M2

There are tons fo great roads around Ramstein, and any trip to the Alps is gonna be a lifetime experience that you have to do! Plus you can guess what it is like riding on the autobahns. Also did a ride from Belgium to the Thuringen Wald (former East Germany) for a rally. But yes, the only thing that sucks is that the season is short, but when you can ride it is great! Cheers! M2

First and foremost, outstanding job using the search forum! Having just left some of the best riding in the US (the Texas Hill Country), you may be a bit disappointed to find there isn't as much to offer in the Redneck Riviera. I believe if you go north you might find some nice roads, but nothing like the infamous 33's (335, 336, 337). If you'd join before leaving San Antonio, I would've offered to have you come out and do a Bandera Breakfast Run with us one Sunday morning. Always a blast, and the grub at the Old Spanish Trail alone is worth getting up in the morning. But the ride out to Leakey and beyond tops the cake! Hope you find some good roads out there! Cheers! M2

No, there has been a lot of media coverage of Pace's last day as CJCS. Not to spoil the ending, but he went to the Vietnam Memorial and left some 3x5 cards for several of the fallen Marines from his platoon when he was a lieutenant. For those who don't read the AF TImes, you can read the story here and see the pics here. If I am not mistaken, the Smithsonian Institution collects all items left at the Wall and archives them. Cheers! M2

Great analysis from STRATFOR... Cheers! M2

Ditto on Hacker's comments, unless you have valid authority to carry weapons onto base, it isn't worth the risk. Yes, it is a pain, and the mere concept that weapons aren't allowed on a military base is almost beyond belief; but it is illegal to carry weapons on any Federal property, to include the Post Office, even if you do have a concealed permit from the state you are in... So unless you want to go to Federal-Pound-Me-In-The-Ass-Prison, or you get the authorization to do so, you'd better leave your guns at home or locked up somewhere safe! Cheers! M2

Good one! Cheers! M2

Box Although I didn't explicitly state it, that is exactly the route I did. Four years enlisted, went to college and joined AFROTC (plus did a year and a half of Reserves until I signed my contract), then graduated and got commissioned. However, that was a very long time ago so I can't share any insights on the competitiveness of AFROTC nowadays. The ANG suggestion is a good one, if you can swing it. It may not be a fulltime gig, and if you need money, that may be a problem. But for getting your foot in the door there is probably no better route, especially if you get with a unit flying what you want to eventually fly. Had an AFROTC bud from college do that, he was having problems in school so he switched to another college and joined a FANG unit in the same town. He made a good name for himself at the squadron, so once he completed his degree he was pretty much a shoe-in for a UPT slot. It was a sweet gig, first he got to fly Vipers and later the squadron converted to Eagles. Who knows what he would've got had he stayed in AFROTC and later went to UPT... Cheers! M2

AR I would have never made it through college had I gone after high school. I was only lucky in that I realized that, and I decided that instead of being a buttboy for Winn Dixie for the rest of my life, I instead walked into an Air Force recruiter's office and signed on the dotted line. My financial situation wasn't bad, I just wasn't mature enough for college at the time. There was a community college within a stone's throw of where I went to high school, I guess 75% of my graduating class went there and 95% of them flunked out. I was lucky enough (I like to call it smart enough, be to be honest it was more luck than brains!) to go the USAF route instead of following all the sheep. Getting a degree and a commission is a longterm goal, and it is obtainable but you have to have patience and persistance. The biggest thing holding you back is yourself. Enlisting for four years until you get yourself on track is a good idea. I highly value my enlisted time, and I like to think I was a better officer because of it. I did my four years and ended up doing another year and a half in the Reserves when I went to college. Technically, I never left the service from my first day of basic training (26 years ago this Friday) until I retired in 2006; and I can honestly say that despite the tons of BS that may have come and gone during that time, I wouldn't trade one second of it for the world. As for jobs, the ones you listed are good if you can get into them. Aircraft maintenance is another good field you may consider. Not the most glamorous, but you get hands-on experience that will serve you well when you later go to fly them. Best of luck to you whatever you do! Cheers! M2

Sorry guys, but I disagree. It doesn't sound like AceRascal (and I would change that name, sounds too much like "AssRascal") doesn't know what he wants in life ("I need an extra push and some motivation in my life right now, things aren't going great"). Sounds very familiar as it is exactly how I was after graduating high school. After a few weeks of stocking grocery stores at night, I knew I needed to get the hell out of Dodge and bee-lined it to the USAF recruiter's office. I didn't even get a guaranteed job just so I could get on active duty quicker. After four years I grew up enough that I knew what I needed to do to get through college. I also knew I wanted to get back in the USAF. It was a tremendous advantage when I started college, and I knew a lot of people who bailed simply because they had no clue about their lives. Getting commissioned while enlisted is tough, but I believe the majority of OTSers are prior guys and gals. Someone call pull the stats from AFPC, I am not bothered. But if you are truly unsure of what you want to do with your life, the four years you dedicate to your country while enlisted will never be time not well spent, even if you decide the USAF is not the career path for you. And if it is, you will have a definite leg up on all your AFROTC brethren. As long as time isn't running against you (e.g. you won't get commissioned without requiring an age waiver), I think enlisted may just be your best option. It beats flunking out of collage and AFROTC, which will be a lot harder to recover from. Plus, take advantage of the educational opportunities being offered to get a jump start on your degree! Cheers! M2

Speaking of warbirds, here are a few pics of the P-51s and P-40 that were on the flightline at Randolph yesterday for Tex Hill's fly-by, which unfortunately could not be completed due to wx... Cheers! M2

Same here, I was looking for some posts on the F-22 and F-35 and got the same results as Barney and Toro...something is broke! Cheers! M2

Are you fucking shitting me? This is an issue because some spolied musicians spew about it? Who do they think they are...Bono?? I prefer my music by guys who get drunk, screw roadies, destroy hotel rooms and drive their Rolls Royces into swimming pools. I was pretty much put off of musicians with a cause when I was sitting in RFK stadium in the pouring rain listening to Bono rant on about how we need to feed the poor. Fucking hypocrite, first they charge me $75 a ticket for seats where I was closer to God than the stage, then the guy that has more money than a majority of third world nation's GNP says I have to do something to feed the hungry? Fuck him, The Who kick U2's ass any day of the week! Cheers! M2

Try the State Department's 'How To Get A Passport Quickly web site'... And you can't use or get an official passport for personal travel. Cheers! M2

Just another friendly reminder to be watchful of what you post on this forum! I know 99.69% of you are trustworthy Americans; but that doesn't mean other people can't log on to see what we are chatting about. If you have any questions on if a topic violates OPSEC rules, 1) it probably does, and 2) if you still aren't sure, PM the mods before posting to be absolutely sure it doesn't. If you post anything that is remotely close to violating the rules, all we are going to do is delete it, so do us a favor and check first! Another reminder...and thanks to those who posted this in other threads! I am glad most folks here understand the importance of OPSEC, especially as it pertains to BaseOps! If anyone sees anything they feel may be an OPSEC issue in any thread, please send the moderators a note! If I am not sure, I will pull the post until I can get clarification from the poster or through other channels; putting a '(Post removed for review)' in its place in the interim. If deemed to be an OPSEC risk, it will be removed permanently without the poster being notified. Cheers! M2

You sure it wasn't this CAF North American A-26 Invader 'Panhandle's Pride'?? Cheers! M2

From Wiki... Cheers! M2

Updates... ...and... Cheers! M2

Sorry if I missed the announcement, but congrats on joining the retirement rolls! It will be two years in April since I hung up the uniform, and early next month it will have been two years since I got a haircut! The first couple of months are an adjustment, but it will quickly settle in and getting a nice stipend every month for doing pretty much nothing is nice! Cheers! M2

Basically, A-10 = CAS, OA-10 = FAC...same jet, different mission... Cheers! M2

Speaking of patches, the guy that did the KC-135 "Your Hole Is Our Goal" patches now also has some of these... If anyone wants one, PM me and I will send you his info... Cheers! M2

Stiff Did the goof actually say "prudent?" What a And where did you get the 'Adult' morale patches? Cheers! M2

The War Viewer's Guide Cheers! M2

Speaking of which...(and your use of the word 'shenanigans' is duly noted!)... Cheers! M2

Today's news from Washington... Cheers! M2

Gotta love politics (and fear tactics) in action... Cheers! M2