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You are very odd.

Ah yes, playing the racist card... I'm not a professional card player, just the occasional home game, but when I see someone playing the race card even I can recognize a weak hand. So these suddenly socially aware athletes, who were able to take advantage of their God-given talent, hard work, and luck within the nation and system that rewarded them by making them part of the dreaded 1%, want to denigrate not just the part of our society that need improving, but the whole enchilada. And me too. If the NFL chooses to ignore such behavior, I withhold my money, my time, and my givingashitedness. The continuing decline of revenue will either convince the owners to impose their will upon their employees or they will continue to see money going elsewhere and the proud race warriors who rarely ever seem to voluntarily live back in the old neighborhood dropping rapidly out of that 1%. To that I say to the average three year career NFL'er, "It's the green BMW," as I hand him the valet ticket. As to "Malcolm X" Kaepernick and his 'bold' stance in face of The Man, I remind him that the clock is ticking and he's not getting any younger.

Our PTL will likely be a pilot once again...everyone will just laugh at them if they try to make us wear PT gear. Then they'll be assessed at the next roll call for general douchebaggery.

NS, I'm struggling to respond. You said my post wasn't accurate, then you described how the Obama admin knew better, but they did it anyway. I'm in violent agreement with most of your post. They academically knew better than trusting in their durable reich, but they overstepped anyway and created their own monster.

Lawman, To begin, it’s not like we have lots of data points on such events. The variables involved probably make such an event so unique that assuming there is one good option to resolve it is not valid. There may be nothing that can be done in some cases to significantly improve the outcome. At least one other person has mentioned this, but it appears to be worth repeating. When aerospace vehicles get shot down, they don’t turn into harmless confetti and flutter to the ground. Since there were so many potential victims in close proximity to the flight path of this aircraft, there’s absolutely no guarantee that a shoot—down attempt wouldn’t have made things worse. Removing any chance of the aircraft remaining under the control of this individual who indicated he had no desire to hurt others by shooting it with air-to-air weapons certainly wouldn’t ensure it crashed somewhere desireable. Missiles don’t always hit what we shoot them at either. Setting up a shot geometry that ensured a wayward missile wouldn’t hurt someone on the ground may have been difficult, if not impossible. A mach 2+ unguided missile with a live warhead schwacking someone’s house or dropping into one of the venues you mentioned wouldn’t be any better than the possible outcomes you’re concerned about. Opting to gun him might have reduced the radius of potential problems from the inevitable rounds that didn’t find their mark - but they’re still going to fly for several miles once shot. Based on your description of the area, it doesn’t sound like raining several hundred rounds of 20 mm HEI over the surrounding area would have been a good option either. It’s also a bitch to gun an airborne target that’s flying relatively straight and level at low speed. “Safe” shot geometry with the gun would have probably been even more difficult to set up and execute without risk to those on the ground than a missile. There’s a reason we test and practice with missiles and guns at White Sands or in large, over-water Warning Areas. This is not an ROE problem. Making the choice to shoot him down over a population center is almost always going to be the lesser of two evils. Both options carry enough risk that it’s probably a coin toss. Once he lines up on a target with intent, the shot may diminish the result but definitely doesn’t guarantee no loss of life or property. Think about the second 9/11 airliner hitting the tower and what was in its path leading up to impact. If an F-15 was there to pump a couple of missiles into him and halt that attack a few miles short of downtown Manhattan, that obviously would have been great. But, the crash site was going to be a mess, with plenty of casualties and damage. A lesser “evil” for certain, but still an evil that wasn’t warranted in the Seattle case because the same threat wasn’t indicated to those observing and speaking with the individual involved.

Reads: "I think we just got our asses handed to us."

My input is backed up by nothing more than me staying at a Holiday Inn Express last night seeing as though I am recently picked up/haven't started training yet, so take what I say with a big grain of salt. That said, here's my quick take from what you told us: The negatives. Your GPA is a little low in a non-STEM background, so it's not likely going to pop out in a stack of applications; especially if you're going for fighter units. Not having your PPL will also likely give them pause, as will not working full time right now/having serious post-college work experience. I'm not knocking servers. I worked in restaurants and bars for years and know it's tough work. It's just not "solid" work experience. In the end, they're going to be spending a million bucks(?) on your training and giving the slot to you over someone else, so they're going to want to see that it's going to be a good investment. Secondly, they might want to know you can support yourself when all the training is over. Again, not that you can't waiting tables, it'll just likely be a lot less money than you were just earning training/being on orders full time as you will be for the first 2-3 years. I'm not saying that you won't be a great investment, but that would be the negatives I'd see after quick take reading your stuff without knowing you further. And, while I didn't apply to any fighter units, a lot of the folks I've talked to say how competitive they are and that there are 50 guys going for 1 or 2 slots sometimes. So, you've gotta find ways to stand out. Now, the positives. Your Pilot and Nav test scores are pretty solid and to have a 76 PCSM with pretty low hours isn't a terrible position. Again, might be low for crazy competitive fighters, but you might be able to swing it with less competitive heavies. That PPL will add flight hours to increase your PCSM and help potential units confidence in your ability to succeed. What would be your PCSM at 60-80 hours (a reasonable estimate that you'd be here if you go for your PPL)? Could you up your shifts serving or get a second job now to bring in more $$$ for lessons? Another big positive is that you're young and have lots of time to bolster your resume, bump your scores, and get comfortable with the application process. If you feel up for it, I'd honestly start applying to squadrons now. Sure, you might not get a lot of bites just yet, but you'll at least get your name out there and get a solid grasp of the process/what they're looking for. IMHO, being that "whole person" that many squadrons tout looking for is largely about your personality and fit. If you're getting your name out there, making contacts with pilots/hiring PoCs through email/call/in person, going to squadron meet and greets, and honing your interview skills, you'll get a better idea of what they're looking for and what you might need to get better at. The whole application process is an interview; not just the questions they ask you seated in front of a panel, so the better you get at that and the more inroads you make with people in squadrons you want to be in, the better your chances are. Prove you're the kinda dude guys want to spend time around and your areas that don't stand out so much on paper start to get replaced by who you are as a person. Sure, you might get a lot of rejections at first, but it'll teach you a lot about the process and, more importantly, show you want it. A squadron you apply to a few times is going to remember you and, while you might not have caught their eye on paper the first time, they'll see you're determined and want it badly, so maybe they'll give you more of a chance the next time. Comb these forums and read any and every thread that pertains to any airframe/base/squadron you're interested in, even if the thread is years old. Reach out to people that are in the hunt, too, and those that are just starting out. There is tons to learn from this forum and, hands down, it's been the best asset I've had in this dream I've been chasing. Again, I'm no expert and I'm not knocking you for anything you've got there; it's just my .02 in what I learned during the chase. Good luck out there!

What’s the matter with you?

Dude there are weekly incidents of civilians running the ECP on military bases across the country (for a variety of reasons) and they don’t get shot, mainly because similarly to this guy they don’t show hostile intent thus the sky cops or MPs chase them down and arrest them. I honestly think that once this idiot got off the ground our processes worked. I really think the biggest risk during this whole shitshow was when he taxied onto the runway for takeoff. If a 777 sized aircraft would’ve been on takeoff or landing roll and he taxiied in front of them he could’ve killed hundreds of people before he even got airborne.

Depends on where the firefight starts. Think urban where the troops are among the populace before the fight initiates. To your point about firefights, the enemy liked to target the dude wearing a backpack radio or the HMMWV/MRAP with extra antennas on it. I was informed prior to deploying downrange that my guys were to wear the ABU when outside the wire. I asked if it was a good idea to have my guys wearing something made for 72 degree cubicles that melts to ones body for combat operations in a desert. I was then told to just pick up my container of crayolas and do as ordered. Officially, I informed my guys of the order. Unofficially I made sure they would not be permanently wearing ABUs if things went sideways outside the wire.

If you live near your guard unit, you work there and are home at night. Commute to the airline and you are gone at night. If you live at your airline domicile you are gone when you work either job. (Unles you are on reserve and not flying). Honestly if you think you can be happy flying a heavy, go do that. That’s likely where you need to be. Nothing wrong with that! Being a fighter guy is too much extra work to sign up for if you are trying to talk yourself into it. Just go fly heavies, be a guard bum and fly airlines. Being a part timer in a fighter squadron is hard freakin work; especially if you are an IP and trying to stay credible.

I've said that since the primary victory. Trump as president was only possible because "the establishment," over the course of decades, dissolved any moral accountability in the underlying system of government. They cheated, they stole, they lied, they enriched themselves and their circles, they abused, and they evaded punishment. Eventually these practices became ubiquitous, and all that was left was the facade of decency and honor. But a facade cannot protect the system from intruders. Enter Trump, who's only distinction is that his words and appearance match his/their actions. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Liberal morality. That’s funny.

Must be the Phoenix Reach types we kicked out of our community...sorry!

Hey, don't knock one of the only tactical counter-measures we have... Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

How about no more PT uniform. Just wear your civilian gym clothes, or you’re grandpa jeans and kitty ear hat. No one gives a shit. One less thing to dig out of the closet for the annual pt test or ‘stan deployment.

Jesus, when did "white jet time" become a "credit"?

Welsh, McDew, Rand, Norty were all pilots too and in key GO positions... Our fellow pilots created this mess.

Am I the only one who is a guard guy and thinking this dude is a sycophant?