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Well Gen Eisenhower did not have a overwhelming resume before he came Supreme Allied CC, as compared to a Patton or Bradley but he did have the tools as a staff officer of what it took to cross the channel. If your always at the tip of the spear and looking forward to the enemy you have no idea whats behind you to keep and get you there. During my time we had 2 fighter pilots in positions that still are fucking up the USAF, McPeak and Foglesong, I never want to see those two in charge of anything again. LR does not have much of a operational resume but she does know how to be a commander at different levels more than the current AFMCCC. If she is unsure of aerial combat she has a husband who can easily inform her.

You're inferring a lot about COMACC and his installation commanders. I'm sure that's not why they prescribe the wing patch option. It does not transcend patches, we're all in the U.S. Air Force. It's just you feeling obviously more American than the rest of us and whining that you don't get to do what you want. You've made this issue about yourself, not patriotism. Let your airplane, that you're inside of when you're wearing that flight suit, do the talking.

ABMs are the shoes of the flying world. Their ability to lobby for what they want and what will keep their AFSC alive is astounding.

Karl, don't be so dramatic. Nobody forces anybody to check boxes or get AAD/PME done. And we don't make pariahs out of someone who just wants to fly. They just don't tend to get promoted. I had plenty of passed over, continued Capts, Majors and Lt Cols in my units who were outstanding pilots, navs, and officers. They volunteered to deploy multiple times, worked long hours, and were incredible mentors for the young flyers. Some did not want to be promoted and did not do those things that clearly made them competitive amongst their peers. Some accepted continuation, some retired, some separated when the time was right for them. Many regretted not getting the things done (PME/AAD) to be competitive and mentored young officers to just do it. If you only want to fly the line like a Lt or Capt, and don't want to broaden your experiences and skills with education and non-flying jobs, why would you expect to be promoted into ranks and positions of different responsibility and authority that require joint PME, education and staff experience? Granted, as a passed over officer, wanting to fly for the rest of your career, you may be separated to make room (flying time) for younger Lts and Capts. There are no guarantees for flying positions in the service, we all know that. Force structure, funding, requirements, retention and force management policies all change. If you are not suited for advancement or promotion, for whatever reason, the service should consider whether it is best for the service for you to stay, or go. When airlines are hiring and retention is low, continued officers can usually stay as long as they want to. When there are more young pilots then we have flying time to sustain, continued officers will normally be separated (the 157). By law, 100% promotion is not permitted for FGOs. Unless retention is severely low, people will get passed over. No hard feelings, just the law or the reality of resource constraints. Some people over-inflate their own value to the service when the reality is their mediocre record of performance, limited experience and low potential to perform at the higher grades make them less valuable than other officers being considered. In my experience, the promotion board to Maj and Lt Col usually gets it right and promotes the most deserving. I've studied the records of those above and below the line, and I've compared many records to my assessment of their job performance and promotion potential. I've personally counseled dozens of passed over officers about what was weak in their record and explained why they were not competitive. YMMV, and sometimes we tend to value the wrong things (AAD at Major being go-no-go) but I think it is a decent system that usually gets it right. CSAF is fixing some shortcomings now. It is a good thing we are letting people separate who actually want to separate, even with ADSCs, since we need to reduce the force. The airlines and ARC will be better off with this talented hiring pool. For the sake of the AF's future, they should not pollute too many young minds on their way out. We need talented and dedicated active duty officers of all ranks to fly our aircraft and fight our wars.

You can file this thread under "shit that just doesn't matter a whole lot"

Multiple fences, barricades, minefield, and a moat with alligators with frickin' lasers on their heads.

I love my American flag patch. I have worn it for thousands of hours and hundreds of combat missions. Mobility wears it because of our world wide mission and the expectation to be ambassadors wherever we are. You know it looks pretty cool in pictures when a load master is handing out aid during some humanitarian disaster. Hardly "faggy." It is a culture difference, but do you really feel so much dedication to your wing? Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Everything you said is true. However, you left out something a ton of my peers are doing- getting their ATPs, networking with guard/reserve units, polishing their airline apps, and counting down the days until they can leave this organization, all in part because of how we force people to check ridiculous boxes and cast them as pariahs if they dare to desire to fly for a career. To lots of people, going to school and working a joint staff job sounds absolutely miserable.

Chuck, I agree with most of what you wrote but... Other services (at least the Army) do not send people to residence PME once those folks have completed correspondence PME. There are people out there that did not get an AAD through TA but instead did what Jumper and now what Welsh is advocating. It is possible to follow the rules as written. Again, as you point out the requirement is still there just pushed well down the road. And you never have more time on your hands as you take on more and more leadership and responsibility. Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Malaysian Airlines can be had for really cheap right now... Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Champ - I agree with you and I feel your pain. Fellas... The truth of this matter is this - it is still a requirement, though just kicked a little further down the road. In all of my time on active duty thus far, which isn't really all that much in the grand scheme, I have learned several things... Among those: - Policies reverse, and the outcry from the "but, but, but" crowd is always loud. Be prepared. - You NEVER have as much time as you do RIGHT NOW, or, "the higher you go, the more demands will be made of you." Ain't no O-5s out there knocking out their degrees after spending their days as the DO or Chief of Safety... Start it, finish it, get it behind you (though at a much more leisurely pace than I had to deal with). - And finally, in the history of reduced budgets and drawdowns, I cannot think of an instance where "requirements" for commissioned officer promotion became LESS stringent. That's just not how it works. As I have said, our sister services ARE looking at degree completion and PME as discriminatory, and oh by the way, they promote earlier and send their guys to school earlier... (As well as sending more guys to school) So who is going to end up with an advantage in the DoD? Don't forget this is not all about you. The service cares about the aggregate. This is about the USAF, and it's about the service getting educated and successful people into Joint jobs to further the services goal of getting more of an ever shrinking pot of money. Cynical, but true. Keep kicking ass, spend time with your family, fly the jets, do your chores (PME and AAD), and keep things in perspective. Chuck

I'll attack from the reciprocal. I have shitty OPRs, no master's and only did SOS in correspondence. I had three strikes against me, now I only have one. How am I supposed to get passed over and kicked out with a fat severance check now? My plan is ruined.

No

Heavy pilots wear american flags in order to comply with Postal Service requirements to carry mail...no?

I don't need a flag to remind me that I'm American. Maybe it's because I grew up in ACC, but the flag patch just seems redundant. I will say I'm in the minority being that I'm in a T-1 squadron though.

I've only seen that at NAS Pensacola in front of the O'club. Of course it said 'any ENS', but same difference. I was told that if you parked in that spot and were caught you had to buy a round. I was cheap and never parked there, so who knows if that's true. I was an AF Lt, so I might have had an out, but I didn't quibble enough to find out.

The Navy/Marines grunts don't wear the American flag, yet I'm pretty sure they know who they fight for.

Full disclosure, I am a MAF guy. But I have never understood all of the push-back towards dudes who do not wear the American Flag on the left shoulder at UPT bases, or WIC grads, or TPS grads. A person at my previous base asked one of the Patches if he was proud to serve his country because he no longer wore the American Flag. However, Kadena and Mildenhall guys don't wear the American Flag and it never seems to be an issue.

It is this garbage that limits the ability of female leaders. No one has produced a credible reason why she should not be the commander. In fact she has received several "good dudette" blessings. If she is a crappy commander, how is that different than half the senior leaders according to BODN. At least give her a fair shot, no sense in having someone command while handcuffed by rumors. Get over it. Susan J Helms should have been a 4 Star already, but that is a different story. Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

There are no hard and fast rules on this which is why I was not absolute in what I said. How about, If the local sup or local policy says that you will wear the wing patch on the left shoulder of the FDU then at that base it would be out of regs or at least a violation of local policy. Back when Herks were ACC, this was a constant battle. Nothing that hasn't been done before. Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Excerpt from a relayed conversation between two captains: "This is bullshit that they're not counting AAD anymore, I spent X hours doing that, now it's all wasted. All the guys that drug their feet on it, now it's paying off for them and not for me - and I worked harder. Our records are the same? No they're not! How is that fair?" THAT is how I know this pendulum with swing - Because of the butthurt and lack of focus that we grow in our junior officer corps. Job performance DOES mean something. It always has. The rest is indicative but ancillary, so focus on what you want to, just be aware of the pendulums swing. The only way this careerist weed will get stamped out is if the SQUADRONS enforce the CSAFs directive. The squadrons are the key to all of this - and yet we continue to erode the trust in our squadron commanders... Chuck Edit: because iPad typing without morning coffee is hard

Try Little Rock. It's light out from around 0630 to 2100 this time of year. I recommend Buffalo Wild Wings but if you are feeling adventurous, go with The Flying Saucer downtown. It's a great time fighting over the one hot chick that you'll find down there.

Yes please go to extremes to make my point seem ridiculous. Standardization is all well and good. But not allowing me to wear it is American blasphemy. You should look at your shoulder and see who you fight for. I don't serve for the 71 FTW but for the USA. That's my point. It's what ALL services have in common. It's what ALL Americans have in common. To say it's not authorized for my uniform is a tremendous oversight.

Gays weren't allowed in the military either.