Toro

3700 people being force shaped and they can't find room for 15 more? Bummer.

Now if only we could get somebody to send Schwartz a link to this thread....

I've heard before.

They should explain it when you get the card, but putting money on the card allows you to use the card at any ESSO station off base (~$3 a gallon as opposed to economy prices of $8 a gallon or more). I always keep about 50 bucks on the card in case we decide to take a long day trip somewhere. It's also handy if you want to fill up on a Friday evening when the gas lines on base can be 30 minutes long (there's an Esso less than two minutes out the West gate). As long as you have a positive balance on the card - even one cent - you can take the card into the negative on a single transaction. But if the card has zero or a negative balance, you cannot use it off base. For example, if you put $50 on it and used $49.99 on the first fill up, you could go back without refreshing the card and fill it up later. If the total cost was $40 for the second fill-up, your card would now have a $39.99 negative balance (since it had a 0.01 balance to begin with) and the card would have to be charged the next time you go to an Esso on base (or online). Another thing to watch for on the card is demagnetizing the strip. I didn't take much notice when I filled up on base and the worker couldn't get my card to swipe, so she punched in the numbers manually. The next time I needed gas I was off base close to empty. The ESSO people don't check the card before you fill up, so it wasn't until I had my 100 Euro gas bill that the Esso worker realized my card didn't work. Apparently she didn't know about manually punching the numbers (nor did I at the time), so I had to pay out of pocket. Side note - if that ever happens, (1) Tell them to manually enter the number and if that doesn't work (2) Go the AAFES customer service in the BX with your card and receipt and they will refund you the difference. Anyway, I just figured the card was faulty and got another one....then another one a couple weeks later. Somebody finally pointed out that since I keep my card in my glove compartment - which is next to my stereo speakers - it was likely demagnetizing the strip. I've kept it in my center console and had no problems since.

Cheers to your father as a pioneer of the jet age. :beer:

No, that's not rule 1. Here are the three rules, straight from the official Ninja Webpage. 1. Ninjas are mammals. 2. Ninjas fight ALL the time. 3. The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people. People love it.

No they don't. I generally leave locked posts up for several days as a reminder to other noobs, then delete them (there's almost always one at the top of the medical aviation forum). In the past 6-9 months I haven't publicly bitch-slapped somebody for not searching, but his attitude warranted one - everything else I took to the PM. The only reason the thread wasn't locked was simply because I forgot. As far as why I'm responding, that's similar. I honestly don't care when guys get huffy about me telling them to follow the rules - I've been called all kinds of names and it doesn't bother me. But instead of simply replying "Okay" with his first account, he created a second Baseops account - spiteful enough to also create a "toroisgay" email (I didn't make that up) since one email cannot be used to create multiple Baseops accounts. Then he came back to the forum, made the same mistake he got blasted for the first time, got called out (not even by me), and was a general a-hole. My point is not to be hateful or vengeful, just proving a point: Don't think that you can trudge around being a jackass to mods and admins running the site and not get kicked back. No, he started the thread because he doesn't know how to follow directions - I changed the thread name after he PM'd me back. He posted it three times because he has mediocre internet abilities. He created the email account because he secretly loves me and wishes it was true.

Hey pot, this is the kettle.... Gather round all and I'll explain why being a dickhead on the internet isn't always the smartest thing. After !2#4 started this thread, I sent him a PM about forum rules. It's a cut and paste I use a lot, looks like this - Most folks respond with "Yup, got it, my bad." Occasionally I got responses like what he PM'd me: He was right on several notes - I do take great pride and I do have a Gameboy. But oh, what a dumb dumb man on so many other levels. I decided to dig into his profile a little (you see, I'm an admin, I can do that). E-mail: toroisgay@yahoo.com Damn! Stymied! Ah, but he can't hide his IP address: 99.179.139.50. Traces to Dallas, and let’s see if anybody else has the same….wha…looky here: Trashman has the same IP address. Trashman registered 11 Nov and made one post the same day – that I redirected to the I sent Trashman the same PM, but never got a response. Weird. Trashman was last active on the forum yesterday at 5:43AM and !2#4's account was created at 5:47AM. Trashman’s email: oldtruck90@yahoo.com. So it would appear that we have an MPD C-130 co-pilot with a shitty attitude and bum knee recently off PT profile who is going to PIT in February and has the email oldtruck90@yahoo.com. Any bets on how long it would take to figure out who this guy is?

Really, how's this one for you? There's a reason you have two ears and one mouth. Try listening more than you talk. The info you're looking for is in the thread that Techsan gave you.

I was in Saudi from 07-08 in Khamis, which is a detachment of USMTM (for which Eskan is HQ). I was in a flying gig, but Eskan is mostly the staff, HQ, and support billets (any of those fit you?). As far as remotes/deployments go, Eskan isn't bad, but it that's just to say it sucks less than a lot of other stuff. Pros: - It is considered a combat zone, and you're paid as a such (tax free, hostile fire, hazard duty, family separation). I don't know about Eskan, but we got about $30 a day COLA, of which I would spend about 0.69 cents. Other than groceries, ordering stuff of Amazon, and the occasional trip downtown for schwarma, there's not much to spend it on. - The facilities are nice (real nice pool and gym, little BX, decent commissary, and a mini-mall with a coffee shop, Dominos, dry cleaning, shopette, etc). There's also a very nice restaurant/dining facility that delivers to the villas. - TheBull mentioned the villas. I don't know if sharing is an enlisted/CGO thing, but all the guys I knew there had their own villa - more room than they knew what to do with. - They have AFN and several satellite channels. - Booze. They do have it, it's just rationed and very strictly controlled (you have to account for every bottle - they are tracked, then destroyed). While the booze will help you stay sane, I seriously doubt you'll be able to go through your allotted ration. Guys who are actually deployed there (primarily SFS) are NOT allowed to drink. - Leave: If you're working for USMTM you'll get a month of leave for a year-long tour that you can take however you want (all at once, 2x2 weeks, 4x1 week), but you have to pay for your own tickets back to the states unless you score a TDY and take leave in conjunction. Cons: - It's hot as balls. In the summer it gets up past 110 and it's downright miserable. I had to take my PT test in July and had to start it at 0500 just to try to beat the heat. By the time I started the run at 0530 it was almost 90 degrees. - Saudi. It's Saudi and you'll probably be working with Saudis...'nuff said. - Cabin fever. You can get off the compound (some guys actually work downtown), but there are limited places you can go and you cannot go anywhere alone. - Internet blows. Apparently the middle east recently discovered the internets and they're still working on perfecting it. You'll have a connection in your villa for personal use, but it's equivalent to dialup (this is as of just over a year ago). For better service, some people bought personal USB wireless sticks (better, not great). Also, the Saudis apparently have USAF comm squadron exchange tours because they know how to block all porn sites (it is a Saudi issue, not USAF). That's all I've got off the top of my cranium, but I can probably dredge up some more info if you have specific questions.

Seen many beheadings? One chop doesn't always get 'er done. Agreed he should get much worse. If I was King, he'd get work done on his front end and his back end

You sir are a great example of leading the fight, keep it going. If we ever meet in person, your bar tab is on me.

Chewy was the Sq/CC when I went through the B course in the 333rd. At his farewell he told this story to all of us new to the Strike Eagle - amazing story, especially directly from him. I had heard the story before, but he enlightened us to some "fog of war" details involving the AWACS controller that had frightening similarities to the 1994 F-15C Blackhawk shoot down.

Directly related to the 'Deid thread, but it deserves its own. I don't think it's already in there, but I may have missed it somewhere in the 70+ pages. I normally don't join these, but I had to support the cause.

More military women

Question for proponents to S&M guys wearing flight suits - should they be able to wear desert flight suits? If your argument is that they should be able to wear them due to sitting long shifts in missile tubes and comfort, then that argument is lost when deployed to the desert. Thoughts?

Just got word of this through the River Rats.... Get your XC requests and kitchen passes now.

The Deid isn't the only place that we're short on rated officers. The staff jobs are critically manned for rated officers and we have a lot of these guys coming back in to help that shortage. Return to active duty to come live in Germany pulling a staff gig=not a bad deal.

Edwards 40-hands

Step One - Don't do it at the Club. Bad food, poor service, long lines at the bar because they only hired one bartender, and everything books up a year in advance so you end up having to have your party on a Wednesday night at the end of November. Step Two - Don't be afraid to NOT have a Christmas - yes I said CHRISTMAS - theme. Some of the best CHRISTMAS parties I have done or been to had nothing to do with CHRISTMAS. One was a western themed party, the other was an 80s party. Step Three - Have games/entertainment. Whatever your theme is, do some sort of related trivia where each couple (or individual for the folks going stag) gets an answer sheet. For our 80s party, we did an 80s name that tune where we played 6-9 seconds of 80s songs, as well as 80s TV themes. We also had some 80s trivia questions. Since we had to do ours at the club (the wives unfortunately had the foresight to book it a year in advance), we used the trivia as a space filler in between appetizers and dinner. While everybody ate dinner, we tallied up the score sheets and during desert we announced the winners. Step Four - Have prizes. For our trivia prizes, we got businesses in town to volunteer stuff. You'd be amazed how easy it is to collect prizes if you go around in uniform and simply tell them what you're doing. I think we had maybe one or two businesses (out of about 20) tell us no thanks. We got gift certificates for restaurants, golf courses, oil changes, and even a television from a electronics store.

You sure about that? Waver: To exhibit irresolution or indecision Waiver: What you need - along with a signed letter from the POTUS and SECDEF - if you are 37 years old and trying to get a pilot slot. Don't choose a jet, choose a mission. Don't pick a jet because it looks or seems cool - pick it because it has a cool mission. The F-22 is a badass jet, but if you don't like the idea of doing only air-to-air for the rest of your life (I don't consider JDAM-only a true A/G mission), then this should be lower on your list. There's some good points brought up here to further that point. - Not much has changed in the past few years, I don't see much changing in the next few. - last post was a week ago. Do many guys around there get a hard on when they watch Top Gun? Do they think they F-22 is cool because they saw it at an airshow? Do they have any idea what ACT is? Again, pick the aircraft for the mission, not because everybody else thinks it would be cool. I've already given you the A-10 and F-15E links, which have been updated recently. The bottom line is that all of this is completely dependent on timing, location, and current operations in the Air Force. Here are answers to cover all airframes: Logging the most time: Probably the Strike Eagle just because we can hold the most gas and have longer mission profiles for A/G than the 15s and 22s. But logging flight time doesn't matter for $hit. Most fun to fly: They're fighters - if you're not having fun in any one of these, there's something wrong with you. More than one tour: That doesn't have as much to do with the fighter as it does with you. Most of the Ops-to-Ops tours are reserved for the guys with potential for Weapon School. If you do a decent job, you probably have a good chance of going back to the FTU to instruct. Vipers have plenty of remotes to Korea. Community info: Folks like to talk about how vastly different fighter types are (the C model guys are uptight, the A-10 guys are laid back, etc). We're really not that different and it's not accurate to portray the entire group of any community as anything other than generally a good bunch of dudes. If you want anything else on specific airframes, here you go: F-15C info

Right, and you may not find it on the VA website because it's not their requirement, it's the DoD's, who are (wisely, IMO) adding their own stipulations to use it as a retention tool. I've attached a talking paper regarding transferability that covers the ADSC issue as well as a little more detail on transferring to dependents. That paper is a condensed version of the official DoD memorandum which you can download from here. Post-9-11_GI_Bill_Transferability.pdf

No, the ADSC is incurred however you decide to use the funds. This is why it's a good idea to enroll in the program as early as possible so you aren't having to stay in past your desired retirement or separation date. Even if you have no idea how you to want to use the money (whether you want to use it yourself or for your dependants), you can still enroll and are obligated to use it until 15 years after you separate or until your kids are college age. This is where it gets a little tricky. The VA regulations (the group that runs the program) are less restrictive than the Air Force, and they allow for you to use the program if you have retired as long as you weren't dishonorably discharged or anything else unfavorable. It is the AF that requires you to still be on active duty, but there are currently 'grandfather' exceptions for people like your bud who retired before the program was fully in place. Additionally, there are stipulations that you will incur a lesser ADSC if you are eligible for retirement in less than four years. I didn't follow the retirement-specific info too much since it didn't apply to me, so I would recommend going to the https://www.gibill.va.gov/ web site and seeing what you can find.

On a related note, do NOT post any sensitive information regarding military safety or accident incidents. While this is not classified in the standard sense, it is privileged information that the general public does not and should not know until the investigation results are publicly released. If you read info from a safety report, heard something in a safety brief, read something in a forwarded e-mail from safety, or even overheard something the bros were talking about in the squadron, it doesn't need to be on here. Let me tell you with absolute confidence based on recent message traffic I have received that there are lawyers keeping an eye on this site.

I was able to attend a Post 9/11 GI Bill briefing yesterday and there was some good info. Here are some highlights (some have been touched on previously): - If you used (partially or completely) the Montgomery GI Bill, you can still benefit from the Post 9/11 Bill. If you fully used the MGIB, you can get 12 months of the 9/11 Bill and if you did not fully use the MGIB, you can transfer it over to the 9/11 Bill. Unlike the MGIB, you do not have to pay in to benefit, and you can use it if you have previously received a scholarship (such as ROTC). - Per AF regs, you are eligible to apply after six years in service (10 if you want to transfer it to your kids) and are still on active duty. - You will get the 100% of the following: tuition and fees equal to the most expensive in-state undergrad tuition where you attend, books and supplies stipend of up to $1000, and if you use it after you finish active duty and are in-residence (not online) you get a monthly housing allowance equal to E-5 BAH. - Because the Bill may not cover your full tuition (for example, if you go to an expensive private school in a state where the most expensive public school tuition is significantly less), the VA offers a "Yellow Ribbon" program. This is a program where schools link up with the VA and agree to pay anywhere from 1-50% of the remaining tuition, which the VA will match (so if the school paid 50% of the remaining tuition, you would have a full free scholarship). If you are interested in the yellow ribbon program you need to go to the website to determine if you qualify. In addition, check the school's information and apply early as slots go quickly. - You will receive 36 months of tuition and the ADSC to the Air Force will be four years. - You can use the program for yourself, or you can designate it to one or more of your dependants. If you use it for yourself, you can use it up to 15 years after you separate/retire. If you give it to your dependants, they can use it between the ages of 18 and 26, but you must designate them before you separate/retire and before their 23rd birthday (at that time they are no longer in DEERS as dependants). You can split the 36 months between your dependants however you choose (ex: give your son 12 months, your wife 12 months, your daughter 12 months) and you can change the distribution at any time (even after you separate). - If your dependants flunk out, you have to pay it back. - The school where you use it must be approved by the VA, but most schools are or can easily be approved. - Once you get all the info you need, you can apply online at www.vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp. The form you will submit is Form 22-1990. Bottom line - unless you are planning on separating in significantly less than four years, you would be foolish not to take advantage of this. You can check here - https://www.gibill.va.gov/ for more info or talk to the folks at the Airman and Family Readiness Center.