Leaderboard

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.

It’s not a zoom call, but still might be weird to do in your underwear.

Another “not a movie” and a bit dated but I just started Cobra Kai on Netflix and it’s excellent. Custom designed for men of a certain age. There’s even a hilarious Iron Eagle reference early in season one. Definitely worth a watch if you haven’t discovered it yet.

It’s all made up, and the points don’t matter....

Having a prior positive Covid test was disqualifying on one of the memos, I can’t remember which one it was, there were several from organizations, so depending on where you are going it may or may not matter. Only justification the peanut gallery sitting around the office could think of was that for some people COVID does some long term damage. I would assume if you were asymptotic or have no other issues you would be fine, but you know what happens with assumptions, especially in a government organization. Couple caveats, I got about 10 million things going on and most of this is way above my level, and probably the levels of most the people on here, just relaying what’s getting pushed down and info Im getting off of being CCd on these emails. Also, a lot of our guidance is coming from outside the normal big blue channels, as the people we work for and places we go don’t usually involve places with 12,000ft runways and 69,000 useless “support” bodies.

Word at vance was that Laughlin couldn’t meet number because a couple of NAV Studs hooked their ride. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

The annoying part, if it is the reordering that’s delaying it, is that other services have already implemented the process without any issues like this.

Re the 9/11 funding debacle: I'm reading that the transfer of funds started in 2016. That would put it in the Obama/Biden ledger. And a bad thing to do. But like everything, Orange Man Bad, the Lightgiver and his sidekick, good. That this Administration continued it is also reprehensible. I also highly doubt that either POTUS was aware of the program as the dollar amounts, in federal terms, are budget dust. Biden is probably not aware of much, so there's that. Add Bahrain to the list of diplomatic relations with Israel. While I support the only democracy in the Middle East, I don't do so blindly. (They did/do their best to steal tech at every Red Flag. But they aren't alone). I do, however, understand that literal survival is at stake for them. However, my point for introducing the topic in relations to Trump is that these developments apply pretty serious pressure to Hamas which is always a good thing. If it lessens the chances of a big war there, I'm also for that. But Orange Man bad. Obama/Biden paying off Tehran good.

Does that come with auto-Republican party registration? Give me a break.

Israel is the mouthy girlfriend who talks shit to dudes cause her huge boyfriend will back up her shit talking, and she knows that.

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.

Yeah, these guys...

Good capability additions to be sure if only money grew on trees that were planted on every AF base but if there were to be a US mil operator for this the USMC would likely be it. Too expensive for the Coasties and not enough assigned mission(s) requiring this capability for the AF to invest in a fleet of 30 to 50 aircraft, the Marines, maybe as they get back to their Naval / Amphibious roots with the direction the Commandant is taking them, necessary to prepare for Pacific shenanigans. Thinking about the article (Bring Back the Seaplane from WOR), the problem with the current feasible model (Shinmaywa US-2) for the US (maybe the Aussies too) for military amphibious airlift is the lack of a ramp for parallelized cargo or vehicle delivery to austere locations. Don't see that feature on the Chinese AG600 either. People and their personal gear to a remote distant island(s) would be no problem, but something that could really have an appreciable effect on the fight like a small SAM battery or other system/cargo, don't see how it would carry and deliver it without an unacceptable amount of ass pain. We still need a seaplane though 😉