brickhistory

If Top Gun 2 generated buzz, then, of course, another in the genre will too... 12 O'clock Nigh Scene 1: Delta FO Harry Stovall, having parked his 787 at Heathrow, kills part of his 20 hour layover with a stroll down some shop streets near The City in London. Suddenly, he spots a model of an F-15C in the window in a junk shop...cue harp music and wavy focus camera... Scene 2: Then Captain Harry "Burner" Stovall is the reluctant wing exec and is slaving away at his desk awaiting the arrival of the new wing king after the previous one had been fired for boning SSgt Yummy Britches in the staff car. The door bangs open and in walks Col Frank Savage, fresh off his Air Staff tour (prior to that he'd flown the Eagle for one tour at Eglin, then had a career of exec/school/exec/school/command, to the Air Staff and now here at RAF Archbury). Stovall stands up to acknowledge the O-6. Who immediately berates Stovall for having the fun meter morale patch, his flight cap visible in his leg pocket, and his zipper slightly below his name tag. "Captain, I want to see the personnel folders of every pilot in this wing immediately." Scene 3: That evening in the Club bar, Stovall is at the bar trying to not badmouth the new commander as the bros gather 'round looking for gouge. When in bursts Savage himself, proclaiming "This bar is closed. All pilots will muster in the wing auditorium at 0700 tomorrow morning." The crowd files out grumbling unintelligibly... Scene 4: The next morning, at 0700, the auditorium is called to attention and in strides Savage, his Chief, and Stovall. Savage ascends the stage, dramatically pulls the cord to the curtain covering the big board, to reveal...The Plan "Gentlemen, effective immediately, every single one of you will reset your clock on all the ancillary CBTs the Air Force and DoD have mandated. You will complete this no later than a week from today. I will not tolerate sloppy uniforms or sloppy green dots." Raising his hand the OG asks, "Sir, that will take nearly 70 hours even if we group take all the on-line tests and the like. We are supposed to deploy for the Baltic Ops mission next week and had some LFEs scheduled with the Brits over the Wash." "Col Cobb, if I want your opinion, I will give it to you. That's all, gentlemen. Dismissed." Scene 5: A week later: "Stovall, why am I seeing all these 7-day opts?" "Dunno, sir. Here's mine..."

You'd think that admitting to trying to shoot a seal would've gotten him the death penalty in granola land...

Ya think? https://dailycaller.com/2017/11/09/air-force-reviewing-records-back-to-1996-working-247-to-plug-fbi-background-check-holes/

The only person responsible for this tragedy is the sick motherfcuker who pulled the trigger. Big Blue contributed by incompetence, but doesn't bear ultimate responsibility. I also don't necessarily want SAF/CSAF fired now unless there is a chain of firings from lowest to highest. THAT might get some attention and put lasting pressure on folks to do their job AND be judged by job performance. But, now that both the HASC and SASC have weighed in to grab some political attention, you can bet some senior heads (er, yes...) will roll. Because, you know, do something... BTW, I, as a gun owner am not responsible for this tragedy. Neither are the millions upon millions of legal, responsible gun owners in this country. I do want to, you know, do something, because... It is ultimately about control. Those who want to blame me want to assert their control. I'm agin that.

Laws against shooting others as in murder. Check. Laws against using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Check. Laws against felons obtaining/possessing firearms. Check. Laws mandating felony convictions put entered into FBI's NCIS database. Check. Big Blue f'ing this up. Check. So, to some the solution is more government. The same government that can't do this. Sick fcuk, abusing his wife and his infant. Now this. Rot in hell, you motherfcuker. I also hope that Big Blue is named as a defendant in a giant civil case as being negligent and culpable and the families get huge dollars. I also hope OSI pogues and Holloman leaders in place at the time draw, at a minimum, career-ending paperwork. Those who are supposed to audit such processes as well. Do your fcukin' job, morons.

I appendix carry which is comfortable to me except when driving. Then I transfer my XDS to a TexasCustomHolster mounted in each car. If you are handy with a drill, you can mount it yourself (sts). If not, a car upholstery shop can do it in less than an hour. My choice is based on the odds. Most events involve 2-3 rounds fired at less than 3 yards according to an (FBI?) report I read a while back. If it's a firefight, then I'm most likely to have a bad day, but as noted, perhaps I can buy time for the family to escape. Reports from a recent Colorado Wal-Mart shooting showed several CCW carriers pulling, but not engaging since they weren't around the shooter. They got out. This church-shooting scum ran when first engaged. The guys on the French train that confronted the guy with an AK and beat him. So it's not always completely hopeless

I fail to see in this thread, to this point, where anyone suggested doing anything. The question was asked "Do you carry regularly?" To which several of us answered. Until receiving the cease and desist order Which I apologize for by not placing on my calendar to care when someone else tells me what I should or should not do or say.

Let's see...wallet...car keys...CCW...pocket knife...pen...honey, you ready to go?

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/inquiries_arrest_conviction.cfm

No. USAF is supposed to provide air superiority, i.e., destroy enemy airplanes. We can't even kill (off) our own. Therefore, can we still do that mission? An attempt at ironic humor...

Well, sh1t...we do seem to have lost the touch about killing airplanes...

There is not a compromise. This is an "either/or" issue. Neither side is going to give, and to my mind, it's only been one side that's ever 'given,' so it will be either Constitutionally settled permanently, legally temporarily, or bloodily.

Young man, I like the way you think. I see a promising future...

It's against the law to shoot somebody unless in self-defense, right? It's against the law to murder somebody, right? Let's pass more laws. Riiiiiight....

The very highly paid players have the right to protest and express their views. To do so against the symbology of our nation says to me that they are ashamed of the nation and of being an American. They scorn the very nation that allows them that freedom to protest. There are other, better ways to express your opinion than against one of things that is supposed to unite us. In fact, you (those protesting via the anthem) do more to divide us than your meaningless virtue-signaling. You protest your way, as is your right. I will protest you in my way. With my wallet.

It appears that this is a "forest and number of trees" situation. The Air Force isn't promoting more people to major. It will promote the same number of people. It is because people are bailing at what should be an alarming rate to the Air Staff that the percentage of those eligible is 100% on this board per the announcement. Bigger percentage of a smaller pool = same total numbers promoting. Not a net gain for anyone. Not sure if the "insecurity" thing was directed specifically, but in two more weeks I can hit the cigs aisle and Class VI with my retirement check for the month, so my dog in this fight is exceedingly small. Others do. As stated above, this is an administrative stop-loss to some. To others, it's a good thing. USAF does not seem to be addressing the fundamental issues and instead is trying different sized band-aids to stop the bleeding.

Ok, understand now. Don't think the math adds up, but at least I understand what he meant. If 100 majors are promoted now and four years from now, 65 lt cols are needed, then 65% (or whatever the legal limit is at that time) of those 100 majors (discounting any variables like separation, etc) will be promoted. None of this detracts from this very visible failure by the Air Force to retain enough people, never mind of a higher quality, to fill its quota of majors, hence it has to promote 100%. Yet the beast doesn't seem to be questioning "why?"

How so? Blue says it needs X number of majors to do all the jobs-staff, leadership, etc.- now. To get that number of O-4s, everyone will make it on this board. The flying warrant officer idea is for dudes to just fly. I'm not arguing, I'm just not tracking.

Depends. By law, only so many officers can be on the rolls at each grade. That percentage fluctuates depending on authorized force strength. Big Blue saying 100% to O-4 means they literally don't have to cut anyone. (Why that fact exists, of course, is the great unanswered by Air Staff question). The number of total O-5s will also be set so the culling of the herd will occur then as well. Assuming that the herd doesn't keep finding weak areas of the fence and escape into the wild. If the numbers then are also below requirements, then the percentages for O-5 will increase. Instead of the cliché of "Will the last one leaving the Air Force please turn out the lights?," it appears that USAF is working its way toward 100% selection to general officer.

For another, the 12th (was part of 18th WG during my time in mid-1990s*), the 44th, and the 67th all flew combat missions during Vietnam. Guess that's not called a "real war." Might get another chance fairly soon... *AWESOME assignment

First scoping questions: Are you staying where you retire? What is the market there for employment, either working for someone or for yourself? If moving, to where and same questions. Have you determined your absolute mins for income/lifestyle? Been out for 9 years now (finished out as an AGR), did defense contracting and now GS. Original plan was for wife (retired within 6 months of me) and I to run a B&B in Sedona. Turn-key place, year 'round 85% occupancy rate. Unfortunately, I was in DC and had A) kid in #1 high school in nation (Thomas Jefferson) and B) retired at the height of the housing market crash. Was over $100K upside down on my DC house and couldn't afford to walk from that AND pick up the business loan on the place in Sedona. So...switch to back-up plans to pay bills. Wound up staying in DC area for another four years. Ugh... Escaped to Omaha and now Nellis. Started out as a contractor for Boeing; switched to GS for salary and security. For profit, except for working for myself, wasn't attractive since the lay-off factor was high then as well as capricious now. I'm all about capitalism but the realities of being fired/laid off for reasons beyond my control, i.e., I'm canned not because I didn't do a good job but just because (like most people do, I realize) wasn't working for me after 20 years of a guaranteed paycheck. Basically, I consider(ed) myself institutionalized. Being stuck in DC made that an easy mode to enter. GS in agencies other than DoD, in my experience, sucks. No sense of mission, no sense of team, nothing but "I got mine." Especially nothing about the taxpayer. Don't get me wrong, I saw unbelievable waste and "I got mine" in DoD as well and it frustrates(d) me. But there was still that core of dudes/dudettes that care about the mission despite the Man. Unfortunately, for fifteen years I was at Air Staff or above levels. Empire building and not making waves are the currencies there so I wasn't happy nor considered a team player. I'm now at the squadron/base level and enjoy it much more. Even if the folks in uniform, as a rule, dismiss civilians, being a part, however small, of making the mission happen is rewarding. edited to add: Not meaning to derail the thread. Wanted to give one perspective on defense contracting and GS route as an alternative to a guy who is able to go airline and is asking for alternatives. I could not (without spending a metric sh1t-ton of money and time I didn't have to get my quals).

And the Sq/CC said, "Sir, you will have to do that because I am removing mine." Did he? And Big Blue wonders why people are bailing...

Negative. It is not "ok" to disrespect the flag and anthem. But that is my personal belief. I won't watch those teams who keep such arrogant, clueless individuals and I let the advertisers know of my displeasure. If enough fans of the affected teams feel that way, then the players will be kicked to the curb without a second thought. If more fans want a winning team vs. a respectful one, then the opposite will occur. Those disrespecting the flag/anthem are protesting the symbols of the very idea that gives them the right, opportunity, and vehicle to stage said protest. Not the brightest bulbs in the ceiling fixture in my mind. Going old school: don't like it, GTFO. I don't see them thriving in Russia or Cuba.

As repugnant as I find the actions of those not showing respect for the symbols that stand for their right to perform those very protests (irony lost on those players, I'm betting), let the performance numbers of your red herrings Bennett and Beast drop like Kaepernick's and they are gone without a second thought by the team's owners. Performance = profit Flagging performance + disrespectful to most fans behavior = "would you like fries with that?" It seems that a museum celebrating the accomplishments of only one race has a political agenda and not an actual historical intent when a football player makes it prior to a Supreme Court Justice. Numerically, there have been a lot more black football players than black Justices.

The Hitman's Bodyguard. Opens next week; got to go to an advance screening with wife. Predictable, a lot of over the top violence, not much skin. Absolutely great writing for the lines between Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds. A lot of funny bits, not just the usual one or two in most movies. Recommend.