M2

I'll second that, and the video is pretty good, if you can get over the fact that they are flying Spits instead of Hurricanes! Still, some great flying sequences and worth owning. It was a Masterpiece Theater series a while back. Note that it does not really cover the entire book. For one, the original squadron commander (Ram), is only briefly introduced in the video. You learn a lot more about him and what he was doing with the squadron in the book. I would recommend both the book and the video. I also second Spitfire's recommendation of 1000 Destroyed: The Life and Times of the 4th Fighter Group, it is one of my all-time favorite aviation books. Out of print but available used from Amazon. A must read. Cheers! M2

Bishop If you remember those dark, long-sleeve shirts, your memory does go way back. I actually wore one as late as the mid-80's, and I believe they were phased out shortly afterward (85?). I was at MHAFB at the time and during the winter that was a great shirt, it was a wool blend if I remember correctly. It was a pretty sharp shirt and I don't know why it was phased out, but it was too warm for most climates; but I think it was a better look than the thin, light blue shirts we wore. And I agree with Rain's comments ("I believe you should be ready and willing to fight at the drop of a hat...") and our leadership should be more focused on getting that part right than in the way we look. If you look at any of the real ground warriors (CCTs, PJs, Army SF, etc), they are usually quite scrubby-looking but kickass at what they do. If they get the job done, then who gives a shit what the corporate image is? Cheers! M2

Take the opportunity to learn something about the Ops Group Commander's job to add to your maintenance officer experience. Use it to make yourself a better officer, and don't data dump everything you learn when you go to UPT. At this point it may not have as much of an impact on your career as it would later on, but just take it as a positive opportunity and--as Hydro said--be happy that it's not for too long. Cheers! M2

We had renter's insurance when we were on base at Ramstein. If the building goes up in flames, the govt isn't liable for your stuff. It is cheap and easy to get, just call USAA... Cheers! M2

Plus, don't waste your time on the goof that wrote the response (which wasn't that bad, he is just a tea-totaller). What you want to find out is what the female lieutenant who wrote the following looks like! I am sure she was never in CAP! Cheers! M2 [ 18. May 2006, 11:36: Message edited by: Toro ]

Which shows how outdated they are. Thanks M2.

Don't worry, by the end of this week everyone in the USAF (and some of us who aren't) will have a copy of the original email. It is going around faster than the goofy uniform pics from the Pentagon... Cheers! M2

Lieutenants...Real American Heros! Cheers! M2

I respect the courage to admit that--especially with your obsession with German automotive engineering. :D

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Col. Katrina Litchford (right) and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley listen as Cadet Litchford's grandfather James Litchford Sr. shares an anecdote about flying B-17 bombers in WWII under the command of Gen. Carl A. Spaatz. General Moseley had just presented the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award to Cadet Litchford during a ceremony in the Pentagon on Thursday, May 11, 2006. Observing are Cadet Litchford's sister, Dominique, also a CAP cadet, and other family members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Donna Parry) Actually, don't be too quick to judge. She looks like she'll be a perfect squadron twinkie one day. Same with her sister in the back. And someone tell T. Michael that is projects an unprofessional image to put your hands in your pockets...at least that is what the SNAPs kept whining when I was on AD... Cheers! M2

Wow, an Air Force/CAP award that is equivalent to the Girl Scout Gold Star! I wonder where that goes on T. Michael's new uniforms? Over the volunteer medal? Cheers! M2

Not soon, now. MG Koziol previously commanded the 55th Wing, the largest wing in ACC and second largest in the USAF. The squadrons under his command were: 38th RS (RC-135) 45th RS (OC-135/RC-135/WC-135) 82nd RS (RC-135) 95th RS (RC-135) — RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom 343rd RS (RC-135) 338th CTS (RC/OC-135) 1st ACCS (E-4B) 97th IS Koziol has non-rated officer aircrew wings from when he was the commander of the 488th Intelligence Squadron (RJs) at Mildenhall. Cheers! M2

My 20 was over before I knew it. Being prior, I actually ended up with almost 25 years in uniform, if you include Reserves and AFROTC between my enlisted AD time and commissioning. I can remember when I hit 10 years, I thought it was wild that I was halfway to retirement. Next thing I knew the USAF was telling me it was my time to leave. The retirement check easily covers the mortgage and minivan payment. Cheers! M2

Actually, the v-necks were being worn long before they became the norm... Cheers! M2

Or at least let us wear white undershirts with a collar that shows instead of the John Travolta look with all your chest hair sticking out.

What I don't like about the "prop & wings" is that it makes us look more like the Army (those are Branch insignia like the Army wears on their Class As). And the one thing I wouldn't want is any indication that we desire to be like the Army. There is already too much of that going on. Of course I need to caveat all this by saying I no longer wear the uniform, but as I still work on an AFB I would have to not laugh at people who came to work dressed like this! It would be tough! HerkaDerka gets my vote for the best post in this thread! Cheers! M2

I quickly downloaded those pics in anticipation that an Air Force "Information Warrior" will be ordered to hack this site and remove them in the very near future! To be honest I had to have another sip of JD to keep from throwing up at the sight of them! What is with the Billy Mitchell-wannabe look on the far right of pic #2? And how does T. Michael get any points on the Body Comp portion of the AFPT with a gut like that? What scares me the most is that with two wars going on, force reductions and the pressing need to get fighters and airlifters to replace the aging fleet, senior leadership is spending their time and effort on costume changes. That in itself should be a FW&A IG complaint! And CH, thanks for the pic of Denise Richards, that got the blood flowing again! I just watched Undercover Brother again the other night (my 8-yr-old loves that movie and so do I, but for different reasons). Cheers! M2

I have yet to see a force reduction done by the USAF that made any sense. It didn't back in the early 90's, and it doesn't now. Berman's 3 truisms of the Air Force are spot on, it has nothing to do with how good of an officer you are. I've seen a lot of damn good officers shown the door, while some total douchebags go on to make O-6. Don't take it personally... Cheers! M2

Go read CH's post about his Mom, then think about how much USAF "love" these lieutenants are feeling at this time. Now check your priorities... Cheers! M2

BaseOps It has been a while, but Ft Bragg had an automated operating service at DSN 236-0001. I haven't used it for a while, so it might be worth checking before you add it to the list (can we call you 'Earl'?). This is a great initiative, good on ya! Cheers! M2

One word: Rüdesheim! Cheers! M2

OK, so some legit advice would be to talk with your security folks long before you tie any knots. The worse thing you can do is get married in a drive-thru in Vegas by "Elvis" and then show back up base hand-in-hand expecting everything to be hunky-dorry. If you have an SCI clearance, your SSO will know what to do as you won't be the first person to marry a foreigner. If you get married before OTS it shouldn't be a problem, you won't need anything more than a secret (collateral) clearance to get you through UPT. If you require higher clearances, it may take a bit longer with your Czech wife, but like many have said, it is easily done as long as you are up front about everything. In other words, don't lie as they will find out and that will put you in deep shit. And congrats in advance if you do marry this girl; I spent a little over six months in the Slovak Republic on a military liaison team and I did see a lot of beautiful women there! However, I was already engaged and my future bride had my motorcycle hostage, so I had to behave! Cheers! M2

You can read about it and watch the videos here. Cheers! M2

Now THIS is dumping fuel! Cheers! M2

Really? Dang, I should look into that. AAFMAA looks decent as well, how do you like them? I did a quick quote with them and they weren't too bad (about $30/mo for $750K, but thing I don't like is the fixed premiums and fixed death benefit to age 50, then decreasing death benefit to age 60. I am 43, so that isn't that far off! Cheers! M2