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Beyond UPT, formation is admin. In UPT, it most certainly is the mission. That being said, you are correct that student rides are not the time to show what a badass you are - save that shit for CT and teach dudes how to do it right. Yup. As an MR 4FL/IP/EP taking a checkride, I looked up to the mirrors on more than one occasion during the final turn to see my SEFEs arms go from the rails down to the controls. Trust but verify.

Stop injecting common sense into the discussion. If a new motto required 400k and 2 PHds homosexuality training will come out around the time the new tanker does.

I found out about this shooting just as I went into crew rest for a flight to Kosovo. It hit pretty close to home. Not knowing the circumstances around the shooting, I thought I'd be getting a call stating our mission was delayed or postponed. We still went, although we had a few armed Germans come along last minute to provide security for our passenger. We didn't really know what to expect down in Kosovo. By now we had gotten word that this was most likely an isolated incident, that said we still figured we'd just be hanging out with security watching our jet for the day. In reality, it was an entirely different experience. Every Kosovar we met expressed sympathy and condolences for what happened. There was also a lot of anger towards the guy that did it. (supposedly his family was from Kosovo, but he has been living here in Germany for a while). The biggest surprise was the gratitude they declared for the United States. "If it wasn't for you and your allies, we wouldn't be Kosovo". We ended up changing into civi's and went downtown for lunch. Bill Clinton was everywhere. Bill Clinton street, huge Bill Clinton posters, even a big statue of him. Apparently they love the guy there. So instead of being stuck on the airport, I enjoyed a pretty damn good lunch and got to meet some great folks down there. Returning home I was welcomed with some very saddening news. One of the airmen killed was a guy I played hockey with. While I didn't know him all that great, the last practice I was at with him was a memorable one. He took a puck just above the eye and was bleeding all over. When asked if he was ok he replied: "it's superficial, there's no crying in hockey" Godspeed Zachary. This morning at Ramstein, a few thousand people lined the streets of base to honor the funeral procession as the two airmen started their final journey home. It was very sobering and at the same time amazing to see that many people show up.

I take it you haven't been down to the border with Mexico lately... How's it different from any other base where the commander is too bat-shit scared to allow people to carry personal firearms to work and leave them in their car? Uniforms are targets because the low-life criminals know they can't carry weapons on base (Texas law allows any law-abiding citizen to carry concealed in their vehicles under the Motorist Protection Act of 2009). And despite what some claim US Code Title 18 §930 (Possession of firearms and dangerous weapons in Federal facilities) states, it clearly defines the restrictions as applying to facilities (defined as buildings) and not bases! Now thanks to the asshat up at Hood we all have to take "Active Shooter" CBTs on how to run away at the sound of gunfire. I'd rather be armed and put a few well-placed rounds into the threat, and I am willing to risk my life to do so! [/RANT] x 2 Cheers! M2