Leaderboard

Personally, I’m just stoked for an administration that doesn’t do this: EXCLUSIVE: Trump administration secretly withheld millions from FDNY 9/11 health program To top it off, their admission of doing it is a dogshit insult and the best they can do is “try” to fix it/not do it going forward. It’s an abomination that Biden and Trump are the best choices this country of 330+ million can come up with. That said, only 1 party hasn’t made 9/11 first responders grovel for money for care as they pay the price for their service over the years. First Zadroga; now this. That alone will keep me voting D. Anyway... 🍻 to all those lost that day 19 years ago today that went to work that morning with expectations of coming home that night. I’m pouring a little more out for the 343 brothers lost that day and the nearly 1 in 8 that have gotten cancer from being down there; folks that rely on the very program this administration has admitted to withholding money from. Politics didn’t matter for those helping that day; why should they matter now?

It worked for me quite well. In Oct 2009, I three-day-opted a non-flying remote to Iraq. I had 22.5 years of service, was a U-2 interview pilot, and evaluator in both the U-2 and T-38. I didn't want to retire. The three-day opt required me to retire 1 May 2010. I was determined to defeat the threat. I was working a number of angles, but nothing was panning out. By early 2010, I hadn't found a solution, but I did figure out that I could request a 6-month extension to my retirement date if my Wing CC wrote a letter asking for it. At the time, the Beale Wing CC was a 1-star. I presented my case that extending me 6 months was in the best interest of the 9th Wing and the Wing CC agreed. AFPC isn't going to tell a 1-star to pound sand: I got the extension. Around that time, AFPC announced the VRRAD. In my first phone call with the VRRAD person at AFPC, I explained that I was still on active duty. "Will you be retired before 31 December 2010?" "Yes, I will be." "Then you are eligible for the VRRAD." Basically, one office in AFPC was requiring me to retire... and another office in AFPC was allowing me to return to active duty as a retiree. I never told the two offices about each other, and figured it was best if they didn't know my plan. My VRRAD got approved. So, on Friday, 29 Oct, I had a short ceremony in the bar and retired. The following week, I came back to Beale, to my old desk, which I obviously didn't vacate... turned in my week-old retiree ID card... went through in-processing with a room full of 18 year olds (at least I got a verbal waiver from the Vice to skip the Right Start briefings). I even submitted a travel voucher for my 33-mile drive from home to Beale AFB for my first day back on active duty. In 2013, after 3 years, the VRRAD was coming to an end... but I asked the Wing CC to write me a letter requesting a 1-year extension. He did, and I got it. Finally... I retired 1 Nov 2014. It was my third set of retirement orders, and the second time I actually retired.

Recently declassified photo we have in the squadron. 2020-09-09 14-57.pdf

De-emphasizing records ans re-emphasizing performance literally is how we reach the singularity. All kidding aside, what the hell does that even mean?? How does a board emphasize performance when they literally only have access to records. And please know all my rage is directed against the system.

They didn't figure out order of merit at the board? Isn't that how they figure out who gets promoted in the first place?

That makes zero sense, so you’re probably right. Realistically, it doesn’t matter if you’re #1 or #69 and make it in the same month/increment. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd rather do the opposite with the fuel limit. Remove the fuel limit and bring back refueling. That alone would bring back so many more strategy options. That could make the race interesting. Sent from my SM-N975U using Baseops Network mobile app

I really didn’t like this tax deferral. Only people it’s mandatory for are the people that have had a steady income stream the last 7 months and probably don’t need it. Even if you did need it, it’s going to be a sucker punch when you have to pay it back in 4 months. For us Os, I guess it’s not that big of deal, a couple hundred a month missing out of a pay check for a few months won’t leave must of us in a bad spot. It’s going to hurt the young Es that are already living paycheck to paycheck. I don’t foresee most of them tucking that extra money away to pay back in a few months. When those pay checks come up short come Jan, they are going to be pinched for money. Even if there is a red wave I don’t foresee any forgiveness legislation being passed in time to make a difference. How long has it been since we had a real budget and not a continuation bill, 10, 15 years?

Looks like Sim joined on Sept 19, 2007 and Prozac joined a little later on December 10, 2008. FWIW, I joined in early 2005 and I still jerk off to the Sears catalog. Don't hate.

Just so we're clear...everyone understands that it's not in his power to forgive these taxes, right?

I think it’s fair to say I’m on the side of “COVID-19 is being overblown.” However, it pains me when people throw out the 6% number based on a reading of death certificates. My girlfriend had COVID and it really messed her up. Today, (nearly 6 months later) she can’t walk up more than a few flights of stairs because her lungs just won’t get the O2 needed. The doc has her on all kinds of things to try and help, and I think eventually she’ll regain her ability to breathe like before. I mention that because if she died today, say from just going too hard in a workout or straining herself, what would the coroner put down? Probably something pulmonary-related, but there’s a decent chance he/she would see COVID in her medical records and add that too. And you know what? They wouldn’t be wrong. COVID started the problems. For a parallel that might help, people don’t die only from HIV. That virus simply opens their bodies up to death from other things, such as infection. Should a coroner not note HIV alongside death by sepsis? Put simply, there’s far too much variability in what a coroner can put down on that paper to read too deeply into it. I think the death toll is significantly less than the 180,000 number, but it sure isn’t 0.

Not sure if this belongs here or in the airlines thread. Qantas is sending their final 747 off to the graveyard and the pilot took the opportunity to draw a kangaroo in the sky on his way out.

I am somewhat curious how they are going to reconcile the pin-on order across all of the categories. But, somewhat related, our DT came out yesterday and said they were trying to de-emphasize records and re-emphasize performance (they dodged on the question asking about records reflecting performance). So I’m not convinced any AF senior leaders have any idea about what they are trying to do.