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During my sentence...I mean tour... As an ALO with an armor battalion, I was having a conversation with one off the air defense guys and he proudly stated that the AD folks could visually ID 67% of all aircraft. I guess the other 33% are screwed.

I don't get it. That's a song about a standard @Biff_T and/or F-15 pilot's standard weekend. Or just another day in Thailand.

I’m going to caveat this by saying that I am retired and can’t speak to the current internal climate of nsplayer’s wing. But I will say that I have known the WG/CC and Command Chief for a long time and consider them very close friends. They are 2 of the most fair individuals I have ever served with. When the WG/CC was a SQ/CC, I was his DO. One of the best commanders I ever worked for. He always asked my opinion or for my advice. He was well informed and a great aviator, but more so , he was a great person. I am sure he addresses the social issues but I would be very surprised if they drive his decisions. I would say the very same thing about the Command Chief. That wing is in great hands. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Another MSM, assuming you’re not an O-6 or above? Maybe I don’t quite understand your question. You get the retirement dec, the retirement pin, and the letters/certificates. And hopefully some type of going away from your organization.

none of the clinton/obama tree democrats...and certainly none of the john bolton/pompeo republicans. which significantly narrows the list. the problem is the bureaucrats promote each other...it truly is entrenched. the professional political class has really fucked up what our country was meant to be.

A nice check that comes every month as long as you have a pulse and don’t commit a felony. Also Tricare Select at a very reasonable price. ETA: I know your question was bout decorations, but as nice as a decoration is, what I wrote above is what I really wanted.

Rush/apply to heavies. Worst that can happen is you get reps for your future fighter interviews. Best that can happen is you find that you actually want heavies (happened to me) and get hired. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Three years of being played by AD recruiters followed by 3 more years of rushing Guard and Reserve units. Do both until you get the slot.

sullivan and blinken are fucking horrible. all of the neocon/state department entrenched bureaucrats are terrible.

Back on the personal finance front... Fidelity will allow SPAXX as your sweep account in Cash Management Accounts (CMA) starting around June 15. IMO this makes CMAs a no brainer. No need to mess with separate online savings accounts to get higher rates on your cash. I know this took me a while to wrap my head around and I wish somebody had broken it down for me earlier, so for those that don't habla CMA, here's the skinny... CMAs are brokerage accounts that operate "like" checking accounts. Debit cards, ATMs, fee reimbursement, checks, online bill pay, direct deposit, etc. Your cash balances by default are kept at various banks around the country. You can see which banks, but there's no reason to care. You get FDIC protection, ~2.7%* interest, and manage your cash centrally via Fidelity. If you elect to keep your cash in SPAXX, you give up FDIC coverage, but you can get ~5%* on your cash balances. Vanguard just started "Cash Plus" accounts to compete. I'm sure they'll be great accounts, but I moved from Vanguard because (IMO) their service starting slipping around 2020 and became untenable. Bottom line, especially for the young dudes: Look beyond USAA for your banking needs. With some work, you'll be very wealthy one day - learn to manage it well now. *all rates are as of 4/15/24

Congrats, brother. Seriously. The Air Force itself is struggling to navigate a rapidly changing world and it doesn't appear to be doing a very good job. It thinks it doesn't want you because you haven't performed all the ridiculous requirements to make rank. We have a failing foreign policy, and at some point in the near future, you're going to be caught up in it. If you were to make Maj, you'd be eligible for more non-flying BS with more responsibility and zero ability to affect any change. Happiness is a trajectory, not a position. Is making Maj really going to put you on an upward vector where you'll continuously find increasing satisfaction with your life? You may think so, because I did, but it's only because you've normalized and become accustomed to military life. You can now identify a point in the future where you will have near unlimited possibilities. You'll be young, have received millions of dollars in training in education, an outstanding resume, and the freedom to choose your own path. No one but you will care if you got passed over. I left AD AF as a Captain under a VSP program. One of my best decisions. I did go back to the Guard, which I enjoyed for a while, but then felt trapped to stay in because I was close to the retirement bennies. But having the ability to determine your own future outside the AF is a gift with a bow on it. Now you can just fly and give the finger to all the other AF careerist pressures. If you do go to the Guard/Reserve, they'll pick you up once passed over no problem. Twice passed over requires a big waiver (or at least it once did).

Good ol' Moggy. "I've got boiling oil, Red Leader." Great series, and came out at a time that I was just becoming interested in the Battle of Britain. Seeing all those Spits flying off the lawn of a French chateau was just simply magnificent. No CGI...no fakery....