariest moments for a T6 or T38 IP..!

yeah well fuck that snowjob. There's nothing "perspective" about PRP and flying the memphis belle in the 21st century. The check ain't bouncing... it's about all I got outta that one. I'd quit before I do that again. I got my AF wings and I own my own airplane, so I got nothing to prove to myself anymore by wearing a bag and practice bleeding for a living.To each their own. All that said, absolutely, I'm a firm believer of 'it's not what you do, it's who you do it with'. In hindsight (see what I did there lol) I think things are as they should be. I think I would have enjoyed the hell out of physically flying the Viper, but would have probably not meshed well/enjoyed the ancillary/cultural hazy shit that comes with it. Lord knows I've enjoyed shorter debriefs in my life as a result lol. As an older man I've become aware of that nuance, and I'm at peace now. I admit it didn't feel like it 10 years ago. In all honesty, the fact is I got a family and then life got complicated, so the "live to work" impositions of certain airframes in this line of work just became complete non-starters for my current priorities in life. Which is why I do love my trainer job. It's weak sauce to the youngin's, as it should be, but i'm really happy with it. I wouldn't mind a light attack mission if I had to do it all over again. A-29 or the sort. It's a bit more engaging to me than the bomb truck driver without a pickle button thing. Knowing the AF though, they'd prob fuck that up too. Guess should have joined the Army ....nah. LOL

I plan on retiring from this board when I separate. Growing a beard, smoking weed down on the farm.

It’s a direct result to the institutional lack of focus on flying. If it’s not a priority to the AF, it tends to not be a priority.

Write a book?

I agree. But some new guys may read that and think it's okay for a company to demand that. It's a slippery slope when it comes to setting precedents. If you're still in the military and flying for the airlines, it's just as important to know USERRA law and comply with it as it is to know your contract and fly it. Deviating based on company demands for either can screw your fellow pilots. This is the easiest job in the world. Don't make it harder than it needs to be.