M2

Box Although I didn't explicitly state it, that is exactly the route I did. Four years enlisted, went to college and joined AFROTC (plus did a year and a half of Reserves until I signed my contract), then graduated and got commissioned. However, that was a very long time ago so I can't share any insights on the competitiveness of AFROTC nowadays. The ANG suggestion is a good one, if you can swing it. It may not be a fulltime gig, and if you need money, that may be a problem. But for getting your foot in the door there is probably no better route, especially if you get with a unit flying what you want to eventually fly. Had an AFROTC bud from college do that, he was having problems in school so he switched to another college and joined a FANG unit in the same town. He made a good name for himself at the squadron, so once he completed his degree he was pretty much a shoe-in for a UPT slot. It was a sweet gig, first he got to fly Vipers and later the squadron converted to Eagles. Who knows what he would've got had he stayed in AFROTC and later went to UPT... Cheers! M2

AR I would have never made it through college had I gone after high school. I was only lucky in that I realized that, and I decided that instead of being a buttboy for Winn Dixie for the rest of my life, I instead walked into an Air Force recruiter's office and signed on the dotted line. My financial situation wasn't bad, I just wasn't mature enough for college at the time. There was a community college within a stone's throw of where I went to high school, I guess 75% of my graduating class went there and 95% of them flunked out. I was lucky enough (I like to call it smart enough, be to be honest it was more luck than brains!) to go the USAF route instead of following all the sheep. Getting a degree and a commission is a longterm goal, and it is obtainable but you have to have patience and persistance. The biggest thing holding you back is yourself. Enlisting for four years until you get yourself on track is a good idea. I highly value my enlisted time, and I like to think I was a better officer because of it. I did my four years and ended up doing another year and a half in the Reserves when I went to college. Technically, I never left the service from my first day of basic training (26 years ago this Friday) until I retired in 2006; and I can honestly say that despite the tons of BS that may have come and gone during that time, I wouldn't trade one second of it for the world. As for jobs, the ones you listed are good if you can get into them. Aircraft maintenance is another good field you may consider. Not the most glamorous, but you get hands-on experience that will serve you well when you later go to fly them. Best of luck to you whatever you do! Cheers! M2

Sorry guys, but I disagree. It doesn't sound like AceRascal (and I would change that name, sounds too much like "AssRascal") doesn't know what he wants in life ("I need an extra push and some motivation in my life right now, things aren't going great"). Sounds very familiar as it is exactly how I was after graduating high school. After a few weeks of stocking grocery stores at night, I knew I needed to get the hell out of Dodge and bee-lined it to the USAF recruiter's office. I didn't even get a guaranteed job just so I could get on active duty quicker. After four years I grew up enough that I knew what I needed to do to get through college. I also knew I wanted to get back in the USAF. It was a tremendous advantage when I started college, and I knew a lot of people who bailed simply because they had no clue about their lives. Getting commissioned while enlisted is tough, but I believe the majority of OTSers are prior guys and gals. Someone call pull the stats from AFPC, I am not bothered. But if you are truly unsure of what you want to do with your life, the four years you dedicate to your country while enlisted will never be time not well spent, even if you decide the USAF is not the career path for you. And if it is, you will have a definite leg up on all your AFROTC brethren. As long as time isn't running against you (e.g. you won't get commissioned without requiring an age waiver), I think enlisted may just be your best option. It beats flunking out of collage and AFROTC, which will be a lot harder to recover from. Plus, take advantage of the educational opportunities being offered to get a jump start on your degree! Cheers! M2

Speaking of warbirds, here are a few pics of the P-51s and P-40 that were on the flightline at Randolph yesterday for Tex Hill's fly-by, which unfortunately could not be completed due to wx... Cheers! M2

Same here, I was looking for some posts on the F-22 and F-35 and got the same results as Barney and Toro...something is broke! Cheers! M2

Are you fucking shitting me? This is an issue because some spolied musicians spew about it? Who do they think they are...Bono?? I prefer my music by guys who get drunk, screw roadies, destroy hotel rooms and drive their Rolls Royces into swimming pools. I was pretty much put off of musicians with a cause when I was sitting in RFK stadium in the pouring rain listening to Bono rant on about how we need to feed the poor. Fucking hypocrite, first they charge me $75 a ticket for seats where I was closer to God than the stage, then the guy that has more money than a majority of third world nation's GNP says I have to do something to feed the hungry? Fuck him, The Who kick U2's ass any day of the week! Cheers! M2

Try the State Department's 'How To Get A Passport Quickly web site'... And you can't use or get an official passport for personal travel. Cheers! M2

Just another friendly reminder to be watchful of what you post on this forum! I know 99.69% of you are trustworthy Americans; but that doesn't mean other people can't log on to see what we are chatting about. If you have any questions on if a topic violates OPSEC rules, 1) it probably does, and 2) if you still aren't sure, PM the mods before posting to be absolutely sure it doesn't. If you post anything that is remotely close to violating the rules, all we are going to do is delete it, so do us a favor and check first! Another reminder...and thanks to those who posted this in other threads! I am glad most folks here understand the importance of OPSEC, especially as it pertains to BaseOps! If anyone sees anything they feel may be an OPSEC issue in any thread, please send the moderators a note! If I am not sure, I will pull the post until I can get clarification from the poster or through other channels; putting a '(Post removed for review)' in its place in the interim. If deemed to be an OPSEC risk, it will be removed permanently without the poster being notified. Cheers! M2

You sure it wasn't this CAF North American A-26 Invader 'Panhandle's Pride'?? Cheers! M2

From Wiki... Cheers! M2

Updates... ...and... Cheers! M2

Sorry if I missed the announcement, but congrats on joining the retirement rolls! It will be two years in April since I hung up the uniform, and early next month it will have been two years since I got a haircut! The first couple of months are an adjustment, but it will quickly settle in and getting a nice stipend every month for doing pretty much nothing is nice! Cheers! M2

Basically, A-10 = CAS, OA-10 = FAC...same jet, different mission... Cheers! M2

Speaking of patches, the guy that did the KC-135 "Your Hole Is Our Goal" patches now also has some of these... If anyone wants one, PM me and I will send you his info... Cheers! M2

Stiff Did the goof actually say "prudent?" What a And where did you get the 'Adult' morale patches? Cheers! M2

The War Viewer's Guide Cheers! M2

Speaking of which...(and your use of the word 'shenanigans' is duly noted!)... Cheers! M2

Today's news from Washington... Cheers! M2

Gotta love politics (and fear tactics) in action... Cheers! M2

I first, I thought it was going to be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKg5-asGRHY... And that's Richard "Hamster" Hammond from Top Gear, an excellent UK car show... Cheers! M2

Dude Congrats, I loved my time at Ramstein. Do a search and you will find lots of info. But in a nutshell, there is stairwell housing (apartments) on base but they are cozy. The pros are a short commute to AAFES and work, and no need for a second car; and the downside is you can have a tendency to get stuck on base for weeks on end and not truely getting the full German experience, which is a tragedy. There are lot of places to live off-base, whic is notce to be in a little German village and drink Pils with the locals; but it can get expensive (living off base, not the beer...it is worth every pfennig or euro-cent, whatever they are called nowadays!). As for cars, an American car really isn't a problem as Americans have been bringing them to Germany for over half a century; but parts can get expensive and some things like emmissions control items are not found in Europe and can be a problem if they break. I had that problem in Belgium, my check engine light came on and the local VW dealer could not fix it as they didn't know what the code meant. I would recommend against a big American car/truck/SUV simply because gas is still expensive even on base and driving one through those small German villages can get touchy. Plus you stand out like a sour thumb. Buying a late-model German specs used BMW or Audi might make more sense, but there isn't really a huge advantage of one over the other. I shipped a VW Passat over and bought a used German-specs BMW 3-series, it worked out great. Oh, and there are tons of "tax-free" sales if you are looking for a deal. Check out the European version of the Stars & Stripes on-line here and look for the ads. Cheers! M2

Y'mean like this beautiful example? AV8TR.com has some, and tell Fritter M2 said 'howdy!' Cheers! M2

Hey, that's Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs, he wouldn't lie to us! Honestly, Ford would not use this commercial without the proof that this is possible. Heck, taking the wheels off of the F-150 and then tossing it out the back would probably eventually stop the aircraft. This is feasible, but as many have said, not advisable! Cheers! M2

Since no one has posted it yet, I guess this crusty old retiree will... Happy 60th birthday, USAF! Cheers! M2

Some of my favs... And I always thought the 16 SOS did a helluva job with this one... Cheers! M2