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Everyone's out.

"Are you ready to perform in the next grade? Let's go back 8 years to your SOS performance and find out"

The above dilemma exist in all aspects of our dearest military. Specially in the Army. The good folks leave... and the turds that have no business leading people float to the top to take command. Also...

PRFs, not OPRs. Each of those strats is likely from a single OPR.

I had 2 consecutive #1/150 Majs from Wg CC plus #3/270 CGOs and #2/80 Jt O-4s at a Joint Command, finishing behind only an Army infantrymen on the way to Battalion Command; same push, no commission DG, no SOS DG and I did not make it 1BPZ. If there was such thing as a late bloomer, it would be me -- truth is you can't make BPZ as a late bloomer. Fine by me. 7 more years until check of the month club.

Hey everyone - I wanted to leave a detailed review of my experience with initial CA ANG recruiting through my first UPT interview. I recently went through the process of getting my PPL and taking all the required tests to apply for pilot boards (AFOQT and TBAS). I encountered a few pitfalls along the way that seem unique to my area (Southern California) and I wanted to share those with others who might be doing the same thing. Hopefully this helps anyone who's just starting out on the adventure. Feel free to PM me for more details if you want. To get right to it, here's a list of the specific things I ended up having trouble with. I put a summary of my background and path to interviews below this section for context. If you're trying to schedule testing in the Southern California area, you may run in to a couple of issues that will drag out the process. TL:DR - start scheduling everything 2 months before you intend to submit applications to give yourself time for testing and to accommodate the inevitable delays. I fumbled my way through the process and missed a few application deadlines because things took longer than expected (note - this was entirely my own fault for not being prepared enough, hopefully you'll read this and do better than I did). Many of you may read this and think "this kid is an idiot" - you're correct, but my idiocy may be useful for others. At the end of the day, I got it all done well enough to be selected as an alternate at a fighter unit and I'm continuing the push for a primary slot. Call CAANG as soon as you can and fill out their initial forms. They will assign you a recruiter, and then the guy you originally talked to will no longer be useful for you CAANG had me work through the 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Field for initial recruiting tasks. This posed a number of challenges, as I live in Los Angeles and was not applying to that unit My recruiter was not local and was sometimes difficult to contact They were not familiar with the procedures for scheduling TBAS testing at LA MEPS You probably won't be able to avoid this issue, so build in time to deal with the delays. Seems like most officer recruiting goes through the 129th I ended up scheduling my AFOQT test date myself. It took me a long time waiting for return phone calls to realize this was something I could take care of on my own As soon as you have your recruiter, find the closest AFROTC detachment to where you live and call them yourself. Ask to schedule the AFOQT. There are tons of ROTC kids who take this every year, and I jumped in with a bunch of them. I waited for almost a month for info from my recruiter, only to find that I could call LMU AFROTC myself to get scheduled that day and take it 2 weeks later Your scores should be available in 1-2 weeks. I cost myself a month of waiting to take the AFOQT by not being proactive The single biggest hiccup came with scheduling the TBAS. In short, every MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station for noobs like myself) has different rules, and not knowing the small details caused me a ton of headache LA MEPS is super busy. They get a ton of throughput and don't have time for BS. This means when your recruiter goes to schedule you for the TBAS, he can't make mistakes. The day I took the TBAS, they probably swore in 50 eighteen year olds. You're going to stick out like a sore thumb The testing guys claim I was only the second person to ever take the TBAS at LA MEPS. Sounds like they didn't offer the test until Dec 2018. Most people there had no idea what it was, so expect to get some strange looks and possibly some confusion regarding how to get the test set up properly Your recruiter must schedule the testing for you, and he/she must provide at least 2 business day's notice I tried to schedule it myself and was promptly shut down The first time I went to MEPS, my recruiter had informed me that I had been scheduled for testing. I did not follow up with LA MEPS to confirm, and arrived to find that we had not given sufficient notice and I was unable to take the test. Attempt #1 ended in failure and I had to go back a week later Your recruiter must leave the signature slots on the test forms blank for you to sign in person. Electronic signatures are not permitted. I had to re-print all my documentation day-of-test and physically sign it Your recruiter must submit the worksheet documenting your flight hours. This may seem obvious to everyone on this board, but was not obvious to my recruiter. Not having this info forced a reschedule of my second test attempt Follow Reagan's advice to "trust, but verify". I would have saved myself a lot of trouble if I followed up with LA MEPS myself Once you get over these hurdles the rest is on you - find the units you want to apply for, make your pretty application packets, etc. I haven't needed anything from my recruiter since completing the TBAS and receipt of my PCSM, and it's been much smoother. My background: 29 years old Degree in Aerospace Engineering 7 years of industry experience My path to interviews: Decided to start seriously pursuing a UPT slot in Sept 2018 Completed my PPL between Sept and Dec 2018 Contacted CAANG in Jan 2019 Took the AFOQT in Mar 2019 Took the TBAS in April 2019 First interview in May 2019 I missed two application deadlines in Feb 2019 because I dragged my feet on scheduling testing. Don't let this happen to you

Haven't been in this thread since I was passed over IPZ last year, but I got picked up 1 above (O5). The O6 who made it happen (I think) moved so I haven't had a chance to ask him how he did it, but I'm convinced he went to our 2 star SR and made a case for me.. my record definitely didn't change 😄. Oh well, more money I suppose.

C’mon, give her a break, she just had a kid. I mean, she did eat it, but to each their own, right?

What’s wrong with the AF finally just became the new normal and is being discussed casually in the other threads. Word on the street is take rates are now in the 30%s. I think congress has tired of hearing about it so... 🤷‍♂️

Just picked up my first AK, it’s a PSA AKV, 10.5” 9mm. Got it out to the range yesterday and it’s a blast to shoot, put 350 rounds through it and had zero issues with what I’d call gen 1.5. I put a Bushnell red dot on it that nicely co-witness with the iron sights.

Holy shit, this is what OPRs are "supposed" to look like? AD kids being sent to Guard units as a first assignment are FUCKED! Well...besides pretty much having a guaranteed job in a few years when they can get out. I guess I don't understand this and it seems to be a complete devaluation of medals. I once got a MSM (as a Capt) because the OG at the time was passed over for O-6 the first time for not having a MSM. A few months later, the whole damn squadron got MSMs so this didn't happen to any of us. I guess he thought he was "taking care" of us. Fast forward a few years and we get a WG/CC from another base. Now a Major, he loses it when he sees that I have 2xMSMs and no Commendation medal. Guess who now has a commendation medal. Again, what a fucked up system! Note: Before this I had never heard that it was customary that Capt get AFCM and Majors get MSMs.

1 strat that captures 4 years against your peers? I’d buy it over SOS. Wasn’t there talk of moving officers to a static closeout? Seems like that would close the loopholes on the strat game even further and allow everyone to be racked and stacked equitably once a year.

They want younger versions of themselves. The system worked for them, therefore the system must be good. I quote again from The Talking Heads, "Same as it ever was..." The new and improved two-line PRF is a sop so that it looks like "they are doing something." And for the drones at A1, et al, it was a way to get The Man off their collective back and earn themselves one of those coveted strats. This is no different than the switch from the old weighted OERs to the new and improved "meets standard" OPR/PRF, and so on back to 1947. And before that back to the founding of our military officer corps. Largely, who you know along with luck/timing rules and always will. Make informed decisions knowing the rules of the game whether written or not.

Video released that explains why Maverick will never make Flag.

I need to make a friend with a T-6.

DP = 99.9% promoted P = ~50% promoted Doesn't matter what else is on there, P vs DP is the biggest discriminator. No matter what anyone says, it's all a guess how "strong" a P PRF is. Most O's (aircrew anyway) are well above average and Big Blue magnifies the smallest difference to be able to draw a cut line somewhere. It sucks that PRFs and OPRs are have unwritten rules only the select few are allowed to know, but honestly most non-military family, friends, future employers won't know and don't care. From presonal experience, don't get your ego wrapped up in the PRF and the board results. It doesn't define who you are as a person.

Yeah I’ll post mine later tonight

This one was Join Spouse. Still wasn’t easy, this Stud kicked ass in T-1s

It happens every blue moon or so, (almost?) always a join spouse deal. From what I've heard the studs do just fine in the ftu.

No need to make it political. I’m sure Fox and CNN will take care of that for themselves. Clinton, Trump, Republicans, Democrats, Celebrities, Businessmen, I don’t care. I hope everyone involved gets taken down and absolutely destroyed. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Blood Diamond

Timeless Tips for Simple Sabotage from 1944. A lot of this is eerily familiar. Additional nuggets on page 28 of the PDF. General Interference with Organizations and Production Organizations and Conferences Insist on doing everything through "channels." Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions. Make "speeches," Talk as frequently as possible and at great length., Illustrate your "points" by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences. Never hesitate to make a few appropriate “patriotic" comments. When possible, refer all matters to committees, for "further study and consideration." Attempt to make the committees as large as possible - never less than five. Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible. Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions. Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to re-open the question of the advisability of that decision. Advocate "caution." Be “reasonable" and urge your fellow-conferees to be "reasonable" and avoid haste which might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on. Be worried about the propriety of any decision - raise the question of whether such action as is contemplated lies within the jurisdiction of the group or whether it might conflict with the policy of some higher echelon. https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2012-featured-story-archive/simple-sabotage.html

Sorry to hear that, Brother. Wrap your brain around the concept that she will get half of everything you ever earned while you were together. If you're able to come out better, then it's all gravy. Do everything you can to remain civil and professional with her. Never let your kids hear you say anything bad about her. Ever. Not once. As strange as this sounds, moving forward your relationship with her, and it's failure are none of their business. No matter how badly she may behave, she's their Mom. If you can sit down at the kitchen table with her and put it all on a legal pad, you'll save yourself a lot of angst and attorney fees. If you can "give in" to certain things she wants in order to facilitate a quick agreement in return for certain things you want, it's worth every penny. People will give you advice like: "Roll in on that cunt and fight her tooth and nail!" Ask those people to compare what they think they "won" in court financially to what it cost to litigate it. It isn't worth it. Moving forward, your relationship with her is going to be jointly parenting your kids. That relationship will be healthier for the kids if the two of you can agree to act like adults ad settle as amicably and quickly as possible. Now; You. You're a pro. Compartmentalize like a MF and work your way through indoc and IOE. When you get a chance, take some time for yourself. Nonrev to Hawaii and put it all out of your mind for a few days. Exercise is your friend - the more the better. At some point in all of this process, you'll have come far enough and gotten past the anger enough to look at what happened a little more objectively. When that happens, the single most important thing you can do is forgive her and yourself for what happened. Let it fucking go. You're also about to re-learn who your real friends are. Lean on those folks. Bigtime. Don't medicate with booze or food. That's it. The day you have to tell your children is the worst day of your life. Everyday after that will be just a little bit better. Good luck, chum. Those of us who've been through this are rooting for you. Hell, you can at least call yourself a real airline pilot now!

https://www.myfloridalaw.com/divorce/adultery-and-divorce-in-florida/ Get her immediately served with a assets freeze order if prudent. https://www.collaborativefamilylawfl.com/divorce-in-florida-some-answers-to-difficult-questions-by-howard-raab-esq/

Lawyer up, delete Facebook, and hit the gym is the popular mantra on Reddit. Look at it this way, you don’t have an AD retirement she can take half of, and you might as well move to whatever base you get to make sitting reserve easier. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Biggest difference is on the C-5, the weiner-mobile enters from the front. On the C-17, the weiner-mobile enters from the rear.