HeloDude

If you're worried X would be banned and you didn't stock up on X beforehand (especially when it was cheap), then you didn't really want X. And I think this order (and it's not for all 5.56 btw, at least not yet) and every other law/order that affects my Right to keep and bear arms is unconstitutional. So don't wait if there's something you think you might want in the future. Because just like going to the BX/PX in Iraq and Afghanistan, if you see something in stock that you think you 'might' want, you better go buy it because the next day it might not be there and God only knows the next time it will be back.

I think the AF will let everyone know in June/July...I know some good 11H's who got passed over for O-5 last year so I'm curious as to what happens this time around, assuming they are passed over again. My bet is that most will get continued to 20, especially guys in stressed fields.

Looks like they're changing up BMT just a little bit... So it's gotten to the point where the AF needs an additional 5 days during BMT to tell new Airmen not to rape, assault, or harass people. I'm all for the AF telling them this...but 5 days, after they've been told it constantly during the main part of the training? I have a feeling more of this will seap into the non AETC world as well. https://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/careers/air-force/2015/02/17/reinventing-basic-graduation-comes-earlier-real-life-schooling-follows/22211151/

Did you ask your boss why they didn't give you a DP, specifically as it relates to your recent strats? If you don't ask then you'll never know, and worse, you're giving your leadership a pass without having to face the music and explain themselves.

The only young E's (E-1 to E-4) I have ever heard of needing to get food stamps were those who were married (wife probably didn't work) and have kids. But when you think about it, young E's get paid more than the typical college student working a part time job/getting loan or financial aid money (that isn't going to tuition/books)...and when I went to college, I never had to go on welfare to be fed and had a little money left over to clothe myself and drink some cheap beer. Young E's are housed (pretty well actually...better than I was as a college kid), are fed, are given free education if they want it, don't pay a dime for health insurance, and can actually save a little monry if they plan well. If I got married when I was 19, had two kids and a wife who didn't work, all by the age of 22-23 when I was still in college, then yeah, I probably would have had financial problems/could meet the requirements for welfare...but...wait for it...I didn't. And that wasn't by accident. Hell, I didn't feel I was financially or emotionally/mature ready to get married and have kids even before I was a Captain! If you can't afford to get married/have kids then you probably shouldn't. Last I checked, birth control is now free. So just because young E's qualify for welfare doesn't mean they're not being paid enough. If they do it right, they can easily be ahead of their peers who went to college and graduated after 5 years and are still looking for a job--and I've seen plenty of awesome young E's who have done it. Now I definitely believe our NCO's are underpaid because of the expertise that they hold, their leadership and management skills, their strong commitment and job performance, etc...at least the good ones, that is. And fortunately I would say I've definitely had the pleasure of serving with more good ones than bad ones. But even then, if you're an E-5 and think you should be paid enough to support a stay at home wife with 3 kids (while also have their flat screens, iphone, cable, etc) then I would say that NCO didn't plan well. Grant it, shit happens in life that people can't always anticipate, but if everybody practiced self responsibility, then this would just be the exception and further from the norm, especially in the military. Just my $.02

Bam. Awesome--thanks for info! One of the few things I retained (and thought was actually beneficial) from SOS was the scoring PRFs execercise. But it's been quite a while and your fake board example was clear and consise.

I'm assuming you specifically put in for a program that brought you to DLI? Or were you non vol'd?

Upset about certain Flight Docs wearing flight suits, but not hearing you say you're upset that medical folks in the Med Group are wearing ABU's (not scrubs/wearing ABU's when the utility uniform is required) when many could easily wear blues. Works both ways...correct me if I'm wrong.

Definitely hope this is only a small minority of people and that even they are only saying this because of their ignorance/stupidity. Sadly, I think there is a decent chunk of the population who would give similar responses. Not the best outlook for the country.

The SOTU is obviously not what it once was/was originally intended to be. In modern/recent times it has turned into a dog and pony show and a campaign speech by the President...not saying it wasn't also that way 100+ years ago, but then again, I'm not so sure the President at that time gave hundreds of campaign speeches...even when they weren't actively seeking reelection. So yeah, I think I'll pass. If anything of substance comes from it I'm sure I'll be read about it that night or the next morning.

Definitely go see American Sniper...

...and then this happens: Some people are mentioning that it seems the headspace was off. Without doing some research, I'll admit that I have little to no idea what that means. M2?--thoughts?? I know Century had a bad reputation years ago for some crappy work on their builds, though they had seemed to rectify that in more recent years. Still, this below makes me laugh:

This is not how military punishment works...there is nothing in the UCMJ/regulations that say 'if the person made a bad decision and received bad consequences from their bad decisions then no military punishment can be given'. Obviously the legal system/discipline/punishment is extremely subjective in the military. If Berghdahl deserted it (again, I'm still waiting for the report that for some reason has yet to be released) then he deserves to be punished (perhaps via Article 15, if he accepts it?) or it should go to trial where the legal process can determine innocence or guilt and then punish as necessary. Now if the punishment rendered is for him to be knocked down a rank, fined, etc with no jail time then so be it. What I am saying is that I don't believe any of this is going to happen, just my best guess given the optics of the situation. And do people really believe he didn't voluntarily leave his post and defy orders? If it was clear that he was captured through no fult of his own then I doubt there would be much of a problem with the US Army saying so. This all has to do with politics, and fortunately for Berghdahl, I think he'll be able to go quietly because of it.

Since when do we sentence people to 5 years with the Taliban for desertion? Why are you and HU&W referring to his captivity as punishment? His 5 years in captivitity had nothing to do with official punishment from the US Army, rather, it was due to his poor decision making. As I said before, I don't think he'll receive much official punishment (if at all) from the US Army, hence my point that telling a sexual joke at work would get you more official punishment from the US Army.

Well played, sir.

Helicopters...tits is a close second, though often a first when I'm not flying helicopters. Guns are always pretty damn awesome. And bacon is just a perfect form of sustenance that can be enjoyed at any meal.

He has not been punished by the US Army...at least not that I'm aware of. He just had to ordeal a pretty shitty situation because of his own actions (assuming you believe that he voluntary left his post). This is like saying if airman snuffy drinks and drives and wraps his car around a tree, is in the hospital for a couple days with some broken bones, and has to incur legal costs/fines with the local judicial system that the Air Force should just overlook it and not reprimand him because 'he has been punished enough'.

https://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/careers/2015/01/09/air-force-losing-drone-pilots/21503301/ https://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/careers/2015/01/08/air-force-drone-pilots/21388565/

Agreed. However the big difference being that outside of just some in the military/military watch-dogs, the American public is cluess/doesn't care about Metzger. Her ordeal didn't make national headlines, didn't have the President on the WH lawn with her patents when she returned, didn't have a Congressional hearing which also gained national attention, and most importantly didn't involve the trading of 5 enemy Taliban. Bergdahl's situation involved all of the above. So I agree with you about Metzger, Bergdahl has gained a lot of national attention and Congressional inquirees...and we still don't know exactly what happened in terms of the official report. My guess is that it will eventually be released when the 2016 nomination process heats up...this way it won't gain as much traction in the news media. Bergdahl will probably be given an other than honorable discharge, will never see the inside of an American military prison cell, and that will be the end of it. He would face a harsher punishment if he told a sexual joke at the workplace.

Then why is Obama's DOJ going after Patraeus? If he is just going to pardon him then it seems silly to bring him up on charges, especially if could potentially make the administration look bad. Personally I think this is bad politics/optics, but if he allegedly committed a serious crime, then bring him to trial and see how it plays out. I do like that Patraeus has hinted/said that he doesn't want a plea deal. ...funny, we still haven't gotten official word on the Bergdahl story, and that investigation/report has been completed for several months.

What do you want to talk/debate about? There's always plenty of good stuff out there and difference of opinions that can make for an interesting post/discussion. I recently read on AF Crimes that the AF is losing RPA pilots faster than they can train them, though I would be willing to bet that is already posted somewhere, besides, it's not thst big of a surprise.

I think we should implement flight pay and aviation continuation pay (aka the bonus) to better retain pilots. ...and yes, I'm well aware of the majority opinion that the bonus does not incentivize many people to stay in vs get out, hence my comment. If the Air Force doesn't need to throw money at the problem to either incentivize people to stay in/go to a certain location and/or extend their ADSC, then the Air Force won't wont throw in the money. Not saying you have an entirely bad idea, just that it's not how Big Blue thinks/operates. Since when is the AF having a difficult time manning Minot? Just my $.02

Correct me if I'm wrong, but how could you get a non-a and still be in TLF?

Not too surprising, but the Taliban is claiming 'defeat' of the US in Afghanistan. Whether or not we were defeated is how you argue the position, but that being said, my money is on the Taliban taking over quite a bit of territory within the next few years. What a waste. https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/29/us-afghanistan-war-idUSKBN0K70UC20141229?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter