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What Whittle completely ignores is that the most significant amount of the destruction of the warrior culture took place under the W Bush administration (it is really post-9/11 that the changes he mentions in his video began). All of that change, by the way, was a natural evolution of the changes put into motion under the Clinton Administration during the mid-late 90s. All of the Clinton shenanigans, for reference, were part of the fallout from the witch-hunt following the scandal at Tailhook '91...which, for those of you historians out there, took place during the administration of the 41st President. So, I find his whole "Obama the Socialist's plan to destroy the tool of American Imperialism" schtick completely shatters his message because it represents a colossal misunderstanding of what has led up to the situation we have today. It gives way too much credit to one Administration -- it is really not possible that it is the "fault" of any one of these Administrations as part of some dastardly strategic plan, but rather it is part of an overall cultural shift in the US.

Today would have been Rich's 42nd birthday. We still miss you, brother!

Dear Senior AF Leader Who Finds Themselves At Al Udeid For a Few Days, Please decline your DV billet and demand that you be put in a random CC billet. After waking up in the middle of the night to balls of mold pelting your face and throwing out your towel and uniforms, because the mold stink won't come out, give the order to burn the CC to the ground. Having stayed in both, I can honestly say sleeping in a tent less than a hundred yards downwind of the Kandahar pooh pond was preferable. Fermenting sh&t might stink, but it doesn't breed in your lungs. Sincerely, BSF P.S. - They have these things called "dehumidifying air conditioners." I'm not even sure where we came by non-dehumidifying ones. It's a pretty standard feature. If new buildings are a bridge too far, just replace the A/C units as they fail due to mold injestion. You were going to buy a new one anyways.

Nope. I did the same thing, which is why I wear a Guard patch now. Some good sport-bitching was going on here and he busts in the door and calls a bunch of pilots whiny bitches from his pulpit, citing vast deployment experience with other services and how we are the biggest Sallies he's ever met. I taught UPT for a few years and there was one thing in common with every single SIE - their place/rank in the class. Hard-charging and bright dudes tend to worry less about their future and try to make it happen, thinking that one of them will punch (chicks get a freebie if preggo) when the time comes. Newsflash, people are not here just to whine. I care a lot about the AF, especially because I continue to serve full-time. I got the assignments I wanted, loved flying/traveling and met some great bros. I wanted to find a reason to convince myself to stay - it just wasn't there. We see big problems ahead in our particular area of expertise and we discuss (aka pontificate, sport bitch, throw spears). I wouldn't frequent this board if I didn't care. If you can't fence into the conversation other than to call a bunch of people, all who know the ups/downs of operational flying better than you, a group of whiners - then go surf the Chive. We are here because we are like-minded individuals that give a shit. Leave the talking to adults.

I miss your old eDodo stuff, Zero.

I'm sure it's way overpriced and only has the XM Tops in Blue radio channel.

But seriously man, can you imagine how old the anti-F35 arguments must be getting for the pilots walkin around in their day-to-day lives? At the end of the day, they're just doing their job. They must feel like the British Petroleum gas station employees after the Deepwater Horizon blowout. Add the modern social media world, combined with the overly PC politicians and chain of command, and these guys gotta feel like they're always in the hot seat. It would be nice if all they had to say was "look it's not a perfect design but it's the best we got and the only legit 5th gen design in production right now, and we're committed to making it work" and have that be the end of it.

Assumption: Green is the sarcasm font. Probably also required:

Dammit that was supposed to be an upvote. ^this, 17D if you can answer only one question please tell me why my free gmail account allows me 15GB of space but I only get whatever the ridiculously small amount through the AF.

Heard in a staff meeting on 6 Dec 1941.... Lets park all of the planes tightly together in the middle of the airfield so we can guard them easier.

But I can still only have 50MB of emails, a la 1995 Yahoo!?

Oh my God...Zero just came out of the woodwork???

It's a simple equation...

Wake up, bro. It's not just about money, it's about QOL, working for an organization you're proud of and (yes) compensation. QOL - I serve in the RC doing the same job as on AD. I also have a stable location near family, leadership that ensures 12-hour days are not standard, a wife able to pursue a career without the threat of moving and control over when/where/if I deploy. The AD needs to compete with (or compensate for lack thereof) this option. I serve for the same big picture company, but there are two distinct differences. First, leadership is better. Some of it trickles down to the ANG but that if it gets way worse (similar to AD) that brings me to point number two: options. On the bonus in AD I'm screwed; here I have options. Money: like it or not we are not all equal. Even moreso, Some younger pups are far more productive that the below average dude that is 5 years older - which is why the Sec Def is looking into some changes. The business world is not handcuffed by time-in-grade and compensation limits, which provides a situation with more open competition for money, leadership and promotion than we currently have. My BIL is SF (same age too) and we got to talking about this subject. He basically admitted that he only common jobs on the outside that make the same money right away for him would involve personal security in the Middle East, minus the pension plan of AD with more time away. Sorry, but I have more options. People can bitch all they want about aircrew (or legal, docs entering late, and eventually cyber) making more, but the AF needs to compensate for the fact that I have more options on the outside. In my case, the bonus (as big as it is) was not enough. A lot of people agree with me - I dont think it has influenced anyone to stay that wasn't already doing so. The SF dude doesn't need a bonus because his options aren't the same. Life isn't fair, it's real. If you want options, develop a skillset or experience that opens them up for you. Don't just sit back and bitch about others that have the work ethic to set themselves up in a better place.

NICE! Welcome, it's a sickness...you'll want more. Speaking of...I'm getting the itch to buy another 1911. The TRP is high on my list but I recently flew with a Captain who picked up a Dan Wesson, which has piqued my interest. He has a TRP as well and had nothing by great things to say about his DW. I have always heard good things about DW, a Valor may just be my next purchase.

You spend a lot of time on both Air Force and Navy forums. I doubt any AF pilot spends as much time as you reading about another service. Since you obviously aren't a pilot, are you some military aviation fanboy or something? Dunno why I even ask, as we all know you won't respond.

They take the taskers from the MAJCOM and give it to the Wings. They are people-people.

Sure you can. Be aggressive and creative. When you are right, you are right. I think you are reading too much into it. It is not degrading or discriminatory. Yes, diversity and the protections EO enable make us a stronger and more professional force. You are naive to think there are not legitimate complaints and resolutions handled by EO every day across our AF. The quotes you reference from this document do not call for reverse discrimination.

What a bunch of fucking whiners. You're so poor, your life is so difficult, airlines are so much better...GTFO. Aircrew does get paid more. When you consider the tax advantages, incentive pays, and retention bonuses it's significantly more. Maybe the issue isn't pay at all, maybe you're entitled and forgot the point of military service. Clue, it wasn't to get rich. I've served with officers and enlisted from each service and many career fields, and I've never heard as much complaining as I do from AF pilots. Are your lives that much shittier than everyone else's? Or are you just that much more entitled?