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In 1996, I was co-chair of the annual POW Reunion at the 560th at Randolph. We got all four of the Pardo's Push guys there for the Friday social. We even got an F-4 on the ramp and had them pose by the tail. It was the first time all four had been together at the same time since the actual Push. Bob Houghton was the only guy we originally couldn't find. Keep in mind this is 1996... a lot harder to find people. Bob got word of the event about 36-48 hours prior to the event. IIRC he was doing missionary work in Africa. He jumped through hoops and made it there. These guys got a hero's welcome. I need to see if I can find some photos.

My friend’s class. Made it through PA, but then people started wearing them sideways. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not a peep on HuffPost or CNN about the Deliverance inspired CODEL staffer video I should not be surprised as I read the Politico article on the VA Dem candidate caught doing webcam sex shows for money and they gaslit the reader by saying it was a leak of a sex tape, 100% not true as she broadcast it to the web to any paying customer The MSM is utterly bankrupt Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What isn’t addressed in that article but I’m convinced is really happening is that other entities with SOCOM didn’t do their due diligence when initial requirements went out, didn’t like the requirements that were set (bell had already been rung), went to the hill and all their fanboys in congress to get their way, and here we are. This program is not a U-28 replacement and they don’t want to lose that capability and gain what OA-1K offers. BL - SOCOM money avalanche from GWOT is done and now the knives are coming out.

Wait,…is that…a T-33? jfc, how old are you?

I designed this one. Probably my biggest achievement in an otherwise unremarkable career 😂🤣

Laughlin, 86-05

Steelers are almost relegated to college this year.

Touché, Monsieur! On that note, I'll post the patch from my daughter's class at CBM. They had "Blaze Studs" on it originally, but that was rejected by the Vice Commander of Fun for who knows what reason. He's now the CC of Holloman. Sorry, HMN folks

US Air Force legend Robert “Bob” Pardo, known for his selfless action known as “Pardo’s Push” during the Vietnam War, has died Dec. 5 in College Station, Texas. He was 89. https://nypost.com/2023/12/17/news/air-force-legend-robert-bob-pardo-famous-for-pardos-push-maneuver-dead-at-89/

Timelapse video of the recovery of the P-8:

"Nov 20th, Army vs Navy Football game, Army Wins! I'm not superstitious or anything, (YES I AM) buuut, The Navy / P-8A "POSEIDON" overshot the runway and splashed into Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay on Nov. 20. Enjoy this video of getting this bird back on dry land....Not sure if Poseidon is okay with that though." Credit: Special Warfare Airmen Facebook page Nov 20th, Army vs Navy Football game, Army Wins! I'm not superstitious or anything, (YES I AM) buuut, The Navy P-8A POSEIDON overshot the runway... By Spe.mp4

NFL shouldn’t be seen in the College Football thread regardless of how many playoff teams there are. Go make an NFL thread if you’d like to discuss it.

Your timing with this comment is more prescient than you know.

I'm good friends with the creator of that site, Jim is a great guy. He loves anything UPT related. I've sent him a few from Vance.

At least in the U-28, the fleet was shared between at home units and deployed sites so squadrons never really owned iron in a traditional sense (to include FTU/OT/DT/WIC…all shared). I may have old data but they were actually assigning aircraft more traditionally and the 75 made sense. That probably also assumes GWOT commitment levels so may be a logical fallacy given current time.

After this last week in Vegas, I think my ODO rolled from 99,000 back to 0…for the 69th time. I’m never drinking again…for at least a week…maybe.

It *might* be funny, but I'm 99% sure it's going to take itself too seriously, and therefore, suck Is this the liberal response to the Daily Wire making a bunch of movies?

They said to post your own class patch, not your Dad’s patch.

Old airframes!?, KC-135 and B-52 guys going surely you jest. Do elephant walks count as sorties now?

...

And I bet there are no repercussions for this shit either. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

WTF. Some days I think nothing shocks me anymore. Wrong. I got a few minutes. Morning coffee rant incoming: Does anyone really think the environment that allows this to occur is fixable? We are a good nation led by degenerates. I'm not talking about gays. We've put the some of the worst kinds of people in power and let them do whatever they want. Why would Cardin choose this guy as a staffer? What kind of culture in DC would the staffer think this would be a good idea? The entire culture/environment there now exists in an entirely different reality than you and I experience. No real consequences for depravity, instead, tolerance and even excuses for it. Maybe..Maybe.. it's quietly celebrated there. I had a nearly immaculate military career. When I joined ROTC, there was some sort of motto that went "Integrity, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do." I took that shit to heart. Perhaps my biggest and most regrettable failure was not securing the Tweet control lock on my mid-phase checkride. 2 downgrade U. After that, I never failed to meet any objective AF standard. Maybe the bar was low, and maybe I could have exceeded the standards even moreso, but it was amazing to watch capable peers self-eliminate over dumb shit while I worked hard and tried to improve everything I touched. And I think I did all right. What for? Sure, I did my part to save the country from goat-fuckers, but I gave the country to... To cut this short, every time I see stories like this lately, I feel regret. Not regret for setting high standards for myself, because it made me a better person, but for being duped into thinking there were people smarter than me setting standards for my service that would result in a better nation. That if I continuously did good things during my career, America would inevitably become an even better place. Instead, I wake up and see some dude getting corn-holed in what should be the most sacred places in the nation, being broadcast to the world. If Lauren Boebert was jerking some dude off in the same room, I'd have also spoken up. But nothing is going to happen. Again, not just this story, it's all of them lately. A seemingly unending clown parade from our nation's leadership. It's an undeniable trend in the wrong direction. Instead of trying to exceed personal and professional standards set for me, I should have been demanding higher standards of my government the whole time. Sort of an inverse take on JFK's famous line. But that ship has sailed. Too late. Just write it off as a bad investment, I guess.

Ah yes, the "wait, I thought you were doing the patch, it's due today!" design.

Easy solution? If you get conscripted you can turn it down, but you have to leave the country and forfeit your citizenship. No free lunch. If you want to be a part of society, you have to play. You don't get to continue being a citizen in the country to which you are unwilling to provide a service to.

The trailer says they "shoot journalists on sight". I guess it can't be that bad.

California and Texas alliance? That’s one hell of a fantastical leap! Probably a smart plot device actually to not make it an easy red vs blue thing.

I've seen his videos before and honestly, the screaming puts me off to a point where it doesn't mater what he says...

What's the saying? You're always 3 flights away from washing out? Hook a check ride, 88 ride, 89 ride, and you're done? Some opinions, all worth what you pay for them. The anxiety and stress is real, and it's something you have to overcome. Pilot training is an interesting animal, and people arrive there from different paths. One one extreme, you have people who arrive at UPT somewhat ambivalent about being a pilot. They're fresh out of ROTC from Random State School, and flying sounded like "something cool to do." Others have made pilot training a lifelong goal, and fought tooth and nail at every step of the way just to get there. Waivers for whatever, many failed applications via various avenues (active duty, guard, etc). People fall somewhere in between these extremes, but it sounds like you're much closer to the latter bucket. All that work and pain to get to UPT is a double-edged sword though. Clearly you want it and are ambitious, but it also means that you're putting all of that weight on you every time you go fly. It's a lot of pressure, pressure that the student fresh out of school may not have to deal with. I know the solution is to "brush aside all of the anxiety," etc, but that's obviously much easier said than done. I don't know the solution here, but the first step is to recognize the source of the anxiety. You also kind of have to come to terms with the fact you gave it your best shot, and let the chips fall where they may. Some things are meant to be, others aren't. Maybe you pass this hurdle, graduate UPT, and get hit by a bus. Or some random medical thing pops up. Some might say "God's plan" and all that, but I think it's more accurate to say "it's just life." Some times things work out the way you want, sometimes they don't. If a commander recommends reinstatement, I believe they can also provide some limited additional rides as well. As in, you're back in, and you get 2-3 additional rides to get to where you need to be. Not sure how the holidays work, I believe there is some history of all students getting an additional ride after coming back from break, or something to that effect? Either way, give the CR your best shot. Don't know how your wing does it, but in the past I've seen the CC ask that you write a memo or something that outlines your case. Lay your cards out there, and see where it goes. Hopefully your IPs give you some guidance in that regard. Hope for the best, and see where it goes. If you don't get the outcome you want, go out and do something else with your life with the knowledge you took the shot and it didn't work out. Let that part of your life be something to grow off of, not something to hang onto in bitterness. Related, this thread got me thinking about all the folks I've known who didn't complete pilot training. I'm not very well traveled or well connected by any means, but this is just after bouncing around the Air Force and civilian service for a couple decades. I reflect on this list, and think about the people who held onto their bitterness for a long time, and others who just kinda moved on. You get to choose how you let it effect you (like many things in life). A Lt who was doing well through IFF, had to punch out of a T-38 and got bad back injuries. Can't remember if he was going to be permanently DQ'd from flying, or medically retired from the service. It was bad. Fought tooth and nail to be allowed back in, and was allowed to proceed as a non-ejection seat pilot. One ROTC instructor (Maj) who was washed out of pilot training and had a sob story about it. Was on a T-37 solo flight, and did intentional stalls on his own. Didn't think it was a problem to do stalls solo, his IPs disagreed. Was reclassed into a non-rated field. Went through some long process to "get his record changed," or something to that effect, with no success. Probably all for the good, because the guy was kind of an idiot. Another ROTC instructor (Maj) who washed out and was told he had three choices on his next career field: Nav, Nav, and Nav. Seemed to go on to do good things, but was a bit cringe-y in how he seemed to still have not come to terms with it. One co-worker who washed out, but still had a T-37 hanging from his office ceiling. He seemed to look back on his time fondly. Another co-worker who SIE'd early on after putting "pilot" on his ROTC dream sheet as a lark, more or less. One O-6 Air Base Wing CC who was respected, well liked, and seemed to be good at his job. At his retirement ceremony when he talked about his career, he briefly mentioned that he "Started his career with six months in pilot training. Unfortunately, pilot training is a 12 month course." He smiled and moved on with his speech. Along with all the guys I knew who fought for the chance to go, got close, but never got there for one reason or another: One guy who came in to the Air Force non-rated, and applied for board after board, and didn't get anywhere. He was crushed at not being able to fly, and even more crushed at being stuck in a support role. One old timer who was all lined up to go to pilot training with a waiver for being slightly over the age limit. Vietnam drawdown happens, waiver rescinded, and he was out of luck. Anyway, good luck OP. Thanks for providing the opportunity for an old man to neglect his day job and reflect a bit.

There should be a weigh in like for professional fights. Everyone gets to watch and cheer as you qualify for the discount double seat. They should also feed those fat bastards a few meals at no cost. Everyone else has to pay extra.

Since the TSP revamped the website not too long ago, there is only one way. Any reference to paper forms is old gouge. On the website home page: click "more" on the menu ribbon, then click "withdrawals and rollovers out" then go from there as it's fairly self-explanatory. There is no agent who will do (or can do) anything for you except step you thru the website. Your receiving agent can do nothing. TSP needs you to supply the account number and the address of where to send the check. Example of Fidelity IRA (found on Fidelity website): Fidelity ATTN Direct Rollovers PO BOX 770001 Cincinnati OH 45277-0037