M2

Either way, knowing the regs is smart...and a great place to start is here. Cheers! M2

Been thinking about getting one of those little cheap mini-helicopters to fly around the house...looks like fun; but I am not interested in spot painting all the marks I am gonna make when I crash into the walls... Cheers! M2

So now we know who to blame! Seriously, I don't know who you pissed off to get that additional duty; but I hope you've learned your lesson! Now, since you have insider knowledge, what kind of medals do the uniform board bubbas give each other?!? Inquiring minds want to know... Cheers! M2

All due respect, but do you seriously expect that to happen? (Sorry, gotta keep up my post count in this thread! I feel it is my duty! ). Nothing the USAF can do now will repair the damaged relations between us and the Kyrgies. Apologizing and saying we (the USAF) was involved in a cover-up concerning a golden child's abortion will do nothing to mend fences. What I am surprised is that State isn't all over this. You'd think the US Embassy in Bishkek would be catching the biggest shitbomb from all this. But in the big scheme of things I guess Kyrgyzstan is not high on State's list of concerns... So, nothing is too good when it comes to Jill Metzger, and that is exactly what we will hear about her...nothing! Cheers! M2

(Sorry Rain...) If she was raped, and I don't believe it for a second, but for the sake of the argument if she was, and it was reported, it would have been handled and there would have been probably some mention of it without details or names in the AF Times. But if our theory is true, the USAF has painted itself in a corner and unfortunately this is exactly how I would expect it to play out. Seriously, put yourself on the CSAF's 'think tank' and at this point what else could you do? Keep quiet and hope it blows over (and for the most part except this forum and militarycorruption.com it has) is about their only option. Say she has PTSD and no one will come near her. Assign a 'handler' to stop anyone dumb enough to approach her anyway. Temporarily retire her and she'll go away, tell her if she doesn't keep her mouth shut, she'll be recalled to active duty and court martialed. Exactly as I would have planned it, if I had... As I said way back on 8 Sep 2006 (when this thread started), I am sure we'll never hear the truth about what happened... Cheers! M2

You asked for it... "You are out of your element and shut the "f" up!" Seriously, your hypothesis is worse than the that is spewing from AF/PA! There is no compelling evidence that any of what you espoused happened, but there is a helluva lot of it showing that she lied about her actions, and even more anecdotal evidence that she was seeking an abortion. I don't think if she had been raped that she would have taken this route, if she was and did, then she is an even bigger idiot than I originally thought! Sorry, but that has to be one of the worse alternative scenarios that anyone could have come up with. I hope you aren't planning to propose that the psycho female astronaut's actions were the result of some pre-menopausal condition as well… M2

Have you done a financial estimate as to how much it all has cost the taxpayers??? (not to include the on-duty time spent on this thread by our active duty and Reserve/Guard participants, of course! ) Cheers! M2

Just to clarify that Kelly Inn is not on Lackland but on KellyUSA (250 Goodrich Dr, 78236 if you want to map it), which is the new industrial park that formerly was Kelly AFB. It is one of the many facilities that remained after the base was closed, and it is a part of Lackland billeting; but just keep in mind that you are not on base and that the building is accessible to the public. As you may know, this is not the best part of town. But that said, San Antonio itself is really family-friendly. There are a ton of amusement parks here (SeaWorld, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Schlitterbahn and SplashTown USA) and of course the RiverWalk and Alamo are popular destinations. If you have the time I would recommend visiting the other missions, there are four others in addition to the Alamo. We also have a nice Zoo and numerous museums. Plus you have the Texas Hill Country just northwest of the city, and the Gulf of Mexico a few hours away. This message brought to you by the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau... Cheers! M2

Not just the desert, I also wore one while in Bosnia the summer of '98. As we had a hardcore US Army commander, I made my team wear the normal BDU cap in garrison, then switch to the boonie once we went out the gate. Then he went out on an op with us, and as usual my crew swapped for the boonies as soon as we cleared the compound. I figured I would catch hell, as this guy had a hard-on for regs,; but to my surprise he agreed that the boonies made much more sense as we spent most of our time outside in the heat and sun. Of course the Army went to the black beret for everyone in 2001. Whereas I understood Shinseki's logic behind the decision, in reality it was a bad idea. Nothing funnier than seeing some '4x4' Army Sergeant (4 feet tall and 4 feed wide) busting out of their ACUs wearing either a too small or too large beret on their cranium. Honestly, unless you are airborne, Ranger, SF (the real ones, not our cops), Combat Controller or a PJ, you shouldn't wear a beret. OK, I'll include the TACPs and even the weather guys in that group, but no one else. Hat rant over... Cheers! M2

Cheers! M2

It has, but not at this level... Cheers! M2

Are you serious? Cheers! M2

Yep, from over 26 years ago. Funny thing is the entire time I was enlisted and overseas, I kept getting letters asking for address updates (this before the Internet, kids!). I sent replies with my APO address, explaining that I didn't think I'd get drafted as I was already in. A few weeks later I would get a ncie form letter thanking me for updating my address. I hope the system is run better nowadays... Cheers! M2

Oddly enough, I was on the Selective Service web site getting info for my periodic reinvestigation (security clearance update), when I came across this little nugget of info... Nice to know being "equal" doesn't apply in all situations... Cheers! M2

Interesting article... But if it happens then the law that prohibits women from being drafted will have to be repealed. It does not make sense that females would be excluded from having to serve. I understand not letting them in certain career fields, but those are few and far between and there are plenty of other jobs they can fufill. Hasn't that been proven already? Cheers! M2

She won't get full pay and allowances... More info here. Cheers! M2

Actually, doesn't RB still have a somewhat large shoppette? But it is a long commute from Patch (45 min?), and not one I would bother with during the week. Also, there is a small one on Kelly, at least there still was when I worked Flexible Response there in Oct/Nov 05. And where the BX at Panzer is a great improvement over the old facilities on Patch, I would only consider it an "average" AAFES facility. The two major BX/PXs in the KMC offer a much wider selection of goods, and is only a two-hour drive away. Plus Heidelberg is only an hour or so, and there is/was a mid-sized PX there as well. As for schools, Patch has an elementary school. I don't have any firsthand experience with DoDDS at EUCOM, but if you need more info let me know and I will see if any of my EUCOM buds can provide some gouge. Cheers! M2

Toro I am in Garmisch right now but heading to Innsbruck this morning to fly back to Texas. I go to Stuttgart on a regular basis, not only know but when I was stationed in Europe, and as BaseOps said it is better located for travel to the "better" parts of Europe (Black Forest, the Alps, etc). And with the new AAFES facilities at Panzer Kaserne, you don't have to head to Ramstein to shop. Either would rock, and as you know I did four years at Ramstein; but my bottom line is anywhere in Europe is a lucky break nowadays. Heck, I'd even go back to SHAPE given the opportunity... Cheers! M2

No need for a military clause in the lease, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act already has that covered. It doesn't have to be actuallywritten in the lease for it to apply... Cheers! M2 p.s. Like the new waving flag icon!

And even with a lease you have restrictions of what you can do. My BTDT story concerns a guy who was in the construction trade renting one of our condos outside of Baltimore. One bad winter he couldn't find work, hence he didn't pay rent. My property manager got an eviction order, but it takes a while for the police to serve it. When they finally got around to it, it snowed. Apparantly Maryland law prohibits evictions if it is snowing, so they canx'd on me. The dude got to live there for several more months rent-free before we finally got him out. Tried several avenues to get him to pay back rent, and did get some (about a third) back; but for the most part all I got to do was write it off on my taxes. Friend or not, I wouldn't let anyone live in one of my properties without a formal, legal agreement. If he doesn't like it, tought shit, good luck to him in finding someplace to live that doesn't require a lease... Cheers! M2

Not a lawyer, but I would expect the housing office to have all the answers to your questions. First of all, you would be a moron not to have some legal document drawn up concerning the agreement. They may be buds now, but when they destroy your house and scoot you will have no legal recourse without a lease. And make them give you a deposit. And of course you will have to give them the same options under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act as any other landlord, which includes cutting them loose from a lease if there is a military reason for it. If you are considering renting the property out after you leave, I would strongly recommend getting a property manager. It costs you a little, but the peace of mind is worth it. And the 10-year rule applies as a military homeowner. You have a ten-year extension to the "live in the property for three of the past five years" law when it comes to paying capital gains if/when you sell. So, in other words, if in 12 years you decide to sell, the clock backs up to ten years prior and if you lived in the property for three of the previous years prior to that date, you do not have to pay any capital gains on the profit of the sale. The tax folks will be able to tell you more about it. Just some lessons learned from owning and renting out two properties during the second half of my career... Cheers! M2

Lord Flashheart, the WW I RFC ace from 'Black Adder Goes Forth'...played by Rik Mayall (sp?), also in 'The Young Ones.' Cheers! M2

No hesitation at all in deciding...Veronica Zemanova...Google her, but not at work (unless you have the 'safe' filter on, and even then it is risky...safer to wait until you are home on your own computer). By the way, does the '1.5' apply to the hottie as well? Cheers! M2

My Nuvi 350 arrived on Friday, and I've been having fun with it all weekend. I also got the US topo maps CD, and loaded all of central Texas on it, about anywhere I have any chance of wheeling in the Jeep. Once I got MapSource loaded (the Garmin software), it was a snap. The thing is a blast, but it is a little difficult to hear the command prompts when in the Jeep with the top/doors off and the stereo blasting, but that's almost to be expected . It's just a freaking' cool gadget... Cheers! M2