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In the end, we don't get to decide who is legitimate or not, despite what we say. Those who rule do so at the consent of the governed, either by design or implicit. Afghanistan is a 3rd world shit hole, and will operate and be governed like a 3rd world shit hole. No amount of money/lives/hope spent will change that until the people of that country want it to be something else and are willing to stand up and fight. Bergdahl back is a good thing, he may or may not be a deserter/dirtbag/disturbed dude, but he's our guy. We reserve the right to pass judgement, no one else. What happens after, I don't really care about. I'm more interested in ensuring the institution keeps faith with those isolated. I can only hope that those dirt-bags released are kept on a short leash, with a game of catch with a Hellfire on the other end.

I'm with LJ. I hate the AF, but I love my job (the tactical part at least). It's alarming the amount of piss poor managers we have and all the bullshit big blue happily shovels on us. I can't wait for the day to be freed from all this, live where I want, etc. My family can't wait either. That said, I would never tell a dude to not go for it and crush his dreams about how shitty this place is and it's not even worth a second glance. The truth is most, if not all of us, have had the opportunity to do some awesome things; things that are unmatched by 98% of people in this world. It may be about that time for many of us to GTFO this burning shitpie of a ship, but that doesn't mean new guys yet to even open a Dash 1 can't have their own awesome experiences, despite the mega shitton of worthless assholes that run amok in this organization. They will most likely also be ready to put a shotgun in their mouth after 6-9 years and will be pumped for the chance to VSP out of the 2025 version of the AF, but that's fine. They'll have some great times, do some good shit and in the grand scheme of things probably have a way better decade than compared to working at IBM 9-5. The AF is a disaster and terribly mismanaged, but the flying is fun as hell and worth it, at least for a bit. When you try to tell me the flying sucks and was NEVER worth at least the 6-9 years you did it, really think about it; I bet you come up with at least some good times and at the very minimum, a solid aviation foundation from which to jump into the civilian world. And honestly tell us you seriously regret setting foot in a military aircraft and wished you'd never walked on a flightline and instead had been sitting at a desk all these years, punching yourself in the sack. I know what I'd rather do.

Political posturing and garbage. You know how we got Durant back, direct negotiation with a non state actor (ie warlords). You know how we got our guys back who got lost in a Humvee in Bosnia, Jessie Jackson went their with the support and backing of he state dept. we have negotiated before and we will again. We negotiated to get our men back after Vietnam, including the ones that gave aid and comfort to the enemy for favors. We do that because they are our citizens and nobody else's. This political bickering on "it'll endanger troops," and "it's against long standing policy," is exactly that, bickering. We do not put a price on the lives of our citizens. To do so sets a precedent that there is a price we won't pay. How do we tell our service members or our civilians supporting us that there is a limit to the price we will pay to get you home. Is the Rated aircrew an worth 4 Taliban LTs? Is the Truck driver only worth an IED emplacer? What are you worth, what am I worth? I'm sure everybody here is familiar with all the stupidity of Ogrady's actions as an isolated person. Despite that we risked how many lives to bring him home because that's our part of the bargain. What happens when we tell them "nah you keep that guy Bergdahl he was an idiot/traitor/coward/etc and we don't want him back." Now you set a precedent that some people aren't worth it to us. What happens to the crew chief that isn't a high enough rank to be important, or the lone kid who wandered too far off an OP taking a piss and gets rolled up. Now they aren't worth keeping alive and instead are only worth a bullet (or worse).

Saw some interesting bits in the new 2015 NDAA just passed by the House and now going to the Senate. These changes are almost definitely going to be signed into law by the President. The number of AD Enlisted Aides in the entire DOD will be restricted to 300 (current level) OR double the number of AD O-10's plus one each for the number of O-9's, whichever is less. So currently there are around 300 Enlisted Aides for the 165 O-9's and O-10's, but that will shrink to around 245. There are currently about 80 Air Force Enlisted Aides. If our portion remains consistent, that should shrink to about 67, or 13 people doing a real job again in FY15. Non-AD (retirees, dependents, etc.) pharmacy copays for Rx's filled outside the MTF will increase beging CY15, but it hasn't been determined how much the cost increase will be. The idea is to minimize off-base TriCare usage and maximize MTF use. Pay raise locked at 1% (instead of 1.8%) for all Enlisted and O-1 to O-6. O-7+ pay is frozen for FY15. BAH frozen until inflation/economy reaches 95% of cost of living for that zip code/assignment location. Grandfathers personnel who join the military on or before 31 Dec 2015 to receive normal retirement rates vice the CPI -1. This is great news for recent recruits and prospective DEP'rs. Previous law was retroactive only back to 1 Jan 2014. $39M for additional Air Force infrastructure in the Pacific. Rumor mill is that most of it is going to Anderson AFB/Guam. $5.8B for JSF acquisition for all DOD. How many that shakes out to go to the Air Force is still indeterminate. If current cost over-runs remain consistent, we'll probably end up with half an engine, a re-furbished F-16 ejection seat, and a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator. $1B for E-2D, $1.5B for KC-46Am and $1.4B C-130 acquisition. Also, the A-10, U-2, and AWACS can't be retired (yet). Additionally, A-10 funding increased by $256M and AWACS increased by $35M. $48M for C-130 AMP and Engine upgrades, and prohibits any use of funds to investigate retiring the C-130. BRAC hasn't actually been approved, however funding is approved to inventory and investigate a future BRAC. Plans and recommendations for a BRAC must be submitted by the SECDEF to the HASC/SASC before FY 2016. My guess is we'll see the start of an actual BRAC in FY 2017. These funds can also be used to recommend closing infrastructure (not a full installation, just individual structures) early if it is determined to be an excess. Money used for BRAC research is shared between base modernizations (new housing, energy conservation upgrades, etc.) $500M to train foreign governments, specifically in coordination with withdrawal from Afghanistan, but other sites as well. DOD personnel travel budgets cut by $75M. TDY's and PCS's will continue to be more infrequent. Prevents the Navy from investigating or pursuing the retirement of the USS George Washington. FY15 End Strengths will be: Army - 490,000 (30K less than FY14) Navy - 323,600 (unchanged from FY14) Marine Corps - 184,100 (6.1K less than FY14) The Air Force - 311,220 (16.4K less than FY14) Force Management Programs authorized through Dec 2018 at the discretion of the individual services, meaning AFPC will continue to cock-up its' programs for another 3.5 years. Authorizes the SECDEF to purchase/exchange land with Arlington, VA to enlarge the National Cemetary, potentially to include the Air Force memorial. Caps annual pay for retired generals/flag officers to $181.5K. This was kinda a runaway problem as some retired officers were getting more pay than when they were AD due to various bonuses and benefits. Glad to see this was capped.

I might execute your suggestion now that I'm seeing prices in the 1650$ range! The fit/finish seem nice and the mag change isn't as awkward as I thought it would be; but my impressions come from handling not actually shooting.

dude no one had been that close before

I've read/watched quite a few reviews on them in the last year and they seem to be awesome for what they are (the select fire version also seems to woke well for the IDF). I've handled them at gun shows and I like the balance/feel to them. The only negative thing I've seen with the firearm is the trigger...but companies are already selling aftermarket drop-in triggers that seem to be a big improvement. Also, IIRC, people are getting about 2-2.5 MOA, but that should be sufficient for what it was designed to do. I've been considering one, especially since the price has come down a few hundred...what I would really want is one in .308, since the Kel Tec RFB seems to be crap. I suggest you buy the Tavor and let us know what you think!

A little harsh for a dude that is excited about the possibility isn't it? I'm all about getting his eyes wide open, but crushing a dude's spirit because we are old, crusty, cynical bastards that are pissed at the AF isn't the right way to do it.

Please...I went through ROTC and that was like a douche assembly line. They're everywhere.

So the Taliban is now a legitimate entity? I'm sure you feel the same way about Hamas since they hold seats and a couple years ago controlled the Palestinian government; or how about the Muslim Brotherhood since they were running the Egyptian government for a time?

without a map, nonetheless. //derail over

Isn't it believed he walked out the front gate of his FOB? I'm glad this guy is back but unlike O'Grady, the Vietnam guys or the humvee, they were put into enemy hands or jeopardy by hostile actions or being near hostile territory. If he was on a patrol and was captured that's one thing, if he walked out the front gate then I don't believe he or anyone should receive special treatment even if he was held for five years. Its like the idiots who go hiking on the dispited Iranian border and then complain about being picked up by Iran. Yes because of who we are we will move heaven and earth to bring you home, but once you are home you may still have to face the music for your stupidity. I'm sure though he'll be touted a hero regardless of the actual circumstances anything negative will be swepped under the rug.

He's back. And to those thinking we don't negotiate with terrorists or anybody else it's a movie line not a reality. The state department does it under the table all the time. We did it for Durant in Somalia, we did it for guys we know broke the faith in Vietnam. The important precedent is the enemy will never have to sit there and think "will this guy be worth anything to them or should I just kill him," when it's the next guy. Would I rather a dozen snake eaters come get him in the middle of the night, absolutely but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. What he did or didn't do, that will come out a the debrief. What happens because of it will play out after all the political show is over. The important thing is we are deciding the fate of one of our own and not some goat fucking shit head in some god forsaken shithole village. It's like the rule of I can hit my kids... You do it and I will f'ing murder you.

I'm glad he's back. I'm very unhappy that in doing so, we just validated that we will, in fact, negotiate with terrorists, and in doing so we put a price on every American's head.

Exactly. It's the same way we ended up with CSEL. I always think of Homer Simpson's car design when people discuss programs like LCS, CSEL, JSF, etc.

What career is this?

This is an aviation "urban legend". Pilots have speculated about this for a long time. But the proof is in the results. We all know plenty that have been hired at companies other than SWA while in possession of a 73 type. The Legacies simply do not care.

Holy mother fvcking shit balls--really?? Or are you just trolling? Anti-discrimination laws should 'only apply to people's physical features/sexual orientation'? Everybody else should 'change their views' (or keep them silent)? Change their views to what?? Just because you disagree with a certain faith, you are saying it is the fault of those who practice/believe that faith? The Catholic Church does not support gay marriage...do you believe that Catholics should be refused service/unemployment? Should a person wearing a t-shirt with a Catholic logo be refused service because they 'should change'? Do traditional black Baptist churches get a pass or do they have to conform as well (or never speak what is on their mind)? As a Libertarian, philosophically I believe a private business should be able refuse employment to anyone for any reason (as well as refuse service)...but until that happens, I believe you have to protect all views, not just the 'popular' ones at the moment. So tell us--what other faiths, organizations, groups should 'change' their views to suit a progressive agenda? Should Tea Party members have to conform to a certain view? What about Libertarians? What's s scary is that you're probably not trolling and that there is a growing movement of a strong minority who believes everything you posted.

I wanted to be an Air Force pilot my entire life and if you asked anyone that knew me back in AFROTC they would tell you I would stay in for a full career. However once I got into the "real" Air Force I found the focus in C-17s to be about anything but flying. I was never talked to by management about my last tactical approach but about how I was an "embarrassment" for not having my zippers zipped to the appropriate length etc. Thinking that it must be an AMC thing I headed over to T-6s to see if the grass was greener. However it was anything but. Regardless of how hard I worked as a USEM or Chief of Programming I was given second class treatment by our fighter centric management who were the castoffs from the F-15 community. Fear, sarcasm, and intimidation are their tactics in managing a squadron as I came to find out. They looked after their bro network and literally couldn't care about any of my goals or desires to become A PIT instructor FCF pilot you name it. The kicker was my squadron commander directly lied to my face about how I was not selected for 2+2 because of time on station when in reality he never pushed my application beyond the squadron level. I wish the next assignment would mean an improvement however seeing the calibre of the people the Air Force Deems fit for command leads me to believe that VSP is the best option for me The Air Force has helped me out as an aviator in so many ways but it's time to move on with a new phase of my life where I decide who I want to work for, where I want to live and how I wish to live.

I don't come here to often any more and when I do I lurk but figured I had to show off my new baby and it's older sibling: The lowers are pretty much the same: AXTS Weapons SSA trigger BADASS 45 degree safety SLAP plate Magpul CTR and MIAD grip SBR: Vltor Mur1A upper Raptor CH BCM BCG Seekins MSVR 2 keymod rail BCM 11.5 standard barrel Gemtek Trek Aimpoint H1 Magpul MBUS It's older sibling is becoming a competition/3 Gun rifle and still needs a newer longer barrel but it is a BCM 16" middy with a VTAC alpha rail, Burris MTAC w/ a Warne Skel mount. Need to get out and zero everything. That is all...

That formation reminded me of my first UPT 4-ship.

Anti-discrimination laws don't apply to racists. They exist for groups that cannot change some aspect of themselves, be it race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation (I understand some people think this is still up to debate), etc. Do you really think the Ku Klux Klan and the Westboro Church need the RIGHT to be served at any private business, regardless of what the owner wants? No. Because they should be able to change their views, or at least keep their ideals to themselves. But if you turned a woman away for her gender, an Asian for his heritage, or a veteran for his disabilities, that isn't fair. You can't change or hide those things. And I know that the first thing you are going to say is that you can hide your sexual orientation. But that's not really true if you want to get married or have a family, and in the last 3-5 years, it has become recognized - in some states and federal organizations - that it is their right to do that.