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Very sad to hear this. Had the opportunity to meet him a few times, truly a gentleman. His book A Soldier's Way is a superb read and story of how dedication and hard work and can off in this country. He was a consummate public servant who likely could have been the first African American President had he decided to run, his wife was against it and he stated he never felt that calling. His detractors will obviously point to his "Case for War "presented to the UN. Years later he accepted fault and wished he had trusted his instincts calling the events a great failure of intelligence. In addition to his autobiography I highly recommend It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership where he lays out 13 rules common sense rule for life. I need to do a better job using these in my life. RIP General Powell. 1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning. There’s a silver lining in every cloud, you just have to find it. That’s not always as easy as it sounds. Things might look bad today, but if you’ve put in the effort, tomorrow will be a brighter day. It’s a state of mind; believe it and you will make it happen. 2. Get mad, then get over it. There’s always going to be days when events—or people—push you to the edge. When you do lose your temper, don’t lose control at the same time. People always remember the leader with a bad temper, and never in a good way. 3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it. People who think that their way is the only way tend to experience a lot of disappointment. Things aren’t always going to go your way, that’s just a fact of life. Be humble enough to accept that fact. 4. It can be done! Just about anything can be accomplished if you set your mind to it, have the necessary resources, and the time to get it done. Don’t succumb to the skeptics; listen to what they have to say and consider their perspective but stay focused and positive. 5. Be careful what you choose. Don’t rush into a bad decision. Take the time to consider your options, weigh the relevant facts, and make reasoned assumptions. Once you pull the trigger, there are no do-overs. So make it count. 6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision. Powell was fond of connecting good leadership to good instincts. Be a leader who hones judgement and instinct. Take the time to shape your mental models. Learn how to read a situation for yourself. Become the decision-maker your people need you to be. 7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. Never allow someone else to make your decisions for you. Ultimately, you’re responsible for your own decisions. Don’t duck that responsibility and don’t succumb to external pressures. Make your own decisions and live with them. 8. Check small things. Success is built on a lot of seemingly minor details. Having a feel for those “little things” is essential. In a 2012 interview, David Lee Roth shared the story of how Van Halen used brown M&Ms as an indicator of whether large concert venues paid attention to the minor details critical to a major performance. Leaders must have ways to check the little things without getting lost in them. 9. Share credit. Success relies on the effort of the entire team, not just the leader. Recognition motivates people in ways that are immeasurable. Don’t be a glory hog. Share credit where credit is due and allow your people to stand in the spotlight. It ain’t about you. It’s about them. 10. Remain calm. Be kind. Keep calm and carry on. Kill ‘em with kindness. When chaos reigns, a calm head and a kind word go a long way. When everyone is under incredible stress, be the leader people want to follow, not the leader people want to avoid. 11. Have a vision. Be demanding. Followers need to things from leaders—a purpose and a firm set of standards. When you see leaders fail, it is almost always for one of those two things. They either lead their followers in a flailing pursuit of nothing, or they don’t set and enforce an example for their people. 12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers. Fear can be a powerful motivator, but it can also paralyze a leader at the worst possible time. Learn to understand your fears and channel them in ways that you control rather than allowing them to control you. Think clearly, think rationally, and make decisions that aren’t rooted in emotion. 13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. Optimism is infectious. Maintaining a positive attitude and an air of confidence is as important for you as it is for those around you. People will feed off your optimism. Believe in your purpose, believe in yourself, and believe in your people. And they’ll believe in you.

It’s actually very easy.. you start with being truthful in everything you say. You have integrity. You admit everywhere you’ve failed to do that. You don’t tell white lies of omission for political reasons or to try and steer people one way or the other. Those institutions have proven they can’t be trusted. It will take time to regain the public’s trust.. that shouldn’t be surprising. edit: You also get out of the news = entertainment business. You engage in thorough reporting and cite reliable, vetted sources. You acknowledge opposing viewpoints without thinly veiled swipes.

Ive also been seeing a lot of stories like this throughout the pandemic, but interestingly none of them have any evidence that withstands casual scrutiny. Was there a single unvaccinated person quoted in your article about what unvaccinated people say? Or just a handful of cherry picked doctors and administration officials? Was there airtime given to anyone who could articulate an opposing viewpoint, or were they simply relying on authority to tel you what you should think while characterizing opposition as ignorant? This far into our pandemic with so much obvious propaganda, I’m disappointed you wouldn’t exercise a little more critical thinking coming across obvious propaganda pieces like that. What’s surprising to me reading that link, is anyone would view that without skepticism in light of so many similar yet debunked stories.

True statement. My subsequent kids did not add ADSC as I added each of them after they were born. You can change distribution percentage as many times as you want without incurring ADSC.

Kind of. You must have transferred at least one month of benefits to a dependent prior to retiring/separating for that dependent to be eligible for any benefits post-military. So if you have a new dependent (ie birth of a new child) one day after your official retirement/separation date then you’re SOL. But concur on the not incurring an additional/new ADSC part.

It was simply about occupation. As longer we sat there, the longer the Taliban insurgency was kept somewhat in check. We were never going to change the inevitable, I am pretty sure everyone realized Afghanistan wasn't "a problem to be solved but a fact to be endured." It wasn't an unexpected ending. Just ask the Soviet Union...but look what happened to them shortly after they left!

Not true. Show some good faith and hold accountable those who have lied, then I’m willing to hear new info. Fire Fauci. That’s a great starting point for transmission of new info. Hold accountable some of the many journalists who have engaged in the “noble lie” and attempts to deceive. When trust is broken, step 1 to restoration is acknowledging the failure. Step 2 is accountability. Without either of those, we can’t move forward.

What people relentlessly pushing this vaccine dont realize is the reason you have so many people weary of the vaccine is because they don't trust the institution (the US government, pharmaceuticals, and US media). When the news media push pieces like this that use deception (omission of facts, data, context or counterpoints), people see right through it, and it furthers their distrust. Why would I trust an institution that feels they have to deceive me? Maybe they're experts, but they're experts with an agenda, and any person's individual well-being is not part of that agenda.

One example of many: just recently a story in Canada went on a on about this “perfectly healthy 14 yr old” who died from COVID and how refusal to get the vaccine was the primary CF. Except enter stage left when his parents come out and say he was terminally ill with cancer, and it was at the point they were expecting/ready for him to pass; the death was of zero surprise to them. The autopsy revealed he happened to have COVID at the time, which played no significant factor in the death. Once again, the MSM makes up a story hardly rooted in truth while purposely suppressing critical info/perspective that would otherwise sink their emotional sale. So many people in the world have lost/never had critical thinking skills. At this point, every single thing you see on the news/social media should immediately be met with “probably complete bullshit/wildly leaving out countering facts” until you can validate with multiple sources (ideally non-profit/non-political ones).

Did anybody ever really know what it was about? After several years of flying sorties over that place & seeing very little substantive change I came to the conclusion that the only reason I, or anyone else was there was for another OPR/EPR bullet. The failure of leadership in Afghanistan lays bare what happens when an organization allows itself to fall victim to blatant and unabashed careerism. The only “accomplishments” we can claim are XXX lbs offloaded, XXX TICs supported, XXX Enemy Combatants (we hope) KIA, etc. etc. NOBODY from the four stars down ever REALLY wanted to tackle the questions of what we were doing there or what the end game was. Just do your tour, write your bullets, get your promotions, retire and let somebody else deal with the hard questions. I have no dog in the fight anymore, but as Joe Bagadonuts taxpayer (and as someone with many friends continuing to serve……..Thank You. You have a much higher bullshit threshold than I), I truly hope there is a reckoning in the military over the next decade (a la post-Vietnam) & that our future leaders can internalize our failures and codify solutions that will ensure we think a lot harder about how we expend this nation’s treasure in future endeavors.

But Disney made a documentary about him! We can’t fire him now 🤣

Fauci needs way more than fired for what he’s done to this country and the handling of this virus.

Yep, he was being treated for multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that prohibits the body’s ability to fight infections. He had a history of prostate cancer as well. It's also alleged he was suffering from Parkinson's disease. By the way, people still die from the flu despite being vaccinated for it. CDC studies show flu shots reduce the risk of illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to those used to make flu vaccines. Even the CDC admits some people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will still get sick because no vaccine is 100% effective. But as we know in Powell's case, he had comorbidity issues...

He too was suffering from cancer but none of the headlines and only few of the articles mention that.

Just read Colin Powel passed from Covid and was fully vaxed. I read last week some guy who won an emmy who was like 53 passed as well from COVID and vaxed. Then I also saw a college kid at UGA died as well and was vaxed. I live in CO, 24% of all 900 hospitilizations are fully vaxed. If the other 76% were, would they be in the hospital or is it just bad luck? CO is one of the most vaxed states yet we are in our 2nd biggest wave. We also have a city cop suing the city over forced to be vaxed who is not paralyzed. I know there is a 33 yr old woman in Pittsburgh who also was paralyzed from the vaccine. I personally know a college girl who was on scholarship and now has the heart inflamation from the vax. At this point with all the breakthrough/need for boosters cases you can legitimately question the effectivness of shot. The shot also doesnt end this. It might help the burden on hospitals but thats really it.

And how many of those patients with regret sucking on a ventilator have multiple comorbidities and are generally unhealthy? The data says 95%. I bet they do have regret, as the vaccine would have been a less risky choice for them. Additionally, let’s not dismiss all the people who have regrets of getting the vaccine…it’s a large number, certainly anecdotally no less than heartstrings-pulling news stories like this one.

There's a memo template in the Post 9-11 GI Bill PSD Guide on mypers for this exact scenario. d. Members with an approved TEB application who wish to apply for voluntary retirement prior to meeting the TEB ADSC may request, in writing, removal of the ADSC. Dependents must NOT have used transferred benefits and member must NOT be selected for deployment or Permanent Change of Station (PCS). See myPers and Attachment 2 of this guide for additional information. For anyone reading this transfer to your spouse ASAP. My understanding is only the first transfer generates the ADSC. You can transfer from your spouse to children later on down the line and will not incur a second ADSC.

Your so right, tip of the iceberg on so many things. Sank the Titanic didn’t it. Collectively it seems like a strategy for everything to come crashing down, but either way if your vaccinated you probably will go up a line number unless you have been in the business over 20 years perhaps. Do not agree with any mandates, but this one will not be the sword to fall on for most.

Volunteering to be the non-treated control subjects for a deadly disease is pretty much un-heard of. The sociological, political etc. research will be as fascinating as the medical. For example..will those who have refused a vaccine hold tough to the bitter end? Have regrets? Sail on through? Actually the sky is the limit when studying this event..The PHd's will fly like...I know...re-engined Buffs...

What are “fitness test shenanigans”? And I’m pretty sure you make the commitment to the Air Force, not the other way around (we can argue that separately if you’d like). It’s always been a one way commitment…but that doesn’t change the fact that said person didn’t voluntarily make the commitment and now wants it changed.

Because they’ve seen the Air Force cancel commitments so easily (force shaping, rifs, fitness test shenanigans, promotion board shenanigans, and on and on) on a continual basis from 2004-2015. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As humans we always want what we want (how profound, right?)…that being said, why are people always trying to get out of their commitments? No one was forced into accepting the terms that were offered. And this is from someone who very much is looking forward to becoming a mister.

The blame lies with several misunderstandings. You cannot “regime change” for a population unless they already really want to or you plan on never leaving. If they’re dead set against it - or even just indifferent - plan to be there for 50+ years like Germany, Japan, and Korea. And maybe Iraq, who knows. If you don’t want to be somewhere for 50 years, or you don’t think that successive political administrations will have the stomach to stay, either don’t start a war or accomplish your objectives quickly with violence and let the locals decide what to do with their loser leader. “We need to get out because we’ve been there too long” isn’t correct whatsoever. That’s was poor leadership from our politicians, including Trump.

Those on the ground on day last did the best they could. Situation totally fucked. Blame lies with every leader who let us keep going without an obtainable objective for years.

Honestly that’s not unlike my situation. The military flight docs (and later some shoe-clerk O-6 at the pentagon) kept telling me my condition was “progressive”. Complete BS because every published medical article on the condition says the exact opposite. It was almost like they just started making stuff up to support their reasoning.

Not too long after I got hurt I spent a couple of extremely long years in Memphis, prior to going back to school, working for the Paralyzed Veterans of America. I met a C-130 driver out of Little Rock who was paralyzed in a car accident (1996-1997 time frame). Her husband was a nav and they fell asleep driving. He had slight injuries, but she was a complete paraplegic at the same level as me (chest / thoracic-6/7). I forget her name and I lost touch with her so I'm not sure if she got back into light aircraft flying or not. It was incredible the first time I soloed again after my accident. I felt whole again and still every time I fly (for 45 to 60 minutes usually two times a week) I forget for that hour about any daily wheelchair issues or concerns. Relatively cheap therapy. With the help of my EAA chapter I modified my airplane a Titan Tornado S for complete hand-control flying. I use the rear seats rudder pedals (welded on a handle that I can reach with my left hand) for rudder/ground steering and a hand brake on the center control stick for braking. I think God every day for the use of my hands and arms. My heroes are the quadriplegics who live fulfilling lives (I can't even imagine their obstacles)!!

It's been said already, but the AF and the FAA are apples and oranges. There are pilots in the airlines with one eye. I haven't seen that in the military. AF buddy of mine was grounded for multiple sclerosis. But, he is asymptomatic... got his FAA Class I... and is flying for a major airline. He's doing fine.