Royal

Just another day in the life of a journalist.

How old is that in Australian years?

Yo, M2, I didn't know that you're a freelance journalist.

Nah, that was my error. It was practically a give away with your last sentence, but I figured I'd check.

Seriously?

US sends two batteries of Patriot missiles and 400 troops to Turkey as a measure to stave Syrian missile strikes. Link.

That's the best story I've read in a while; killer stuff. Thanks for the picture and article.

And the best Christmas card I've seen in a while:

Yeah, not really. I just kind of made that up.

Haze is Latin for "warrior breeding." Saw it on the History channel.

Sure there is: mosey on down to clothing sales and get yourself an AFRC patch for your bag. Works like a charm.

This dude got scalped in 1864 by the Sioux; he was 13 at the time. Here's a photo of him 26 years after the attack. What a beast of a man. Further reading

Yeah, the email was merely a formality. When it got sent out, everyone at my squadron looked quizzically at their computer monitors and simultaneously echoed, "We were supposed to be wearing blues on Monday?"

4 AF/CC said no more blues on Monday; I haven't seen anything directly from AFRC.

Anyone tried this yet? Seems like it's a lot more efficient to bring your clubs and guns to one spot.

Nope, sure didn't. Sorry, Velsoprints, I'm a huge knob goblin. I'll be in time out for a while.

Skynet...

Before I got a pilot slot, I would've killed to fly a -130. Don't nail doors shut prior to giving them a chance to open. Your life will be infinitely better flying the Herk than flying a couch in your parents' basement. And if you ask the Herk guys, they'll tell you it's the greatest invention since the Wright Flyer. Remember, you're going to be competing against dudes that will do damn near anything to get a shot at UPT, and even the slightest indifference you have won't go unnoticed in an interview. I understand you've got your preferences, but do yourself a favor: crank everything to 11, throw as many darts at the board as possible, see what sticks, be thankful for what you get, and enjoy being an aircrew member if graced with the opportunity. To answer your second question, quite a few people I know commute to their Reserve squadrons, and they make it work, but as a new co-pilot, the kid who's willing to live 5 minutes away from the front gate just to get the chance to pick up trips is going to be more competitive than the commuter. Go all out at the beginning of your career, and then consider throttling back after you've established a name for yourself.

Are you kidding, man? That was some legendary prose. I mean, I won't confirm or deny that I understood all the words he used.

But then we wouldn't have gotten to read it.

Has this been posted yet? This Brit, who's a former naval officer, wrote an AWESOME letter to his worthless kids. More info

The SEAL part threw me for a loop. I didn't know there was that much animosity within the SOF community. I loved all the stories from West Point too. It's way better to read about the antics and misfortunes of life at a military academy while I'm in the comfort of my king size bed. I found it interesting to read his perspective and thought process when they were performing that attack on the Philippines, particularly with regard to the informant that was imbedded with the terrorists. Great and super easy read.

This is what I imagine I look like whenever I adjust the bottom zipper on my flight suit:

Shoot at a cop? get run over.