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@Guardianexcellent discourse, I really appreciate your perspective. And I'm not here to change your mind. I think everything stated above was racially motivated, but thats my opinion. I do think the system is racist, heres why. Those people that called the cops on me, did it because of my skin color. Beyond that, they both have jobs. What I mean by that is, we can agree that racism exists. I don't think that hate and resentment towards minorities stops when they go to work. Racist people are in the system, and I believe that some of them allow it to cloud their judgement. When overt racism became uncool at the turn of the century, those people didn't stop being racist, it's just undercover now. I agree the BLM moniker is tainted. But from what you're saying, you understand that there is an issue, but others won't join because of the BLM moniker....that makes sense, I can understand that. I brought up the OKC issue to point to BLM here isn't tearing down stuff, looting, or rioting. I agree with you. And it's a call to celebrities in and from the area to help. MLK did say a riot is the language of the unheard. However, I agree. I don't like some of the things I've been seeing. Hopefully you don't think I think a whole race of people are racist because of MLK, I don't. I brought it up to show that it wasn't that long ago, and people that think that way are still alive. Most of us fully understand all whites aren't racist. We're trying to bring attention to those that are. I don't like preferential treatment either. But I also don't like people thinking I received preferential treatment to get where I am. I'm just damn good at what I do. Example. One of my peers (at the direction of some other peers) had enough balls to tell the Sq CC that we had too many black flt ccs. We had 2. 2 out of 10. I was one of them. Got Flt cc OTY at the group level, and the other guy got it the year after me. But some say we got it because we were black. Further, who ever these people are, are going to stay in the AF and continue their careers with that mind set. Thats bad in my book. But I'll continue to overcome that. As far as the system, there is a disparity from that I'm seeing. Brock Turner got 6 months for raping a woman an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. My cousin got 3 years for a dime bag of weed. That white lady that paid 15k for her kid to get into Stanford got 14 days in jail. A black homeless woman who used a friend's address to get her son into elementary school got 5 years. The change I'm trying to see is everyone being treated equally. I want the white racist that call the cops on blacks for nothing to stop. That fact that it's ok to use the police as a weapon against someone that has committed no crime is heinous. What police do when they get there is a different story. I've seen your post, and I'm aware you have different views. I see the world differently as well. I see it from an inner city kid perspective that made it out. Someone who couldn't go to schools in a certain areas, that was only looking for an opportunity to make it out. Believe it or not, not all of those kids believe they can make it out ( I didn't) and that's a shame because they can. The change I'm looking for is for us to get into those communities and show those kids it's possible. For me it was a white Capt in a flight suit at an inner city high school football game, where there are shootouts every weekend. After my game I asked him if he was a pilot, I wanna be a pilot. He said yes. I told him, you're brave for coming here. He said there is untapped potential in your neighborhood, so you want to be a pilot? And the rest is history. That's what I want. Also, I don't see that as preferential treatment because all I received was information on how to become a pilot that I didn't have access to/didn't know existed. You can believe everyone starts on equal footing if you want, but that's not true where I'm from. The change I want is for those of us that have made it, to reach back and help others, regardless of race. Get in those neighborhoods. There are 100 of me in each of those neighborhoods, just looking to take the next step, but they don't know where to place their foot. I don't think the fabric is racist. The behavior I'm speaking of is what's happened throughout America's time. The raping, pillaging, looting, and murder of the Native Americans. The enslavement of Africans. We literally fought a war to end slavery, and the beliefs of those on the losing side have been passed down. I'm saying rioting/fighting, and forcing people to bend to our will is what made this country into what it is today. That stuff happened, it's in the past, but it is history. I don't think we can dwell on it, but I do think it's important to understand that blood has been spilt by this country since it's inception. It has made us the greatest country on the planet, but my patriotism leads me to believe it can be even better.

Are you trying to say 6-9 jack and cokes affect my geography skills? Well I guess South East Asia is where the war will be. After everyone on the peninsula is dead.

For those of you that are tired of the Social Justice stuff before and during sporting events, I get it. Hell, I even agree a little. However, I am more tired of being racially profiled/discriminated against. Being pulled over, because "you look suspicious" or having the cops called on me while standing in my own drive way smoking a cigar by the new couple in the neighborhood that didn't think I could have a house that nice. And then having to convince the cops that it was actually my house. Or having parents bring their kids in when my wife and I walk by. Or having some of my peers thinking I got the strat/award because I was black, and not because I actually busted my ass. I was detained once because I "fit the description" Didn't ask me my name or anything like that. Cuffed and placed in the car. Then he searched me and found my wallet...and my cac. Knowing I had done nothing wrong, but more importantly I had a cac, I figured I'd be ok. That's the world I live in everyday. That's most of our reality. The issue is, most of us can't flash the cac to get treated like a human being. Imagine a young kid who's done nothing wrong being cuffed and detained for no reason, and how he may react. I've had to deal with that for 30 years, and will continue to deal with it for many more. I'll be just fine. But I hope you guys can understand why it's happening. We've been trying to have this conversation for centuries, people are just now starting to listen and understand. I'm a believer that a slogan or phrase does nothing...it's not actionable. But I can't scoff at the effort that is being made.

I'll give some slight insight on maybe why it's changed. I was the last one picked up at AZ under a different commander, this past board and the one coming up are under a new commander. I guess he's changing the requirements . It used to be AZ Guard only(Army or Air), unless it got pushed back due to no qualified applicants, then they'd open it up to military only. Looks like he's opening it up to all. Technically you're under the AZ Guard until you find that unit. So you're sponsored by them, until you PCS fully after 16 B-course. I think Klameth/Portland does something similar, but I could be wrong.

Which inexplicably is every single direction.

Not off base at all. I appreciate the response, and I'm glad to discuss it with you or whoever else would like to. I see your point. I think BLM has been taken out of context by it's leadership. We don't all agree with what they're doing. But at it's core, BLM is a good cause. Example: The number 1 demand for OKC's BLM chapter is a grocery store on the inner city east side. They can't even get groceries in their own neighborhood. The deeper issue is where they have to go to get groceries...the areas that "they don't belong" Fully agree BLM's leadership has gone rouge. That doesn't mean there aren't people out there looking for real change. I ask that you look beyond that and see the good that is happening. People like to bring up MLK for his contributions...absolute legend. However, that Civil Disobedience you speak of got him voted as the most hated man in America in 1967, and murdered in 1968. Btw the bullet didn't kill him...they let him die on the table. I agree with the pandering comment. Playing the Black National Anthem before a game, won't do anything for anyone. Help us. Help others to understand that we don't all want to tear down this country, we just won't people to listen and understand. Also, I'm fully against looters, not so much riots. However, not much has been accomplished civilly in this country when it comes to change.

All good info above. I think the most important thing you can glean from this forum is the general consensus that controlling your destiny with a guard/reserve spot is preferred over the dynamic nature of AD assignments. That being said, there’s a gotcha to every good deal in the Air Force, even guard/reserve. For instance, you could get picked up by a Viper unit, discover that military flying is a different kind of challenge and that it’s not clicking as fast as you expected, and you find yourself struggling. Fast forward to the end of phase 3 and your unit no longer has confidence in your ability to pass IFF/B course and they drop you (seen it happen). Or, you get picked up by a fighter unit and they switch to an RPA unit while you’re in UPT. Guess what you’re flying after you graduate... I’m not saying this to deter you, and truthfully nothing anyone on this forum says should discourage you from pursuing what you want. On the active duty side, my personal opinion is that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a fighter pilot to be a fighter pilot. And in fact, once you see how much work they put it that doesn’t involve raging, pulling Gs, and shooting guns, you may realize that the desire to be a fighter pilot for the sake of the achievements alone is almost required to stay motivated enough to put up with endless hours studying threats and counter tactics, getting crushed in debriefs, and having to accept that your best is never good enough. The benefit of the active duty side is that you’ll have the ability to pursue a different lifestyle should you realize that it interests you more. There are a lot of really cool missions in the Air Force that aren’t highlighted well, even in UPT. But if you want fighters, I wouldn’t worry about “chances” of getting a 38 slot. UPT IPs might back me up on this, but nowadays, if you’re good enough, you’ll get one. If not, it’s not a reflection of you as a person, and your instructors have seen a enough studs come through to know what they’re looking for. You’ll end up generally where you belong. You don’t wanna be the last guy that barely squeaked into 38s. Best of luck in whatever you pursue. Sounds like your head is in the right place.

One pilot, one engine, one tail. That describes all the greatest fighters in American history.

People follow the law for three reasons: 1. They believe the law is just 2. The are afraid of getting caught 3. It's just not worth it to fight back (minor nuisance) At the end of the day, the state only has force as a tool to enforce laws. If you aren't comfortable enforcing a law at gun point, it probably shouldn't be a law. All the stupid laws only work when everyone agrees that they're good and just. That requires a common culture of shared values.

Are they any good?

Yeah, you have proved my point precisely. You said, " you can't say fire in a crowded movie theater," and that quote clearly shows that you can. In order for it to not be protected speech, 1) It has to be "false" 2) It has to cause a panic 3) It has to cause a clear and present danger. So, can I "say fire in a crowded movie theater" if it is actually on fire? Yep. Can I "say fire in a crowded movie theater" if it neither creates a panic, or creates a clear and present danger? Yep. You may call it semantics, but if you're going to make an argument like that, being specific matters.

How? What is it that we can do that will make it better? What is it that is feasible, affordable, moral and doesn't cut off our nose to spite our face? That is just sets us up for more inter-group resentments and does not violate the bedrock of individual freedom, individual justice and equality before the law.

How does the government or department handle misbehaving officers without the ability to identify them? Not like their bros are going to tell anyone... Thin blue line and all that.

Perhaps. I'm not a huge fan of undercover stuff anyway. It seems most prevalent in drug cases...which IMHO, shouldn't even be crimes in the first place. But the police wearing full tactical gear to arrest protestors and/or rioters are not in any way, shape, or form undercover. And unless they plan to do shady shit (like, say, take a knife to cases of water at aid stations or shove an 80-year-old man to the ground), there's no reason for them to conceal their names and/or badge numbers.

I think the worst thing to happen to the Nats was Fauci’s first pitch the other night. What a perfect metaphor for all this covid stuff.

The FO’s incompetence and the CA’s competence intersected well below the available recovery window in this circumstance. FO made an input well outside reasonable expectation, so much so that it produced a startle effect in the CA, fatally delaying the attempted recovery on his part. An antidote could have been a timely and assertive “MY AIRCRAFT” from the CA, but given the data, even that is left to doubt; regardless, no such declaration was recorded on the CVR.

Your points were all fair, it just astonishes me how different people can interpret assignments. I personally didnt like Germany as much as Korea, but I know many people would find that backward. I've never met anyone that likes Cannon though.

President Washington owned slaves (https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/ten-facts-about-washington-slavery/), should we not celebrate the 1st President because of this association? Should we rename D.C. and Washington State too? Many value and follow the Office of the President, should we abandon that too because of a historical association to the 1st President? Values change when the context changes. Understanding why, where, and when they change, via historic lessons, is seeking true wisdom and balance. Not celebrating history, those lessons of historic values and their changes, is ignoring wisdom and embracing bias.

Probably similar reasons to disliking Germany but love Cannon

Saw Tucson posted a board. I know historically they’re military applicants only but I didn’t see that in the application requirements. Anyone know if this changed?

So you are making a statement that “it’s not true.” And you provide no evidence. And just after you bash me for providing no evidence. That’s odd.... And if I were you I would research freedom of speech infringement a little more. Both on the US being the only place and the fire in a theater argument claim you make above. Both things you argue are wrong. The Supreme Court has also ruled on it. Interesting stuff. And saying fire in a crowded audience when there is no fire isn’t a freedom of speech issue. Speech that is dangerous and false is not protected, as opposed to speech that is dangerous but also true. “Freedoms of speech and press do not permit a State to forbid advocacy of the use of force or of law violation except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.” This means that speech which supports law-breaking or violence is protected unless its purpose is to incite immediate criminal action or violence and it is likely to do so. Canada has sent I believe over 3000 people to jail for not using proper pronouns or what some ambiguous person in government considers hate speech. That isn’t freedom of speech. Comedians being sent to jail for jokes? Really that’s freedom of speech? New Zealand has limits in a similar way to Canada on their so called freedom of expression. Section 14 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (BORA) – provides that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the right to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind. However, s5 of the BORA provides that freedom of speech is subject to limits. The BORA does not have supremacy over other legislation. Subject to section 4, the rights and freedoms contained in the BORA may be subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. Hate speech isn’t a thing. It’s just speech. For a country to have freedom of speech there has to be a willingness to offend. There is not a freedom from offense. Some stuff above was taken from other sources. Look it up if you want. Not claiming the above is all my words.

Or the pacific theatre.

I’ll raise you ~8.69 pilots per sortie, 1 engine, and 3 tails 💪🇺🇸😆 To the OP - leave out the stuff about CAS and just sat you wanna be a fighter pilot and support the guys on the ground. No shame in saying you’d rather fly manned and no need to really explain that. GL!

Why does everyone think Korea is a bad assignment!?!?!?

Thanks for checking! Really appreciate the update.

Are we to act on one’s own morality then, or within the law? Because there are plenty of things that different groups of people consider immoral that are legal.

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Not sure if this belongs here or in the airlines thread. Qantas is sending their final 747 off to the graveyard and the pilot took the opportunity to draw a kangaroo in the sky on his way out.

Valid points. The biggest one that I didn't realize is that DUI (of marijuana) is probably an increasing crime that needs to be dealt with somehow. I still think that legalizing it is better for society than jailing and ruining people's lives/productivity. I actually listened to this podcast recently, and I seem to remember him arguing that legalization is actually what would help dismantle the cartels' power, it's just that legalization of cocaine/heroin is so outside of society's political realm that it's unfeasible. With that being said, I have a friend that is going to die of heroin addiction, and I do not believe that heroin/meth/opiods should be legal. At the same time, I do not believe that jailing those that use the drugs actually fixes the problem. In America, the moment you are arrested for doing meth, your life is over for good - there is no redemption, there is no way to remove that, there is no making up for it. Treating drug abuse purely as a crime is a short-sighted approach that doesn't hit the root cause.

Quit seeking Utopia 1 - The War on Drugs is really the Battle with Dangerous Drugs as Part of the War on Crime. It will never be over because you can never stop fighting a mortal enemy that you can never kill. Crime, criminals, dangerous and illegal behavior and substances will always be with us. Because they come from the inherent flaws in every person and the people yet to be. It's tiring and draining but it must always be fought. Can we pick our battles and fight better? Sure, but ending the Battle/War is not an option, it's just a fact of life. You never get a break from history. 2 - Wars in Shitholes. Sometimes necessary (not often though), should be fought mercilessly (ends faster, achieves feasible end state usually and deters other a-holes thus preventing other wars) against our actual foes in said shithole. Due care should be taken to spare the innocent and deliver aid to those we can help but they are secondary to killing our foes and are often a distraction and enticement to other goals that do not further the interests of the United States. Get in, get done with your mission(s) and get the Hell out. We can't save the world, make people become like us or think that they will see things our way if we just try harder We can win fights, defend/assert our interests and constructively use our other instruments. Be cautious but not too cautious. 3 - Immigration. It's like salt, just a little bit makes the food better too much ruins it. Greater numbers? No, we have been taking in enormous amounts of immigrants the last 30+ years and we need to take a break, assimilate, tighten our labor market and not believe the delusion that we have magic soil and a values system that overpowers the negative parts of other cultures of people who have been migrating to the US of late and encouraged to retain said cultures and that assimilating is wrong. With the devastation that the COVID virus and subsequent economic shutdowns have caused, adding more workers to the labor market here will not improve the situation for the working, middle or professional classes but it will MASSIVELY help the Investor/Corporate class who will only have more workers competing for a pool of jobs that does not expand proportionately to growth in workers. Open borders? Nope. The cost of open borders is the dignity and living standards of your working, middle and now professional classes. I don't care what bullshit some pie in the sky academic like Bryan Caplan says will happen and how wonderful it will be. "They" fucked up before, they told us how wonderful NAFTA would be and would not hollow out the core of manufacturing in the US, "they" told us that admitting China to the WTO and giving MFN trading status would eventually cause political and cultural change as they economically grew, still waiting for that, etc.... just two examples of how "they" either don't have a fucking clue about how the world works (people lie, cheat and steal and you must interact with them based on those facts) or they don't care what happens to the masses and are just willing to sell them down the river. Emotional I know, but seeing people push an idea that they themselves will never experience the negative ramifications of while then chiding people without money or privilege about how they just need to get over it makes my blood boil. People lie, cheat and steal; they always will act accordingly.

1. Legalize every drug? Most drugs are not safe. The FDA regulates them and they become less potent and sold in restrictive quantities and now those who have become dependant on them find other ways to get them. The cartels still exist to meet the "needs" of these people. Drugs are not illegal because they are some innocent taboo thing. They are illegal because they are dangerous and destroy lives. 2. Yep, agree with you there. 3. I'm sure there are ways to speed up the immigration process as it is currently ridiculously slow. Amnesty will only serve to encourage illegal immigration in the future. One of the biggest things that pisses me off is when I see immigrants complaining about America or their "rights" when they are here illegally while waving another country's flag. We need to get back to assimilation and not making our country into 100 other countries. If people want to come here, they need to understand the "why" behind their desire, and understand that America is awesome because it is the opposite of most places people come from, not the same.

The NAF needed to die 3 decades ago. As soon as we had email there was no reason to have a middle man at took the guidance from the Wings and gave it to the MAJCOM.

Worth noting that Space Force immediately dropped Group and NAF level their coand echelons. Granted they are very small at the moment but I am sure they anticipated growth when they laid out the structure.

Makes sense. For instance, when Dyess 317th was an Airlift Group it was the place to be for herks. It ran flawlessly, morale and training was never better. Then it became a wing, and AMC flat out admitted it was to create more 0-6 billets. The first wing king was a toxic POS and was fired for it. Retention for O-4s went from high 80s to single digit percentages. The IP core was cannibalized to fill all the new positions. To get rid of Groups, you first need to cut some of the bloat and red tape on the staffs. Otherwise the Wing’s won’t be able to keep up with the admin.

One thing I think a lot of people miss with the “privilege” argument is that it’s not (or shouldn’t be) intended to shame, punish, or otherwise degrade the group with that privilege. It’s more about just understanding what other groups have to deal with and how those experiences might shape their views and actions. If you think someone is using the privilege argument to shame you or cast themselves as a helpless victim, I would A) reconsider their argument carefully to see if it’s misinterpreted, and B) if that truly is their argument, disregard them because it’s not helpful. It took me a while to understand that, but I can now see that, as a white male, there are experiences and obstacles that I have never and will never face that a black man (or woman, or other minority group) has and will. Same goes for different gender, religion, etc. I’m talking about common experiences, not individual stories of adversity...obviously there are people of all backgrounds with incredibly diverse stories that don’t fit a trite narrative. This doesn’t mean that I can’t be proud of my accomplishments, or that I somehow didn’t earn what I have, or that I shouldn’t be in the position I’m in because I am white. However, understanding that some of my airmen have obstacles or experiences that are unique to their skin color, gender, etc. is enlightening and important, and through that understanding hopefully I can be a better leader for them. Examples are plentiful and talking to your airmen or other friends in minority groups can really open your eyes. I had a SrA in my squadron tell me he and his brother were refused the sale of a handgun by a white store owner who assumed they were going to use it for a crime, despite the fact that both were of legal age and active duty military with clean records. Another Airman in our wing spoke up about how differently he is treated at the mall when is in uniform vs. out of uniform. Plenty of other examples, and that’s just with one minority group. Also, systemic (not systematic) racism is evident in the USAF promotion system and criminal justice system. I don’t have the exact stats in front of me, but that point was made by several senior leaders in recent days, and is apparently bad enough to warrant an independent investigation. I’m glad to see military leaders trying to confront it head on. It’s going to be a difficult and uncomfortable thing to talk about but in the end it will make us stronger, or at the very least, help us know more about each other.

I don't post here a lot, so I'll say this and go back into hiding. We literally fought a war about states rights...to own slaves. Right side won. Slaves are freed. Lincoln had a lot to do with that...he was assassinated. Now black folks have to pull themselves up by their boot straps. No education, no skills, don't own any of our inventions, nothing. Cool. We pulled ourselves up, and started to thrive. We had our own schools, churches, hospitals, banks, etc. Those that hate us, couldn't handle it. So comes the Tulsa massacre in 1921. Burned down schools, churches, hospitals, banks, killed the men, and raped the women in front of the children. This happened in other parts of the country as well. But pull yourself up by your bootstraps. We did it again. Those that hate us didn't like it. Lynchings and burnings came along, also Jim Crow. While blacks were in WWI and WWII when they returned home, they were not given those same freedoms they went to a foreign land to fight for. Returned home to racism and segregation. Most weren't recognized until they died. JFK comes along and tries to help, does some good work...assassinated. Desegregation comes along. But then the country is redlined so we can only live in certain pockets of the country. Well now we can vote and make things better in our community, but the voting lines are redrawn to lesson the black vote. Now the funding for schools, banks, etc go to the "other neighborhoods" Well this isn't right. Lets peacefully protest. Those that hate us didn't like that. My parents and grandparents were in the street when Bull Connor unleashed the dogs and fire hoses on peaceful protesters in Birmingham. We had a voice, MLK...assassinated. Malcolm X comes along and tries it a different way...assassinated. Then comes the crack epidemic, and guns flooding black neighborhoods. We didn't own anything. We didn't own planes or boats to get any of this stuff in, or even leave the neighborhood to go buy such things. But it showed up. How did it get there? Now we have rich drug dealers and poor addicts. Violence ensues over these things. War on drugs happens. Dads/Uncles (dealers) are sent to prison. Addicts are still in the street. Who takes care of the children? No one, they raise themselves...in that environment. That's all they know. No one was coming into these communities to shed light on other options in life or a way to make it out. You gonna go to school, or sell a dime bag so you can eat tonight? We are still recovering from that. Moving into the 21st century, it's no longer cool to be racist out in the open. Those people didn't change their views they just went into hiding. I say this not to blame folks, but to shed light on a few of the things the black community has faced. Yet, we still overcome and thrive. BUT if you think racism no longer exist, you're sadly mistaken. If you think racist haven't infiltrated our Sqs, Grps, Wgs, etc you're sadly mistaken. They are still out there, my black bro's and I see it often. We're not playing victim, and we aren't weak, but they still try us. Example, at my last Sq there was almost 20 flights and shops. 3 black flight ccs and a black shop chief. Some one had gotten enough complaints from others and had enough balls to complain to the CC that there were "too many" of us in leadership. Thats just one example. If you want more examples of racism me and the bros have seen on AD, we can take it to the PMs. I'm not saying you guys are wrong, I value your input and opinion. My issue is when we bring this stuff up, it gets dismissed and or downplayed. Having someone tell me my experiences didn't happen or "thats not what they meant" is ridiculous. If you can't see that black people have been oppressed and that those that oppressed us are still alive and or have passed those teachings down to their children, there's not a lot I can say. We just want a fair shake. I/We shouldn't be treated differently because of our skin color, that's it. I see a lot of you thinking of this as political, I don't see it that way. It's human rights. Conservatives/Leftist/libtards or whatever doesn't matter right now. I went a bit long. I'll go back into hiding now. If I ever see you dudes in the real world, first one is on me.