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It amazes and frankly disgusts me that the best the AF could do for this Airman was a commendation medal when MSgt's get bronze stars for enforcing uniform rules in a combat zone.

They're medals folks,... medals. Other than promotion points for enlisted, do they really matter? Their value is known only to the wearer, and can only be guessed by anyone else.

Military bearing and customs and courtesies are not shoe-exclusive (shoesclusive?) things. The same with proper uniform wear, adherence to regulations and things like that. The problem comes when emphasis on those things takes away from emphasis on the mission and leads to mis-placed priorities. Unfortunately in our anti-shoe backlash we tend to immediately write off ANYONE who mentions uniform wear or C&C as a shoe. This is not the case. A shoe is someone who equates uniform wear to aircraft operations, and genuinely believes that one effects the other (aside from my 12 hour flight making my flight suit look a bit sweat stained and worn looking). These are the kind of people who will say stupidity like "If you can't be trusted to tuck your shirt in, how can you be trusted to fly a plane" and makes a scene over it. Is the guy with the un-tucked shirt wrong? Yes. Is it important and something to lose sleep over? No. The same holds true for saluting. The author of the article has a valid point. Most people salute like shit. The example he gave of a senior leader rendering shitty salutes at an ALS graduation is unfortunately a common occurrence, and especially bad in that example because it's a senior leader setting an example for new NCOs. Even guys who prioritize "important" and "unimportant" salutes can probably agree that being on stage at an ALS graduation is a time to look sharp and professional. Now in Centcom there should be more liberal use of "hat optional/no-salute" zones, especially in the residential areas of those bases. Gotta love walking the gauntlet that is the sidewalk from the CC to the BPC at the Deid. Places like that should probably be no-salute zones due to their residential nature and high traffic volume. I do find it ironic that we bitch about a lack of tradition and military professionalism while lampooning a guy for publicly complaining (and I believe rightfully so) about people and their shitty looking salutes. Do it right, we're not the Civil Air Patrol.

I would pay good $ to watch that Captain walk down Disney Drive at BAF and render that perfect, crisp salute 69 times, each way, on his way to the BX and back. Then I'd love to debrief his salutes at the end of that journey that were too 'dead fish'.

But, if you do, make sure you're inebriated and jack with the unsuspecting reporters just a little bit:

IFF "Squadrons" have been a waste of money for years. 12 IP's for 4 students (DLF example, and thats being generous), SUPT T-38 flights have WAY (17) more students than that and it's run by a Captain (with less IP's). I guess they are doing something better by closing some of the squadrons, it's still a waste, make them flights in a UPT squadron and end it. IFF is a haze, what can you learn with 4 flights in a phase, next to nothing. I guess its a good deal though, lots of CT/direct support, 8-3 hours, no nights, and I wonder why they defend themselves. I hope the generals are watching.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you either 1) are drunk or 2) did not read one bit of my prior post. What can a student learn in four sorties? How to prep for a fighter brief and act during it. Wingman priorities. How to take a lesson learned and apply it to the next sortie. Notice I did not mention one thing regarding taking that particular skill and applying it in the future. And I can tell you a lot about the abilities of a student over the course of four rides. Also, your prayers have been answered. The generals are watching and the syllabus keeps growing. Apparently there are some folks with a little bit of experience in fighters, a basic arithmetic calculator to add up the costs, and lack the chip on the shoulder you so conspicuously display. The FTUs don't want IFF to go away and they don't want us to be a flight in a SUPT squadron. Believe it or not, they have a say in the process.