Wing Commanders Smackdown Air Force Times 23 Nov 2009.

I applaud the CSAF General Schwartz holding Wing Commanders accountable I am just sad to see it happening now when It should have been happening long before my disablity retirement in June 2005. Colonel Henry Andrews wing commander of the 377 Air Base Wing at Kirtland AFB NM should have been on that list back then a Captain I new when on active duty wrote up an extensive SAF IG complaint against him that ended up going know where. Moral at the 377 ABW was very Low and am I am glad that I retired and got away from there. Need I tell you officials at Kirtland never bothered to give or offer me a retirement ceremony they claim that because my retirement was because of an MEB I was not authorized one. Even after I wrote my congressman and US Senator a few years letter the Air Force made it look like it was my fault.

Wash. Post OP-ED:

"The president and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are desperately trying to jerk the spotlight away from a dysfunctional Afghan decision-making process in which chaos has preceded choice, complicating every possible outcome.

Gates said he is "appalled by the amount of leaking that has been going on," which would be, if the culprits are discovered, "a career-ender." Obama recently added, "I think I am angrier than Bob Gates about it." They should be appalled and angry at the process they created -- as should the rest of the country."

Full Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...src=newsletter

When are our leaders going to quit the "foot-dragging"? When are they going to "Man-up" and get in or get the hell out?

"While Nero plays, Rome burns" While our Gov't dawdles, and whines about "leaks", service members continue to suffer, are undermanned and die!

We need some action, here, one way or the other!

ChiefB

I have recently been thinking about enlisting into the Air Force, I have found answers to all my questions but one. What is the average waiting time between enlisting and departure for basic training?

There's about to be an announcement on the new PT program. If you haven't heard about it yet, you will in a few days.

Essentially, the new AFI 10-248 will not become effective until 1 July 2010...a 6 month delay. During this time, Airmen will still test under the current rules, with unit PTLs, and will receive an official score with the charts as they stand today. However, the PTL will also tell the Airmen what he would have scored had he taken the new test (but your official score will still be calculated by the current charts).

The AF is coining this as a "hybrid" approach. I call it a 6-month delay because they obviously got ahead of themselves.

Edit: after reading the message again, I forgot to leave one detail out. You will will still have to test twice in 2010. The 6-month cycle begins in Jan, but the old scoring charts will count until 1 Jul. Here's how it works: if your last official test was between 1 Jan 09 and 30 Jun 09, you will test 12 months out from that date, and then every 6 months thereafter. If your last test was between 1 Jul 09 and 31 Dec 09, then you will test every 6 months from that date. So either way, you will test twice in 2010.

Just want to pass on that OlSkoolRaven is not as old school as I thought.
My Better half and I have a little airman on the way. Due in June. Not bad for my age:D

Ah, the old days...
Is it just me or are all the Chiefs now fit, sharp, got
their degrees and have every block filled?
I remember my old skool Chiefs, smoking at the desk,
not a care in the world about being PC. Even
my old MSgt who had a purple heart from Vietnam; he lived
but the guy on his bottom bunk didn't...None of them ever
pushed the stuff that's being pushed today. The mission was
the prioirty and everything else was not, it was that simple.

Attached Images

 

I went status "3" as of 30 October. I am curious how long it typically takes (and also max time and can take) to go status "5" or else get disapproved.

The way things are going, the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter could be the only manned warplane being assembled in the U.S. by 2013.

That’s called putting all your eggs in one basket.

The U.S. has never been here before. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is staking the country’s future on a single aircraft that hasn’t even experienced the rigors of operational service.

The F-35 is at an early stage in its flight-testing program. Yet Gates is committed to buying 2,456 planes in three versions, with other nations purchasing perhaps 2,000 more.

The last combat aircraft built in such big numbers was the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which remains in production for overseas users. But the F-16 was offered with a choice between two engines. The worldwide F-16 fleet is divided between planes with Pratt & Whitney power plants and those with General Electric motors.

Two successive administrations have resisted a second engine for the F-35. Democrats and Republicans alike want every F-35 to rely on the Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan. They don’t want to fund the alternate General Electric F136.

One plane, one engine: So far that’s not a problem, but if something goes wrong with the F-35 fighter or the F135 turbofan engine, the Pentagon won’t have a Plan B.

Limiting choices isn’t good for airmen or the Air Force. Relying on a single type of manned combat aircraft with a single type of engine also poses questions about the future of America’s bedrock scientific and technological capabilities.

Does the U.S. want to limit the production of fighters to a single plant, the Lockheed Martin (formerly Lockheed, formerly General Dynamics, formerly Consolidated) building in Fort Worth, Texas, where most F-16s were built?

What will happen to the assembly plant operated by Boeing (formerly McDonnell) in St. Louis, once the undisputed focal point of American fighter know-how? What will happen to the knowledge about fighter design vested there?

C-130J Hercules airlifters will still roll off the line at the F-22 Raptor assembly plant operated by Lockheed Martin (formerly Lockheed, formerly Bell) in Marietta, Ga., but — again — what will happen to the knowledge about building fighters that resides there?

If the U.S. is going to rescue its high-technology skills in fighter design, it must divert funds from low-tech Air Force programs that aren’t necessary, such as the OA-X light attack program, the C-27J Spartan Joint Cargo Aircraft. Forget counterinsurgency. The country should end the pointless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and get ready for a big fight with a serious adversary.

About some of the companies cited above: They were named for real people, aviation pioneers from a past when American technology led the world. Most of those companies are gone because, years ago, the U.S. allowed too much consolidation in its aircraft industry. It’s not too late to avoid making the same mistake in the engine-making sector.

Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/communi...on_f35_112309/

WTF??? What happened to the Global War on Terror?
Are we still in it, did we win it, are we calling it something
else? Was it a "Bush" program...Damn I hate PC...

I'm not sure where I am going with this, mainly because I don't know what to do. My supervisors keep on telling me that things are my fault, and are not doing anything to fix the problems.

I'm being verbally harassed by the people in my unit. They put me down constantly. I'm a go-getter, I love my job and I love the military, and when I came back it hit the ground running. When new folks come in, the people in the unit are quick to pull them into the side and talk bad about me.

I'm lower in rank, I understand i'm going to get jeers here and there. Friendly teasing about things are not a big deal to me, but this goes beyond that.

I'm not being harassed about sexual orientation (i'm straight)
I'm not being harassed about ethnicity (i'm white)

I'm being harassed because I volunteer to do things, I don't mind helping out when I can. I love the mission, love the job. I'll bend over backwards to get things done, and that's my attitude towards life. Not just my career.

What can I do from here? My supervisors arent doing there jobs. I don't want to escalate it to leadership, that'd cause even more backlash. I'm stuck.

Well I was reading a post in another thread and it got me thinking. This is not directed specifically at you BRUWIN just using your quote.

How can we fault the NCO's when the SNCO's are just as, if not more guilty of letting things slide? How do you expect NCO's to hold Airmen to standards most SNCO's wont hold their NCO's to? Now I'm not going to say all of them but most of them that I have come in contact with in the past several years.

Here's an example of something I had happen about 6 months ago-

A few months ago I had to confront one of my NCO's about a lack of performance. He didn't like being questioned and made a smart ass remark as he walked away. I told him to get in the office and closed the door, I had another shift supervisor in there with me as well. He proceeds to go off on a screaming tirade along with getting up and pointing his finger in my face and bumping into me with his chest. He tries to walk out on me 3 times, all 3 times I tell him to get back in the office and he does. Now I will say I had a few choice things to say to him as well and stood my ground. He was wrong on every level of the encounter and the other supervisor told him that as well.

Now that you have a brief version of events let me tell you how the pathetic aftermath goes.

This all happened at about 0300. At 0700 when supervision comes in I make it my first order of business to discuss with them. The flight chief and assistant both agree that something needs to be done and ask me if I would like to file charges against him. I quickly state I would, not because I felt intimidated by him but because I felt it would set a bad example for other NCO's and airman that this was a acceptable to behave this way. So the fight chief sends me to the shirt, who seems not to care and sends me to our chief. The flight chief goes to the chief who says no SF and handle it in the flight. The flight chief then tell ME to write the LOR and put his name on it and he would give it to him. I do and he does. Three months later the new flight chief finds it in his desk drawer not even closed out. Since that time he has continued on his same coarse of behavior, slightly toned down, with no repercussions.

So I again I ask when is it time for the SNCO's to start taking some of the blame?

I received this through an Army friend from a friend at UT, Austin

ChiefB

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for us and the Fort Hood community, a community that has been deeply wounded both physically and spiritually. The past day and a half have been very challenging. I write to share my somewhat-insider perspective on the events. Please know these have been humbling hours for me and I write not to glamorize myself or this tragedy. I hope my personal experience is helpful as you all are processing the events.

At about 1:40 pm local time on Thursday, I was informed that a mass casualty situation was evolving at Fort Hood. At that time I was working in a trailer adjacent to the hospital. The only information I had was that one or more gunmen had opened fire at an SRP site, a type of processing facility where many soldiers pass through daily. Knowing the high density of soldiers at the SRP site, I braced myself mentally for the possibility of a large number of casualties. Upon exiting the trailer, I immediately heard sirens and saw several ambulances driving up to the ER bays, dropping off casualties, and turning right around to pick up more. I ran up to the hospital.

The hospital has pre-designated areas for personnel to report to in the case of a mass casualty/disaster situation. Ours (family medicine docs) is the family medicine clinic, located on the first floor of the hospital, about 100 feet from the ER. All casualties were going initially to the ER, where they were quickly triaged and dispersed from there to the operating room, our clinic, or elsewhere. There were already casualties being treated when I got to the clinic. We broke up quickly into teams, with one or more docs and nurses with each patient. All the patients had bullet wounds - not a common site in a family medicine clinic. Fortunately or not, several of the staff had extensive trauma experience from prior deployments. Initially there was no morphine available, so the halls were filed with shouts of pain as the patients were examined.

My first patient was a young second lieutenant. Her uniform trousers were cut almost completely off, a standard practice during trauma evaluation, designed to avoid missing any injuries. A bullet hole can be pretty small, and one injury can easily distract from others. The less immediately obvious wound can become deadly if not appreciated on the initial assessment. I had never treated a patient with a gunshot wound before Thursday. Thankfully the Army has sent us all to Ft. Sam Houston to an ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) course, a course designed for exactly this setting, where a non-trauma-surgeon is evaluating and stabilizing a trauma victim.

When we asked the 2LT what happened and she was able to tell a sensible story in complete sentences, I knew that for the moment her airway, breathing, and circulation were intact. She had a tourniquet and some bright red blood on her left thigh, and said the shooter had looked her in the eye, then shot her in the leg. "He could have shot me in the head, but he didn't." I left the tourniquet in place, since it seemed to be working fine. I swept my arm under her body, looking for any blood when I pulled it out. Her vital signs were good. Her heart and lungs sounded good. She had IV access with fluids running. She had no other pain other than her leg where she was wounded, and she had good pulses and sensation in that foot, all encouraging signs. We gave her some morphine, removed the dressing and saw an entry wound, but no exit wound was visible. We got ready to take her to get x-rays.

Then, here comes the cavalry - the orthopedic surgeons arrived! They quickly examined the 2LT, agreed she was stable, and moved on. X-rays showed a bullet near her hip with no fractures. Much later in the night, after reviewing the patient's x-rays with ortho again, she was released to go home with instructions to come back to our clinic in the morning for a re-check. A couple ER physicians came through to offer their help; not satisfied at saving lives in their own area, they offered their expertise to us as well. We were glad to have it.

We moved from patient to patient, making sure everyone was accounted for and getting the appropriate treatment and that their loved ones were contacted, to know that they were safe. Soldiers barely out of high school were dying in the ER. A new, young mother died on the operating room table. A family medicine intern with a baby of her own was there. There was no time to pause or grieve.

Based on the numbers you have heard, the vast majority of victims were treated at our hospital, but the flow of patients eventually abated. I was hearing little bits and pieces of what had happened; there were conflicting reports on the number of soldiers killed, the number of shooters, and the number of locations. A patient told me the shooter was in uniform, a Major, a field-grade officer, and he had called everyone to attention before opening fire.

Later we heard the unthinkable, that this was indeed an Army officer, but worse, a physician, entrusted to heal but causing great harm instead. This man had on occasion worked at the hospital, covering on weekends. Sometimes the family medicine inpatient service admits patients that have intentionally overdosed or are drunk and saying they want to harm themselves. Once these types of patients are cleared medically, they need psychiatric evaluation to determine if they are safe to go home; one of the family medicine staff physicians, Dr. K., had consulted this psychiatrist (the shooter) on such a patient only 2 weeks ago.

When she heard who the shooter was, Dr. K. was besieged with guilt, saying that she knew he wasn't quite right, that he seemed depressed, that she should have done something. She broke down in sobs in the middle of the clinic. A couple of us sat her down in a clinic room with her and listened. My mentor, a female Major and West Point grad, hugged her and let her cry. It was probably the first hug she'd had since her husband deployed to Iraq in September. They got 10 days notice.

I have never been so proud of our clinic. There wasn't a nurse in that clinic that wouldn't run to the other side of the hospital to get something if a patient needed it. The cleaning lady was unreal - I thought some of that blood would never come off, and by the time she was done (quickly!) I would've eaten dinner of those tables.

Things were letting up for us in our area, so we went to other floors of the hospital, helping do things like write admission orders for patients so their medications could be brought up from the pharmacy. The general surgeons were doing yeoman's work. They were cutting open chests and bellies and battling their mightiest to repair the damage done by the bullets. They mostly succeeded, doing the work of specialists in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, simply because they were it, they were our best hope.

My fellow residents and I did what we could to help; most of us left around 9 pm simply because there wasn't anything else to do. I was so proud of those guys and their families; they would have stayed the whole night if there was a way they could help out. A good friend of mine stayed to carry the Internal Medicine on-call pager; I went home to Katie, then went back around 2 am to take the pager back from him. No matter, no one was going to the ER, so there were no admissions. I think they thought, "You know, I'm not shot, I think I'll be okay." I did what I could to help out in the ICU.

Another patient died in the time I was at home, a clean-cut 21-year-old. He had extensive chest and abdominal wounds, the worst to his aorta. When he arrived to the ICU from the OR, he had what surgeon's call the "unhappy triad" of hypothermia (his rectal temperature was 88 degrees), acidosis, and coagulopathy. It is rare to survive after reaching that point. He got 50 units of blood. Hospital workers were donating their blood. He was getting 4 IV medications to raise his blood pressure. He went back to the OR. He had cardiopulmonary arrest, was successfully resuscitated once, but not the second time. They gave him everything they had, even when it was probably futile, because what else can you do but everything? This is a kid who will never know what it's like to fall in love and marry, to have children, to grow old. There is no tomorrow for him.

There was another young 20-year-old private with a bullet in his chest, only it inexplicably stopped at his sternum, and one in his back, only it never made it past the muscle. When I saw him up on the wards, all he was worried about was when he could go downstairs and smoke. A little walking miracle with a pack-a-day habit, no clue how lucky he was and, for the moment, some extra metal in him.

Friday, there were a lot of generals at our little hospital. They visited every single injured soldier. George W. Bush, the former president, visited the hospital in the evening. Say what you will about his politics, but that man was here, and that counts for a lot in my book.

Keep everyone at Fort Hood in your prayers, especially the families of the fallen. There are not words to describe how sad and tragic this is. As a Christian, it is difficult to understand and hard to accept. Abstract ideas about the effects of sin on creation, the depravity of mankind as a whole, and the presence of evil forces in the world give way quickly to the concrete reality that mothers will bury their sons and daughters in the days ahead, and everyone knows that is not the way it's supposed to be. If I can offer you hope in the midst of this darkness, it is that I have seen all around me in these troubling hours people realizing their potential to do great good and to come together in unity to sacrifice for others.

God bless you all and we love you.

L&K

Hi. I've visited these boards for a while now but this is my first time posting. I'd really appreciate some advice from people who know a thing or two about retraining. My current job is Security Forces and I would like to retrain into just about any job. I have never known anyone in my career who actually retrained (is that weird?) Seems like I hear a million different versions of the rules from people I talk to. I'm a first term airman, so it doesn't matter what current job I have, right? Can I necessarily retrain into any job, or does it have to be under manned? How difficult is the whole process, as in the paperwork, e-mails, signatures and whatnot necessary to retrain? How likely am I to retrain in general, considering my job and FTA-status? Does anyone have any tips or advice in general on retraining? Common mistakes people make? Things to watch out for? I have a billion and a half questions about retraining so I apologize for the stream-of-consciousness post. Thanks in advance.

The drawdown is back.

Less than two weeks after announcing new incentives to keep airmen serving in undermanned career fields, the Air Force late Monday announced it needs to cut 3,700 enlisted and officer positions in 2010 and 2011.

Driving the cuts are better-than-expected retention rates that could leave the service above its authorized size of 331,700 active-duty airmen by the end of 2010, the Air Force announced.

Among enlisted troops, the Air Force is targeting those who are retirement eligible and those with less than 14 years of service.

For officers, the program will encourage colonels and lieutenant colonels to retire early. The service is also cutting back the number of new officers it plans to commission during 2010 from Officer Training School and ROTC.


Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/20..._cuts_111709w/

So i was checking out the boston herald online, reading the articles and coming across one guys post (way off topic BTW) with something regarding the AF. i promply had to reply:

Marine: "...Just because you are in the military doesn\'t mean you are actually ever in combat. Think Airforce. All but the ParaJumpers are gamer personalities. (PJ\'s make up for the Air Forces lack of combat experiences. Besides Warrant Officers, they deserve the most respect of any military.)..."

Airman: "Im sorry but you just lost ALL credibility with me, just for that particular statement. You (obviously) have absolutely no clue as to what you are talking about if you think that AF PJ's are the only ones, Airforce wide, that see combat action. In fact, the actual name of the career field is Pararescue. With that said, every career field in the AF has an oppertunity to see combat action, or be one of the unlucky ones that have been TIC (Troops in Contact).

More and more, the Army is asking the AF to fill positions they are unable to fill. More and more, AF Security Forces are running convoys, and protection entire multinational, multiservice bases in the AOR (Area of Responsibility).

Here are just of few other AF career fields that are being relied upon, more and more in the Middle East: Combat Control, SERE, Tactical Air Control Party, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)… Ect.

Im all for freedom of speech, thus being allowed to make yourself look like a idiot, but I couldn’t let such an uninformed and moronic comment go unnoticed.

/rant"

Marine: "Speaking in generalities regarding the Air Force. Same could be said for the Navy. In general, they are on boats. Do they see combat? Of course some of them do. Percentage wise, the US Marines see more actual combat than any other division. That is my point. All branches have support and logistic people. It is an absolute necessity. Doesn't mean they hear gun fire except at the shooting range......"

Airman: "Ohhhhh, so we are speaking in generalities now huh? I get it. Well let me enlighten you a little more: You say the Marines see more combat action than any other division (im sure you meant branch). How can this be, when, speaking in generalities, the Marines have the least amount of members, both worldwide and deployed. In Iraq, as of this year, Marines are outnumbered in personnel by the AF, and outnumbered by the Army by almost 3 times. In Afghanistan, Marines are outnumbered 3 to one by the Army. With that being said, I find it is absolutely asinine to assume that the Marines are seeing more combat action than any other branch, when clearly the Army has more troops in the AOR. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am in no way bashing the Marines, or any other branch of my Brothers and Sisters in Arms. I am merely correcting your uneducated and un-researched opinion on what our military end strength is. I implore you to do some research before trying to state generalities.

Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...009/index.html

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." -Abe Lincoln"

I figured you guys would enjoy the exchange. still havnt heard a reply from the guy...

Ok so I turned in my RIP already and have my outprocessing checklist available. How do I go about getting a house hunting en route approved? Is there a form I need to fill out? There wasnt anything on my RIP about it so im not really sure. This is my first PCS.

Air Force to cut 3,700 positions in 2 years

By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 17, 2009 11:56:10 EST

The drawdown is back.

Less than two weeks after announcing new incentives to keep airmen serving in undermanned career fields, the Air Force late Monday announced it needs to cut 3,700 enlisted and officer positions in 2010 and 2011.

Driving the cuts are better-than-expected retention rates that could leave the service above its authorized size of 331,700 active-duty airmen by the end of 2010, the Air Force announced.

Among enlisted troops, the Air Force is targeting those who are retirement eligible and those with less than 14 years of service.

For officers, the program will encourage colonels and lieutenant colonels to retire early. The service is also cutting back the number of new officers it plans to commission during 2010 from Officer Training School and ROTC.

YGTBFKM!!!

What in the world are we coming to? We have to pay money based on rank to wear civilian clothes to the Thanksgiving Luncheon? Needless to say...I won't be paying or attending for that reason.

I am about sick of booster club and units trying to suck as much money as possible out of its people fior events arguably many really could care less about attending.

I've been pretty actively engaged in debate with Gunner007 in the " Is Ft. Hood and Lackland at FPCON Delta?" thread. It struck me that in this topic, it appears that there aren't many people that care a whole lot (or just aren't saying so). That was surprising to me, and it got me to thinking...

So - I sorted the threads based on views and posts to see which ones were the "big issues" that people are chattering about. The results were more than a little disconcerting.

Of the top 5 posts, 3 of them were about retraining into specific fields - understandable, as people are collecting information that is so hard to come by through "legitimate channels". The other two? The infamous "That Guy" thread and "Dumb AF Rules". Rounding out the top 10 are the Jill Metzger thread, the "Standards Police" thread and one dedicated to asking why flightline people don't earn more than the rest of us. At least one of the top 10 included a redeeming discussion about DADT...falling just outside of the top 10 is a thread on berets, another about those that presumably get pregnant to avoid deployment, and "unwritten rules".

My point? We seem to spend a lot of our energy b*tching about things that don't matter in the bigger picture. I presumed that there were proactive senior leaders that might visit a forum like this to get the unedited opinions of our folks...if so, then there's no wonder that leadership focuses on things like disco belts and tucked PT shirts, rather than on Global Strike, control of cyberspace, our deployment tempo, promotion rates, our hemhorraging of money downrange, the "infantrination" of the AF and so on!

What are we talking about? Why do we get so wrapped around the axles about what seems to be minutia in comparison to the real issues that our Air Force needs to address? I've seen members here call for BIG AF to stop worrying about things that "don't matter". Just wondering aloud why we don't do the same as a community...

Every now and then, somebody will tell me "this is a commander's program", or I'll read that somewhere. So it got me wondering, what exactly is that? What's the difference between a "commander's program" and any other program? Thanks.

The Air Force finally has a nominee in place to take over as the service’s undersecretary, a position that has been empty for more than two years.

President Barack Obama nominated Erin Conaton, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton’s lead adviser, on Tuesday. She will now await confirmation from the Senate.

Conaton has been on the committee’s staff since 2001. Since becoming majority staff director in 2007, she has led drafting of the defense authorization bill, which makes up the military’s budget.

The undersecretary position has stayed empty since Aug. 31, 2007, when former astronaut Ron Sega resigned to teach at Colorado State University. Sega, who served as undersecretary for three years, led the push toward the service’s use of more alternative fuels and its “back to basics” approach to developing satellites.

Conaton’s challenge will be to fix the Air Force’s acquisition problems — namely its struggle to award a contract to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers. Defense Secretary Robert Gates handed control of the tanker contract back to the Air Force in September after yanking it from the service after numerous embarrassing errors highlighted by a Government Accountability Office investigation.

When asked for comment, Lt. Col. Adriane Craig, an Air Force spokeswoman, said Conaton could not speak to the press until after the Senate confirmation process.

Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said in a statement that he is “pleased” with Obama’s nomination of Conaton “and looks forward to the Senate’s favorable consideration of her nomination.”

Skelton, a Missouri Democrat, commended the nomination and encouraged the Senate to move quickly on her confirmation.

“Serving as the committee’s Majority Staff Director since 2007, Erin has consistently demonstrated her leadership ability, mastery of national security issues, and dedication to our men and women in uniform,” Skelton said in a statement.

“Erin’s work ethic is unparalleled, but more importantly, she has a rare gift for getting along with people. Despite the demands of working on Capitol Hill, Erin is unflappable and approaches every challenge with a level head, whether working with members of Congress, congressional staff, or administration officials.”

Before joining the House Armed Services Committee, Conaton spent three years as the research staff director for the U.S. Commission on National Security. She has never served in the Air Force.

Conaton earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.


Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/20...etary_111109w/

So yeah I went on a TDY about 4 months ago and filed my travel voucher after I got back (everything was filled out correctly since it was checked by three different people before it was turned in). Well I checked to see if my GTC got paid off, it did...checked to see if my perdiem was paid, yes.....but 800 dollars more than I was expecting. So I held on to the money, kept it in savings and contacted Finance to find out if I had an overpayment of my per diem....they checked and everything looked fine. Still I held on to the money for about a month to see if anything else would come of it. Once that time had passed, I spent a portion of it to buy my mid-tour tickets.

The next day, rumors started flying around the squadron that a handful of people had gotten overpaid perdiem by about 700-900 bucks..I just about lost my mind after hearing that. So I contacted finance, and yes I was one of the ones that got overpaid. So I said ok I'll come down and I'll setup a repayment plan, was gonna repay it before I left Korea, filled out all the forms, made sure all was taken care of, and left it at that. A month later I check my mid month paycheck and I'm short 400 dollars.....I head down to finance and find out that the repayment was coming out in one month instead of the 6 months that I had set up, they couldn't find any history of my paperwork, and no official notification was sent out for the debt. I brought down my copy of the repayment form(with the processed stamp on it), and showed to them...they tried to suspend the debt and resubmit it with my terms, but DFAS had already closed out the debt and any further action was blocked....I had to go get an Air Force Aid Loan to cover the cost of myself and my family back in the states. This is one of the times that I feel that when someone screws up and doesn't do their job correctly in finance then their paycheck must be garnished to repay you for what they screwed up....this would keep them honest and not as complacent. Peoples lives and credit reports are at stake here.

:mad:

Anyone been there to give a quick Pro's and Con's breakdown of the base. For example it didn't look like they had a lot of base housing so I assume it is a long wait to get in. Any PCSing tips or warnings about there would be nice.

I posted a month or so ago about chest pains..but docs couldnt find anything wrong with my heart..well it turns out...i have a hiatal hernia (part of my stomach is sticking out into my esaphgues..GROSS)...which coinsadentlly reduces my lungs capacity by up to 90% WTF..and i've never even failed the PT test.

That being said...i'm told if i dont "get better with treatment" this will be a reason for medical board/discharge....

I'm considering just sucking it up...pretend to be feeling great..and press on....thoughts?

Also...if you get medical discharged...is there any pay involved? i know that sounds shallow..but I GOT KIDS TO FEED.

I am one.

April 1982-April 1986 USMC
Jul 1987-Feb 1989 USMCR
Feb 1991-Oct 1991 USMCR

234 years! Long live the Corps!!!

Moody has “upped the ante” on safety!! All other bases get on board or look like yesterdays news! According to the “new” 23 Wing policy letter interpreting 91-207, motorcycle riders must wear a reflective vest at all times, day or night. The best part is all backpacks riding on motorcycles must wear a reflective vest as well…no you did not read that incorrectly. “If a motorcyclist is wearing a bag or backpack, it must also be covered with a reflective vest in addition to what the rider is already wearing”. Quote from the policy letter.

Nobody ever talks about the old A abd B cycles for WAPS.
Where they good/bad, should they be brought back?
How did they come about? How do we get our WAPS
to a level where performance in your job matters most?
Thoughts???

Hi everyone,

I am currently in the process of transfering from the USMC to the ANG. I am shooting for network admin job but since it seems the job codes have changed I am not sure what it falls under. I would also like to know where and how long the school is.

Thanks.
JD

Deleted Discussion

This is in response to "BRUWIN" in the 9 Nov 2009 issue of the AF times, regarding deployment not being part of the job. I don't know what Bruwin qualifies as an "old timer", but I can tell you that when I joined in 1982, I always assumed that I'd fight the Soviets in Germany, and not in Iowa.

Furthermore, as the son of a SMSGT who went to war in Korea in 1951, and Vietnam in 1965, (among other vacations), I kind of assumed that going "over there" was part of the point.

Having served on many deployments from the Desert (4), Bosnia, Latin America, and Korea, across a twenty six year career, it's a little difficult for me to tolerate the attitude that someone joined the military not understanding that they might GO to war, as opposed to staying home and fighting it from your warm cozy bedroom. Read the fine print in your contract--it's actually pretty clear English.

Evidently, BRUWIN fought his war working in the soup kitchen at Minot, not realizing that airplanes go places and drop things, so that they can kill people and break their stuff. There's a reason we wore those green pajama's, and it shouldn't come as any surprise to service members that we have to go places to get the job done.

Maj Y (ret)

The web site is totally down. Anyone know if Lackland is elevated?

First of all let me say thank you for taking the time to read this.

AF-ROTC just contacted me and said, "Since July, graduate students are not eligible for ROTC". He said it "levels the playing field" between an 18 year old and an individual with multiple years of education. Is there nothing I can do about this? I have high hopes of joining the military as an officer and I almost can't believe it but at 22, I'm too late? I'll keep applying for OTS as much as I'm allowed, but it seems to be a lost cause since they normally only accept around 500 candidates per year and they're all sporting 3.8-3.9 GPA's. I thought my 3.3 would be acceptable, ha!

So now I'm searching for a solution. If that solution is to do better in school and hope OTS eventually accepts me thats fine. But I feel this really goes without merit. Don't we want our most educated Americans leading the military? Or maybe I'm wrong and "leveling the playing field" so there's less competition is the correct approach. Regardless, I hope you can see my discouragement.

If you have any advice It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Caught this on the Fox News Channel earlier today...

Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/n...#ixzz0W0IFrod5

Brought up poor security and real threats in multiple types of forums, commander's calls, commander's action line, etc. over the years. However, it seems anyone outside the click of "experts" is dismissed because we don't know about "real threats"... :rolleyes: But don't worry, we all have flat screen monitors and large screen televisions to rapidly click through the same old force protection CBT 10 times a year because another leader, I mean manager, wants everyone's training dates to be a specific something.

The Navy's statement (similar to what the AF's would be and think it was when we were flying nukes around and no one on the plane knew it) was the public was never at any type of risk or threat. Oh really? 5 possible enemies wondering around base for over 4 hours undetected is no threat? Ummmm.... These 5 could have easily been TERRORISTS!!!! ...with bombs under their shirts should they have been caught in the process of trying to steal nukes or just attack a nuke facility.

No freakin way urinalysis is random. Every time I take leave, I get the call. I've been hit ~4 times in the last 18 months all after TDY or leave.

One time about 3 years ago, a coworker got tabbed and I got tabbed as the observer. The next day, I got tabbed for urinalysis.....random my ass.

Here at Barksdale we have a suprise bag drag but on our squadron mobility sheet, DCU's are not allowed but BDU's are. I dont know anyone who's "deployed" with BDU's.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americ...led/index.html



I thought Ciudad Juarez was off limits for servicemembers??

Anyone ever here of a policy stating that in order for a MSgt to get an MSM you have to wear the stripe for 1 yr (stateside) or at least half of your overseas tour?

My wife is having an issue right now with this. Sewed on MSgt in Jul 09 PCSing in Nov 09. Has served in numerous MSgt billets before sew-on and is filling in as a 1st Shirt right now before she goes to the 1st Sgt Academy.

Thx for any help!!

T2

Even though I came up thinking I would never do such a thing, for several months now, I have been contemplating volunteering for a special duty assignment. I have thought about TI, MTL, Instructor, and Recruiter.

Looking for opinions on the ups and downs of each from those of you who have done it in the last few years or are doing any of them now. Appreciate any input.

I've been at outposts in Afghanistan and FOBs in Iraq and for some reason I can't stand getting stacks of cards signed by tons of people telling me things like "Kelll them alll, sulder man." in red crayon from some kid in an elementary school in the midwest. It makes me feel guilty, like I'm supposed to write all 350 of them back duing my 14 hour a day, 7 days a week.

Plus, the last thing I need is another pair of uncomfortable, wrong sized, ill fitting, blankety blank boots. I also don't want a puddle of melted candy. It's nice to get the occasional pair of socks but I don't need 60 pairs. Given the hastle and guilt of getting all this crap that I end up trying to give away, I'd rather not get them at all. My family, friends and coworkers send me two care packages each deployment; a matress pad, almost disposable bedding and a privacy sheet to hang in front of or around the bed (I use the term losely), and another one with either a camp chair and/or a carton of cigarrettes because when you're breathing burn pit ashes, who cares about quitting smoking.

While I appreciate the gesture, thanks but no thanks for the bundles of well thought out and ultimately completely wasteful care packages. I have resorted to and will always tell my friends and family to not send me crap to drag through the mud or smoke and may discomfort strike them with horrible timing if they put my name and APO on some website sending crap.

Before you piss yourself, freak out and start screaming at me... I know this all sounds horrible, but when you're actually doing something all day, every day, and not sitting in on a huge base with your thumb up your ass, bored out of your mind, crying that the BX doesn't have your favorite movie; the last thing you really want is something else to deal with. Save it all for my buddys in the hospital in Germany with combat related injuries. As a matter of fact, most of those that I could keep in touch with just wanted some Jockeys and to see their loved ones. Scrap the candy, save the money and pay for flights and hotels for loved ones to see their Johnny who had a close scrape with the grim reaper.

Hello,

Hi, I am a prior service Marine who is looking to go active duty in the air force. I was told by a recruiter that if I wanted to join I would have to go security or special forces. I then talked to another who stated other possibilities my be available but he would not tell me. I am getting my degree in accounting and would like to do something in that field.

Any advice? There has got to be more options.

Heh. You gotta be shitting me. An 81 year old man gets tazered?

What did he assault the SPs with? His walking chair? His enema bag? His COIN PURSE? (Sorry I just HAD go to go there - if you don't get that joke then don't worry about it)

Seriously people - you keep his license and registration, hand them over to the local police department and let them handle it as a civil matter. Chances are they will find this guy napping at the local retirement home or bitching about something Grandpa Simpson style at the local greasy spoon diner. Military cops have no business resorting to extremes when it comes to the elderly and the way they did this guy. I lose faith in our law enforcement officials just a little bit more each time I read stuff like this. Knowing how the military works, these guys will most likely get an Achievement Medal for their actions. Hopefully when this goes to trial, the judge will have enough common sense to throw it out of court and the old guy will sue the military for police brutality.

I'm seriously disgusted over this.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Just wondering about this. I know that aircraft maintainers can't really escape a specific airframe or group of airframes (If you're a fighter aircraft crew chief, you probably won't go to a cargo base). But has anyone left a base with a specific mission that just left such a bad taste in your mouth, you say, "I never want to go to another fighter/tanker/bomber/cargo/space/trainer base again!"

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/20...taser_110409w/

This is an awesome story. DONT TAZE ME BRO!!!!

Hello everyone,

I am a prior service Marine who is trying to get into the Air Force. I am having trouble finding a recruiter who will work with me. I spoke to one guy who passed me onto his boss only to have the boss tell me that I cannot join because I was charged with domestic violence when I was 16. I was not convicted of D.V., it was dropped down to disorderly conduct and the record has been sealed since.

The recruiter stated that because I "pushed" my Mom, the Air Force would not look at me. I am now 24 and am employed at a local police department. I have a pretty decent understanding of the laws and cannot see how the Air Force would even be able to tell the difference between the domestic violences especially since I was not convicted.

I am convinced that the recruiter was looking for a reason to not help me. Is there any truth to what he said? I could understand if I had been convicted of the crime as an adult but this was not the case.

What should I do?

Thanks.

Does anyone have any insight on what the Promotion numbers are going to be for Tech's come Dec 09?