M2

Hacker Everyone in EUCOM got it as well, Gen Jones put out a memo to that effect a few weeks ago. The GWOT Service Medal is turning into another National Defense Service Medal...I expect the USAFA ****ers will be wearing it soon! Cheers! M2

Yep, anytime you have orders that put you on active duty (such as training or deployments), the AD clock is ticking in your favor. Cheers! M2

To retire you need 20 years of either active duty time or Reserve/Guard time. The difference is when you get your benefits. If you get to 20 years of AD the you can start collecting immediately. If you accumulate 20 years of Guard/Reserve time (well, points actually) you have to wait until you are 60 to collect your benefits. From what I understand the Guard/Reserves usually stop you before you hit 18 years of AD (and sanctuary, which allows you to continue on to 20). So you AD time will count towards your Guard retirement, but only any AD time you have in the Guard will count towards an AD retirement. For example, I was enlisted for four years, then did 18 months of USAFR (still enlisted) while in college. During that time I did two annual tours of 15 days each, which counted as AD. As such, when I was commissioned and came back on AD, I already had four years and 30 days of active duty towards retirement. As such, I only needed 15 years and 11 months to be eligible (which will be 5 Sep this year!). So, to answer Steve D's question, yes, the difference being if you retire from AD or the Guard/Reserves. If you are a full time Guard/Reservist, then all that total time will add up to 20 years and you can retire and start collecting benefits immediately. If that Guard time isn't full time, then you can "retire" after 20 but the benefits won't start until you reach age 60. But don't just listen to me, read what MOAA has on National Guard/Reserve Retirement Benefits here. Cheers! M2 [ 26. March 2005, 23:28: Message edited by: MajorMadMax ]

ClearedHot I agree, although it took me almost seven years to complete it, I did get a MS in Info Systems that will help me in future endeavors. Why not underwater basketweaving? Because I wanted a degree that I could be somewhat proud of, and since the USAF is paying 100% TA I thought I would make an effort to give them their money's worth. 123, if that's how you feel, then take the time and effort to go out and find a program that suits you and that you will be proud to complete. I doubt you will ever again have the opportunity to get a grad degree at nearly no cost to yourself, hell, back in the days when we only got 75% TA I thought it was a great deal! By the way, I started one program and also didn't like it, so I transferred the credits to another program which is the one that I completed. If your bud isn't happy, then he should look elsewhere. By the way, if that is how you feel about a grad degree, then you are REALLY going to hate ACSC! Cheers! M2

Scoobs With 100% TA, what's so expensive? 123abc, good luck! There are some diploma mills out there, but I doubt you will find one that will issue a masters without taking classes. Besides, that degree is suppose to indicate you received some sort of an education, y'know... Cheers! M2

I talk with the guys at CJTF-76 and the CJSOTF all the time, and trust me, they want a/c to be dropping bombs and shooting at the enemy! Those "show of force" missions aren't scaring the Taliban/HIG/AQ/insurgent hillbillies anymore... Nice try, but Doc was nowhere near Afghanistan during the presidential elections and probably doesn't have a ****ing clue as to what he is talking about! However, I will reserve that commetn until after I have read the article (does anyone happen to have a copy?). I am a big advocate of airpower, I have to be working for the Army; but I also don't like taking credit when it really isn't due. We have a lot more things to be bragging about, this isn't one of them.

Sorry, I just realized that Doc authored "Successful Elections in Afghanistan: Give Some Credit to Those Who Circled Overhead," (Armed Forces Journal, January 2005). Someone want to tell me what the hell airpower had to do with the Afghan elections?? The joke keeps getting bigger and bigger... Cheers! M2

Or you are being totally honest. Old Doc makes such noise about all his "Combat Programs," but the man has no combat time. None, zilch. If he has somehow clocked 2.5 hrs than it is recent, as we checked this out a while back and he had none. However, check out his awards (from his bio): MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Defense Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air Force Achievement Medal Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal Korean National Security Medal (Samil) Korean National Security Medal (Cheon-Su) Medalla De Oro por Servicio Distinguido, El Salvador (Gold Medal for Distinguished Service) Mérito Aeronáutico, Uruguay (Aeronautical Merit) Mérito Aeronáutico, Bolivia Cruz de la Fuerza Aérea, Colombia (Air Force Cross, Great Cross category) Cruz de las Fuerzas Armadas, Honduras (Armed Forces Cross) Cruz de la Fuerza Aérea, Guatemala Cruz Peruana al Mérito Aeronáutico, clase Gran Cruz, Perú (Peruvian Cross of Aeronautical Merit, Great Cross category) La Medalla Legion al Mérito Confraternidad Aérea Interamericana (Legion of Merit, System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces, SICOFAA) And I get shit about my Czechoslovak Special Forces jump wings! Plus, "Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal"??? That medal came out on 1 Jan 93, Doc was a colonel at the time, so he had to be an O-6 or higher when he got it. I have never seen a full bird get this medal, it is usually for junior NCOs or CGOs. What a joke! Cheers! M2

Just something to consider, but due to a pending PCS, my wife and I got legally married ahead of our scheduled church wedding. The USAF chaplain that was going to conduct the church ceremony took care of the legal one. That way I could get her on my overseas orders, she had an ID card, medical coverage, etc. It was our little secret, and I came back for the church wedding as scheduled. No one was the wiser. Actually, we just celebrated the tenth anniversary of our "secret" wedding (we later told our family), and I tracked down the chaplain--who retired about two years after later--to let him know how things were going. Cheers! M2

Yeah, the domino effect, get one to puke and the rest follow. Helps if you keep the a/c very warm as well... Cheers! M2

ENJJPT IP I get a letter every year from DFAS that calculates how much I would have to earn in the civilian world to like the life of luxury I am enjoying now...some of the figures are a bit inflated and it doesn't compute other factors (such as COLA). It does correspond to your rank and TIS, so mine wouldn't be of any use to you; but someone out there closer to your rank and time in should have one. Also, Air Force Times does a comparison of military and civilian pay every year, where they compare the CSAF to a corporate executive and see how much each would earn. But again that is based on certain career fields and expertise. It's been a while since I last saw it, but if you have a stack of AF Times laying around someone you can find it as it is always the cover article. Cheers! M2

PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of Public Affairs Release No. 020305 March 4, 2005 Air Force Lifts Boeing Suspension WASHINGTON - The Air Force removed the suspension of three Boeing Integrated Defense Systems business units associated with its rocket business today. Over the past 20 months, The Boeing Company has taken responsibility for the serious ethical breaches in its company and taken strong remedial action to prevent such violations from occurring in the future. "We believe that Boeing has taken significant action over the past 20 months to rectify past improprieties and to develop long-lasting integrity standards that makes them eligible to compete for government launch contracts again," said Acting Secretary of the Air Force Peter B. Teets. To protect the government's interest an Interim Agreement between the Air Force and Boeing has been signed. In this agreement the Air Force may revoke the agreement, and reinstate suspensions, in the event Boeing is indicted or convicted, or if new evidence is discovered. In addition, Boeing has reimbursed $1.9 million to the Air Force for its costs of reviewing this matter. The agreement calls for the following measures: - Boeing will be required to submit to outside verification of its remedial measures, and its compliance with the Interim Agreement through a special compliance officer who will report to the Air Force. The special compliance officer will be retired General George Babbitt, the former commander of Air Force Materiel Command, supported by a staff from Bearing Point. - Boeing has also agreed that all of its costs related to the EELV misconduct and the improvements to its ethics program are unallowable, including its costs of defending the Lockheed Martin civil litigation. Some of the actions Boeing has taken over the past 20 months include: recognizing management responsibility for the ethical conduct of the organization; and significant and far reaching changes to its business processes and culture. "The Air Force can now move forward to fulfill the nation's need for assured access to space by having two launch systems which will secure our ability to launch our vital space-based capabilities," said Mr. Teets. The Air Force suspended The Boeing Company's Launch Systems, Boeing Launch Services and Delta Program business units July 24, 2003 for serious violations of federal law. An Air Force inquiry discovered that Boeing was in possession of thousands of pages of Lockheed Martin proprietary Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) documents during the 1998 source selection. As part of its sanctions, the Air Force reallocated seven launches awarded to Boeing during the 1998 source selection to Lockheed Martin, permitted Lockheed Martin to develop a west coast launch capability at Vandenberg AFB, and disqualified Boeing from the award of three additional launches and awarded that work to Lockheed Martin. "We hope that everyone who does business with the Air Force takes note of this case and is reminded that we take ethical breaches very seriously and will not hesitate to impose significant sanctions when necessary to protect the procurement process, regardless of the size of the contractor involved," said Secretary Teets. The Boeing Delta IV and Lockheed Martin's Atlas V are the two families of EELVs developed with the Air Force to modernize and reduce the cost of the nation's spacelift operation while providing the United States with assured access to space. Full text of the Interim Administrative Agreement can be found at https://www.af.mil . For more information contact Maj. Karen Finn, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, 703-693-9089.

Tell them about it. It is better to do so and have them know, then to have them come looking for you asking why you didn't tell them. It is no big deal, but they will wonder why you kept it from them if you don't. Usually, it will lead them to suspect that you have kept other things from them, which is a bad thing. Cheers! M2

Speaking of Boeing, check this out...obviously someone has fiddled with a Boeing commercial! :rolleyes: Cheers! M2

I hope nobody asks what "WAG" means! :rolleyes: Cheers! M2

Tyler Radar story is BS as well, read this. Cheers! M2

Tyler Not a true story. Read this. Cheers! M2

I am also interested in how it could be waivered, I have never heard of that happening. You either have the days or you don't. Pcola, to the best of my knowledge, no AFRTOC time counts towards AD. At least it didn't 15+ years ago when I was going through the same situation. Trust me, I know how you feel, I spent a year thinking my prior time didn't count, being one day short of the requirement, until I met the young lady who worked at the AFDW Finance Office. I hope you have the same luck and find some way to punch yourself across that magic line. Cheers! M2

Pcola Sorry, no. Just to make sure it's clear, only enlisted AD time counts towards getting the 'E', and as said, you need at least one day over four years of that. None of the delayed enlistment time counts, only the actual days you spent on active duty (or USAFR annual tours, as in my case; plus any time a Guard or Reservist is activated). Delayed enlistment time, IIR, all that only counts for computing your TIS. Hope that's clear. Cheers! M2

What's really a shame is how this tarnishes the reputation of a great company...a company that has provided the US with some great airplanes. What is our country coming to when the bottom line is all that counts? They need to read Boeing's history and maybe it will remind them of their roots. Otherwise, this sign may come true... Cheers! M2

Not really related but I lucked out because of the Reserves...I had 4 years, 0 months and 0 days of active duty from my one enlistment, but joined the Reserves for 18 months when I started college and completed two Annual Tours, which gave me an additional 30 days of enlisted active duty. Ka-ching! A lot of prior guys I knew who only did one four-year enlistment were bummed because, as you said, you need over four years of enlisted AD time to qualify as an O-1E! Cheers! M2

Rotorhead Got it, thanks! Cheers! M2

Thanks to everyone who replied via PMs, I only have one last question from my bud. He was curious if ANVIS was ever used by USAF UH-1 pilots? PM me if necessary. Cheers! M2

Has anyone used this and can you say how it works? Any helo guys out there who have used it? I have a .MIL email address if you aren't comfortable discussing here, I was just asked about it and am trying to track down some info for a bud... Cheers! M2

Concur, S.A. is a great place to live, spent three years there before going to Belgium and hope to get back after this assignment, but I would never use to the term "cool" to describe it, unless you are talking about a dip at SeaWorld or Schlitterbahn! I thought it was relatively dry there, but I moved there from Germany and am originally from Florida so everything is relative. If you are single then I would recommend living near I-35 north so you can make the run to Austin easier on the weekends. It is the place to hang out. There are also some great spots in S.A., see this thread for some ideas. Lots of outdoorsy things to do as well, mountain biking, river rafting, all sort of stuff. The Hill Country is scenic and Canyon Lake (northeast of the city) or Medina Lake (to the west) are great for water sports. And of course the food in S.A. can't be beat, but remember the best TexMex is the cheap stuff in the bad parts of town. You take your chances but the payoff is worth it! Be warned not to go around Lackland AFB on Fridays, that is Basic Training graduation day and the place is swamped with ABs and their families, and it is a zoo. Aclamaciones! M2