Rusty Pipes

^^^^^ It has been updated since then, but I think the big change was to "e" saying that if you got an assignment you would need to ask for a later RNLTD to wait for TERA results.

Part of TERA was that anyone with 19+ years was automatically eligible regardless of their AFSC. That is an easy one… if someone didn't hit 20 yrs until Dec and they put in for TERA it just means they can retire at 19 yrs and 8 months on 1 Aug. As an O-5 they could have stayed in past 20 so that is a no-brainer to approve those which is probably why it happened so fast.

They will let some pilots go through TERA and say they Force Shaped some pilots too.

I'm sure it has been posted a bunch on these 232 pages, but Gunbot.net is pretty sweet for finding ammo. If you dig a little you can find good deals on bulk .223 with free shipping. If you are looking for good target ammo I've had great luck with Freedom Munitions. I've probably put a few thousand rounds of 9mm and .223 (both new and once fired) through my guns and have yet to have a single misfire. As good as any target ammo out there… pretty clean and accurate for target stuff, plus there is a military discount.

I hate to answer a question with a question, but maybe you and the people you work for need to ask yourself this… How can you manage to take some of the smartest, most highly motivated, talented, skilled, unselfish, mission oriented, succeed at all cost, patriotic citizens this country has to offer… and make them want to do something other than what many of them have dreamed their whole lives about doing??? I have learned by being on this forum long enough not to speak for others, so I will just speak for me. Since I was 4 yrs old I wanted to be a pilot. I didn't want to be just a pilot, I wanted to be a military pilot. The proudest day of my life aside from becoming a Dad was pinning my Wings on my chest… I love wearing a flight suit and I love each and every crew dawg that straps into the seat to go to every shit country that ends in "stan" so that hopefully my kids won't have to!!! It has no kidding been my dream my entire life to be able to do what I do… but I don't want to do it anymore! It's not that I don't want to hack the mission or deploy or put on a tan flight suit anymore (I'll honestly eventually miss all of that)… its that I don't want to deal with moron managers who couldn't lead a bowling ball down a hill. Patton, LeMay, Mitchell… they probably wouldn't make Captain in today's Air Force because they (like most of those who bail AD at the first opportunity) had the balls to look at the boss and say, "Sir, this is fucking stupid!" Somehow with the amazing talent pool that we have to choose from we manage to drive most of our leaders out… for some unknown reason you and your bosses can't figure out why. And for some ungodly reason… you and your bosses actually think that YOU are leaders. You're not...

I think the AF managers could gain some credibility by not screwing this one up (not working out so far). Don't offer TERA and then deny it… don't let anyone apply for VSP and then tell them after they aren't eligible… don't change the rules midstream. We have a "glut of 11Ms" as Chang claims? Let them go.

Bought a Colt LE6940 from them… great deal if they have them in stock. I just sent them a mid-month LES which worked and it stayed on file for other purchases under my account. The only "bad" thing about Buds LE is that to get the full discount you need to use their electronic check program. Great deal, it just takes about 10 days from when you order the gun until they process it and then whatever time it takes to get to where you ship it. If you are like me you are counting the seconds until your new toy gets there for you to play with, but the wait is worth the price from my experience.

Doubt it was TERA… but it would be great news for others if it was!

What's her deal? Never heard of her until Chang professed his undying love last night. I know Sam Cox is one of the "good guys", but if she is running this shit show I'm not impressed by how it is going so far.

WTF??? I've only PCS'd 9 times with a u-haul dragging behind me on all but 2 trips (not recommended to drive to or from Kadena) and I don't ever remember there being someone from TMO sitting there taking pictures of the size of my trailer or ever giving half a fuck what the dimensions were. I weighed it empty, I weighed it full... I gave them the receipts for both weights and they gave me money. Just don't go to Home Depot and buy a bunch of cinder blocks to put in the trailer or have a bunch of your buddies sitting in the back of it when you weigh it and you should be fine unless they have dramatically change the rules since my last PCS a few years ago. Of course I could have been doing it completely illegally the whole time... I ain't got time for that TMO rules shit!

Maybe I'm just missing something here, but if you are just trying to make a couple hundred bucks as a poor LT and you have a motorcycle trailer for a motorcycle that you no longer have then why don't you just sell the currently useless trailer? If you are actually going to use it to move household goods instead of renting a u-haul trailer or something then you are just talking about getting paid for the weight of the actual trailer? If that is the case... hey, I remember being a poor LT too, but it isn't worth the hassle. I'd say just use it for your move getting paid for the weight of your futon, 19 inch tube tv and porn collection and then sell it for a few hundred bucks at your next base. The last thing you need is to walk in the door of your next Base and have some TMO clown calling your boss saying he has an LT trying to scam the system over $169.

So what's the deal Chang… is this like the Obamacare website that can only handle 50,000 applications a day and you guys were worried about it crashing today??? I'm going to let you in on a little secret… lots of people are planning on taking the AF up on their TERA offer and already had to show their cards to their bosses. Nobody has confidence in A1 or anyone running this… nobody knows who Gen Grosso is and fewer care. This "roll out" of FSB is not showing off any great leadership or character… it is showing already expected and anticipated incompetence!

The window for TERA opened today after people were notified weeks ago they were eligible. When they followed the instructions to apply today they got to the first step and were stopped with a message saying that the AF will notify them in 10 days if they are eligible or not. Yeah… lots of faith in those personnelists running this shit show!!!

Wow... so after AFPC decided who is eligible for TERA and then notifies the Commanders and the individuals that they are eligible for TERA and RIF (Merry Christmas), when you hit the "check retirement eligibility" button you get a message saying that AFPC needs to check if you are eligible and wiill get back to you in 10 days??? Yeah, looks like this is starting off well... I have every confidence that this will be a very smooth process for all involved!

So the TERA window opens on the 14th (tomorrow)… does that mean at 0001 on the 14th… 0900 CST on the 14th… whenever some shoe at AFPC decides to hit "enter" on his computer to open it up on the 14th???

This whole thing is stupid. If this is the case they should just say to TERA eligible folks that they have the option to apply, but if they don't meet their "quota" some may possibly be forced to retire… not this basic threat to take TERA now or never. They also need to come out and say if you apply for TERA then you WILL get it… not this apply and we'll let you know shit! A whole lot of people in this eligibility group were part of the last VSP debacle and some wondering if they would get the boot like the poor 157 non-continued guys. This isn't some fucking gameshow where you get to take your chances with what's behind door #2… these are people's lives here; and if we're talking TERA then we are talking about the lives of people who have served every minute of these 12+ years of war! Gameshow… its more like a fucking Clown show!!! Rant complete...

Nothing is official, yet the TERA application window is supposed to open on Tuesday. In other words… standard.

If that is true then they should let the TERA guys pick a retirement date between 1 Aug 14 and 31 Jan 15. Saying they will let you know about TERA by 1 Apr with a mandatory retirement date of 1 Aug is total bullshit because if you have any leave built up you could possibly go immediately on terminal. That gives you no time for the mandatory briefings, classes, etc. I get that it is a good deal to have the TERA offer if you want it, I just don't get the reason for the rush to get them out the door. Anyone hear of a reason for the random 1 Aug mandatory retirement date?

You would just need to find a unit willing to pick up a guy with 18 yrs. I'm not going to say that is impossible, but there are going to be lots of guys who are about to VSP, Palace Chase or get RIF'd looking to get a Guard/Reserve job. I know back in 2006 when they did the last legit VSP the C-17 Res Squadrons went over manning because there was a ton of talent they couldn't pass up on… but once you get over 15 yrs or so it get much tougher to get a job. Again, not impossible… just very difficult. Sooooo… anyone hear anything from any of these random Wing Commander's calls or rumor mill on the "priority" of those who apply for TERA in this whole Force Shaping thing? If you are eligible for TERA and apply for it is it a done deal or is this another bait and switch like the last VSP debacle? I'm guessing there is no way they could deny TERA and then RIF someone, but it is a hell of a lot cheaper to let someone VSP than approve TERA.

So after reading all of the Force Shaping memos and the matrix (including all of the notes) I am apparently eligible for all VSP/RIF… I am also ineligible for all VSP/RIF. When I asked our Personnel Chief about it she said, "Ummm… I have no idea!" What a mess...

Liquid… I wasn't calling out your leadership or impact since I don't know either. I was calling out your bosses that both you and Chang seem to look up to and defend on a regular basis. If those guys had the leadership skills that Tony has (and I know it from more than just reading his blog) you wouldn't have scores of pages on this forum dedicated to how much things suck! Its not that hard… your average crew dawg just wants to be inspired! We are desperately looking for those in leadership positions to (gasp) actually fucking lead!!! Those who try are crushed or quit. And some end up on FoxNews at 6:15 EST tomorrow morning. Guess what… it isn't Chang!

I'm about as tech savvy as a sun dial, but I'm sure we can find someone who can post a link to the segment on here somehow. Maybe Chang or Liquid could even take a look to see what real Air Force leaders should look like… Tony was smart enough to trade in Stars for Harvard Law. I'm guessing he will have a much bigger impact on the system with the path he has chosen… sucks to see the AF lose yet another great leader though!

I know lots of you guys have read Tony Carr's open letter to Rep. Ryan on his John Q. Public blog… it has since been published on businessinsider.com. It looks like he is now getting a bigger stage… Tony is scheduled to appear on FoxNews tomorrow morning (Friday, 27 Dec) on Fox and Friends to discuss the retirement cuts for military members. He doesn't have a time yet, but I'll update this when I hear for those interested in watching. For those who don't know Tony, I can't think of a better guy to represent us in a forum like this. Update: Already posted by Chuck, but it looks like 6:15 EST. They will most definitely replay it again a few more times during the 3 hr block of Fox and Friends, but if you are interested in seeing it live it will be at 6:15. Good luck, Tony… thanks for fighting for us!

So… if you are a 1997 Major, but hit 18 yrs by 31 Jan 15 does that mean that you get "sanctuary"? I'm not sure if they are changing the rules like they usually do, but I think sanctuary applies to anyone who hits the 18 yr mark.

Are you sure about that? I had several buds who took the VSP back in 2006 (?) and went straight into the Reserves. They still got the money, but if IIRC they said if they eventually earned a retirement in the Reserves the AF had the option of recouping the VSP cash. I may be talking completely out of my ass on that one, but I'm sure there are a few from that year on here that could confirm or deny.