pawnman
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Posts posted by pawnman
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Federally funded comté cheese soufflé, mâche salad, meyer lemon éclairs, huckleberry coulis, chicory salad, creamy anchovy vinaigrette, and olive toast.
Berkeley...EABOD.
HD
To think, I had to make do with chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes.
This will make excellent ammo against the guys I've been discussing this with who said "but you can't cut funding for school lunches!".
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Kind of expected this to happen. They tried to make their stupid statement and ended up with egg on their face. Now they're trying to reverse it and pretend like it never happened. Not like this is the first time a Bay Area city has made some stupid anti-military statement.
So now the vote is 3-6 against the Marines. Think these two are just trying to save their political careers when money stops pouring into the city?
My favorite suggestion for a counter-protest so far: Group of Marines in their dress uniforms, form up in the Code Pink parking lot every Wednesday for the next six month. "You want this parking spot, come and get it!" Maybe some USAF guys nearby could show their support as well.
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Counter point to my own arguement: the initial article said that $2.1 million in Federal funding was in jeopardy. Of that, about a third is for a ferry service, and roughly 15% for school lunch programs. It didn't say what the rest of the money was directed towards.
Bingo. Whoever wrote the article may be sympathetic to Code Pink (certainly had that tone to it), and thus, they're portraying DeMint's proposal in the worst light possible.
Besides, cutting the funding doesn't remove the mandate for free school lunches. Berkely would just need to find a new source of funding for it.
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As the right-wing blogosphere railed and a U.S. senator vowed financial retaliation against the Berkeley City Council for its effort to boot the Marine Corps out of town, three war protesters ratcheted up pressure from the left by chaining themselves Friday to the front door of the downtown Marine recruiting office.
The demonstrators snapped their locks shut at 7 a.m. and spent the next 7 1/2 hours blocking the door, waving and chanting as hundreds of cars driving by honked in support. Finally, at 2:30 p.m., police snipped the chains and arrested them.
Two of the three were cited for blocking a business and released, and the third was booked into jail on an unrelated traffic warrant, police said.
The demonstrators promptly said they will keep protesting outside the recruiting station at 64 Shattuck Square until the Marines leave Berkeley - which is what the City Council advised the service to do in a vote Tuesday night that called the Marines "unwelcome intruders."
The council also voted to allow members of Code Pink, the protest group that helped organize Friday's blockade, to park at a designated space in front of the recruiting office every Wednesday afternoon and operate a loudspeaker.
The council's action apparently made Berkeley the first city in the nation to call for the ouster of a military recruiting station from its borders.
"We made really great statements by blocking the door," said one of the three blockaders, 64-year-old Mary Ann Thomas of Oakland. "It's time we became more articulate about what we're doing."
Conservative bloggers and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., also believe more articulation is necessary - from the opposite side of the political spectrum.
DeMint began drafting legislation Friday to cut $2.1 million in federal funding to Berkeley in a current congressional budget bill and transfer the money to the Marine Corps. The funding would include $750,000 for prospective ferry service, $87,000 for the Berkeley Unified School District nutrition education fund and $243,000 for the Chez Panisse Foundation, which promotes nutritional awareness in school lunch programs.
"The First Amendment gives the city of Berkeley the right to be idiotic, but from now on they should do it with their own money," DeMint said in a statement.
He called the council's vote "a slap in the face to all brave servicemen and women and their families."
Conservative blogs blasted the council and Berkeley in general all day with comments such as one on "Gathering of Eagles": "These cretins disgust me."
Members of the council who voted to condemn the Marine Corps station were unbowed.
"I guess they've never heard of free speech," Councilwoman Dona Spring said. "I've had a lot of nasty phone messages today, threatening me with things like saying, 'I'll take you out.' But they can go ahead. I don't feel scared."
Code Pink said it has begun to circulate a petition calling for a Berkeley ballot measure that would make it more difficult to open and operate recruiting stations. The measure would be modeled after anti-pornography laws, organizers said, mandating that - like porn shops - new recruiting offices be subject to public hearings before they would be allowed to locate near homes or schools.
The Marines, meanwhile, were not ready to back down.
"It's just another protest," said Marine Corps Capt. Richard Lund, head of the recruiting office.
As he spoke in the early afternoon, with the protesters still chained to his door, a small band of demonstrators on the sidewalk shouted at passing cars and students at Shattuck Square: "Marines out of Berkeley! Marines out of Iraq!"
Heated words were exchanged whenever people tried to enter or leave the office, but the protest was peaceful.
"You guys are just cannon fodder!" the chained protesters shouted at three teenage boys who walked past the office and said they wanted to go inside. "They want to train you to kill babies!"
The teenagers turned around and left.
At one point, UC Berkeley student Kyrolos El Giheny walked up to the front door and tried to go inside to talk to Lund about a possible Marine career. He was unable to get past the chained protesters.
"They told me, 'No business as usual today,' " El Giheny said. "It's kind of nutty. It's really an infringement on my rights."
"Support the troops, oppose the war" my ass.
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I admit I bitched about DTS at first b/c once again you're doing someone else's job for them. But now I understand that some things are just better done yourself than to be done by incompetent shoes. I say bring on a DTS equivalent of everything else. Finance is completely incapable of doing their own damn job and it pisses me off when it negatively affects me...I'd rather spend some of my own time doing it right so I don't get screwed out of money. More people should see the benefits of such a system.
You're going to have to do Finance's job for them anyway, might as well do it in a way that gets you paid the first time.
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Base Pay isn't always the same.
My husband is an O1E with 8yrs, his base pay is more then a newly commissioned O1.
If you go to military.com or someplace that tells you what the pay is, there is a section for Officers who are prior enlisted, and they get paid more then a regular Officer. Up until they hit Major, then it evens out.
His base pay is still the same as any prior-enlisted officer. His O-1E pay isn't based on his dependent status, it's based on his previous service.
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I rented one at the OTS dining out, and I've never bought one. I've never remotely come near an occassion where I needed one either, but that's only about 3 years of service talking. I figure if something big comes up, there will be announcements in plenty of time to make arrangements (either finding another rental place, or breaking down and buying one).
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Overmanned? I would say no. Am I looking at the UMD and cross-referencing a spreadsheet, no. However, reclama is the game being played right now. Requirements for Alpha Tours have not gone down; if anything they've increased. There's still a push to send guys to UAVs, ALOs, UPT (lucky) and the U-28(again, lucky). The Bone's have a schedule of 6 on and 12 off. So basically for almost 12 months the Commanders reclama everyone because if they don't, they won't be able to fill a combat deployment. They need guys for the months leading up to the deployment around so they can catch beans, upgrade and complete AOR spin-up. The real kick in the balls occurs about halfway through the deployment when the Alpha bill drops. It's a blood bath to say the least. So at any given time one squadron is taking the brunt of the Alpha bill is the ass. It's a sick game. The result is you have squadrons in the CAF with experience levels in the 30 - 35% range. Not the gospel, but I think I heard once in passing that squadron experience levels should be 55%. The Bones, like everyone, are in a experience deficit. When you Alpha a young AC or a WSO who's about to upgrade to IWSO, they're replaced with MQT dudes. It's certainly NOT a one-for-one exchange of equals. IMHO, things are so unbalanced right now, so backwards on a myriad of levels, that I've given up any hope of ever seeing common sense in the AF. I just spoke with a Viper brother of mine at HL and I am stunned at what's happening there. So this doesn't appear to be just a Bone or bomber thing.
I can tell you from an FTU standpoint the BONE is hurting for new WSOs coming into the program. There aren't enough WSOs around, apparently.
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Thread Hijack-
I am a Nav, almost through with my pipeline. Just got my newest flight physical and am 20/30 in one eye. They are gonna try to give me glasses for one freaking eye. Kinda bummed.
So - what are the rules with me actually flying in the airplane. I can see fine enough without them, doesn't interfere with starting at a radar scope. What exactly are the rules and where can they be bent?
Thanks in advance.
If your flight upchit (1042 in the Air Force) doesn't say you're required to wear them, then you aren't required to wear them.
Additionally, I never once had an instructor ask about the status of my vision waivers/eyeglass requirements. I always had to wear my glasses, though...I'm something like 20/200.
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so when do you guys think it would be a good idea to talk to a recruiter and start getting my application ready? i am starting my junior year in college and i plan on getting my private pilots license this coming summer. should i wait and talk to a recruiter after i get my license or should i talk to some other time? also does anyone know how many boards your application goes through before it gets thrown out (if it gets thrown out)?
If you're really interested, I'd start TALKING to a recruiter around the start of your senior year. With any luck, you'll be able to put the application together at have it in front of the first board right after graduation.
I want to say you get three shots, but I could be wrong. I direct you again to www.airforceots.com, those guys will know not only how many boards, but what the dates are.
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thanks. so if you wanted UPT how would they know if you are medically qualified without going to OTS? i was former AFROTC and took my DODMERBs so would they be able to determine from that whether im medically UPT worthy?
They'll send you to the nearest flight doc for an all-day physical. Hopefully that will be a reasonable distance from your house.
I want to say that this step is done before your application is even sent to the board. They won't select anyone they know is medically DQ'd.
Tyr www.airforceots.com for some better answers, those guys answer these questions and research these answers all day long.
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i recently spoke with a retired AF officer who was commissioned through OTS and he stated that if accepted to OTS, applicants are shown what jobs are available for them before even leaving for OTS. is this true? he also stated that if you do not like any of the jobs offered and have not started OTS then you can walk away. is this true also?
<<<<< just thought id put that up for kicks 
100% correct. You'll know exactly what job you're slated for before you leave. There will be some questions (for example, ENJPPT or UPT? JSUNT or UNT?), but you'll know what AFSC you're going to have before you even have a class date for OTS.
And you are free to walk from OTS up to commissioning. But yes, if you don't like your choices, you aren't committed to attend OTS.
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the one washout story from my training days worth telling was our class leader at corpus. he goes out drinking with some of the guys, gets totally shit faced so they decide to take him home. so they take him back to the apartments (we all lived in the same building) and leave him on the floor of one guys apartment with his keys on the table in front of him; the logic being when he wakes up, he'll have his keys right in front of him to go sleep the rest off in his own apartment. sounds fine right?
well they get back when the night is over and this guy is gone and his car is gone from out front. oh shit, where did he go? multiple calls to his cell phone were not returned. maybe the guys should have done something else, but they were also drunk so they figured "we'll just let him sort it out and see him in class tomorrow (it was sunday)."
so the story picks up the next morning while we are in academics (remember that gay 5 day class they used to have on PFPS?) sitting around waiting to start. the class leader walks in and informs us that he is washing out of training and also being forced to leave the AF. he said the last thing he remembered about the night was being dragged in the door of our friends apartment, and then he blacks out while they are covering him with a blanket. an unknown amount of time passes and he wakes up at the controls of his car with the guard at the front gate of corpus NAS shining a light in his eyes.
so this guy drove around for who knows how long while totally unconscious and for whatever reason his brain decided to go on base. keep in mind they were out on the island, so thats a significant drive while blacked out drunk.
i felt bad for the guy. i don't know how they forced him out, whether he was dishonoably discharged or if they did some drug deal thing to force him out. either way his dreams went down the crapper and that is sad. but if ever someone brought it on themselves, that was it.
We had something similiar out of PCola. Guy had already selected F-15E's, was only two or three flights from finishing. He went on a cross-country to NYC. Got plastered drunk while he was there, and (I wasn't there, so this is second-hand), did SOMETHING to get arrested. Not only did he get arrested, NY's finest refused to turn him over to the military. So he stayed in jail while the rest of the crews leave for home on Sudnay. On Monday he gets bailed out, and I believe the squadron sent another jet up after him. Long story short, this dude lost his chance at wings, and I think he may have been thrown out of the Air Force.
Sadder still, he had an established drinking problem. He'd been in minor trouble on two other cross countries. So, while he got what he deserved, his buddies definitely weren't watching out for him the way they should have.
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Have not seen this question asked or tucked in another post...How do they figure your per diem when you take leave en route? For example, I get $99/day and my wife gets $74.25/day. I'm PCSing from Beale AFB to Columbus AFB, however I'll drive from CA to SD in 2 days, then be on leave for 3 weeks, then drive from SD to MS. I get 7 days from CA to MS. When I file my voucher I'll probably only have 4 days total driving time. Will I still get $173 for all 7 days?
Nubby
I don't believe you get paid for leave days. The Air Force doesn't pay for your road trips on vacation, why would they pay for this one?
Finance Guy may have a better answer, but to the best of my knowledge, you'll get per diem for the "authorized travel days" and nothing else.
On the topic of weighing things...we went really overboard when we moved. Took out the floormats, the jack, the spare tire, the kid's car seat...anything that wasn't bolted to the car came out before we weighed it "empty".
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Attaching another marriage question on this thread, hope its an appropriate location... Background: I was just selected on the 08ot01 OTS board for pilot. My fiance and I want to get married before OTS. However, we need a few months to plan it and everything else, so she wants to get married in June. Beings how I was just selected do you think planning for June might be cutting it close. I don't want to have the marriage all planned and things paid for and then get a class date before the wedding. Also, do you think it would be wise to get legally married before I start doing all sorts of paperwork (for security clearance, etc) so that I don't have to redo a bunch of stuff later. Any advice you guys/gals can offer will be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Darin
If you were just selected, you PROBABLY have time. Call your recruiter and see what he has to say.
One good thing about getting married prior...you can collect BAH for your current address while at OTS. And you get FSA as well.
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Knowing my luck, I'll probably bump into one of them holding a gun, which will accidentally fire, will ricochet around the room, hitting each enemy soldier in the head, with the last ricochet knocking off the hand-cuffs.
Oh, you WILL be fun at SERE.
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Wear contacts. Even if you for whatever reason, trial and error whatever, decide you'd rather fly with glasses you'll at least have the option. If you don't start wearing some contacts at least 6 months prior to UPT you lose the option. I've worn (wore) contacts for 2 years prior to UPT but not AF approved contacts and now I'm stuck wearing BCG's for pilot training. Not only can you not wear contacts while flying you can't wear contacts when not flying either. Great. Take it for what it's worth but, even if you end up not liking contacts in the end, by not wearing them you'll no longer have the choice. And as was said before make sure they're AF approved.
As far as the AFI and the 6 month deal it is written in the SCL program. I think a doc can give you a little leeway (if they choose to) as to wether you needed to wear contacts for the 6 months immediately prior to UPT or for any 6 month period prior to UPT. The writing allows for a little interpretation in that area.
One of my buddies wore a "non-approved" brand all through Pensacola (because apparently, the Navy docs don't know any better). So when he gets to Randolph, they tell him he's not on the program and can't wear contacts. This after two years of wearing them. So, like any good officer, he thinks about his options and the resources available...and calls the PCola flight doc, gets a contact lens perscription for an "approved" brand, and reattacks at the Randolph clinic. He's cleared to wear contacts now.
The hassle seems to be with AETC. Like I said, the Dyess flight doc gave me a packet to turn in at optometry, and I had a pair of contacts from the hospital the same day. "Don't fly with them for six months" was my only real guidance (aside from the little speech about approved brands and cleaners).
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So how do the chaplains get away with the flight suits?
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Thread revival
Watched the movie today. Turned it off after 1 hour. It was almost humorous how uneducated they portrayed
the prisoners. Maybe it got better after 1 hour but I never made it that far. I am in no way disrespecting the
POWs this movie was about. Has anyone else seen the movie? Agree/Disagree?
They didn't seem uneducated, they seemed naive...which is forgivable, considering how early this was in the conflict. They all thought it would be a few days of bombing, the commies would go home, and they'd be let go.
I am curious if the Air America dude portrayed in the movie really was that big a BF'er in real life, or if they felt they needed to write in some extra conflict. I also found it interesting that the Navy dude (Christian Bale) seemed to be the only one who remembered his SERE training.
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When I went through, you were required to be on the SCL program for 6 months prior to beginning UPT. Contacts were definitely preferable...worrying about your glasses moving should be the last thing on your mind.
Prior to UPT, or prior to flying? I just got on it (I went all through JSUNT in glasses, getting on the SCL program was one of the first things I did at Dyess). I was told "Wear them all you want, but you aren't cleared to fly with them until your six-month follow-up". Granted, Dyess is an ACC base, not an AETC one. I also take that to mean if you start flying prior to the six-month timeframe, you have to wear glasses until your follow-up, but immediately after your six-month appointment, you can start flying with contacts.
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Yet another reason NOT to train with the Navy for phase I and II.
What do you mean? The water was the best part of Pensacola.
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I have heard, but I don't know if it's true...
The Navy treats the Blues like rock stars. Whatever airspace they want, whatever shows they want, etc, while the AF views the T-Birds as a liability (every airshow is a mishap waiting to happen).
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The Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard require all students to complete Aviation Preflight Indoctrination before training with one of their flying units. It is 4 weeks of academics on aerodynamics, weather, non-aircraft specific systems, navigation and flight rules/regs along with PT and all swimming events. The last 2 weeks are aerospace physiology and survival training (helo dunker, getting dropped in the bay, redneck parasailing, etc). In addition, it seems to be a tool for the Navy to weed out/control the pipeline through attrition and indoctrinate the flight school mindset since flight specific info like T-6 systems, EPs, local procedures, weather, etc. is taught again during academics at the start of primary.
After graduation Air Force pilots move to VT-3 at Whiting to go through primary (Phase II) in the -34s and follow on to T-1/T-38/T-44/UH-1. Strike Nav selects stay at Pensacola and check into TW-6 to train in the T-6 and T-1 in VT-4 or VT-10 for primary/intermediate and move into advanced in the T-39 (rumored to be the T-45 soon) and are winged at the end of the syllabus in VT-86. Big Blue is supposed to move all CSO/WSO/nav/etc training here over the next few years, haven't heard anything on whether it will still be under the current joint system or if they will set up separate AF squadrons.
There is a lot more info on API, etc over on www.airwarriors.com with the larger Navy population there.
The instructors at Randolph while I was doing EWO school claim that it will be co-located but separate training. The AF will use the T-6 and the T-1, the Navy will use the T-6 and the T-45. The rumor is also that they will put in a "simulated" radar on the T-1. From what I understand, it's basically a bunch of stored radar imagery linked to the GPS.
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Just to add for other PCola hopefuls...
Don't sweat the swimming. The instructors are awesome, and they'll get you through it. I don't know that anyone has EVER washed out of API for not being able to swim. I failed my swim screen, so I got to go to the pool twice a day for a week and learn how to swim "the Navy way". I also got to repeat a few events (the full-gear tread and float, the tower dive/underwater swim), but I got through it. The instructors work with you, and as long as you're putting in effort, you won't ever get in trouble for failing a swim event. You'll just be "remediated".
Maybe I'm Too Old...
in Squadron Bar
Posted
Next time, ignore the gate guard...it's not like he's going to follow you around and make sure you get a new CAC card.