[NAS Pensacola information]

You have got to be kidding me?!? I've been in the Air Force nearly 4 years and they are going to force to me to live on base? I might just have to get married real quick for tax and housing purposes....

Holy shit, 4 whole years? You don't like the living arrangements, find a different career. Jesus. When you're deployed, you gunna bitch that you don't have your own room?

[The Rise and Fall of Captain Holly Graf (USN)]

I am not such a whiny, sensitive, insecure punk that it would bother me, no. It's just words...so ######ing what.

I have seen my leadership be berated in front of me before for making mistakes. It didn't make me think any less of that leader, undermine their authority, or make me question any further orders or guidance I received from that leader...it made me just want to not be there because I was embarrassed for him.

Wow...you're a tough dude. No one is saying that hurt feelings need to lead to removal from command, but are you telling me she is a good leader? I have seen and dealt with a lot of shit in my career and what good can come from this style of leadership? She isn't using fear and ridicule to teach. She's just using it to get her jollies. The chick sounds unstable.

[Combat Systems Officer (CSO) info; Nav, EWO, WSO]

Last class at Randolph indocs in December. There will be no F-15/B-1 drops at Randolph.

[College Tuition - Compensation for KIA]

It is true...to a point. The VA offers something called the Educational Assistance Allowance for trainees under the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program (DEA), which is lengthy title that basically says this:

DEA provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition, or who died while on active duty or as a result of a service related condition. The program offers up to 45 months of education benefits. These benefits may be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training. If you are a spouse, you may take a correspondence course. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.

Full-time students can receive up to $915.00 per month for 45 months while they are in school (according to the VA website). There are smaller payment plans for those not going full time. My cousins both attended Texas Tech tuition free (their father was killed in a training accident just after Vietnam).

So, college isn't necessarily all paid for (depending on where they go), but a large chunk would be. All the info is at the VA website under the Education tab.

[Navigator and Weapon System Officer (WSO) info]

That was actually really good. Public irony though that they mention Jim Wright (former Nav). Probably not one of his best public indulgences.

This was a kind response, and very informative, thank you.

Uh... Less kind response but I understand what you're getting at. Believe me I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, I just finally got to the point that I was overwhelmingly frustrated with not being able to find this stuff out. Surely at one point in your guys lives you had to look back and say "am I going the right direction?" They say more than anything humanity fears the unknown and I was merely trying to point out the lack of knowledge available out there on being navigators.

If I could get these questions answered, Toro missed addressing them or bypassed them for some reason... As I hinted at before though I'm posting on here for a few others too.

*Can Navs become Forward Air Controllers like pilots?

*Can Navs get released from their unit to do a research tour (like Antarctica, space shuttle programs or something like that im guessing).

*Will Nav training all move to PCola and when?

*This one is new, what are the requirements for attending IFS being mandatory?

*This one wanted clarification: Exactly what is the reg on when you can reapply for pilot and what kind of waivers affect this?

*This one is new too, how mathematically technical is being a Navigator? Are we going to be trig junkies by the time we are done?

*This one is new: Navs who become pilots later one, are their careers stunted because they are doing Lt duties in the plane when they are actually in Capt. (Things like, having enough expereince to lead a two-ship, four-ship? etc...) Also, are their careers stunted due the lack of hours/expereince they have compared to other Captains in their unit?

Thanks...

Navs will not be Forward Air Controllers.

Navs will be training at PCola in 2010. Last class at Randolph in Jan 10.

If you don't have your PPL, you'll go to IFS in Pueblo.

You can apply for pilot after 2 years of getting your nav wings.

If you can handle 6th grade math, you can handle nav school math.

Not stunted at all. 19th AF commander is a nav turned pilot. 2 star general. Pretty sure that means career will not be stunted.

[Navigator and Weapon System Officer (WSO) info]

I'm an instructor at nav school and I can tell you that you will be a second class citizen if you believe that you are. If you have a positive attitude and do your job well, you will get the respect of everyone in your operational squadron. Will there be some b!tch @ss pilots that consider you second class? Maybe a couple. But f*ck them. You're going to come across @ssholes no matter what career field you go into, military or civilian. If you weren't a valuable member of the crew, then you wouldn't be there. Make sure you drop this whiny @ss attitude before you come down to Randolph, though. Your concerns speak more about how you view yourself as opposed to how most others view the nav. I don't want to waste my time on someone who doesn't want to be here. I'll make time to help someone that does.