so.it.goes

I thought it was a useful program, but I had almost zero time, and no choice of whether to go or not. I had a good time in CO, but the program was not a cakewalk, as some people seem to suggest (seemingly more out of pride than actual reality). I knew Guard dudes with multiple thousands of hours that didn't necessarily struggle, but definitely had to put some serious effort into the program. In my opinion, the people that say IFS was a "joke" are the same ones that finish UPT and, a day later, tell people just starting that it's really "not that bad". The further removed you are from a bad situation, the more likely you are to downplay that situation's difficulty.

I don't have a ton of ribbons, but I've always thought it makes more sense to wear less... What's going to happen if you wear less than you've earned? Nothing. What's going to happen if you wear the ones you're not sure about? Maybe nothing, but maybe something. "Err on the side of caution."

So, almost eight years later, I have a personal piece of advice and also a question on the topic: This recipe worked on three different machines, and I got a decent amount of compliments... To the effect of, "Well, it's definitely hot." - 1/2-1/3 Solo cup of oil... In said oil, add a little jalapeño juice, Frank's Hot Sauce, and some Cayenne pepper - Dump in half a billion jalapeños... Let this cook for exactly seven minutes - At the seven minute mark dump in the 2/3 Solo cup of kernels (add more jalapeño juice if you want... I want) - As soon as the kernels start popping, prepare yourself to dump the corn. All three machines I operated were glitchy, mechanically unsound, and constantly created the danger of burned corn... Consequently the only smell more overbearing and exponentially more insufferable than cooking jalapeños in a small room - Dump some more salt and Cayenne pepper on there, then mix that shit up - For personal flavor, grab TWO paper bags (moisture control), corral your corn, put a little more jalapeño juice in a Solo cup, mix more Frank's into it, and pour, unceremoniously, atop said corn. Gives it a godly mix of crisped corn and jalapeños with a portion of slightly soggy corn and jalapeños. This was a recipe created amidst trial and error, stood upon the shoulders of giants with great corn ideas. I love it, and if you make it, you should never be the guy hearing that it should be made hotter... So you'll have that going for you. Which is nice... So, for all that information, requested or not, I have a question I would like answered in return: Have any of you guys made a decent batch of jalapeño corn at home or somewhere else, without the aid of an actual popcorn machine? I've tried just popping some bagged corn at home and then cooking some sliced jalapeños in a skillet with some olive oil, but only managed to singe my eyes, set off my fire alarms, and incite the rage of my spousal roommate... Any advice or ideas? I'm getting drunker, and my ideas may not be getting any better as the evening continues. Any help would be appreciated... By me and my family.

I second the motion for an explanation...

What does that actually mean?

So what is it that's keeping the Guard such a "good deal"? The State funds keeping the AD mentality out or something else?

Very cool...

I know that, due to a couple screw-ups not of my own, I went to AMS with my Secret clearance having just been opened, not finished, and, similarly, showed-up to UPT with my Top Secret in the same process. Didn't finish all the interviews and everything for TS until I had been on the T-6 flightline for a while. Apparently the rule of everyone having to have the TS, Guard included, didn't get implemented until a week or two after I was hired, so no one knew it was an issue until I tried to out-process from my unit two days before heading to UPT. Granted, I am a US citizen by birth, but that is all to say that "there is hope?". Just get the process started as soon as possible, and see what happens.

You took shots of Nyquil on your 21st birthday? (In the vein of "You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?")

Plan formulated...

Fair?

I agree 100%... However, those briefs did not seem to coincide with our mindset.

Not solid... that sucks.

I agree wholeheartedly... that test was NOT about how smart you are; it's all about speed and time management. Take every practice test you can find, and take each one at least five or more times for speed. You'll be amazed at how much quicker you can get within a couple weeks. By the time I took the real test, I had way more time than I needed and my scores were solid to boot. Competition for OTS and Guard/Reserve slots is getting tougher seemingly each year. Make it count. Speed, speed, speed...

What happened to the dude they booted? How does that work? My alcohol abstinence skills are lacking...

Not to complicate things, but this can be a two-edged sword of advice. I would say it depends entirely on the mindset of the unit, and those on the interviewing board. I know on the board I got picked-up on, and the one that I helped out on as a POC, my unit was looking for someone committed to flying for us. Not to say that they expected the final five who get interviews to say we were the only choice, but I now know from experience that all our selects the past three years had their eggs in only one basket. That complicated things, didn't it?

Be aware that there were several briefings at our AETC base the other day about how this is not the time that you want to drop-out or wash-out of UPT as a stud... it's unfortunate, but even if you realize this isn't for you, it might be worth sticking it out if you want to stay in the AF. All I can say is that that is the message that was conveyed. How much truth is in it, who knows?

Yup... Scared the shit out of myself with this method. Can't imagine what I would have done knowing it would be In HD.

Agree... The civ job I left was pretty solid (and most of the IP's I flew with who asked about it agree), but it just doesn't compare to what I get paid (pretty well) to do now. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk By the way, anyone know what's up with all the double-posting Tapatalk is doing?

Just an update... dude isn't necessarily loving his civilian job either. Maybe some people are just born miserable...

I think they usually wait until you've finished the FC1, just to make sure you're going to be continuing in the process. My wait was about 1.5-2 months after getting back from W-P...

Thanks for that info. Heard from someone else that what I need isn't actually called a Non-A letter, it's a "refusal letter"... Does that sound familiar to anyone? Also, after a few years on here, I still don't understand the search function for this site. TDY search still yields zero results for me, or I would have posted this there.

Thought about making a separate post for TDY stuff, but I suppose this will do... I'm looking for information on moving/housing/pay-related items in connection with a TDY, post-UPT. Background: I'm a Guard guy with a family finishing-up training soon with a follow-on to Little Rock. My orders show me PCS'ing back to my unit the day after graduation, and then immediately taking the TDY trip to the Rock. I'm debating my options as far as bringing my family with me for the whole trip, or having them stay at home to job/permanent-house search while I'm in training. First question there: If I do have them come with me to LR, will I still get paid BAH for my home of record, i.e. my unit's city, even if I don't own property there/have proof of household? We moved out of our apartment before UPT, so I currently don't have a technical "residence" back home now. My guess is that the answer is "no", so the follow-up to that would be, is it worth having them move with me to LR, and then just renting-out a cheap place back home to pocket the difference? Next Part: I tried to dig online for clarification for how the segments of TDY pay work so that I can know what my rental budget is off-base, and I'm not so sure my interpretation is correct. The government site shows a "Maximum reimbursable hotel amount (Lodging rate)" of $87, and a "Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) rate" of $56 at Little Rock... So, more Questions: Is it still policy to get a Non-A letter from Housing to live off-base, and does having my family with me or not make the odds of getting said letter more or less likely? Further, if I am/have to get this Non-A letter, am I entitled to rent a place up to the dollar amount of $87 x 30? That works out to $2,600+ per month, so that seems incredibly unlikely, but I can't find anything saying otherwise (although I did hear by unsubstantiated word-of-mouth that we are limited to $1,400 off-base). I have no idea where that came from. Also, if I am not afforded meals on base (which I assume I am not), do I ALSO get the full amount of $56 x 30 (~$1,600)? Those dollar amounts stack up in a hurry so I'm skeptical, but like I said, I can't find anything to the contrary. If anyone would be able to intelligently speak to this or even just point me in the right direction to research further, I would be incredibly grateful. Thanks...

For all you guys' sakes, I hope not... Six was more than plenty.

https://youtu.be/-9BM