brickhistory

Unless I really, really f#ck up (always a possibility) and get subject to a 'rendition,' I'm never gonna see anywhere in the ME again, however, the wi-fi might be a 'contract thing,' but the AF guy who negotiated the single point of failure contract and the AF guy who signed off on it should have JB's remedy applied. A 5 week work-stop is unsat. I hear CSAF has some good contracting skills and connections..........................

Enjoy Lompoc. Great prisons and flower farms.

And that is the conundrum (sts). If you need a gun, you need it now. If you want to keep little ones safe, you need it secured. I was/am a big fan of the shotgun for home defense. Had a SPAS-12 which is the coolest looking shotgun ever! but it really was too long for a home gun (you can either rack it for each shot or lock the foregrip and go semi-auto with it. A wall of OO if you needed crowd control - not so good for a house gun. Agree that the noise factor is probably a good thing for a burglar who just wants to grab and go. For someone intent on mayhem, who knows? God knows I don't want to find out. My personal preference (now that my kids are older and understand (by God, they'd better! I've beaten it into them (kidding......mostly) gun safety)) is a .45 with the first round being snakeshot. "What?! I hear the purists bellow?" I'm hoping that I have more than 6 ft between me and the bad guy and if I miss, I don't frag one of my kids in their bedrooms. If I don't and the bad guy is a distance away, I'm assuming the flash, boom, and any red-hot stinging will make him re-think his immediate plan. If it doesn't, then the next rounds are for bear. If the guy is up close and I haven't soiled myself before the first shot, I'm thinking(hoping) I can get the snakeshot and a ball (sts) round into him. If not, it's gonna be a bad night for the home team.

My bad. Superintendent is too high for the first time. Get the recruiter's flight chief if the recruiter won't pull it together. As littleman and another source, a former RS/CC whom I'm married to, said the sup will fix the guy, not necessarily your problem. The flight chief has a vested interest in keeping it local. But, don't take no service for an answer. It's your life involved.

Find out the name/number of the Recruiting Squadron superintendent. Call the recruiter who can't get it done. Tell him your next step is to call the superintendent because this is really important to you. Give him a chance to figure it out, but not an eternity. If he can't help himself out, that's not your problem. He's gotta make quota and by not knowing the rules/procedures, he's just shafting himself as well as his squadron which is under the gun to make a bigger quota. Follow through if needed. The superintendent will ensure you are taken care of. Be polite and professional in all your dealings with them - help them help you, but let them know you are serious. PM me if needed for help but you should be able to find out easily enough.

Don't know if anyone knows much about the Argie manufacturer Bersa. I didn't/still don't. However, I bought their 'Thunder 45' as a CCW (also have a VA CCW which is, as noted, useless in MD, but then so is much of that state's legislature, but I digress....). I've put probably 200 rounds out with no problems. I bought the gun as a reward for selling a story and to save my 1911 handed down from my Dad should I be in non-friendly state and get 'caught' carrying in the car. I'd rather lose this one than my heirloom. The Bersa is a 7+1 and easily carried. It's thick which helps as I have big hands, but might be too much for some. Anyone knowledgable on the company itself? https://www.bersafirearmsusa.com/detail_bersa45.php

'2' I use 'em for some stuff - car insurance, checking (the refunded ATM service is nice). Not for other stuff - investments, homeowner's, etc. It's a mixed bag, like so much in life....................................(there is my old fart pronouncement for today........)

momann, sorry for the delay, didn't see your question. But, I don't know the answer to your question, sorry. Re USAA and rural rates and Katrina - '2' My in-laws live in bumf*ck Southwest Louisiania, retired USAF, been with USAA since forever. USAA paid off, finally, but won't insure them again. Not raise their rates, etc; just not issue insurance. Period dot. It's not just them, but the entire area. Guess their business model never forecasted (pun intended) for a major storm to strike.

It will (should) show up in your records from here on out. If it doesn't - check vmpf now- make sure you have the documentation that shows you earned it and get it in your records. A DG is a good thing from any source - school, PME, and/or undergraduate anything training. Like begats like - it's amazing to see the DGs from, say, SOS, get selected later for IDE or the like. Or a DG from UPT going to WIC. Of course, but not always, it means the individual is good to start with so it's not a surprise. But DG is a good thing to earn.

UFB. And the civil authority (read General Counsel's office in this case) wonders why they're held in such contempt. Ok, pal, you man up and take up your post overseas. Join your State Department warrior bros. Re-stating the obvious: it's now not about justice, but who's can prove he's got a bigger one. And not STS.

Fascinating read. This would have been fun to work on sorting out when they did 29 years after the fact. Trigger 4 Shootdown Investigation There's was RUMINT about one guy trying to 'undo' another's kill. I can in no way give any credence to that, but it's interesting background to think about here. If any of the study's participants post here, it would be nice to get your views on the process.

"Geek check..." "2" "3" " The numerical designation often derived from the flying unit associated with it. For example, at periods during the USAF's history, support units were designated with a four digit identifier - e.g. 3800 when supporting the 380th TFW/BW, etc. That same designator would be applied to the support group, support squadrons, etc to differentiate from the flying units. The number of digits was an attempt at uniformity, kinda like painting a base a certain shade of brown or changing the uniform to mimic Delta Airlines or the RAF. Depends on who was in charge at the time......" That is, I believe, what you will eventually find out. I don't have the reference, but I remember it from a gig in a historian's office. (Yeah, I'm boring, I get it............)

God bless, sir. My prayers to the family.

My bud was SRO and I was No. 2 (pun intended), we were both 7 yr ABM captains. Man up (gender neutral term), listen/encourage your folks to offer suggestions when there's time, and realize that there is an end date for the course. Hardest part for me - and the instructors picked up on it right away - was how difficult it was for me to watch junior folks get 'abused' while the 'bad guys' were trying to get info from me. Seconding about taking an opportunity for a cheap shot at the 'man' being a good morale booster for the troops. Oh, and try not to get a city kid from Cleveland as your field partner (right, Shakes, if you happen to be reading this? ;-) )

Friends don't let friends chug Jeremiah Weed when trying to get drunk 'cuz they broke up with a chick (unless it's gonna be really funny!) Me, Kadena, 1995. Yes, it's raining...............................but notice the beer is upright.

2

L Unit, well said. But the 'man' is working on 'sharks with frickin' lasers on their heads (STS)' for the ground combat role as well. I'm not advocating for that or the unmanned airplanes either, but it's gonna happen. Shades of the Star Wars combat 'droids.........................

Cost savings for FedEx but not Uncle Sam? You're kidding, right? Remember any of the 40K folks who were in our ranks about 18-24 months ago? No pilot at risk in a combat situation is one of, probably THE, aspect of DoD's interest in UAVs, but so is saving/cutting dollars. Besides the human in the jet, there's the life support, flight docs, etc, etc. that are there to support the blood/guts-filled operator. Those folks will be replaced with far fewer programmers/trouble-shooters eventually. No retirements to fund for another 30 or more years, no TRICARE for life for the gizmos in the UAV, just a trip to the junkyard. So tell me again that cost-savings aren't a DoD consideration?! I partially agree with you that you'll see an unmanned civil cargo hauler before you'll see a C-5-type USAF UAV, but not totally. DARPA has a big budget and is using it.

Right, tell that to UPS/FEDEX, et al who are looking at and spending $$ on this. It's a lot cheaper to program a computer than hire/pay a meat servo in the cockpit. It will happen. No strikes, no salary negotiations, no pensions, etc. Same for the military. I'd argue that manned aircraft would do better for the 'pop up' resupply jobs than the long-haul scheduled ones where the variables would be fewer. For the airlines, it's a little different but based on human pschology not technology. Folks, me included, will be very hinky to get inside anything going up with only "HAL" at the controls for a long while. But a good run from the types in my first paragraph will help answer the concerns in the second. By the way, imagine if you were in a Minuteman III ICBM launch control center or a boomer sub. Think most of the dudes/dudettes down there would hesitate about turning keys?

One of the reasons for going to UAVs is to take the human out of the loss chain. It's a lot more politically acceptable for the decisionmakers (most who have never served) to accept the real possibility of combat losses if they decide to 'let slip the dogs of war.' They, particularly since the late 1980s have become more and more gun-shy (no pun intended) about US casualties because they know the press/lefties will focus solely on that and not the bigger objective of the operation. The press will then beat them about the head and shoulders until the public votes them out of office. Related, but going left of center - how do flight docs at Creech, et al, get their flight time?

A concise, non-emotional letter addressed to the MPF commander of the base that is screwing you over should help. It probably won't solve your immediate problem, but it will get his/her attention and he/she will direct that attention to his finance people. Repeat non-emotional. Don't call them 'tards or any other names. Give a specific listing of times/dates you submitted stuff, dates they screwed up/who if possible, etc. Ask him to please follow up with you for any actions taken on your behalf. It lets him know you aren't just 'going away' and he can forget about it. Be respectful, but firm in expressing your frustration at the situation and the hardship their buffoonery is causing you and your family. If no answer/satisfaction, then send another letter and a copy of the first one to the Support Group Commander of the base asking him if this is standard practice.

Finally knocked out this trip (of course the day either side at Vegas didn't hurt!) and scouted the St. George area. Town itself was no great shakes - mid-size town sprawl look to it. Airport was kinda cool, perched on the crest of the butte/hill/whatever y'all call it. Checked out some of the subdivisions to the northeast and northwest; some nice places, but overall it just didn't do it for us. BTW, tried to order a pitcher of margaritas and was informed that a pitcher required three or more drinkers under UT law. WTF? Went further northeast into Hurricane and on to Zion Nat'l Park. Some beautiful views and areas to build, but the overall feel didn't appeal to us. Wife doesn't want to live out miles from anyone else. Me, I kinda like that.......... Both Mrs and I didn't feel anything saying "Yeah, this is it." But thanks for the posts here and the PMs. It helped rule out some areas to check out and let us use our time more efficiently.

Not me! I am down to two bags, a pair of boots, a flight cap, and an old style field-soon to be a hunting-jacket! On terminal leave starting 25 Jan, start work on 1 Feb, retired 1 March. edited to ask: Is Brady's belt part of the new service dress or his GO's belt and buckle? I would've liked to have been a GO, mainly to get the .45 they get (still in this PC age?)

I'm sure it's the most retarded way to do it, but in tracking guys down for some of my articles, I've done the 411.com. Found a listing in various cities and worked the phone from there. Lots of strike outs that way, but I usually found who I was looking for. Eventually.

While we're at it; get your Vulcan and Bucc lines cranked up again!