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Flare

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    Leadership at the 'Deid

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I won't use names here, but the relatively new OG commander here at Bagram with the 455th is rapidly taking over the number one spot on the "Most Likely to be Shot by His Own People" list. At the very least, he has alienated the entire C-130 community here by deriding our maintenance, calling us lazy, disrespectful, unprofessional pilots, claiming that he could fix our scheduling issues in 2 hours, and calling at least five members to meet with him about "blatant disregard for rules" (Their shirts were untucked while walking to the overflowing porta-johns). Another story involving his wrath was told to me by a FAST guy we had today. I had to sit down when he was telling me the story. Here goes: Airman so-n-so lives in the same dorm complex as Col. L___. As the airman is using the facility, he notices that his hand has broke through the one-ply toilet paper, resulting in fecal matter being on his hand. When he completes his ass wiping, he proceeds out of the stall with shirt untucked, so as to prevent fecal matter from getting on his shirt. Col L just happened to be in the can at the same time and spots the airman with his shirt untucked, washing his hands. The colonel proceeds to chew the kid's ass, asking him why he would choose to break the rules and demonstrate irresponsibility and a lack of integrity. In the end, the colonel ordered the airman to meet with his boss, the MSG commander, about his shirt being untucked. I asked the airman if he honestly has to take time out of a mission support group commander's day to discuss a t-shirt being untucked, in a latrine, while the kid is washing his hands; all the airman did was nod. I am still in disbelief.

    Obviously, we have all had some incredibly horrible bosses, but I think this guy might be the worst that I have seen in 11 years. He, along with his two XO's (yes, he has two executive officers), have been on a nightly rampage for the past week, busting people for everything from no disco belt, to shirts untucked, to shoes not tied, to strings hanging out of pt shorts, to smoking in unauthorized spots, to shirts that are visibly wet from sweat that has acquired during workouts. B-hut row is now known as "Tin Pan Alley." LOR's are being threatened for uniform violations. In what is, perhaps, the biggest sign that this slug has completely lost sight of what his job is here at Bagram: a flying line has been lost so that he can have a meeting with two crewmembers regarding their shirts being untucked while conversing outside their B-hut. This man's personal quest to ensure that everyone is following rules of dress and appearance is adversely affecting flying operations. I've began wondering if that is suitable material for filing an IG complaint.

    I almost forgot another funny story: We had a guy meet with the wise colonel about an illegal (Hawaiian) shirt that was being worn in one of the common areas in Tin Pan Alley. The colonel, in his grand wisdom, asked "So, when you were wearing the illegal shirt, was it tucked in?"

    Please let me know if you know this colonel that I am talking about. I would love to know where he completely derailed... :flipoff:

    Thread revival--guess who the new wing king at Hill AFB is?

    Have to admit now though, I was at Bagram at the time this was written and didn't see or hear about any of the above behavior (and since he was flying with my squadron, I saw him alot).

    Stan Eval Shenanigans

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    Not an EP, but I was a chief of Stan-Eval in the Viper and did a little time giving checkrides in white jet world. My personal take...if the error was so minor that he had to look it up to even see if it was a downgrade, then it probably wasn't worthy of being a hit in the first place. Either that, or you just had an EP not worth his salt. If you (as an EP) have questions about that, you should look them up and be prepared BEFORE you start the debrief.

    More Uniform Changes!

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Isn't this why we went to the ABUs in the first place?

    http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123240205

    1/27/2011 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Airmen deploying to Afghanistan in 2011 will see a new uniform issued to them as part of their deployment gear beginning in March.

    While Airmen have been faced with a slew of uniform changes in recent years, this new uniform is not a matter of image or heritage but instead has resulted from a joint initiative that ensures all outside-the-wire deployers in Afghanistan, regardless of branch of service, have the best ground combat uniform in order to enhance combat effectiveness.

    According to Lt. Col. Shawna McGowan, the Air Force future programs branch chief, Air Force leaders collaborated with Army experts to develop a solution to meet evolving camouflage and fire-retardancy demands in theater.

    The new uniform, called the Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern, or OCP, is the same uniform recently fielded in Afghanistan to U.S. Soldiers, Colonel McGowan said.

    "At first, Airmen receiving the (Airman Battle System-Ground, or ABS-G) uniforms with mission responsibilities outside the wire in Afghanistan will have priority for the OCP."

    But the plan is for the OCP uniform to eventually become the only ground-combat uniform worn by Airmen in Afghanistan both inside and outside the wire, she said. This also will minimize the number of bags Airmen will carry into and out of the theater.

    "The OCP uniform is scientifically developed to blend in with Afghanistan's terrain, which will make our Airmen safer and more effective on the battlefield," she said. "The new material is also flame resistant and lighter weight than either the ABS-G or the (Airman Battle Uniforms, or ABUs)."

    The material also contains a bug repellant to protect our deployed Airmen, she added.

    And, the colonel said, not only is this uniform better than its predecessors, but working jointly with the Army to use a tested uniform is the fiscally responsible thing to do.

    "It's not only a joint use of the best ground combat uniform available," Colonel McGowan said, "it saves fiscal resources and also aligns with the National Defense Authorization Act language that encourages collaborative efforts between the services."

    Since the OCP is replacing the other uniforms, there also will be a savings that will come from not needing to store and supply both the ABS-G and ABU, she said.

    This won't be the first time Airmen have worn this camouflage pattern in Afghanistan though.

    "Some Air Force personnel who are assigned to Army units were already issued the OCPs in the Army fielding initiative that began in August," said Colonel McGowan, who restated that these uniforms will be issued to individuals, and they won't be covered out-of-pocket by Airmen.

    Individual units won't even be authorized to purchase these uniforms for the foreseeable future, the colonel said.

    "The only authorized OCP uniforms are those purchased and issued by Air Force Central Command," Colonel McGowan said. "While some units are interested in procuring the OCP for training, future deployments and such, they won't be authorized to do so because those orders would take away from supplies that are prioritized for the most at-risk deployers."

    The colonel emphasized that patience and teamwork are critical during any individual equipment transition and while actions to field the OCP as quickly as possible are ongoing, Airmen should be reassured they will have them as soon as they can be fielded.

    She also discouraged individuals from purchasing their own uniforms as that could result in them receiving non-tested, non-compliant uniforms that ultimately could put lives at risk. With any new uniform, 'knock-offs' are readily available and Airmen need to use sound judgment and not spend personal funds on potentially non-compliant OCP assets, she said.

    "Essentially, any unauthorized purchase of the OCP uniforms could result in putting Airmen at risk either on the front lines or at home," the colonel said.

    She said switching to the OCP and having AFCENT as the sole issue point for these uniforms will meet the ultimate goal of ensuring that Airmen are equipped with the best, most advanced uniform available today.

    DTS is the devil

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Closest thread I could find....

    Trying to logon to DTS and keep getting "PC LOAD LETTER."

    or something like this:

    "Login Error

    There has been a problem with login

    Your user account could not be found or is locked, or your certificate has been revoked. Please contact your local Registration Authority (LRA) or Verifying Official (VO) to obtain a new PKI certificate or to find additional information."

    Anyone have any idea how to fix this? I tried the fixes the site suggests. I've been on hold for 45 minutes trying to get someome to answer; they won't. The DTS reps on my squadron are worthless.

    I've always been a fan of DTS....until now.

    Tax free/discounted vehicles overseas

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Done this twice; never had to pay an import fee/tax (AR and TX). Many states try to stick you with the sales tax when you get back. Is that what you're asking?

    Yup. Sorry, that was worded poorly. Basically they're trying to charge me the same sales tax as if I had purchased the car new in their state. Just trying to see if I can pay either less or nothing since its not new or if I can use the military card.

    Tax free/discounted vehicles overseas

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I thought there was another thread in the past about this, but I can't find it so I'll add it here.

    Has anyone purchased a vehicle overseas and then imported it back to the States when you PCSed home? Trying to figure out if there are any States that have minimal/import taxes if you owned and drove the vehicle overseas. I've seen anywhere between 3% & 6% fee so far...just trying to see if there's anything better out there.

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