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Finding a little strip of paper with a future prediction or words of wisdom like in a fortune cookie would be hysterical. "Classified documents not in safe not safe."

@filthy_liar Just so I've got this straight, you were an ALO in Oct 2001 who went into Afgh with the first wave. You claim to be a prior A-10 pilot, which means you're a early to mid-1990's commission - UPT - first assignment - then on to be an ALO. Following that, you had to immediately transitioned into B-1s as you were at Diego launching sorties into theater in 2005. With those combat feathers in your hat, you'd be a sure thing for O-6 in the early 2010s, and then possibly retire in the mid 2010's...which O-6's rarely do. So, as an ALO, a position attached at the hip to the DIV CG, command staff, and most definitely the DFSCOORD, who was your CG during the first push into afgh? I know that's decidedly not classified. The ALO never goes first unless the Div staff goes first, and they didn't. Most definitely not on 19/20 Oct 2001...even with that 30 minute time difference. Where were you during all that? What unit were you attached to? When you went into country, what herk unit hauled you in? I probably know them. You also claim to have been through Ranger School, when we didn't start sending ALOs through that school until...never...and didn't send hardly any AF (there were a very select few) through until post 9/11, most of whom were TACP and an enlisted troops. After that, how'd you transition over to the B-1 at a time when competent and experienced A-10 pilots were at a premium? Sounds like a rather unique path. You don't sound like the kind of guy that would be hungry to hear other peoples war stories with so many of your own to tell. The fact is: Your cavalier perspective and voice don't match any of the individuals I've personally known to tread the paths you claim to have tread. They were all solid, respectful, continuing-to-self-educate professionals. You come off as none of those. Those of us who've actually seen the elephant up close rarely come back story-thirsty. Prone to drinking...definitely. But never thirsty to relive most of those harrowing experiences in so slovenly and exaggerated fashion as you put on. Beyond that, you admitted to being banned here at baseops several times. Care to share the previous handles? If we're to have a solid thread of war stories, I think we'd all prefer to keep the BS out. You seem to fit that bill.

Ancient Hawg Driver proverb: Where are your tanks, I will shoot them.

Russia actually had, IMHO, more impressive power projection in Syria that I thought they could pull off long-term. Totally unrelated to NATO expansion or whatever other excuse you want to make for Putin’s aggressive, expansionist wars. If you think the Ukrainians are the bad guys and Putin is the innocent victim here who is only, “reacting defensively” in the war with Ukraine…phew boy that’s quite the POV to walk around with all day.

Hilarious. Your QAnon bros give you that one? I'm starting to think you're a poser who never actually served. I sure hope no one this ignorant actually flew for the Air Force.

In other news: "Retired sweaty beats the tar out of retired force support flight commander."

You forgot to also ask which BUDS class he was in (that’s classified by the way).

Is there a way to attach a breathalyzer to a keyboard like how they do in a car if you get caught drunk driving?

I should not have read this right after taking a drink of bourbon. Best laugh I’ve had in a while!

PM sent. I don't think you really understand what you are about to get into here. You're leaving the internet and entering the real world.

Ever been to Verdun? Mass artillery is horrific and what happened at Verdun is sickening. The sole purpose of the battle was not to take territory, rather it was to "bleed them white", a horrific battle of attrition meant to consume human life. It will take your breath away, I wept. This building is the memorial and it frames the cemetery. The center is meant to represent an artillery shell. You can see the people in the center for scale...now the sickening part. As you go around to the back it becomes obvious the memorial is built into the hill and it has a large basement that runs the length of the building. Every time it rains they find more bones and skulls from WWI. They collect the bones and deposit them in the basement. There are windows you can look in and see the bones and skulls stacked 20' high. The enormity of loss overwhelmed me. Over 100 year ago and the earth is still scarred from millions of artillery shells.

They don't have to be an arch enemy. Life doesn't have to be that cartoonish. They are an adversary, and they are a bad actor. That doesn't mean I want to send the marines into storm the beaches of Russia, but it also doesn't mean that I'm going to pass on the opportunity of a lifetime to severely weaken an adversary, who has brought this pain on themselves entirely, at bargain basement prices. Just look at how much money we spent blowing up primitive terrorists in the Middle East, and compared to the damage being done here at a fraction of the cost. And we don't have to worry about spawning an insurgency that hates Americans, we don't have to worry about Americans coming home in boxes (volunteers notwithstanding), and incidentally, it's a righteous cause. Further, we don't even have to worry about adopting a failed aggressor like we did with Japan and Germany, funding their rehabilitation. The only thing being destroyed in Russia, other than a couple of pipelines, is the military. Which is completely unnecessary to operate in a globalized world. They are losing the very thing that destabilizes the world we always wish they would just participate in. Nothing is perfect, but it is hard to imagine a more favorable set of circumstances for the United States. Getting ahead is about identifying opportunity and seizing it. This one fell into our lap.

Ran across this at random the other day and haven't seen it posted here. Declassified CIA history of the U-2 and Area 51. I haven't read it all yet but it looks pretty comprehensive. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB434/

The model on the pointy nose side for MANY years has been to build "most" of the initial cadre from Patch Wearers, it makes sense for a lot of reasons especially as you move into OT. These days in an effort to run faster we run DT and OT at the same time, often while still settling on the final design. That being said if you are thinking of pursuing WIC just as a path to the B-21, don't! I was not the best Patch in the world but I was very good at finding (and eliminating), careerists who wanted WIC for the wrong reason. The Weapons School is far from perfect but it is one of the last vestiges of trying to do the right thing with regard to airpower and our Air Force. If you want WIC so you can teach, lead and mentor...SHIT HOT, go for it. The rest will take care of itself.

Masks are useless. https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/this-study-could-be-scientific-nail-in-the-coffin-for-masks/ Link to an actual study https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full

To be fair, he seemed to do a pretty good job of correctly assessing and clearing the potential blast radius of the nearby armored targets before dealing with the trivial fact of being on fire.

Ancient Chinese Proverb: Where are your tanks, and may I count them?

Found out while working with NATO AWACS in Europe that apparently only Americans are actually taught that. Like no kidding, at the egress training the fire department brings it up and there's even been studies on it showing that more Americans correctly react in incidents when on fire than Europeans or other countries. How wild is that?

Well looks like the Air Force's lap dog agrees with not paying us the full flight pay: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA669-1.html Key Findings The yearly cost increase associated with paying members of the RC risk pay and flight pay at the full monthly rate would range from $46.3 million to $88.5 million annually, or 100 percent to 194 percent over the baseline of $45.7 million annually. Although the cost increase would represent a substantial increase in the S&I pay budget, it would be small relative to the overall RC personnel budget: less than 0.4 percent for fiscal year 2021. RC members serve more periods per month than the stereotypical one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. The implication is that the cost increase associated with a full-rate S&I pay policy is less than expected because RC members are already paid closer to the full monthly rate than expected. The number of RC members who would qualify or would potentially qualify for either hazardous duty incentive pay or aviation incentive pay in a given month ranges from 17,796 to 379,148 (out of more than 800,000 total members). The full-rate policy could reduce incentives to participate in the RC for more than the minimum required training periods. Thus, the full-rate policy would adversely affect readiness. Furthermore, the full monthly rate policy would be inefficient because it would increase costs while potentially reducing participation—i.e., paying more for less. From my scientific research (IE asking around the sq) this is not the story I've gathered but I'm sure their simulations are smarter than asking actual people.......I know in my small corner of the woods a lot of our min runners (IE dudes who show up MAYBE once a quarter would actually start flying at least a local once a month.... My guess is will be the BS ammo they try and present Congress to get out of paying us full flight pay....

Great video of a Russian forgetting the childhood lesson of stop, drop, and roll.

I just have to say, the previous pages' back-and-forth is pure comedy gold. I want to see the fight, and the follow-up hug fest afterwards!

Coherency is slipping there. Probably time to put the bottle down for the night. I just imagine you never read much about political science or geopolitics when you had the chance. And when the military sent you for pme, this was you:

If only there was a man -in Russia- that thinks the greatest tragedy of the 20th century was the downfall of the USSR, and he was determined to return it to its former glory.

Don't ever log into baseops forums when you've been drinking. Don't do that. Problem is, everytime I log into baseops I'm probably drinking. Again, apologies for saying I wanted to hit you. That was effed up. And yessir, you come across as a badass.

You already quoted them perfectly. A-10 pilot, B-1 pilot. ALO that jumped into Afghanistan on 19 Sep 2001.

You’re not wrong. UPT is a dangerous business. Closest I came to death was my T38 initial form solo. We were nose high, in a turn, and slow in fingertip. Lead kicked me out to fighting wing. I had no SA on my airspeed, pulled the throttles slightly and stalled, falling straight toward his vertical stab. I had no idea how close we had come until we pulled the tapes.

You know, I'd maybe give you and the US government the benefit of the doubt, had I been living in a cave for the last 22 years. However, I haven't been in a cave. I've watched us squander blood and treasure in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and other places. None of those places seem better off after our intervention. I watched Bush Jr declare "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. We were there for eight more years. Some of our forces are still there. I watched us chase Bin Laden to Tora Bora in 2001, only to fuck it all away. We eventually got him 10 years later. We stuck around for another 10 years (for who knows what fucking reason), before leaving in disgrace with the country in shambles. We've proven that when we get involved, we're there for decades. It's concerning that people unquestioningly support our efforts in Ukraine, without acknowledging our track record. Also, I keep hearing things like "we're beating Russia at bargain basement prices!" "Look how well we're doing!" In a couple weeks, we're going to mark the first anniversary of the invasion. Is Ukraine really doing better today than they were a year ago? According to the mainstream press, we were winning in Vietnam, right up until the point Tet happened. And we were winning in Iraq and Afghanistan, right up to the point that we weren't. Maybe next week, Putin will capitulate. Maybe he'll be overthrown by moderates who will make piece with Ukraine, and open up free trade with the West. That would be a good deal. I'd love for the US and Russia to have completely open relations. In the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall, some Russian Mig-29s came over to the US to participate in airshows. I went to an airshow outside Chicago, and got one of the pilots to sign my windbreaker. It was a cool event, and even at my young age, I sensed the promise of the time. But given our track record, the above seems unlikely. Given our track record, it seems much more likely that we're going to keep pouring money down the rat hole, in our attempt to topple Putin. At this point, we've pretty much declared that getting rid of Putin is the only "off ramp" here. How long are we going to support Ukraine? How long is it really going to take? Also, as a side note, we want to have our cake and eat it too. We want to give Ukraine support, but not support. Tanks, but not F-16s. How has this kind of "limited war" worked out for us in the past? Our history has shown something else, too. When our economy gets good and proper fucked up, when we run out of rabbits to pull out of our hat, we go to war. That's what's happening now. Bought groceries lately? I have decent resources, and I'm astounded at the price increases. I don't know how anyone on limited incomes affords to eat anymore. Honestly, I know I'm wasting my keystrokes here. We're on the path, and ain't nothing going to stop us at this point. Bureaucratic inertia and all that. Those with the money benefit from a good long war, so a good long war is what we're gonna get. Sucks for the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia, and the people of the US.

Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave right now.

Yeah, this. I get it, the Bear is not necessarily our friend. But there are a hell of a lot of people out there in the US who've bought into the propaganda that Russia is some kind of arch enemy. It's mind boggling.

We've given them something like $20b so far, but it's really all about the accounting. If an artillery shell costs $500 and has a shelf life of 20 years, does giving an artillery shell that's twenty years old to Ukraine count as a $500 cost? IIRC virtually all of the early equipment we gave to Ukraine was either obsolete already or due to be replaced in a couple years. Stingers, humvees, MRAPs... I can write a report about how these cost X to produce and we gave them to Ukraine but that doesn't account for the fact that they were destined for the scrapheap. If you were king of defense appropriations, how much would it be worth to you if you could buy a magic button that crippled the Russian military for a decade or three?

I think I figured it out? Your sexual desires for another man (me) have you conflicted inside. You can’t fight it, so you stay up on late night benders getting mad at God for making you that way. Edit: Let me know if you ever have an overnight in Orange County or LAX and we can meet up and see if you have the nuts to swing at me. I promise. If you let me know when you’re in So Cal, I’ll give you that chance. I like fighting. I like being punched in the face. How about you Mr. Army Ranger, B1 pilot. I wish I would have seen your punk ass in Diego Garcia in 2005 (during your second deployment), shortly after you jumped into Afghanistan in 2001. You wouldn’t be able to type or talk with that cocksucker you call a mouth. I also understand you live in Alabama. Where at in Alabama? I don’t mind going down there to shut your mouth. I have family down there. I’m sure they’ll accommodate me if you want to meet up? PM me and we can make this happen. I’m fucking serious.

God I really hope noone in the US Public uses this forum to audit the performance of our government....... Or maybe I do hope that, I dont know yet.

My music teachers were in no danger of being banged by anyone...not a single person. Lol

But at least the dates all check out.

😂 Dude, I work for the government. I’m in the vault watching stuff happen, sometimes live. I am the “they.” Are you? Or were you? Go with quals. I will again remind everyone that you come off as a fundamentally unserious person. Ps what caused that bender you went on the other night?? Ambien and whiskey are a hell of a combination from what I understand! ”…they could tell you that we need to have effects in the HOA” MFer we DID have very noticeable “effects” in the HOA last week and let’s just say I’m extremely familiar with the purpose for the operation and the results of it. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/us/politics/isis-leader-us-somalia-raid.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

So basically, with none of us here knowing exactly what is discussed behind closed doors, you wouldn't change any of the support given so far. I don't think we disagree much. You can sleep easier tonight knowing so 🙂

i support them. but it's not a blank check. ukraine is not going to expel russia out of the donbass or crimea. and likewise russia is not going to annihilate ukraine. therefore a middle ground solution exists. i'd tell zelensky to find it. and if he can't then we will dictate the terms to him. our american foreign policy should not be led by a third world, corrupt ex-soviet nation. and we certainly shouldn't be seduced into WW fucking THREE by a ukranian actor.

I recently had an overnight in Kansas City. Went to the WWI museum. Absolutely fantastic. The section at the beginning devoted to the social, economic, and political situations honestly gave me chills as they nearly identically describe the types of things we’re seeing today. Upstairs, they had a section for the conflicts in Russia. I think it’s a little to easy to be removed from the conflict as all of us are, read headlines, and make an accurate assessment as to who is more committed. This not nearly as one-sided or the outcome as predetermined as most seem to think.

Lets check their Microsoft Office licenses before we go throwing around that phrase all willy nilly.

Sounds like the Taliban has figured out the secret to air power.

Pretty good view from ashore.

Bro I have been here since 2005 and it was never that place lol.

Congrats to BigRed on his initial Solo in the U-2 on Wednesday. 🥃 He will be known as "Solo 1095". Not bad for an old Navy guy.

A little squadron souvenir earned while protecting a TF-160 MH-47 one dark night many years ago. 40MM HE impact right on the RPG launcher (and shoulder/neck area of the bad guy).

Full disclosure: After my grandson saw the movie, he asked me if I used to be like Maverick. I answered honestly: "I was really more like Bob". His face fell a bit.