M2

Not matter how dumb the show is, the Marine chick is pretty hot, if you ask me! :D I think Jordan has a pretty good idea, if you can get a Guard unit to pick you up, then get to UPT through them, then you will have more of a choice of what type of a/c you want. Once you are done with UPT and mission qual'd, then start law school. As Jordan said, it ain't gonna be easy, but if you are motivated it can be done. Good luck, but I gotta tell you when it all works out and you are a pilot/JAG, be ready to catch shit as people will always associate you with that TV show! Just give them the standard response... (complete with smile, of course!) Cheers! M2

Kerpal You can always have a full career as a pilot then become a lawyer afterward, that's been done before. However, if you go the pilot route you will be committed to fly for the first ten years if the USAF wants you to. Not everybody gets to fly their whole career, so there will always be a possibility that you could go to law school down the road. To be honest I don't recall every meeting a pilot who was a lawyer (except for my bu dthe ex-Eagle driver, and than he only went to law school after his flying career was over), I would suspect that the USAF would want you for your legal skills if you have got your degree. However, again, not that it can't be done, but I think you are putting yourself at a disadvantage waiting to apply to go to UPT. My free advice to you would be to apply for OTS your last year of college (is it to late for AFROTC?) and see how that pans out. If it doesn't, then head to law school. If it does, work on your law degree down the road. You will (hopefully) always have time to pursue that law degree, I have another bud who is taking law classes right now (he's a Lt Col). With TA there is nothing to stop you for furthering your education while on AD, but you have better devote your time to your primary job first, especially if you want/will become a pilot. Last bit of free advice, go see a recruiter and get your physical so you will know for sure if you are even pilot qualified. I don't think there is any obligation to do so, and you may want to pursue seeing if the USAF will send you to law school if that doesn't pan out. Best of luck! Cheers! M2

Kerpal Sure, almost anything is possible, but it is a long way to look down the road. I knew an ex-Eagle driver (USAFA grad) who later got the USAF to pay for law school after he no longer flew (for medical reasons). I think he may even be the PACAF/JA now, haven't keep track of him for a while. Do you know if you are even physically qualified to be a pilot/nav? Might want to find out early, color vision disqualifies a lot of guys, as does just your general eyesight. So, to summize, it's possible but I would focus on the nearterm for now! Best of luck at 'Bama! Cheers! M2

Most NATO designations are not meant to be flattering...FISHBED (Mig-21), FLOGGER (MiG-23), FARMER (MiG-19), FAGOT (Mig-15), HIND (Mi-24), HIP (Mi-8), GROUSE (SA-18)...they just have to following the naming convention ('F' for figher, 'H' for helicopters, etc). It wasn't what the Soviets named their aircraft...

Jeff I jumped with the Slovak Special Forces out of Mi-2 HOPLITE helicopters in the Tatra Mountains... (no, they don't normally smoke like that, I just found this photo on the web and thought it was appropriate!) Talk about a scary aircraft, but the worse part was the guys flying it were out drinking with us just a few hours earlier! They didn't share our love of safety standards (this was 10 years ago), as a matter of fact, they joked about how over-cautious we were (we sent one of their teams to jump with 10th Mountain Division at Ft Drum). There was no better feeling than when the Slovak jumpmaster indicated we were at the minimum altitude to jump in case of an emergency...I would have probably gone out the door anyway if that HOPLITE gave any indication of a malfunction. Still, it was a blast and I highly recommend it, even if you can't jumpt out of Soviet-made hardware. Cheers! M2

It's like stepping off the side of a very tall building and falling, then you either pull your ripcord or your static line does it for you, then you find out if you put all the straps in the right places. After that it is like floating, very calm and relaxing, as long as no one is shooting at you. Enjoy this time while it lasts. Then the ground rushes up and you find out if your PLF technique is correct or not. If it isn’t, hopefully you’ll be lucky (better to be lucky than good any day!) and none of your injuries will be permanent. Then it is all over. I hate heights, but jumping is how you find out if it is a fear or a phobia. If the former, than you can easily overcome it. If it is the latter, then you will likely never go out the door. Last bit of free advice, do it while you are young. It will take its toll on your knees and ankles, so it is best to do so while you can still recover from it in a reasonable amount of time. Have fun! Cheers! M2

Nope, it's got nothing to do with your head and feet being separated. I had a VietNam-era AC-130 crewdog tell me it was because usually the feet/boots are least likely to burn in a fire. I honestly don't see many people doing it anymore, now that we have DNA tests and all that. Cheers! M2

HercDude Having spent a little time on the ground in that part of the Republica Srpska (albeit not after being shot down), and knowing what I know about the B-Serbs, I can tell you the reason for O'Grady not being captured had nothing to do with his E&E "skills." If they wanted to find him, they would have found him. The B-Serbs had what they wanted, the media attention from shooting down a US DENY FLIGHT aircraft. However, as I have said, he didn't do anything wrong the day he was shot down. That was just a series of bad circumstances. Cheers! M2

By the way, WTFO is with this "retired" shit and O'Grady?!? He only served 12 years, and I don't recall him ever having sustained any injuries that would have qualified him to a medical retirement. Is his "legacy" of buffoonery still haunting us? Cheers! M2

Ragansundowner I just got to USAFE when this happened, and was staying with a bud from college who happened to be the chief of air/air defense at the IN. We discussed it in great detail, and where many feel O'Grady is an idiot (and have good reason to do so), he didn't do anything wrong the day he was shot down. Sorry I can't go into detail, but he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, many of his subsequent actions during his E&E time are a different story...as are many of his actions before the incident. However, 2BKC135Pilot, I gotta disagree, O'Grady played it up afterward with the book where he snuffed the title (there was already a book with that title by Medal Of Honor Recipient Colonel George E. “Bud” Day) to his appearance as a Miss America judge. O'Grady was no hero, the only *** he saved was his own, and he did a pretty bad job of it as well. However, the US had to put a spin on the fact that a B-Serb SA-6 crew had knocked down a US airplane, hence the media reporting. I recall someone from the Triple Nickle saying afterward it was time for O'Grady to go home. Luckily Zulu has faded into obscurity. By the way, I believe Wilbur Wright is an O-6 at Ramstein now, can anyone confirm? However,

When the grunts in my office give me shit about the tiger-stripe BDUs (spit), I fire back with this... If anyone wants to **** with the Army....errrr....look more into this fine program, then go to http://www.goarmy.com/btg/index.htm and fill out the Operation Blue to Green Information Form. It does top out at O-3, so I am SOL. So are you, AirGuardian! Plus, they'd probably want me to cut my hair! Cheers! M2

I have discovered the secret to making a small fortune... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...first, invest a large fortune. Then wait. :eek: Seriously, my Merrill Lynch mutual funds, which were suppose to have provided a reasonable and steady return, have gone nowhere over the past five years. But, I bought and sold a house in San Antonio all in less than three years and expected to take a large bath on it, but in the end (sts) I made an easy $18K. If you have the time and can afford it, I would advise looking into real estate as a diverse area to also invest in. We also have a condo outside of Baltimore that we recently got an offer on, should stand to make a cool $54K on it. We've owned it for about eleven years. Not spectacular but when I tried to sell it about seven years ago I was looking at losing $12K. Just some free advice...and you get what you pay for...don't invest money you aren't ready to lose! Be sure to tuck some away into a savings account or somewhere as well, you may need quick and easy access to it. Cheers! M2 [ 08. July 2004, 11:38: Message edited by: MajorMadMax ]

BS... Source: ]http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/ja/sgli.htm

BTW, these guys also make UFT patches... http://www.fun-meter.com/classes.html ...as well as those dandy fun meter patches! Cheers! M2 p.s. Yeah, I said 'dandy,' f*** you!

Hey, AG, if it makes you feel any better, based on a decision by our O-6 Army commander, we DON'T get US holidays off where I work at SHAPE. We only get full-up NATO holidays, and that doesn't include those holidays where US personnel are released for the day (such as July 4th). To put a bigger turd in the punchbowl, EUCOM ( ) constantly extends Monday/Friday holidays into four-day weekends, so we are doubly hosed ( ). And you thought NATO was all smiles ünd sunshine! :cool: F***ing Army... Cheers! M2

Deweygcc Yeah, but be sure that Army unit is airborne! I am stuck in an Army organization at the moment (it's called EUCOM) and there is no ****ing way any of us would get to do anything remotely enjoyable during this tour. It is against Army policy/regulations to have any fun... However, allowing things to suck (sts) is highly encouraged! HUA! Aw, **** it, at least the is good! Cheers! M2

Arnie Best of my knowledge, you have to be in a J-prefix (jump qual'd) position to go to airborne. I can't recall anyone going on AD outside of that. However, I have known two AD officers who went to air assault school without it being tied to their position (sts)... Also, a very rare opportunity arose for me and I go to train and jump with a foreign special forces, so I now wear their wings. My advice, try hard to go while a cadet. It's your best cahnce. Good luck! M2

In the 14 June edition of the Air Force Times (pg 6) there is a pic of Myers and his wife aboard their Harley-Davidson (yeah, I know this is a motorcycle thread but the CJCS riding IS a big deal, even if it is a H-D!) Let me tell you, the times they are a changin'! I have had my Honda ST1100 for 13 years now and back when I first got it officers riding motorcycles wasn't a smart idea, although a lot did. I remember one of my early squadron commanders saying how he had to roll his bike down the street at his on-base housing complex in the early mornings as to not alert his neighbors that he actually rode. Nowadays we have Doc Fogelson actually doing safety commercials on AFN in Europe for motorcycles (granted with another Harley weenie, but as stated earlier seeing a four-star endorsing motorcycle safety is a great sign!). By the way, the USAFE Chief of Safety, Col Scott Adams, also has a commercial on AFN for mountain bike safety, but he's a career Hawg driver so we all know he's cool! Cheers! M2

GW There's a list of manufacturers here, but I have to endorse MARDON as well. Great folks! Cheers! M2 [ 07. June 2004, 23:58: Message edited by: MajorMadMax ]

Metal Thanks, ing nice of you to post that info! Cheers! M2

Johann Nice sentiment, but you are going to get schwacked quick if you think that the easily offended types aren't the military. The are rampant, and one offhand comment, such as using that term for a flight cap, overhead by these folks will quickly have the equal opportunity and legal folks on your *** faster than shit. A few years back at SOS we actually had a guy stand up in Polifika auditorium (a.k.a the Blue Bedroom) and in front of 700+ of his fellow CGOs ask Gen Ron Fogleman (then CSAF) what he was going to do to remove Playboy and other magazines that were, in his words, "offensive...especially to women of color" from the shelves of USAF BXs. Fogleman maintained his cool and said that decision was above his pay grade, but the sheer fact that someone felt they could stand up and ask such a stupid questions shows how bad things have gone since the days of painting naked women on the nose of aircraft. I don't agree with it all, and luckily I work in a lovely bunker four floors under Europe with a lot of NATO types that have no idea what being PC is all about (God bless 'em); but much like Tailhook we have all learned the hard way (sts) that our profession has been infiltrated and it only takes on joke or crusty comment and the next thing you know you are the subject of the Spanish Inquisition. Personally I think it is the folly of bored minds, ‘cause it all seems to go by the wayside when the shooting starts and shit gets serious. But, in the meantime, to be forewarned is to be…well…whatever the **** that saying is! Shit, just look at how certain words above are ****'d out on this forum. Why can I put icons in my post that pretty much say the same thing, , but I can't say shit or ****? (cool, I guess I can say shit!) Whatever happened to our right to free speech?!? I thought that was one of those part of the Constitution I have been protecting for the past 23 years! Awww.... Cheers! M2

Nice bike, if you ever get over to Europe, check out Nürburgring. I haven't ridden it yet, I rode up there from Ramstein but didn't know the track was closed that day. Didn't matter, had a great ride up and back. If you want to see what the track looks like, download the video from the BMW K1200S web site. They rode the 21km track (with 73 corners) in under 8 minutes! ****ing A! Go to Episode two and click on where it says 'Under 8 minutes' Cheers! M2

Just ing with ya, 135...notice the grin! I'd buy one myself if I had any money left over after the wife and kids get ahold of my pay. However, I can't bitch as I still have my 1991 ST1100, another great Honda V4. I've had it since I made 1Lt, it's a great bike and even more fun over here in Europe. Cheers! M2

Jeep Vs. Hummer Cheers! M2

I was in the Reserves while in college back in the late 80's, after I completed my active duty enlistment (I had two years of inactive Reserve time on my enlistment following active duty, so it was easy to jump up to the active Reserves). The world was a different place back then, and 20 years ago I would have recommended it. It was a great experience for me, my annual tours were easily knocked out during the summer and it was nice to still be able to "play" Air Force while in AFROTC and school. However, in this day and age I am not sure I would do it (sts) all over again, with the number of call-ups and deployments going on, the chances of missing a lot of school are just too high for it to be beneficial. On the flip side it does get you an "in" with the unit you are considering applying for. A bud of mine from school was also in the same Reserve wing I was in, but later switched to a Florida Guard unit and later got a slot with them. He flew Vipers for a while, then converted over to Eagles. Not bad, eh? It's a noble thought, but in my not-so-humble opinion I would advise against it, unless you are willing to take that chance of deploying and are in no rush to finish school. If you can spare the extra time for basic/tech school/deployments, then consider it. However, I recall talking to a Reservist SP at the gate at Del Rio, he was on a two-year call-up and sitting in the middle of BF west Texas. Another thing to consider is who will take care of all your "stuff" while you are gone, if/when you go. I know I really haven't been much help, it is a difficult question to answer. Good luck with your decision...it's a tough call! Cheers! M2