pawnman

Sounds like a great question for your squadron's stan/eval shop...at least, that's who's in charge of the flight pubs where I'm from.

Unfortunately, for much the same reason we can't wear civilian PT gear out here, the AUAB policy will override this one because it is "more restrictive". If I ever take over, the AUAB policy will be re-written into a single line: See the AFI.

Fortunately, you are apparently allowed to be sweaty in a flight suit...just not in PT gear. I'm giving serious consideration to just walking around in civvies...you ever see a contractor get stopped for any reason?

I think it's less to prevent people from starching it, and more to prevent the creative rolling of the hats...There's the "Crocodile Dundee", where you crease just one side of the hat stright up, the "Vietnam", where you roll the sides of your hat up, and the "Gilligan", where you flatten the front of the hat (when done correctly, you shouldn't be able to see the rank on the hat behind the brim).

We have 2, two-striper ARMS troops with us out here. We also get to hear their stories of REMF-ery, but sadly, they don't have the rank to fire back. One was in PT gear, wearing her iPod, on her way to chow. When she got into the building, she took the earbuds out and tucked them into the armband. One of these double-Ds told her "you can't wear your iPod indoors". (Really? Someone should make a sweep through the gym.) Our other ARMS troop was getting on the bus to come to work. He's sitting there in his ABU's, minding his own business, and he gets out his iPod to pass the time on the bus ride (I'm sure we've all been there, done that). As I'm sure you can guess, some DD yells at him for having headphones on while in uniform. So much for creativity, intelligence, or common sense. Maybe all these regs need the standard you'll find at the beginning of any TO: This document is not meant to replace sound judgement.

Agreed. On the other hand, if you start memorizing the faces of the jack-ass NCOs who tell you to take the sunglasses off your head or wear a reflective belt, it is a useful tool for retaliatory REMF-ery.

True enough. If you're not a senior leader or IP/IWSO in the squadron, you aren't likely to be that heavily tasked in your last week or two. Sure, it sucks to move to the tents...but you're going home. It sucks more to be stuck here for six months. Make it just a little easier by giving those guys a clean, empty room to move into.

I'm going to write WWRD on my reflective belt.

NCOs started giving orders to officers when the CGOs lost their squadron leadership's backing to clamp down on this behavior, while the NCOs simultaneously gained the support of wing leadership to "enforce the standards".

I'm aware that it has happened to others. I just look forward to my turn.

I agree somewhat. Sure, there's no problem with a guy saluting me while he's wearing PT gear and I'm wearing a bag. But lighting people up for NOT saluting in PT gear? It just seems like a very bad idea to go high-aspect on someone when you don't have the SA to know if that's a MSgt or a LtCol. Like many of the rules out here, it's not so much the rule itself, it's the way they get enforced. BTW, if Im ever in charge (and I may be recycling someone else's good idea here), I will replace the reflective belt policy with a "look-both-ways-before-you-cross-the-street" policy. If anyone gets hit by a car, I will court-martial the driver AND the victim.

I'm going to continue to NOT do that...although I look forward, with great joy and eagerness, to the day an LT tries to REMF me for not saluting!

The Museum deal actually worked in my buddies favor one day...he'd forgotten his ID in the computer the day before. Showed up at the gate, in uniform, and told the cops what had happened. "We can't let you in without an ID sir". My buddy, thinking quickly, said "In that case, I'm going to the Museum, here's my driver's license". Sure enough, they put him down on the Museum list and let him in.

I submit that we've made it more exploitable because of the rules being enforced the way they are. To keep it on topic, there's a guy in our squadron who went through PCola with ol' Vic as an instructor. Guy idolized him, they were neighbors, he went on several cross-countries with him (so the story goes)...and when he gets named in the squadron, low and behold, they have the same callsign. This all happened years ago...but it provided no shortage of entertainment after this story hit the headlines.

Don't you know that full-bird colonels always know better than the 4-star who signs the AFIs?

Here's a better question...why would you? I don't wear ANY part of the PT uniform at home station...I prefer my mesh basketball shorts and cotton, plain t-shirts, or my long running pants to the swishing PT pants. But, to answer your question, I've seen no guidance on a change...the AFI-36-chow my hog used to say "any combo of civilian and PT attire is permitted".

Sounds like this one should have been added to the "I officially revoke your man-card" thread.

Guy is in our squadron. He's waiting for batteries for his LED-scrolling belt buckle.

I saw an article, obviously a joke, but semi-serious...that asked, "What if Kanye West is, actually, retarded?"

It is, however, blocked by the firewall here at the Deid, as "Pornography". Laughable, considering some of the sites that aren't.

He obviously has no real critical eye for talent either. Beyonce is hot, and she is talented...but seriously, a video of her singing what is possibly her most repetitive song, with a couple back-up dancers, is "the best video of the decade"? I miss the days when music videos had storylines and creativity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0XLKcMoXRE It's a real credit to Mike Meyers that he maintains his composure throughout Kanye's rambling, incoherent jumble of a speech.

Taylor Swift won the VMA for best female music video. In the middle of her acceptance speech, Kanye West comes up on stage, takes her mic, and tells everyone that Beyonce had "the best video of all time"...i.e., that Taylor Swift did not deserve to win. What a bag of cocks. Wasn't he also involved in some kind of controversy after hurricane Katrina? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yOOPHe3QHU

The biggest foul on leadership is the DV "1+0" configured rooms. The rooms are fairly nice as far as deployed locations go. Even having one is a luxury...do you really need to take up two of them?

I gotta tell you guys...sometimes you are witness to the trainwreck in action, and you're powerless to stop it. We have a certain leader in our squadron who, like Doc, is a total douche-nozzle, and who, I kid you not, is one of the worst people in the squadron when it comes to performing in the aircraft...this guy is most likely tracked for O-6. He and the SQ/CC go way back, so even when this guy makes completely boneheaded decisions, there's not much traction to be gained there. For example, while he was on leave, the SQ/CC asked us to draft a waiver for our upcoming deployment. We did, and gave it to the SQ/CC. Keep in mind, this particular leader is on leave. When he gets back, he pulls our shop chief aside, stands him at attention, and yells at him for "usurping his authority" because we didn't route the memo through him first. While he was on leave. One does wonder how these douches keep getting promoted. How do they hide their sheer idiocy and lack of leadership skills from their own leaders? Because they certainly aren't hiding it from their subordinates.

Word on the street is, Al Udeid won't be a deployed location much longer...it's going to become a permanent base, complete with 2 year tours with the wife and kids. I wonder if you'll still have to wear PT gear everywhere at that point?