FLEA
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Posts posted by FLEA
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6 minutes ago, Boomer6 said:
I’m gonna ignore your political comments and begin by immediately making a political comment. Here’s a link for what that word actual means: ignore definition.
As far as officers being leaders goes I tend to agree that most of the ppl I’ve met I’m who were in command were managers not leaders. However, if you want to talk responsibility for the shit lives young enlisted live then I recommend you take a look at the E-8/9s that are burning morale to the ground.
I can only speak to the mx enlisted side, but if the rest of the enlisted service is full of leadership as toxic as what I’ve seen there, then no wonder young airmen are having issues. Can’t imagine why there is a shortage of mx personnel.. oh wait it’s because you get nailed to the wall for minor mistakes. Meanwhile SMSgt chucklenuts is banging anyone but his wife every TDY. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve dealt with some great SNCOs, but they were the absolute minority. Most of them couldn’t lead a pair of steak knives out of a wet paper bag.
I will grant you there are definitely toxic E-8s / E-9s out there. Who do you think is standing behind them?
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10 minutes ago, HeloDude said:
Yet you didn’t refute anything that I said…you just got emotional and yet said I was the one who lost all credibility. And who was the one quoting an entertainer who wasn’t even close to being accurate?
I’ll give you another chance: Why are the majority of enlisted members not on food stamps? What are they doing differently than those who are on food stamps?
An entertainer? Bro John Stewart is one of the most important lobbyist for Veterans on the hill right now. Don't relegate him to a simple container. What do you know? You're just a helo pilot right?
Why are enlisted on food stamps? Because they keep getting assigned to high COL areas I guess? WTF kind of answer do you want. I already explained how the program works. It's based on your household income and zip code. Enlisted have zero control on one of those factors and minimal control on the other. (No freedom to seek outside employment, spouses have barriers finding work or working within field).
You want to make this it's a behavior problem and I've already told you several times spending behavior isn't accounted in qualification.
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12 minutes ago, HeloDude said:
Nah, you’re just not able to make a credible argument without appealing to emotions. Life is about choices…if you’re an E-4 with a stay at home wife and 2-3 kids, yeah, you might not be earning a high enough income to support your desired life style…especially if you’re also not making the best financial decisions.
I can't make an argument because you are so far behind on the conversation I literally dont have the time to type a novel to get you caught up. The expectation was you were an officer and already knew this. The fact you don't is where you lost all credibility with me. I have nothing for you.
https://www.benefits.va.gov/benefits/docs/veteraneconomicopportunityreport2015.pdf
https://www.hiringourheroes.org/resources/hidden-financial-costs-military-spouse-unemployment/
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10 minutes ago, HeloDude said:
If you’re trying to make a serious argument, then I would leave out the excessive exaggerations.
Oh, and here’s a question: For the enlisted who are on food stamps, how many of these same members have car payments for cars they purchased over $5K, have video games, have a tv/phone newer than mine, buy alcohol, etc. Plenty of enlisted are not on food stamps—be pretty interesting to compare the lives of those on them vs not on them. Life is all about choices.
That all being said, do I think the enlisted should be paid more? Sure. But let’s not pretend that many who struggle financially always make the best life choices.
Food stamps qualification is based on income and family size. It has nothing to do with payments or expenses. You simply have to make below a certain multiplier of the poverty line as a family unit.
I dunno,.... I think I'm done with this conversation. You all lost credibility in my eyes. Thought there were actual leaders on this forum. All I hear are a bunch of lazy pussies now who are only infatuated with their own success.
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Just now, HeloDude said:
Mind providing a source that says half of military members are on food stamps?
It's a John Stewart quote that went viral a few weeks ago. He was clearly exaggerating a bit in a heated argument with Kathleen Hicks--the actual percentage is much lower. However the principle is that the answer should be zero. Zero service members should be below the income thresholds qualifying for food stamps.
Our enlisted are disproportionately exposed to more danger, face higher casualty and injury rates, earn significantly less pay, and have significantly less exit opportunities from service than their officer counterparts.
The fact I have to beg any veteran, officer or enlisted, to go to a VFW and "just be a bro" or give a bit of time to a foundation like Warrior Scholar, or Pat Tilman Foundation is appalling. You can spite the service I don't give a shit, but don't spite the people that rode in the trenches with you to cover your ass. Its fucking shameful.
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3 hours ago, Guardian said:
It’s sad they don’t choose to give more of their lives to veterans space? Ever thought to be happy for what the did give and if they choose to give more to be happy? It’s not really sad. It’s awesome that someone has volunteered their service to give to others and the country. Why are you belittling them for not giving more? why not give the people and the radical left a hard time for the trash they peddle that hurts our veterans? Your effort is better spent changing the minds of your liberal colleagues than asking this who have given and sacrificed to give more.I'm going to ignore your political comments because veterans are largely a bipartisan space but even beyond that the most recent problems in the space have been caused by the GOP not the DNC. Remember who blocked the PACT act the first time?
But aside all of that.... As an officer, you had a vastly different experience and QOL than your average enlisted airmen, largely at their expense. We ask our enlisted to do some truly awful things and endure some truly difficult obstacles. As John Stewart said, for any organization that receives $850B why are half out forces on food stamps?
At the end of the day, it wasn't the politicians that issued those orders. It was you who stood in front of someone, looked them in the face and asked them to eat a shit sandwich because you knew it was in the best interest of our country. If you don't feel you have any obligation to at a minimum thank that person for being dutiful to their position at extreme financial and personal hardship I think that says something. Consider it. I don't give a shit about your service to your country. Everyone here gave that much. What I care about is your hollow convictions that you believe yourself to be a leader but when it comes to actually doing what real leaders do, taking care of people and being there for your airmen, you are suspiciously absent.
Enjoy your six figure airline salary and $500K McMansion. But don't forget a minute think I respect you for it when you don't even have the common courtesy to kick the ladder down behind you for the people's who backs you rode on to the way to the top.
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Possible? Anything is possible but its incredibly rare and so unlikely its not worth planning a career out of it. In my 14 years AD they only had one crossflow window, that was only available to a very small audience of eligible pilots (based on their time on station, duration of PCS, years of service etc...) and they only selected an incredibly small number of people. The fighter community generally doesn't have an interest in taking crossflows and has found it has worked better for them to suffer undermanned than to deal with perceived cultural friction. There is probably some merit to some of this, a lot of the rest is probably ball wash, regardless, the AF has by and large decided it is not a good idea.
Being a heavy pilot isn't all that bad. Its a pretty hefty pay raise when you account for all of the per diem dollars of being on the road constantly. You will lead earlier in your career because you will actually have enlisted aircrew hanging around the squadron. You will have a slightly easier time transitioning airlines as your experience is more relevant, dont need to worry about centerline thrust restrictions and that bullshit. You get to go to some cool places fighter dudes never see, like St John's.
My best advice is to discount the possibility of crossflow for now because in the near term you have an incredibly important decision to make regarding the platforms that are available to you--and fighters aren't one of them. Whether crossflow happens again or not, your success in life is largely going to depend on your ability to fly the platform you earn out of UPT. So you should look at the mission sets that are available to you and decide what you find interesting, what you can see yourself doing long term. Read the airframe and mission thread and ask your IPs. Air Refueling, Airlift, C2ISR, SOF, etc.... they all have pros and cons.
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29 minutes ago, Biff_T said:
Not to thread-jack but if you have free time. See what you can do to help the young men and women who suffer from PTSD at your local VA or equivalent. They need our help. Im usually the highest ranking officer when I help (weekly) and I am a retired O-3E, sad man. Dont see alot Generals or Chiefs, mostly young enlisted solidiers and marines. Don't forget about those young soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and coasties that are still suffering. They are my heroes!
Very few officers work in the veterans space. Its really sad. Its like all that fluff about caring for your troops and looking out for them was horse shit for 20 years. Good on you for getting involved afterward. I'm an O-4 and like you I usually find myself uniquely at the top in this space.
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10 minutes ago, Biff_T said:
Lol. This is actually funny.
Personally, I like seeing the AFCAM on our senior leaders, Especially a Chief. I’d actually like to see a real “warrior” in senior leadership positions. Not some dude who sat in an office his whole career.I don't really find it funny. He is another middle aged white dude who is making a joke out of something that is disproportionately affecting a single race. He might not see the wider context but that is no excuse--at his position he has an obligation to know better. I like seeing warriors in high office as well but they carry character flaws as often as anyone else. Especially SOCOM types. Look how many scandals were uncovered in the last decade with drug smuggling/addiction/abuse and murder for hire schemes.
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24 minutes ago, brabus said:
All of them.
Ugh I hate when I'm quoted before I realize I made a typo. "People protestors" lmao. Oh well.
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Just curious how many of these "peaceful protestors" decried the Jan 6 BS.
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1 hour ago, M2 said:
I hear you and agree the cities are at fault for not protecting riders on the subway, but that still doesn't justify the use of a tactic known to greatly increase the chance of death to subdue an unarmed individual.
Remember "proportionality?!?"By the way, did you watch the video I posted? Watch again and pay special attention to the language of the news reporter.....
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1 hour ago, M2 said:
I hear you and agree the cities are at fault for not protecting riders on the subway, but that still doesn't justify the use of a tactic known to greatly increase the chance of death to subdue an unarmed individual.
Remember "proportionality?!?"Absolutely! Definitely put the chief of police and mayor on trial for murder and for abdicating their duties to protect citizens! 100% agree with you.
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41 minutes ago, M2 said:
A chokehold is never a good idea, and while the Marine who did so won't be charged, there was no reason in this instance to use it.
The guy was yelling at passengers and throwing trash, but that still doesn't justify using what the DOJ has determined to be a potentially lethal tactic...
As for AOC, she's just being her usual ass hat self...There's a lot more going on here than the news story covers. At the base of which is that these urban police departments refuse to patrol their metro systems. 6 months ago we are berating passengers for standing by doing nothing while a woman is assaulted (and another one raped in Philadelphia) but now we want to denigrate someone who did do something in the only way he knew how. If there's any anger over this situation is misplaced at the bystander and needs to be directed at the city that is turning the daily commute for 90% of it's residence into a Purge movie.
If you haven't seen this video before, its going to trigger anger. The genuine fear in this poor woman's eyes...
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14 minutes ago, Sim said:
Believe all woman! We just don't know what woman is. Do I have to be a cat to know what a cat is? 🤡
Eh, he's sort of right. I don't know if this woman is full of shit or not. But I'm not about to approach the territory of saying that a sexual assault victims trauma is any less debilitating than a war veteran simply because it is "lesser." I imagine if I was in a shower scene episode of Oz, I'd probably be permanently fucked up for the rest of my life.
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3 hours ago, Swizzle said:
How is that? (Even if you are being sarcastic) Does HAF know its own movements?
And don't most General's have their execs manage their social media because they must groom future self eating ice cream cones, so Chang is likely an Exec instead...?
Oh no..... he's definitely in the know. Trust me....
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Just now, BashiChuni said:
chang is not a troll he's a well placed flag officer...
This! You may not like his opinions but Chang knows the most contemporary movement at the HAF level. You should listen to everything he says like gospel!
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Wish some commanders would have had the balls for that when RPA's were a thing. We had a lot of bad attitudes that rolled through there. I was really disgruntled that many of them ended up getting premium follow-ons after being a liability on their bro's for 3-4 years when they didn't want to pull their weight in the squadron. I get that nobody's first choice is to be there but FFS it wasn't the worst thing in the world and the mission was important.
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17 minutes ago, nsplayr said:
Ever since I saw the Hilux episodes on Top Gear in the 2000's, they have been high on my dream car list.
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9 minutes ago, nsplayr said:
My OG/CC gave a big speech about how important PME opportunities are for the Guard since for better or worse we get stuck at home base essentially forever with our mission. He went to SDE recently and had a blast. Cool cool, sounds good.
Like 6 months later I get selected for a 8-day PME course that’s drivable and pretty cheap as TDYs go (~$1,200 all-in), and my SQ/CC had to deny it because of lack of unit travel funds.
😐Dude I'm sorry that happened. Sucks. But I think it says something about the value of PME if commanders aren't willing to prioritize funds for people to attend. If the AF doesn't think it holds value why should we?
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On 4/30/2023 at 6:41 AM, grasshopper said:
If they sent me in-residence I would do it. I think there is a lot of value in the face-to-face sharing of experiences and networking to solve bigger Air Force problems, engage with different perspectives, and grow as a leader and a person.
I’m with you on the content. I also started SDE in-correspondence at one point after much encouragement by my leadership, and it wasn’t for me. What I saw in SDE online was not engaging enough that I felt like it was worth the time it required - and I have a hard time BSing. I stopped after giving it the old college try when I was prompted to write about real-world challenges and leadership dilemmas… I felt that I actually needed to dedicate my time to those real-world things instead of sitting in front of a computer. Plus, writing at the sub-FOUO level felt a bit inane when they wanted you to use real examples.
For me, personally, I'd even do it DL/OL IF, big IF, they assigned it as your full time job from home station and you had no other officer or additional duties. Aircrew can still fly on occasion for RAP/Currency, but zero other duties. Also, the academic rigor needs to be made worthwhile.
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https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/fauci-says-general-public-somehow-201122721.html
Quote“You are hitting on some terrific points,” Fauci replied. “Did we say that the elderly were much more vulnerable? Yes. Did we say it over and over and over again? Yes, yes, yes. But somehow or other, the general public didn’t get that feeling that the vulnerable are really, really heavily weighted toward the elderly. Like 85% of the hospitalizations are there. But if you ask the person in the street, they may say, ‘Oh, yeah, elderly are more vulnerable, but everybody’s really vulnerable’—which is true, but to a much lesser extent.”
This dude telling whatever lies he can to protect his tarnished reputation and legacy. Unbelievable.
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10 minutes ago, dream big said:
Spring 2021, this is the photo op I was referring to earlier.
Ohhhh Im following now....
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7 hours ago, Biff_T said:
This picture will haunt my dreams for years to come. Lol
Is this recent? I was at the WH in November and masking was not required.....
The Next President is...
in Squadron Bar
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Dude most competent adults understand an exaggeration. I don't give a shit. Im done here. You're all worthless to me. The fact you don't have the balls to advocate your people tells me everything I need. Youre shills. Youre your own toxic leaders and frankly deserve every grievance you have at the service. I'll never forget the day a dude called HeloDude told me he deserves thanks for his service but he doesn't even have the humility or grace to thank the door gunner that went out with him, with zero control of the mission execution, the danger, the risk. WTF man? Why would I ever encourage anyone to service. Get fucked.