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Liquid, fair enough, Ill concede some of the points as you apparently have more intimate knowledge of the discrepancies than I do. I, for one, didn't mind Cannon a whole lot, but I was gone most of the time. I will however, expand on my point of emphasis. This is not about Cannon AFB per se. The ip so facto logic you use to conclude that individuals are separating merely because they don't want to go to Cannon misses the entire issue. You need to look at it from a holistic perspective. For many, an assignment to Cannon-doing exactly the same thing they just spent 4-6 years doing at HRT-is the proverbial straw. Does that make them bad people or officers? To some, apparently yes. But if officership to you means blindly following what your service asks you to do, then I would draw a parallel to the SS. We need folks to think for themselves, make personal decisions, and question why it is their service asks them to do certain things. Without that, we quickly slide down a dangerous slope. But back on topic, leadership needs to acknowledge the incontrovertible reality-most folks did not join the service with an intent to pursue an illustrious, start-studded career. They joined to fly cool planes, get money for college, or because they threw a dart at the board of indecisiveness-or perhaps because they were motivated by certain events. But, at the end of the day, please don't foster an environment in which you criticize or patronize folks for not accepting an assignment, when they probably have 3-5 times as many combat hours as yourself, 3-5 times as many deployments, and are half your age. These are the folks who have watched their families walk out the door while they answered the call and put up the numbers which you put on your OPR that got you promoted in the first place. Not everyone is fortunate to have a family as understanding and devoted as you have. I'm not trying to make this a stupid dick measuring contest, and I may be way off, but leadership is about people; in order to lead people you have to know them, understand them, and accept their limitations. Finally, you need to be honest with them. Was there some shadyness with the acquisition of Cannon? Ill bet my balls to the bandsaw on it. Do we necessarily need to bring that up? No, of course not, but why do we always have to church this shit up? Way can't we just be honest with our folks? And why would we decide to move a ton of folks to a place that so obviously lacked sufficient infrastructure to support them? Thats selling your people out, and people remember that shit. I know dudes who literally lived in barns when they got there. When there's a need, the crew dawgs will follow you to hell and back, don't take that for granted, and don't use it as an excuse to dismiss the fundamental problem here: people are leaving because most of the leadership we have (or at least that I've seen) doesn't deserve the level of sacrifice that folks are already making. Our leadership isn't cut out to serve the people they "lead." Ironic, considering how much time we spend focusing on leadership. Also ironic how these folks, who spend so much time preaching service before self, are the ones who spend the most time carefully shepherding their own careers.

Wait, what? You mean I've been doing that pro bono all this time?

You might ask yourself, if the Air Force cared so much, why do they have to throw so much money at people to keep them? One may wonder how an organization can possibly suck the fun out of what 99.9% of Americans believe is the coolest job one anyone can have. Maybe these guys know the answer to that question.

An incredible opportunity if you love money above all else. I've been generally opposed to the verbal beating you have taken on here, but even I can't stand it any more. Are you really that out of touch? The Air Force doesn't give two shits about their people! The current crop of O-5/6 clowns running the show at the squadron/group/wing would sell their troops to gypsies if they thought it would help their career. I can't remember the last time I've even HEARD about a commander "doing the right thing" or looking out for their people. What squadrons have you been in? What deployed locations? I've been around a time or two and I'm just not seeing this "leadership" and "insight" you keep talking about. Edit to add: The irony, given sequestration and a very austere budget environment, is that the solution to retention is FREE. People WANT to follow good leaders. You wouldn't have to pay them extra to do it. But since we are running low on talent, let's just throw some money at the problem for a quick, easy fix. Kinda like putting wet napkins in the cargo door to stop an air leak...it'll work for a while but not a good long term fix.

Yep, and on that bio I check for AMs to verify credibility (that stands for "air medal" for you and the other shoes (GC) reading).

GC gave sqwatch a reach around during their 3 hour lunch break.... Really? Opportunity? You are far from the deployed lines, far from in the trenches, far from anything deemed "AF". Smoke and mirrors money in return for shitty assignments and poor QOL is only going to those folks who would stay in any way.... I honestly appreciate your inside information -- but, the "incredible opportunity" that MOST guys want is far from what the AF is giving in way of a "bonus".

Unless it has to do with TP stalls or instrument flying, FAIPs have no idea what they're talking about and should not be trusted. (FAIPs: Don't be a SNAP and stroke-out with a sensitivity aneurysm. I was once you. It gets better.)

Thanks a lot Bin Laden

The Air Force does care. Have you seen the money we're throwing at fighter pilots this year? Incredible opportunity!

Not illegal, just frowned upon... like masturbating on an airplane.

If they would have used an E-8, it would have been 4 hours late due to Mx Delay.

Ah, you are correct. Poor vis recce on my part.

are they just making shit up at this point?

Standard baseops; bitch about too many people in theater that have no reason to be there, then bitch about people that have no reason to go to theater not going. What do you want ICBM guys to do down range? There are plenty of space badges in theater, but from many services, and not more than need to be there. Why would we deploy to operate GPS, Milstar/AEHF, WGS/DSCS, ISR satellites, launch shit, etc.? We have patches, advisors, support teams, liaisons and space control units deployed. That makes up about 1% of Air Force and National space. Everyone else is CONUS, where they belong, not getting in the way, and not wasting valuable money/resources.

RAF Museum - not the Duxford site, which is further away - is geographically small but packed with good stuff - particularly actual WWII stuff - captured Luftwaffe aircraft, etc. Imperial War Museum is overwhelming. The Tower of London. A double-decker bus tour - takes 1/2 day, goes by a lot of stuff, lets you pick what to follow-up on. Damned expensive place, however.

None of it or all of it...depending on how you read the question.

Do the WWII tour, check out the Churchill Museum and the War Rooms, and if you can get out to RAF Duxford, check that out. Go to "The Lord Nelson" pub.

Give this man a medal. The location and people bitching about Cannon gets all the press, when in reality the dudes I know are punching because they're stuck in the black hole of the same highly-deployed MDS with absolutely zero hope of being released for anything unless they're a school-select, pinned-on major. For all the talk of cross-flow and "other opportunities in the Air Force," it hasn't panned out for the vast majority of folks. Many guys who have dropped papers would love to continue serving but are fed up with the groundhog's day effect of the same deployments, the same 1-to-1, the same mission year after year after year and are looking for something, anything, different but who are "100% not releasable." It's not about "service before self" because there is no consideration for letting someone continue service in other ways (even in the same MAJCOM). There's a small-minded attitude that you either serve your particular tribe until there is no more juice to be squeezed or fuck you, get out. I'd love the have the career some of my leadership had; multiple platforms, school, green door opportunities, overseas, etc. That sounds fucking great. The stark reality though is that my MDS in particular (as well as others in the command) has been so poorly mismanaged that at the current trajectory, a pilot getting this assignment out of UPT will not be released for anything else until, with good luck and timing, he's been doing this for literally 6-9 years, has probably 3-4K hours (mostly combat), more than 20 air medals, and is thoroughly burned out and jaded. All that being said, other guys just plain wanna get out for any number of other reasons and ya know what, that's fine too, there should be absolutely no judgement for a dude who honorably served out his commitment.

Haha!

FIFY

Nsplayr... since you seem to be editing your post to keep it accurate, I would delete the "long time off" after HC-130J. the guys in the 79RQS at DM are flying strictly the J, and here in the 71RQS at Moody we already have some J's with more on the way, they start flying in October and we will retire our last P NLT 2016.

Keep on dreaming even if it breaks your heart...

Not really. You consistently prove that you have very limited knowledge (beyond perhaps a few ROTC or ASBC courses) of how the Air Force works from an operator level. You avoid the question every time it's asked, but yet you call out MWS's (like the Eagle and Raptor) while having no credibility. So either post up what you fly or sit down and shut the fuck up while the adults talk.

Whatever your reasons are for getting out or staying in, nobody cares. Not me. Not your neighbor. Not the AF. The only thing to say is that when you are in, bust your ass, help your bro's, do the mission. Complain in the bar as nothing is gonna change. Once you realize that the AF will go on without you, you'll be a better man....

What the difference between Navigators and homosexuals? Gays have a future in the Air Force.