Leaderboard

As a retired MSgt who got out when I saw my Sq infested with E-8's and E-9's who never did their time in the desert this hits very close to home. Cut and Paste from a JQP blog. I always wondered about myself if I was part of the problem when I decided to bail out when I had my fill of these block fillers. I’m a Master Sergeant. My job is not to be part of the fucking Top 3, or preen and lick my coat so that Colonels and CMSgts like me, or to carefully consider how to earn a “5”. My job is to take care of my airman, and motivate + inspire my Staff and Tech Sergeants to do the same. They aren’t as wise as me yet, because they haven’t seen as much, but if I do myjob I will expose them to situations where they will begin to acquire that wisdom. My job is to protect my people and let them truly understand what ‘taking owningship in an organization means’ while at the same time holding them accountable to the high standards I set, exemplify, and enforce. I shouldn’t have a perfect career history or life, because that gives me no clue how to talk to a junior enlisted who is having troubles. If I’ve never gotten in trouble, what the hell am I supposed to say to Airman Smith who is getting an Article 15 or a Letter of Reprimand? “Sorry man. You should have been more like me.” No. Fuck that. “Sorry man. I’ve been there. I did something stupid too. But I didn’t let it stop me. I picked myself up and dusted myself off.” That is the real danger of the one-mistake Air Force. We are robbing our organization of the most powerful force in human history: the ability to learn from our mistakes. Instead we staff it with a bunch of crumb lapping lap-dogs whose only concern is some stupid stratification or some worthless certification they are supposed to have because “someone told me I’m supposed to have it”. What about people? If you spend so much time buried up your own ass, you forget why you are here in the first place. Your purpose is not as an ego-masturbatory exercise, but as a leader of men and women and a manager of teams who’s goal is to foster an organization that doesn’t trudge along to a broken and sick drum, but hums along with a precision and fury that somehow exceeds the sum of its parts. These days we don’t even know how to create such an organization. We sometimes marvel at one when we see it, but more often than not it came about through dumb luck because we have forgotten how to be leaders. Inevitably, the next egotistical maniac will take the helm of such an organization and run. it. into. the. ground. Why do I know this? Because I have seen it. I have lived it. I have made my mistakes and learned from them, even when they weren’t my mistakes. I have reflected on years of a career spent trying to do the right thing, even when it cost me personally and professionally. You know why? Because I’m not just a fucking E-7. I’m a Senior NCO. And my job is bigger than just me now. People don’t work for me any longer. That’s not how this works. I work for them. They aren’t there to stroke my ego or provide me with career and EPR fodder. They aren’t there as punching bags to absorb my own shame, guilt, and frustrations. They aren’t there to do the one thousand menial tasks I invent because I am an uncreative prick. I am there for them, to shepard them towards better careers, to encourage them to pursue personal improvement, to inspire them to do outstanding jobs (even at great personal cost), and to slowly shape them into the SNCOs that I know they will one day be. Because that’s a family. That’s an organization. That’s taking care of each other. And that’s what the US Air Force was supposed to be, and is about. And if you’re not onboard, and you care more about your own EPR than the SrA who’s wife is leaving him, get the fuck out. If you care more about the next Top 3 Meeting than your SSgt who’s work productivity suddenly plummetted for no discernable reason, get the fuck out. If you care more about impressing the wing commander than what your Staff Sergeants and airmen are saying amongst themselves, get the fuck out. We don’t need you. We need SNCOs.

As a still flying, combat capable 55 year old airplane that has participated in every war since the current model's production in 1960 (along with the KC-135), I think the BUFF has earned the privilege of telling a few "war" and "there I was" stories. Also, if you knew your Air Force history, you would remember that the "mach tuck" you speak of was originally called a "bomber crush", which was a crease from the headsets that the WWII bomber crews wore over their flight cap during their combat missions. Other than those two minor critiques, you shacked the rest of your post. -9-

This rant is meant for those who are thinking of staying in 20years and plan to either fly airlines or have airlines in mind as a backup post retirement.... It still boggles my mind how $25k per year could be the least bit appetizing to anyone...especially in this current environment. Hell, by the time you factor in taxes, your are getting as much as your son or daughter could make with a part time job at McDonalds. What a freaking joke. Another bit of food for thought is that (unless you played your cards right and are a millionair by the time you retire as a LT Col) you are going to still need to work. Based on current retiring Lt Cols, about 70% of them, maybie more are going airlines, or at least trying. What does this mean? Well it means that they either planned from the begging to go airlines or had it as a backup because they realize they still need to work. So let's say that stays the same, that means about 70% of us will be looking to do the same in 10 years. Sooo, either way, most of us will still need to work. With the current hiring boom, if your plan or back-up plan is to fly commercial post retirement as a means of maintaining your financial quality of life, why the heck would you not get out as a young guy now? The wave has arrived and the front side of that wave is going to stick around for 3-4 years or so. It just makes sence to be at the beginning of that hiring spree. The biggest stress you will have in the commercial world is how many numbers are behind you. Seniority is THE issue. Doing so gets you that seniority that you will not have should you wait 10 years from now. The guys that are taking these commercial jobs withen the next 2-3 years are going to realize that their decision to punch was probably one of their best financial decisions they've made. When their buddies show up to the same Airline at age 45 kicking the tires as retired Lt Cols that took a $25k/yr bonus while the one who didn't is now a Captain it will be interesting to see who's quality of life is better at that point. It would take that dude probably to age 55 maybie 60 just to hit Captain! Also, the dude who punched is looking at a 30 year Airline retirement vs the other dude who is looking at a 15yr. The difference is HUGE (sts)! And the set income of an AF Retirement doesn't come close to what you would have made by putting in 30yrs with an Airline. As it stands today, if your plan is to do airlines after 20years AD, your going to have missed the hiring wave, you will be older, you will still need to work, your standard of living will be higher, your kids will be in college, you will have probably done at least one 365 away from your family, you will be joining an airline and flying the crappy lines as an FO to pay your dues to climb the ladder all while being older and your body not as swift to recoupe had you done it when you were 33yrs old and the hiring wave was cush, you will be tired, it will take you forever and a day to make Captain because by the time you do you will be forced to retire at age 65, 10 years from now you will be looking at your buddies FB profile pics who punched and you will be kicking yourself, you will have PCS'd at least 2-3 more times for the Air Force, one of those moves will probably be right smack in the middle of one of your kids high school years and they will hate you (ok, maybe not hate)...all for $25k per year before taxes...what a joke. Don't sell your sole for this last ditch effort that AD AF is trying to get you to bite off on...Their mismanagement and apparent attempts to fix the situation is nothing more than a slap in the face to good aviators and good people who deserve much better treatment. It's not about the money...never was. Anyone else see this as well? Maybe it's just the beer talking ;)

That would only happen if they went back to the Guard . When Georgia and Kansas had them they were in the high 80's, They had old farts working on them.

So much this. I want to stab somebody everytime i hear a Lt Col say "Well, you'll have to convince the Chief ...".

Yeah, a class' overall drop is totally determined by merit. 2009 - 2011 was one of the worst droughts ever. 3/4 of UPT graduates during those years were apparently awful. And don't even remind us about 1992 - 1993... Those students were so bad that the AF banked them... Giving them 2+ years to hone their chairflying skills. WIC is going to be a helluva reunion for the rock stars of XL 15-08.

In Mx I would prefer an 2Lt would defer to the crusty Pro Super when making Mx decisions when it came to the jet , experience beats youth. But that was in the USAF I was in since most guys like me spent our entire career on the flightline and were considered not well rounded. I hear that doesn't happen anymore.

I don't see it. You know what sucks about being in AFGSC? The nuke exercise/inspection schedule. NOREs. NORIs. DNSIs. Something every 6-9 months with preparatory wing-level exercises sprinkled in between. We could really get a lot of good training done if it weren't for all of the inspecting. But none of that will affect the B-1 dudes in the slightest. Other than that, I've been pretty happy with the leadership in AFGSC... People mostly from B-1 backgrounds by the way (Kowalski, Wilson, Vander Hamm, Clark). [Caveat: I've been at Minot for 69%+ of my time in the community and missed the Mike and Andy Show at KBAD.] The B-1 wings are not going to be any less of a priority for AFGSC/A3 than they were for ACC/A3, and I'm guessing they will be a significantly higher priority for AFGSC/A4 than they were for ACC/A4, which could only be a good thing. It's not like switching MAJCOMs is going to put a firewall on their phone lines that keeps them from crosstalking with (say, as in your example) the F-15E dudes about data link standards/TTPs while they're figuring out SB16 integration. And I for one would be thrilled to have more dudes with a conventional focus peopling the staffs at 8 AF and AFGSC/HQ. I guess the proof will be in the pudding.

And here I am at the Deid just wanting a crew van with working air conditioning...

You expect to make 75k a year from retirement after being passed over for major? I'm not a math major, but...

Apparently, for you, it is now...and that's okay. The Air Force is doing a lot of things wrong, and a lot of things right. You need to go ahead and do what is right for you; I'm glad you know what that is. Go ahead, finish your beer, and stop telling me what the fuck to do. Bendy

I believe it is your final year of college. 90/120 units~

15-08 student detected....

This is an example of progressive idealogy? Oh yeah, I forgot the opposing conservative stance on the issue, #RapeThemKillThemAndDumpTheBodies. As pointlessly symbolic as this was it makes my head hurt to think of the paranoia you must live with if you can find partisan politics in this. WTF indeed.

You are so right. Progressives have a corner on that market. Never have I ever seen an alternate philosophy politician (if you can even call the first lady a politician) champion a cause in a wholly symbolic way for personal gain without actually doing anything meaningful to change it. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Insert faceplam .jpeg of epic proportions here. ------------------------------------------------------------------- I'd dig up a couple examples for you, but I don't have enough years left on this Earth to compile a representative sample. That was pretty much my point. It's called satire.