Batman

Nothing could kill her political aspirations faster than the SOF book at D-M tower between 96-98.

Time for General Schwartz to be retired. Our Air Force has lost its focus. Too many years at war and ops tempo while leadership and tone has been on service dress jackets, airline stripes, the color and name our our fatigues, a new AF logo, new PFT, new AF motto, new PT uniform, joint bases/everything, new AF chant, and PT civilian testers. And we're disrespecting our brothers and sisters who have given their last breath for our country with landfills and this atrocity. Our service right now can't be trusted with two very sacred acts...returning our heroes and handling nuclear weapons. Leadership has failed us.

We have an Air Force that due to a lack a senior leadership and fatigue from 10+ years at war has lost it's heading. Our Chiefs of Staff and CMS of the AF for the past decade (or longer) have focussed on uniforms, mottos, new PT, war memorials, purple ops, and post-active duty gigs instead of leading young men and women in the calling of killing people, breaking stuff with honor and integrity. The lobbyists inside the Beltway have been courting our acquisition system and budgets (along with GOs) at the same rate as Congress. Therefore, we've lost our edge. Advanced, out-of-control weapon systems and their skyrocketing costs have placed our Airman on the endangered species act while our leaders have forgotten about the wars we've been fighting. Our leadership has created this culture of Rent A Force from a once very professional, elite and respected service. Common sense and delegated authority are no where to be found. It we trusted our Airman with more responsibilities and listened to their opinions more, we would have more integrity and accountability. I had a MSgt sick and unable to take his WAPS testing...he went to Sickcall. His O-6 approved his absence from testing based upon the 1st Sgt phone call with info. The base testing center would not accept the O-6 letter authorizing him to retest without paperwork from the MEDGRP proving that he went to Sickcall. All our leadership knows that our Airman are not right...suicides, murder/suicides, DUIIs, drinking incidents, child shaking deaths, divorce rates going up...all indicators of 10+ years at war and high ops tempo. Official AF position is that these indicators are not related to deployments...but rather "relationships". OK, call it what you want. We have more suicide prevention courses, training and PSAs but nobody wants to address the cause of them...long-term wars and ops tempos--yes, they both cause "relationship" problems too. Our Airman have the 1,000 yard stare going. Decreasing our ops tempo and strong leadership emphasizing a return to common sense and delegated responsiblity will help. Dover mortuary fiasco, Barnum & Bailey MC-12 antics and now the Lackland "dumpt" picture all indicate an Air Force that has lost its focus.

Exactly. You hear that, Navy P-3 pilot? Book deal. Check. Oprah. Check. Total joker. Shack. Batman

Bad luck followed this guy like bad movies find Sylvester Stallone. O'Grady wrapped his car around a tree the day prior to his incident. I remember going to a staff meeting a day or two after at Aviano between 31 FW and the HQ there and the GO (Wald) just shook his head and laughed about O'Grady's ability to find bad news. Batman

All 100% correct. Batman

Somebody is going to lose their job over this. Very likely will be Director of WHMO, but the interesting thing is that when the Boss isn't on the jet, movement of the VC-25 rests almost entirely at the Presidential Airlift Group (PAG). Especially, when there's some pilot proficiency "training" tagged to the flight, as this one had. I'd bet the request for this photo op came more from the puzzle palace or the PAG, not the WH. I'd venture to guess with the new Presidential Pilot they may have been trying to replace the much publicized, standard AF-1 pic of Mt Rushmore with a new backdrop. Very unfortunate selection of NYC, but bet it came from the PAG. Colonel Turner is a great guy too, so I hope this was a WHMO mistake vs. PAG. We'll see... Batman

Batman

Good post, CH. I've read that "Operation Anaconda: An Airpower Perspective" a few times and it should be a mandatory read by all. Batman

Here's my WAG. The good jogger got close to someone of not significant importance. Things got hotter and hotter in the relationship at the same pace as the outside temperature. This inappropriate relationship happened and she immediately felt massive guilt. And worry. Severe guilt and her mind started spinning. WTF have I done? I'm so screwed. Weird sheit starts to fill her mind. She has a complete mental meltdown. On the Cindy Sheehan scale she hits a 6.9 magnitude crack-up. She 'checks out' mentally. Her friends notice a change in her personality and that she's acting weird. Not her normal self. They vow to stay with her and do more things with her. In the meantime her mental state continues to corkscrew downward. She has a total mental breakdown and goes plain NUTS--similar in characteristics to a jealous NASA chick. She begins to thing people are talking about her. Watching her. Following her. She has started to lose her own identity and function. The guilt weighs on her. Do people know? While with her friends at the mall they talk behind her back and make looks at her. She thinks they're trouble and know about her guilt. She leaves them and goes to change her appearance. She can't trust anyone. The guilt is just too much. She's disappointed in herself and what she's done. She mutilates her body in response to the overwelming guilt she feels. Hours go by and she can't remember them. She blanks out several hours with a single day. Can't remember anything during those times. Locals find her and assist her in getting in contact with the base. People have questions and want answers. Batman

Maybe I missed something along the years, but I don't remember a 'breaking the wings' tradition. Rainman, is this a true tradition in the AF over the years? Or did someone come up with this 'tradition' to make $ or carry this over from another service? Just curious. TIA. Batman

I'm actually encouraged by this news. First, the only people putting this "leave of absence" crap out is her family. In fact, this whole story is just their spin on the current situation. The Air Force didn't have anything to say about it: Capt. Gary Arasin, a spokesman for Moody Air Force Base in Georgia where Metzger is stationed, said he could not discuss Metzger's status. Since she returned to duty in late October, Metzger has continued her work in the mission support squadron, which oversees personnel matters for the base, Arasin said. I think this Major is about to have something bad happen to her. Either charges are coming down or she's going to be summarily dismissed from the service VERY quickly--publicly or discretely. This was a pre-emptive move by her family to get their story out first for some reason. But why? Perhaps the Federal investigation is about to be released and they'll cast her in a very bad light and/or her BS story to the curb. Maybe this lie involves a host nation local. Either way, the family put this out NOW for a reason and to help explain her disappearance and seclusion from the outside world. If I were a betting man, I'd say she's going on leave for the maximum amount of days she's got earned. Secondly, I'd say the OSI investigation will be coming out within 30 days. Third, the chances are low that any Federal charges will be filed against her. Fourth, she'll be out of the AF by this time next year. Batman

Don't sweat the SRO duties, especially if you're not even sure you'll be the SRO. However, if you do end up being the SRO there are advantages to having this title: 10. No Oh-dark thirty simulator times. You'll only get mid/late morning sim sessions. 9. You get to know all the IPs and Flight Commander faster. 8. No SNACKO for you. You just assign it to someone else. 7. You get first selection for who will be your Instructor Pilot. 6. The SRO gets to call the Sq/CC by his or her callsign. 5. You get your own parking spot. 4. On Friday nights all your buds buy you the drinks. 3. You'll never get "the fat one". 2. Your crew bus is always heated in the winter and cool in the summer. 1. You're only 3 bad rides away from being a WAL-MART greeter. Batman

This is probably as good a time as any to say "thank you!" to BaseOps.Net and his moderators for a great resource they provide us with this website. Thanks again. Batman [ 16. August 2006, 20:36: Message edited by: Batman ]

Uh, no they're not. The most senior officer, male or female, is at fault for letting it happen. Batman

I gotta believe Reuters just inserted (STS) the General into this picture... UPDATE: Well, now the General's picture is no longer in the CFPA's webpage....someone is trying to save their career and I don't mean just the O-8. Batman [ 08. August 2006, 13:06: Message edited by: Batman ]

A peek is worth a thousand cross-checks. Batman [ 07. August 2006, 17:25: Message edited by: Batman ]

Based on the Air Force's investigation into the "Eglin Thugs" MySpace.com site and the directive letter afterwards, I don't see this webpage lasting too long...and that's a shame. Batman

Rule #1, don't be taken alive. Batman

I think Finance is correct. Don't confuse "travel days" with M-F "work days". You can sign-out of your losing unit and travel the next day--no requirement to travel the actual day you sign out. However, in your case you signed out of your losing unit on a Friday and departed 2 days after you should have (Saturday), leaving on Monday. Once you sign out of your losing unit, starting the next day your "travel days" begin counting. I've delayed my departure after signing out as well as delaying my sign-in with the gaining unit, and both times been charged leave. Likewise, if you arrive at your new duty station on the weekend, just by arriving in town you're not charged leave while you wait until Monday a.m. to sign-in with your gaining unit. Batman

No, you're going to throw your name in the hat for sq/cc when your puzzle palace tour ends. After leading your squadron and mentoring our young troops you're going to get promoted to O-6. We're going to take back our Air Force. Batman

Holding can happen anywhere at anytime. On approach to Lajes from Aviano in the 4 fans of freedom and the Lajes Approach says: "You must hold....No land!....Your diplomatic clearance is wrong!...Must hold!" My young FE says to me "We don't have the fuel to make it back to Aviano...will we have to ditch?". I couldn't hold back the laughter. No Eng, we're going to land here one way or another at Lajes. After a few penalty laps we were "allowed" to land at Lajes...Approach never did say what was wrong with our dip clearances, only that "the problem is gone". Perfect. Batman

IP: "Jesus Christ!!!!" Stud: "What?" Classic. Batman

I enjoyed getting my Masters from Embry-Riddle because of the course topics. I went into the program for its convenience and square-filling, but then really liked the learning experience and the fact that I could apply it right now. Topics I found worthwhile included CRM techniques/lessons learned, physiology and human behavior, automation and its affects on today's flight crew workload, airline history (what airlines are more profitable and why?), space exploration (Mars, Shuttle program, Mir), and accident investigations. Batman

Are we sure Rainman retired? That was perfect. Batman