[Ammo against the shoe clerks!]

You make a good point about the clothing sales, that Major should have been able to add 1+1 and get 2. He didn't. And your Wing/CC...it's his damn base right? Your attempt at goading me failed. Nice lure though, cute back back story and everything. Fact is this, 1.8% of the total AF are pilots already making your group a minority, we can probably extrapolate that a good .2% of you have a disreguard for....well lets just say it...not maintaining standards where approprite. So that .2% are you making things better or worse?

Keep it up, man. I think you're winning everyone over for sure.

[About Tuberculosis (TB)]

I just found out today that I tested positive for my PPD (TB skin test) and that most likely I am going to be placed on a 9 month long medication regimen for latent TB. Appointement with the doc is next week but I am nervous about what this medication is and if taking it would prevent me from maintaining flying status. Anyone ever had past experience with this?

[New SEC DEF?]

Unfortunately the Sec Def isn't appointed because they share the mindset of the majority of those in uniform...they are appointed because they share the same philosophies of the current civilian administration, Gates notwithstanding (although I don't think Gates thinks like Obama, he's done a pretty good job towing the line). Always remember the Sec Def (and any cabinet appointee, really) is a political appointment, made with politics in mind.

2

However it plays out, I'm worried things will still get worse before they begin to get better.

[WTF? (**NSFW**)]

Well of course...what else would you store anyways?

At least 2 forms of ID and 3 copies of your orders. And your inhaler.

[Home Brewing Beer]

Nice. Right now I've done about half a dozen batches with just a simple extract setup on my kitchen stove. They have all been delicious, but I'd like to transition into doing AG brews. I'm getting married in July and made sure my fiancee registered us for a 40 quart stainless steel kettle.

What did you brew up for the start of the summer season, Dupe?

[Home Brewing Beer]

I've recently gotten into this myself. My first couple batches were good, but nothing to brag about. My third one was amazing however. I just brewed a Hoegaarden clone this past weekend that I'm looking forward to sampling.

Dupe was the guy that got me started on this. He's been doing this since college, to include an overseas PCS. If you're going to Tyndall he'll be just down the road from you. I'd PM him for local info.

I believe a couple people mentioned more info regarding home brewing in the Favorite Beers thread.

Nice. I've got a caramel IPA batch in bottle right now that I can't wait to try.

I wasn't totally joking about rolling around a keezer like that. I'm really anxious to step up to kegging. Putting together a kegerator or keezer like that is a project I'd like to take on. Ideally a keezer so that it could be on wheels like that. Why roll to the bar when you can roll the bar to you?

[Home Brewing Beer]

There are some great brew suppliers here in Anchorage if you're PCSing up this way. Several guys in our squadron brew their own beer with everything from the $100 kits (not recommended) to some pretty extensive setups which include 3-4 styles of beer and multi tap kegerators made from refurbished refrigerators.

If you're interested I can give you the names but shipping would probably make it too expensive plus you really need to walk around the shops/talk to the owners to have it be worthwhile.

Nice! If I'm lucky enough to ever get stationed at Elmo I will be a happy guy. I'll be at Tyndall and have found from doing a little research that there aren't any local brew suppliers so I'm probably going to be ordering from a major online supplier out of Austin, TX.

I think it'd be pretty shit-hot to roll something like this in to the party.

[Home Brewing Beer]

I got into the hobby of home brewing beer over the last year and would like to keep it going after relocating this year. I'm heading off toward the end of this summer for my first training base and wondered if anyone has ever had experience with someone in their squadron brewing beer. I'm hoping to make it into something that I can do with my class and maintain as a weekend hobby/stress reliever.

[Another tradition down the drain]

I have a buddy from HS that went to Annapolis, and I remember him talking about what a big deal this whole right of passage was. I'm with aero in that I don't really get the point of getting everyone lubed up, but I don't think they deserve to just have the rug pulled out from under their tradition.

[Academic Conditional Issues (GPA/grades)]

Got a D in two classes and am repeating them both in summer school, conditional? I'm not on scholarship btw.

Only if it lowers your term GPA below 2.5 or affects your DOC.

[Academic Conditional Issues (GPA/grades)]

Hey guys,

I've had two conditionals on my record so far for academics. Yes, I know I screwed up bad but mostly it was due to poor choices of class combinations. I sincerely busted my ass off this semester but I still got a D in one of my classes.

This class is an upper-division Computer Science class. I am a CS major. However, it is an elective class and I do not need it to graduate. Even with this D, my GPA will be at least a 2.5 this semester. Even with a D in this class I do not need to repeat it.

Will I get a conditional? I've already gotten two, and the notion of being investigated for disenrollment is very frightening considering my commissioning is May 2011.

I am currently on scholarship btw.

Thanks.

It's all there if you look at that form 16 that you're signing each term. C's or better in all AS classes, 2.5 or better cumulative in your other academics. The only way it would be a problem is if that D were to delay your DOC.

Junior year for any engineering/CS or other tech majors is definitely the toughest. Stick it out and bear down, you should be fine.

[Info on BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing)]

Just heard from our PAS that there's no such luck. Only way it would apply is if you were on active duty and working as like an AD Lt until you PCS.

[Info on BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing)]

http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/perdiem/jftr%28ch1-10%29.pdf

Go here and go to page 721 and its like halfway down in the bold. My friends voucher or whatever is on hold while they try to figure it out. The way it reads makes up eligible you would think but when I went to finance they said they dont believe it applies because I wasnt on AD. What do you guys think? I wrote Finance at Ellsworth so well see what they say.

Well that's interesting. It doesn't say anything about being actually active duty or not in that note.

NOTE

: A Service academy and ROTC graduate without a dependent, who remains at the graduation/

commissioning location following graduation and commissioning before proceeding to another duty station and

is not assigned GOV’T QTRS, is authorized a housing allowance at the without-dependent rate for the

graduation/commissioning location through the day prior to departure en route to the training location. If the

officer acquires a dependent, the officer’s housing allowance with-dependent rate becomes based on the

dependent location effective the date the dependent is acquired.

Seems to me that it's defining the period in between commissioning and PCS regardless of active duty status.

[Info on BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing)]

I heard from a friend that there is a recent reg that says we get a tabled BAH rate for the 6 months between commissioning and EAD and it's in the range of 2700. He says he went into finance and should be getting the money soon. Has anyone else heard about this?

I'll be honest man, I'd find it hard to believe since I believe the whole premise of pressing folks into the next FY is to save $. Maybe your friend is getting reimbursed for travel per diem for their PCS?

It's always possible though I guess. If it's true, it's gotta be in writing somewhere.

[Air Battle Manager (ABM) info]

Every career field has their tools... Unfortunately too many of ours are tools who are bitter that they aren't pilots... Further worsening this is that 99% of those that fit that description are young LT controllers; and thats why the opinion of ABMs is often what it is.

This is in-line with most of the what I've heard from friends scattered around AD.

I'm heading to Tyndall to start UABMT this November. ABM was the only job I competed for, and I feel lucky for having received a slot. The best piece of advice I ever got was from a Colonel who came to visit our detachment: "No matter what job you end up doing, be the best at it."

I know there's really nothing I can do about the reputation of LT controllers being worthless. As a Lt on my way into that AFSC, however, I want to do everything I can to at least be the best worthless LT controller.

[ASBC information]

Has anyone had experience with having to bump back one class? Right now they've got me in class 10E1 which just so happens to be during our already booked honeymoon. I'm hoping they can bump me in to class 10E2 but I haven't found any info on what the chances are of making that happen.