Leaderboard

I'll try to explain: I'm not talking about Palace chase type programs. Look, you volunteered to serve for your ADSC, if you don't have a humanitarian/medical reason for getting out early, you're trying to renege on your end of the deal, and that's not cool. It's also not cool for the AF to renege on their end of the deal (rotc recat, tami21, stoploss etc). Is it widely viewed as acceptable behavior in ARC/airlines/non-flying civilian orgs/real graduate schools to not keep your word? Ways to get out early: fail PT tests, commit a crime, refuse a deployment, malinger, violate a sufficient number of standards over time, choose not to upgrade from wingman or copilot, bust lots of check rides or cheat on tests, take leave in Colorado and smoke dope, say something lewd and degrading to fellow airmen in every staff meeting, etc. All of those ways will result in discipline first, then a less-than-glowing OPR on your way out the door. Now, to what audience will such an OPR be appealing and amusing? This line of thinking is one of the effects of being a dumbass. You're right, there is life after the AF, and it comes quickly...so serve ably and professionally as you agreed to, take advanatge of the opportunities presented to you, always take care of your airmen, then press on to ARC or NASA or corporate or blogger land or wherever with the admiration and gratitude of your fellow airmen. If you're so unsatisfied as to need to change careers right now, go read up on how to separate, then resign your commission in writing to your commander, take whatever lumps come your way and move on. Look at any board's stats: DPs are never 100% promoted...its always 98-99%. Usually, that's due to stuff in the record that occurs late in the cycle like new article 15 or criminal indictment, or don't promote me letters, or occasionally, a record that doesn't justify a the DP but the SR gave it to him anyway. These situations are NOT common and you'd know it if you were in one of them. Similarly, once in a while there is a DNP that gets promoted. They will value things the board doesnt, or vice versa. Hypothetical Example: a rescue officer was APZ with no strats on a weak DNP PRF. But, on his poorly written OPRs, he had 14 saves, 9 in combat, a BSM with valor, and two purple hearts, and fairly normal line career progression (but no schoolhouse, or exec or aide or staff tours), and was in a stressed career field. His 2nd to most recent OPR was a referral for off base DUI (and the reason for the DNP), but the LOR & rebuttal in the record confirmed he only got a reckless driving citation, not a DUI. The board valued his experiences, recognized the rehabilitative nature of the discipline he received (good OPR after the bad one) and scored him much higher than the SR obviously did, and he made the list. The board thought his experiences would lead to him being a very effective future combat and peacetime leader of airmen. This kind of situation is also not common. There's a lot more to the board process than just a quick look at the PRF, which is merely a recommendation by the SR. Every OPR, every medal citation, every document in the record is read and assessed. Variances in scores between panel members are verbally discussed...sometimes for a very long time...I remember one that we tabled twice during the day and probably spent close to an hour discussing late into the evening. We spend two weeks doing this process, and get pretty good at assessing future potential from the records. Finally, I'd prefer if you asked questions, but keep throwing spears and making snide comments if you want--it's a flyers God-given right after all. My skin is thick. I'm happy with my performance and career path and results, and I thought some of you might find these perspectives useful. LJ

Fucking A! Way to go, Dyess! Lackland, it's time to get your head out your ass and follow suit!

So, are women now denied federal loans if they don't register in the Selective Service?

This line of thinking is one the effects of being in the regular AF too long. There is life after and apart from BIG BLUE! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

True. But at the time, my opinion was the one that mattered... The board didn't see any fit test scores themselves...but we saw OPRs. But the ramifications of a failure after OPR closeout (lor, etc) could probably be referenced on the PRF if the SR wanted to. Look, if folks are trying to get out prior to their ADSC by "failing to get promoted x2" there are many ways...but none of them reflect well on you to any audience.

This. Oh well, my kids will have a much easier time getting a good job with respect to competing against these self entitled weaklings.

I disagree on one point. Not getting promoted does not mean the same thing and reneging on the contract (even if that is the end goal). You don't need to get promoted for the AF to keep you in, they can continue you should they choose. Forcing promotion on someone who doesn't want it is silly, and only an organization that habitually mismanages personnel through stubbornness and inexperience could fail to recognize that. If you don't want people with bright futures sabotaging their careers, ask yourself why the system is making them that way, and fix it. Or don't. The nice thing about the military is that very, very few leaders are ever truly accountable for their organizational management decisions.

Please state reason? I find this potentially concerning.

I know several folks with families, jobs (ARC, airlines, and/or non-flying civilian organizations), and/or real graduate schools who would laugh at you for making that statement. I guess that's not the audience you were thinking of. Not surprised that someone on a promotion board would think like you, though. Speaks volumes.

Since no one was hurt it's not too soon...saw this already circulating:

Are you loath to make a decision? We value your indecisiveness. Here, here's another $10k/yr to help you feel good about undervaluing your life choices.

Bottom line, pay is nice but not a single one of you joined the military for the pay. For most, pay will not be the reason people leave. I truly believe we have the best job in the world and being a glorified aerial bus driver shouldn't be able to compete. However with the toxic leadership, the piss poor people management, deployed empire building to prop up the next generation of "combat" generals, and the general apathy from the Air Force makes this decision easy for most. Throwing money at the problem is not going to buy loyalty, but merely keep some fence sitters in for a little while longer. Just my $.02.

When the PFT stops being needed as a force shaping tool

Not sure if serious as mush as I wanted to be a navy seal of the sky...

If you don't learn to spell Hurlburt you will be sent to Cannon.

I usually don't listen to people who talk about a particular MDS's lifestyle, then state they don't fly it.

Yeah, my argument was just about as relevant as yours. The only way you could say your point is relevant is if you think that a woman who some how amazingly met the standards of becoming a Ranger, would go through all that hard work and anguish just to purposely get pregnant to avoid a deployment.

Nsplayr...you support a President and a party that refuses to enforce immigration laws (just one example), yet you speak of values--do you value not enforcing laws? What other laws are not worth enforcing? I think your values are all over the place and sometimes even contradict with one another. I just saw how you wrote a few days ago in another post that youn said the #1 important aspect about the military is the mission/combat effectiveness, yet you point out that allowing women to serve in direct/offensive combat roles is not needed to make the forces stronger, but is the right thing to do because of 'values'. So which is it? ...and to answer your question about the 2 major politcal parties: I think one is pretty bad and the other is horrible. They both suck when it comes to supporting and protecting The Constitution. There's a reason things are so fvcked up right now and why for the last 6+ years the majority of the country says it is on the 'wrong path'. Here's a hint to those people...it's been on a destructive path for a very long time now.

I'm sure nsplayr will impeach her article, based on the fact she is a women and therefore her argument is irrational.

Agree with your post. I think the problem most of us have with this policy is the inevitable problems that will arise upon injecting jaded females into these types of environments. What happens when a female gets half of her pushups or sit-ups counted? Yep, she was treated unfairly because she's a female and gets a pass. What happens when she fails because her peer evals suck? Yep, she was discriminated against by the majority for being a female trying to break into a male dominate career and gets a pass. We agree, it is extremely unlikely that women will pass these tests in significant enough numbers to make a difference either way -- so why introduce the problems? Why, yet again, do we have to bend the masses to pander to the extreme few? Why invite all of the problems that history tells us are certain to arise? I'm not opposed to progress, but I'm also a fan of the liberal application of common sense.

Do you talk this much in real life?

Haha, I guess the use of the word "liberal" was a subconscious injection. My intended context was that of quantity, not to imply that "liberals" are capable of applying common sense.

I can't wait until we see the first af times article about the first all female PJ crew. Hopefully it doesn't coincide with your shit-out-of-luck day...

And they thought fighter pilot culture was bad... Just wait till the first women get behind the curtain in some of these male-only hyper-specialized warrior cultures. Let the (allegations of) raping (culture) begin... eta text in parenthesis for clarification of original intent

It'll be the bullsh!t game between all the services to see whoever can make a Tier 1 female operator first wins. Seals, SF, PJ, etc. just find somebody/anybody and get them through the program. Same garbage game that gave us Kara Hultgren.