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60 driver

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Posts posted by 60 driver

    Leadership at the 'Deid

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Not from the Deid, but from another deployed location. Even after all the other dumb shit I've seen over the years, I still had a hard time believing this one is real, but I've been assured that it is. The email is bad enough, but what's worse, this dipshit's commander is clearly OK with it. Enjoy.

    ASAB Enlisted Corps,

    Welcome to 5MT accountability one and all. Today marks the day that you are

    required to know the Airman's Creed and Air Force Song as outlined in my

    first 5MT to the Enlisted Corps. At no time did I alleviate ANYONE from this

    requirement, so the demographic is clear. If you are an "E-something", this

    applies to you. To some it applies even more, especially if you are a

    supervisor. If in a supervisory role, you are also accountable TO and FOR

    your people.

    MANY PEOPLE ARE ASKING WHY I INITIATED THIS 5MT TO BEGIN WITH. Well.Before

    we delve into the "whys," let's first revisit the "Who, What, Where, and

    When" parts. Those were provided in BOTH the initial and follow-on emails

    that I've attached. The "how" was left completely up to you.

    - Who: Every Enlisted member assigned to the XXXAEW.

    - What: Be able to RECITE from MEMORY the Airman's Creed and "sing"

    the first verse of the AF song

    - Where: In public forums during Wing events or when asked by

    senior leadership.

    - When: Primarily by 1 September 2011

    - How: Based on your personal preference

    - WHY: To forge LEADERSHIP and FOLLOWERSHIP capability and to drive

    Enlisted uniformity during ### AEW ceremonies.

    BACKGROUND:

    - VECTOR 1 came directly from AF Leadership: As CMSAF Roy's

    direction when he told all USAF Command Chiefs to."Champion the Airman's

    Creed and ensure you and your Airmen are able to recite it". Period.

    - VECTOR 2 came from me as a reiteration of CMSAF Roy's

    direction. From both a Leadership and followership perspective.

    - VECTOR 3 should have come from Your Supervisor: That vector

    should have mirrored CMSAF Roy's as a matter of loyalty and in a manner of

    professionalism.

    - VECTOR 4 should have come from YOU

    DISCUSSION: Everyone presented with the 5MT requirements had options in

    CHOOSING their personal way ahead. Their choices will place them into a

    category of compliance as listed below. Almost everyone should be able to

    recognize which demographic they primarily align with. Here are the 6

    categories:

    1. Someone who just recently arrived here & hadn't had 50 days to meet

    the 5MT requirements. You are still accountable, but you'll be granted more

    time. Get on it & get there within 50 days from your DAS. You are NOT DONE

    yet.

    2. Someone who already knew both recitations, and were able to

    deliver them from day 1. You were good to go from the initial vector. Good

    on you. You are DONE. Would ask that you assist others who aren't quite

    there yet.

    3. Someone who didn't know either of them BUT accepted the

    requirement and made it happen. If you took it upon yourself to learn them,

    you are a leader by example. If you took the direction of your supervisor,

    you are a competent follower. Regardless, you met the requirements and did

    not fail. Good on you. You are DONE. Hopefully you help those around you.

    4. Someone in a supervisory position who knew or learned it, led by

    example, kept your Wingmen in sight, and pushed your subordinates toward

    success. You embodied the ability to Fly, Fight, and WIN. You have proven

    yourself as someone who wasn't prone to sit-back, give-up, and allow

    failure. Good on you. You are DONE. Your people are probably thanking you

    for pushing them to succeed.

    5. Someone who TRIED their hardest but still couldn't get it memorized

    in time. You may not fully be there yet, but since the words are in your

    memory.chances are you'll be able to recite it in a crowd. In any event, I

    (and other Wingmen) will recite along with you and together we'll all

    succeed in this 5MT. Good on you for giving it your best shot. You are NOT

    DONE, so KEEP TRYING until you get 100% of it.

    6. Someone who dismissed the entire requirement and neither worked at

    it personally..nor pushed their Airmen to success. You Faltered and Failed.

    Period. If you're one who either complained about the 5MT, or openly refused

    to comply.you're still on the hook. If you're a Supervisor who failed to

    lead your Airmen to success.you're still on the hook. If you think this is

    over, think again. You are NOT DONE, and that will become even clearer in

    the future.

    DELIVERABLES: The Commander and I have already been asking Enlisted Airmen

    to recite the Airman's Creed in public. Yes folks, the Wing CC is also

    on-board in this exercise. So my hope is that we encounter Airmen in

    categories 1-5 when we're out and about. So far.it's been good. Two

    excursions, 11 Airmen.11 successful deliveries.

    WAY AHEAD: I will periodically ask folks if they know it. If they say yes, I

    may recite or sing along WITH them. I will ask how they gained their

    success. I will ask if they were vector checked buy their immediate

    Supervisor. The answers THEY GIVE will tell me who Led and Followed

    appropriately. If they say they don't know it.there will be tougher

    questions.

    BOTTOM LINE: If you are an Enlisted Airman who fell into categories 1-5 -

    No need to read on any further unless you really want to. Continue to move

    forward and keep finding ways to meet requirements. If your Supervisor

    pushed you toward success.thank them. If you Led and followed

    appropriately.you hit the 5MT and will be able to execute from here on out.

    ROCK BOTTOM LINE: Hopefully the Airman's Creed will become personal to you.

    Hopefully you'll realize that EVERY activity you perform EVERY day provides

    you an opportunity to Fly, Fight, and win. By realizing that "Fly" equates

    to rising to face the challenge, "Fight" equates to expending energy to meet

    the challenge, and "Win" equates to overcoming the challenge...it may make

    some sense. Hope you Flew, Fought, and Won on this challenge.

    Category 6 personnel.read on below my signature block. There's more.

    V/R

    Chief Xxxxxxxx

    CMSgt X. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx

    Wing Command Chief Master Sergeant

    ### Air Expeditionary Wing (AFCENT)

    CATEGORY 6

    Just so there's no ambiguity here. If you blew off the requirement , you've

    failed as a follower. If you're a supervisor who told your people that it

    wasn't important, you have failed exponentially as both a leader and a

    follower. By ignoring what your Senior Enlisted leadership directed you to

    do, you purposefully missed the mark and took down a couple of our Core

    Values with you . First, You didn't demand Excellence in ALL we do and

    Secondly you put yourself ABOVE a tasking. two of the 3 core values

    destroyed in one fell swoop.

    Now.before anyone starts complaining about the difficulty of the Airman's

    creed requirements; let me dissect the task into bits and pieces that are

    easier to swallow. Hopefully this will clarify the failure a bit more.

    NOTE: The first 5MT went out on 12 July, so the entire period of "training"

    equates to 50 days. Nice round number, but roughly 7 weeks if you received

    it on 12 July.

    - Basic Trainees have 7 weeks of "training days" to learn the exact

    same things CMSAF Roy asked of us. They do so without the Military

    experiences that we have. So, the advantage should have been YOURS.

    - Reading the entire Airman's Creed out loud takes less than 40

    seconds, even if you momentarily pause between stanzas . That's less than

    one minute from end to end.

    - Chances are, by reading it out loud for 2 minutes a day you'd

    have had it memorized in 20 days. 3 times in a row per day.20 days in a

    row. If you did that, you'd be in category 5 at the very least.

    - Even if using the entire 50 days, you would have expended 100

    total minutes of effort. Less than two total hours of time stretched over

    nearly 2 months.simply reading out loud. No sweat. No toil.simply reciting.

    - There are 18 total lines in the Airman's Creed, so that equates

    to learning 2 lines per week. Actually it's a bit less once you realize that

    4 of the lines are exactly the same.

    - If you broke it down by stanzas, there are four. So you'd have

    had 12 . 5 days to learn each stanza

    WHAT I HAVE HEARD: Some thought the 5MT was "stupid" so they QUIT on day one

    and TOLD others to blow it off as well. Instead of shaping the environment

    through followership and discipline they chose to ACCEPT or even DIRECT

    failure. That is intolerable.

    WAY AHEAD: Right now, I don't even know who fits into what demographic.But

    I'm about to find out. I'll see who knows it or not. If they don't know it,

    I'll ask how much time they put into "learning". I'll ask for their

    immediate supervisor's name. I'll ask what their Supervisor did to ensure

    their success. I'll ask if they were vector checked by their immediate

    Supervisor. That should tell me enough to categorize those who failed.and

    those who let them fail. Then they will BOTH make it right. It's called

    accountability. In this game, everyone gets a trophy.

    BOTTOM LINE: Never leave an Airman behind, Never Falter.and do not fail. If

    you're off-track.return to the fight NOW. If you tell me you're

    reengaging.I'm good with that.

    V/R

    Chief Xxxxxxxx

    End email

    WTF? (**NSFW**)

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    You'll have to face the fact that Jeremiah Weed has gone mainstream. It's real easy to find in liquor stores now, and there are several malt beverages that they produce as well. Guess the elbow-pointers will have to find a new mystical elixer.

    Your feelings seem to run a little deeper than mine on this issue. I was just expressing surprise at their change in marketing strategy after all these years, i.e. to produce something that apparently isn't intended to taste like hot sick ass.

    • Upvote 1

    Women involved in SOF on the ground

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    oh I don't know, I think they were pretty up front about this being an augmentee thing, not the full up real deal. .

    Then it shouldn't be in the news.

    At the risk of starting this argument again, the use of the word "operator" implies that they are in more than a support role. The headline was purposely misleading.

    CSAR in OEF

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    If it wasn't already mentioned, Kadena helos, Alaska ANG PJs. Our AK guys have had a hell of a year. This is their second mission of this magnitude just from this rotation, and incidentally, two of the guys in the linked article were also on this one last summer up here:

    http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/seasoned-alaska-pilot-recounts-knik-glacier-crash-landing

    ...along with many more non-headline making missions both deployed and at home.

    They and the Kadena guys are all ######ing studs, and they're leaving some big new footprints to follow.

    I Hate Reflective Belts

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted · Edited by 60 driver

    I understood it as: after every round fired, he immediately put the weapon back on SAFE, and didn't switch to SEMI until he was on the verge of firing another round.

    Which, in the midst of a no-shit firefight, is still ######ed up as a football bat.

    Maybe so, but for the record, that is exactly what Magpul teaches in their carbine course. The snake eaters train with these guys pretty frequently, and given the superior quality of AF small arms training (insert eye roll here), it's probably not too much of a stretch to think that a career cop has attended one of their courses or a something similar.

    U-2 Dragonlady info

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I remember it. One of the U-2 pilots, Greg Dotter (who is a contract IFS pilot at Pueblo now), was driving the chase car. We had just got a new style radio. The old style were like what you'd find in a T-38A: a wafer switch to immediately go to Guard.

    He sees #3 of the three ship roll out on final... and no gear. Being that we operate on a U-2 discrete freq, he tries to rechannelize the radio to Guard... which is not a quick step... to send the guy around. No luck. Before he can get it switched over, the Hog bellies in.

    Had we had the "old style" radio, this would not have occured.

    What happened to the pilot?

    I think I remember hearing the chase car radio story, now that you mention it.

    The pilot was young in the jet, a normally solid guy that got distracted during the wrong ten seconds and ended up having a real bad day. Fortunately our commander at the time was an old school Robin Olds type who saw the situation for what it was and went to bat for our boy. I can't remember the specifics, but I recall he had to brief the wing safety standup, flew with an instructor for awhile, and got a bonus checkride out of the deal, as well as a new callsign. It didn't ultimately hurt him that bad, I don't remember that it even slowed down his upgrade progression. It probably helped his case that other than not getting the god damn gear down, it was actually a pretty good landing - the two TGM-65s under the wings got written off, but the only actual damage to the aircraft was to the bottom end caps of the vertical tails. We replaced those and flew the airplane home 3 or 4 days later.

    How long did your guy end up being airborne? He flew over the Rosie VOQ on final well after dark, and he got a big cheer from a bunch of half shitfaced hog guys out on the balcony there. How big a deal is it to land that thing at night?

    U-2 Dragonlady info

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by 60 driver

    Chalk nose art from the last "deployment"...

    Rosie Roads?

    Which reminds me: Any of you guys been around long enough to remember the hog that landed gear up down there in the late '90s? One of your guys got a couple extra hours added onto an already long day and a bonus night landing while waiting for the Navy guys to figure out how to sling a gear-up A-10 off the runway.

    If I remember right, I believe we delivered a keg or reasonable facsimile as a peace offering after that cluster ######. If anyone remembers it, it'd be interesting to hear the story from the other side.

    The Jill Metzger thread

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Devils advocacy, just for fun....Ok, I can see some GO trying to accomplish some kind of coverup within the AF. But, the FBI investigated--and obviously decided nothing criminal took place--I say obviously, because the AF isn't prosecuting her. So, if we assume that Jill's story held up under Kyrgyz, FBI, OSBI, and AF SF investigations, why can't we also assume the major portions are true? Wouldn't it take some huge Jason Bourne- type conspiracy to make all this go away for her (like it seems to have)?? Wouldn't a simpler explanation also make sense? She leaves the mall, has the procedure, something goes wrong, makes her way back to frendlies, initially lies about it, tells investigators she was scared and confused and misspoke, then tells a better story which checks out, claims PTSD , gets the dx, spends a couple years "healing" and now wants to go on with her life?

    Any takers on that theory?

    Yeah, I'll buy that. The only problem is, if you or I went UA for three days on a deployment and lied about why, there'd be no opportunity for healing and getting on with life, it'd be straight to a well-deserved court martial.

    "Banked pilot"? 1990s

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by 60 driver

    Steve,

    It occurs to me (again) that I'm getting old, since it's not the first time I've been surprised to hear these questions asked. I've heard the same ones recently from young LTs, and the first couple of times I did, I guess I looked at them funny, until I realized that all this happened almost 20 years ago. Hard to believe. Kind of the equivalent of expecting a 23 year old me to know what the assignment process was like during Vietnam.

    ClearedHot and Crog covered a lot, but I don't remember seeing this mentioned, although it's probably obvious. The reason the banked pilot program came into existence to begin with was due to the massive defense cuts after the fall of the Berlin Wall, followed by the Gramm-Rudman bill. At least from my perspective at the time, it was not in any way a forward-looking program. It was a very reactive, last ditch effort by the Air Force to prevent the UPT program from being decimated. As best I can describe it, the flesh peddlers knew even then there would be a pilot shortage by the late '90's. At the same time, although they knew that in the short term the number of UPT students now greatly exceeded the number of available cockpits, they couldn't just cut the student production to zero and still hope to have a viable UPT program X years later. So the banked guys became the shock absorber, with the intent of A) maintaining the UPT program, and B) hopefully providing a "bank" of rapidly retrainable pilots when demand resumed. I'm sure at least a few here have both a better memory and narrative skills than I do, but that is what I was able to drag out of the depths. I will add that if the concept seems confusing now, it was very much so to us (or me, at least) at the time as well. When I graduated UPT in 1992, our time in the bank was estimated to be 2.5 years. That turned out to be just about spot on for me.

    Like Crog, I could talk for hours on the subject, but I won't other than to say that a lot of guys had problems coming back from the bank, and a lot of guys just chose not to. The AF provided a lot of us a very effective tool to figure out what was really important, even if they didn't quite do it on purpose or with our best interests in mind. I have some just weird stories from being banked, but I'm not sure they'd add much other than what ClearedHot mentioned earlier, so I'll shut up now.

    edit: I answered a question in this forum a while back about whether banked pilots were handicapped in their careers afterwards. My short answer was I didn't think so, but these links will answer that question better than I did.

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts131/interview_dutton.html'>http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts131/interview_dutton.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts131/

    The Bronze Star

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I call Bullshit on this one. I can think of every single one of the Medal of Honor recipients and those medals are mere tokens of gratitude on behalf of a grateful nation. If you are a leader and you see something that is deserving of a medal, it is incumbent upon you to push for that public recognition for that individual/unit. To not do so WILL lead to your subordinates getting the shaft when efficient paper-pushers DO get medals for the same or even lesser effort/bravery. Those not properly recognized for their efforts will unnecessarily fall behind their peers.

    Just because they don't want them, doesn't mean they haven't earned them.

    Those that don't deserve them can certainly strive for the ideals that result in those kinds medals; I know I do. I do not strive for those hunks of ribbon and metal (For any of those that are meaningful to me, I would likely have to be in one hell of a mess and I certainly don't want things screwed up that much; I mean think of it: when did anyone get a MoH when things were running smoothly and we were completely kicking butt? I'd much rather decimate the enemy and get a friggin' achievement medal with a V... and that would only be because a single mortar crossed the fenceline by a few inches).

    You should really do some research on who you're rebutting before you open your yap.

    That said, I'm interested in your opinion on every single MOH recipient and why it's relevant to Rainman's point.

    Promotion and PRF Information

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by 60 driver

    I'm absolutely thrilled that most of the AF is consumed with getting their masters, doing SOS in residence, worried about whether they get picked up for major and ACSC, etc. Makes my desire to get the ###### out and get into the guard/ reserves that much easier, and more likely. Keep working your asses off, the future for you is bright!

    I hear you - in fact, I recognize those words as my own, from 10 years ago.

    However, do your research before you punch out for the promised land of the Guard. When I transferred over from active duty, I believed that I could now fly for the rest of my career and no one would give a shit about PME and promotions anymore. The first part was true - not so much the second.

    As a Guard guy, you will meet a ROPMA board after you've been at a certain rank for the prescribed maximum number of years, and if you don't get picked up for promotion, they can- and will - kick your ass out, just like on active duty. At least in my state, you will not get promoted (by order of the state adjutant general) if you don't have PME finished. This didn't used to be the case; now it is.

    There are such things as selective retention boards, but for the most part a passed over captain will hit the streets at the 12 year mark, a major at 20ish. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to gnat's ass those numbers, but they're in the ball park.

    Most guys have no desire to be the chairman of the joint chiefs - but for those who want to keep flying (and a job) a while longer, we have to bite the bullet and do PME anyway. I swore up and down I would never get a ######ing master's or do ACSC just to get promoted - now I can only say, I will never get a ######ing master's.

    Just a heads up.

    edit: basically what GA and slacker already pointed out - oops

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