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Playing Devil's advocate...if it is so fucking awesome to be a fighter pilot, why are so many leaving? I think that is the core of the issue this reporter is trying to address.

As an official "old dude" I take umbrage at the implication that old dudes, myself included, would not want to check out attractive asses. One's appreciation of prime female T&A does not vanish upon reaching old dudedom.

22 Jan 14, "I'm a stay at home son..."

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

I've got a better idea. You know what would really raise my morale? Send the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders or the Playmate of the Year on a USO tour. Same or less money, more effect, and morale is actually lifted! Problem solved.

So there I was... I attended Supervisors Safety Training today, put on by an SNCO from base Safety (at my stateside base). We were talking about PPE, to include reflective belts, so I raise my hand and ask: Me: "Do you know why we need to wear reflective belts in a non-pedestrian area at the Deid? Like around the Bra and transient lodging." Safety SNCO: [deer in headlights look] "Wait.. wha... where?" Me: "The Deid... the U.S. air base in Qatar." Safety SNCO: "Oh, I've never heard of it. Well, the reflective belts are so that cars can see you at night." [so I repeat...] Me: "But transient lodging and the Bra, the socialization area, are open to pedestrians only. There are no cars." Safety SNCO: "Well, in case you go off the someplace else, it'd be easy to forgot to put on your reflective belt." [being a new SSgt., I didn't want to press any more.] What I Learned: -Safety, apparently, knows jack shit about current ops in OIF/OEF. And I'm not talking about an Airman, rather, a SNCO. Safety first, to the extent of forgetting the mission, right boys? -I could not to be trusted to remember to grab a reflective belt when leaving a hypothetical pedestrian-only no reflective belt zone. Fantastic

Flipping the safety on after each shot is a poor technique that would get most people killed. The carbine courses have so many different techniques, and some sound totally crazy but happen to work for one guy one time. Great training all, but I think that particular technique would get the majority of people killed. Sky cops fall squarely in the average majority. Bottom line is this guys is a total idiot, whether or not this particular technique is valid and used by someone at Magpul. The conceptual idea that one absolutely must get the uniform standard right all the time or you simply aren't qualified to fight the war is fundamentally flawed. The true professional puts everything on a hierarchy of importance, a hierarchy that changes depending on many variables. As operators we're very comfortable living like this, and we usually call it SA. Sometimes your gas state is the most important thing, sometimes it's the weather, sometimes it's the mission then the icing on your wings, and when the critical part of the mission is over you RTB the area because now the icing is most important. The hierarchy is always changing, and a good flyer stays aware of what's at the top and the handful of items under it. This idea of juggling a group of variables which all slide up and down the priority list used to confuse the shit out of me in pilot training, resulting in my average performance. But with a few thousand hours it's natural to all of us. And I think this is why we all know his argument is bullshit, but an articulate response is hard because the concept is so simple. We think "of course my mission planning is more important than having my sleeves rolled down." Or "of course I put my sunglasses on my head, I'm doing shit with my hands." And that's the issue with this guy, and this entire school of thought with non-operators that if you can't get the uniform right how can you fly an airplane? They think "how can you possibly do the important things when you can't get this thing right?" And we think "how can you possibly worry about the unimportant things when there are so many others that matter?" Of course our perspective is right and theirs is wrong. We prove that by flying successful missions everyday wearing baseball hats with a dip in our mouth; and if they understood priorities they wouldn't correct an officer about a minor uniform violation by yelling at him in public-- a customs and courtesies breach that manifests their inability to differentiate importance levels between issues. The only possible fix to our plight (two incompatible schools of thought) is leadership. Leadership must set the standard and leadership must judge what is most important when. And of course, leadership is what we are mostly lacking. Approaching the end of my commitment, this is a pretty strong argument for me to stay and try to fix it.

I'll seriously consider a pay cut once the douche's in the rest of the government do also...STARTING with EVERY elected official.

Non military here. I joined this sight to get insight into the fighter pilots world and I think I've gotten a bit of it. I am glad to have come across this post, but it seems the OP needs a brick wall to fall on his head. I cant imagine that the problem is any more complex than what was said in the boss letter. My dad was a poor country boy drafted during Vietnam. He hated the Army. As a kid, when my he told me I would hate the military, I couldnt understand how. A hearing loss prevented me from finding out, but over the years I have learned why many feel that way. Not that I wouldnt join even today if I could. I don't doubt that hard work and sacrifice builds character, but perhaps the military needs to move into the present and lose some of the retarded sacrificial attitude that would drive commanders to subject personnel fresh from combat deployments to readiness inspections and make trading a potentially better civilian life for a military career, a little more worth it. Just an outsiders opinion.

Well excuse me for not checking IDs at the door. After reading two of your posts now, I'm absolutely positive you're an inbred meathed who thinks this... was meant for you, and have no doubt you really believe that this... is what people are "retarded" enough to think is behind your pathetic internet avatar. Nice sig by the way, "The average fighter pilot, despite his sometimes swaggering exterior, is very much capable of feelings such as love, affection, intimacy and caring. These feelings just don't involve anyone else" Anyone you know? Except for the swag, you fit the profile. And just so I am absolutely clear on what I think of you... Your self image https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/bunk22/mav4.jpg Probably closer to the truth https://img357.imageshack.us/img357/1658/pukerwhole8ka.jpg