yerfer

Guard. Hands down. Only problem is theirs only 2 units here in AZ. Skyharbor and Tuscon. I hear the unit in Tuscon (Vipers) hires on very rare occasions and that most of their fliers are older guys. Requirements also seem to be a whole lot stricter in the Guard.

Some important details; 1. Guaranteed pilot slot- This is only as good as the qualifications you meet as a candidate. You must first finish your application process which entails a passing PFA, medical, ASTB (444 or 666), the actual app. packet itself. After that, your stuff is sent to a board where they will say yes or no. If they say yes, you will go to OCS for either 6 on 6 (PLC apps) or 10 straight (OCC apps or PLC combined side error's). You must complete OCS to commission. After OCS, if your under an air contract, you will get your flt physical to see if your qualified to be a pilot/nav. This is before TBS (The Basic School). So if you don't pass that you still have the option to leave the Marines all together or continue down the path to some other job. If you are qualified for flight you'll stay on go to TBS. It's approx 5.5/6 months long of ground school where you will learn guns, briefings, etc. All Marine officers must also complete this before moving onto their actual job specialties. So, assuming you do all that was said above, its possible to fly for the Marines, but it doesn't come free. Their will be many extremely hard things you must complete before you will get the chance to go to pilot training. If you are determined and don't get hurt, you can make it. Something to keep in mind through the application process. Make it VERY clear that you are applying for SNA (Student Naval Aviator) and not SNFO (Student Naval Flight Officer). If you apply for SNFO, your looking at a WSO slot. Some people apply directly for this, but some people don't make the distinction between the 2 and end up in the back seat. If your interested in being a Marine officer make sure you stay clear of enlisted recruiting people. Go only to a Marines OSO and take it from there. If your recruiter is already a pilot, that's a good start because they will help you make the right steps. Just make sure you don't lie for your recruiter to make their job easier. I did that and got screwed from the Marines altogether. If you feel dishonest about anything your asked to do, stick to your guns and stand by your integrity. I was disqualified after making it because I outed my officer, and I'm proud of my decision. Good luck to you if you decide on the Marines and make it. I would have been proud to be a Marine.

Precisely. I sat with a IP from the Sharpshooters squadron (Hornets) and he said the Marines are looking for officers that will be well rounded and up for multiple tasks (FAC tours, RAG instructors, UAV tours, Field Artillery, Recruiting, OCS instructors, and anything else the Marines needs). Another guy from the Green Knights squadron said he's lucky if he gets to fly twice a week due to other stuff that's non flight related (btw he's a squadron commander). Typical 12 hr days and then staying after for plus hours to stay proficient in his flying tactics and such. His main point was, if you want to do more flying, Go Navy or Air Force. I can say for my uncle who flew Navy that most of his career all the way up to Lt. Commander was spent in the cockpit. This may not always be the case, but from his words he said you will be doing more than enough flying. Anyways, back to AFROTC where I might still have a chance at a slot! Woo!

Have wanted to be a Marine for a long time, but was recently disqualified in application process (No I will not discuss the details publicly). BAD OFFICER and a quota that's already met ='s ZERO support for your interest. So anyone who's thinking seriously about applying, do so when your OSO recruiter is sticking his head out there looking for applicants. It's all about quota. They will send out waves of people at a time and then do the same process over again to meet quota's. My buddy returned from OCS recently and did the 10 week haul. Sometimes on libo he'd send me texts saying how it's the hardest thing he's ever done, but the coolest. When he got home he called me and told me over 2 hours of solid details. First 5 weeks getting only 1-2 hrs of sleep a night, challenge courses (ropes, ladders, fights, etc), carrying a pack and rifle everywhere you go, immediate consequences for mistakes, academics that were elementary but hard because lack of sleep, preparation, and over all fatigue. What he stressed more than anything was being physically prepared. He said it will get to the point where you literally can't take it anymore and you have to keep going. All in all, he can't wait for TBS and said it was the hardest thing he's ever done and the best. If you are interested in being a Marine, be sure to know what your getting yourself into. They are a certain breed. Check out this SITE for OCS details and cool pics. -Yerfer

Yes, and yes.

Sad stuff. I met Travis some years ago and that dude HATES flying. Must of been a nightmare.

Literally, just got back from Creech and Nellis. While over at Creech I learned quite a bit that I didn't know, so that was cool. However, I still wouldn't prefer to sit behind a computer for hours upon hours to finish out a 10 year commitment. We show up and a major greets us and takes us to the sim and show how it all works. Interestingly, this guy was flying A10's and volunteered for Preds/Reapers. His reasoning? He said rather than becoming an instructor pilot, he'd rather stay in the fight and that UAV's are where the fights at (his words). He also went on to mention the bad attitudes going around about the UAV community. Said its not as bad as everyone thinks. Granted the bore of it all, the mission is being done and lives are being saved. If you can handle 14 hour shifts flying something from the ground, it might be your thing. His main point to everyone on the tour was, You raised your hands to serve and service before self is more important than our own desires. All in all, seeing everything up and close was nothing short of amazing. I'm grateful for the opportunity to see the UAV community up and close. The work they are doing takes a great attitude and I respect them for that. Surprisingly, the squadrons appeared to be upbeat and happy. The guys seem to enjoy what they do. I am not a pilot yet, but I recommend anyone who's going through UPT to make a visit to a UAV location to get a clear view for yourself. To finish, in the first briefing someone asked what the selection is like for UPT. From what I gathered, they are not taking from UPT as of now. They are in the process of changing the syllabus. As for Creech? They are expecting to fill 150 slots as of next year, most likely from UPT. Anybody wants pictures from the visit? Ask, I'd be happy to share.

No doctor, but here's what mine told me. -Drink plenty of water -Get good sleep -Wear sunglasses when out in the sun -Try to use LCD screens for your computer monitors and don't sit to close I don't wear glasses but had a buddy that did until he realized he wanted to be a pilot. He threw them away and hasn't worn them since (well when I knew him). From what I remember, his eyes are better. No Lasik or PRK either.

From what I remember from mine, Its a pretty long day. Our detachment did a tour of our det (heres the lounge, place where you'll get uniforms, library, lockers, etc), and then we all met up in a building where a lot of people brought their parents to see things for themselves. Lots of questions and answers. Summon together all the questions you can fathom and don't be afraid to ask. ROTC is a commitment and its your responsibility to know what your getting yourself into. Lets not forget all the experienced cadets that meet you at the door with a smile assuring your experience will be lovely. Wait till a few weeks after that when they start smack'n you around and flashing the authority card. Don't forget the automated message of "Good morning/afternoon/evening Sir/Mam, How are you?". The only real thing you'll have to do to not screw it up is check your watch if its morning, afternoon, or evening. I have literally been corrected 1 minute after noon. You'll notice the authority tool bags really fast. Their fresh out of field training and aching for a salute. They stand around outside the det, hat on and all. They are waiting for that salute like a bus on the street. Bust out and bail out. Btw, I recommend Lincoln wax for your base layers, finished with a dab of Kiwi Parade gloss. Nuff said. Enjoy the 'ness

This guy thinks so as well.

Didn't realize I was gonna have to tell a novel here. Hopefully this will clear it up. I walked onto the plane and went to the exact seat printed on my ticket. It wasn't even that great of a seat (middle seat). Like I said, I was sitting there with my eyes closed and then woken up by frat kid. At first I thought he was just confused at the fact that he wasn't looking at the right seat, then I pointed at my ticket and showed him the straight facts. He said, Dude I'm not sitting back there (one row behind mine) because someone else is already in my seat. So I said, tell them their in your seat and show them your ticket. He says, no and that his stuff is already stowed away above and that he doesn't want to sit somewhere else. I tell him again that I'm in my assigned seat. As it was, the plane was already full of people already seated. The seat he was gonna have to sit in was further back between the fat asses I ended up having to sit in between. In his words, "I'm not sitting back there man, get up". This guy was literally hovering over my face. I wanted to slug him, but like I said, no thanks to being charged by the law for something that was avoidable. His last words were, Your gonna do what you have to do. Nobody around me did anything even though they saw me point out that it was my seat. So instead of fighting psycho over a seat, I just got up and told him to have it so I didn't result in kicking someones ass on a commercial airplane. What goes around comes back around. That guy will get what he deserves one day. I just wasn't gonna be the one to do it. If your in a situation where they are getting ready to close the doors and take off, and you've got some self centered punk hovering over you wanting your seat because he just wants it, you have to think fast of what your gonna do. My first step of action was the flight attendants. They did nothing and told me to just grab my stuff and move to the seat further back INSTEAD of frat dick. Imagine if I did tell the guy to stick it. He was crazy enough to ask someone he doesn't know for their seat. I have no doubts this guy would of gotten physical hadn't I gotten up and moved. It just wasn't worth it to me.

Not much you can do on an airplane. I thought about it while I was looking at this punk in disbelief, but then I realized I didn't wanna go through the hassle with the law for beating some punks ass on an airplane. That kind of stuff is typically frowned on by the military and most jobs.

I was trying to figure out the same thing. Both me and my girlfriend looked around in shock when the flight attendants did nothing. What made me more mad than anything was being threatened by that lousy dick head and knowing that if I wasn't on that plane, I'd tell him to shove it, but being the situation (on a plane) I knew their was nothing I could do if the airline wouldn't help me. Trust me, when I arrived in Vegas I went straight to file a complaint and all they said was, sorry for the inconvenience. They didn't offer me a refund or anything. I showed proof of my seat number and where I actually sat, and they didn't care. Moral of the story. DO NOT FLY US AIRWAYS.

I believe it, but I don't see terrorist taking over planes anymore(not saying turn down the heat for security). A smart terrorist would watch people turn their eyes to what they just did and use that as a distraction to do something else. Besides, someone pulls a knife on a plane and people realize the possibly of crashing into a building. Someones gonna step up this time.

2 on that. I have had the misfortune of having to sit next to fat asses more than once. I may as well kill two birds with one stone, so I'll tell my story now. Gonna cover why sitting next to fat people sucks ass, and why you should never fly US Airways. During this last Spring semester my sister gave me a call to come see her on the show (American Idol). I was really busy and ROTC wouldn't let me leave for one day. So I had to fly out to the show and back the same day. My first time to show (went twice) I had the luxury of flying Southwest which I can't say enough kudos about. Have never had a bad experience with them. Second, time. Not so lucky. I had to fly out on US Airways. The first problem with this airline is they make you think that by choosing your seat pre-flight that your gonna be happy. The problem with this is if your not flying with 2 other people to fill your isle, your stuck next to people who are going to possibly smell like a combo of B.O and butt hole, be fat and sweaty, or some psycho frat kid thats gonna blow up the world if he doesn't get everything his way. The possibilities are endless. My flight left PHX with some prissy choreographer that "asked me nicely" to sit next to the window to comfort his worry of someone nudging his weak hip on the isle. Oh heaven for effin bid someone bumps your poor hip! That idiot did NOT shut up the entire flight about some stupid upcoming music video. As soon as we landed, boy did he dart off that plane. Some "weak hip" you got there... After the show I had to speed through CA traffic to LAX to fly to Vegas for a delay. I get on the plane and sit down on the seat assigned on the ticket. I close my eyes to get some shut eye and suddenly hear someone say, Hey get out of my seat. Open my eyes and this frat punk with iced tips is standing in the isle over my head demanding me to get up and move. I show him my ticket and say, wrong seat bro. He says, No, your going to move. I say, hey, go talk to the flt attendants and they'll show you your seat. By this point he's getting really hot with me and says, "Look KID, your gonna do what you have to do!" I look around and see the flt attendants just standing there watching. I say, Can someone do something about this guy? Nobody did ANYTHING. As a matter of fact, they sat me in ANOTHER seat that wasn't assigned to me and with 2 fat people on both sides. Lets not forget how they absolutely most positively HAD to have their fat sweaty elbows on the arms rest jabbing into my ribs the whole way to Vegas. I sat there with my elbows tucked into my stomach the whole time. The stench of these people was so overwhelming I wanted to vomit! Does deodorant not work for these people? ITS DISGUSTING. I can handle people pathetically throwing their hopeless lives down the drain because they won't help themselves, but people who smell like $hit need a serious reality check. If you have the nerve to go in public smelling like a pile of dead bodies, you are retarded. To top things off, In Vegas the plane I was suppose to get on broke and I ended up waiting 4 hours for something else to show up. I finally got home just on time to throw on my PTU's and make it to ROTC. What a load of F*&^

Thats sweet dude. I've definitely gotta check out the online mode. I plan to get the router real soon. I'll definitely send you a PM to get hooked up with your buddies. If their already great at it, they'll annihilate me. I was honestly disappointed in the campaign mode. The levels were thoughtless and lacked creativity. You feel like your running around levels that aren't finished by the gaming producers. I guess the best way to explain it would be, imagine a ghost town where theirs a few adversary's popping shots in your direction but you can't get a contact with its location. It gets really annoying. In COD4 the enemy is distinct and you can see them clearly as opposed to BC where the enemy subject is really vague or just shots coming from no where. Fortunately you have the adrenaline feature that COD4 lacks. By the end of campaign mode I was ready to never touch that game again. I got the same feeling I did when I finished Frontlines Fuel of War. Its like the gaming industry is so focused on producing neat features that other games lack, but their forgetting about creating awesome levels that capture the players attention. I'll give the BC online an honest run as soon as I get my router. Have you check out Rainbow 6, Vegas 2? I rented that sometime ago and thought it was pretty good. Excellent detail and realistic stories.

I'll have to check that out. I only rented the game and beat the campaign mode on my xbox. At times the game felt REALLY boring, but for some odd reason I continued to play it. As soon as I get the xbox router I'll rent it again and try it out live. How would you compare the live BC to COD4?

I thought Bad Company was pretty good (haven't played live yet, just campaign). Its real similar to COD4. I'd say the improvements are graphics, and sound effects. The guns sound huge and the animation quality is slightly better IMO. The missions can be a bit boring and difficult, but over all not a bad game. I liked the artillery scenarios. This aside, I think COD4 is more entertaining.

Tough customer

I see your point of view, I just disagree with it the same way you disagreed with mine. No biggy. Second, I have no aspirations to be wing king or a pilot for the Air Force anymore. Did a year of AFROTC and thought it was a joke, so I've switched to the Marines PLC air contract. I'm sure your 6 weeks of field training were absolutely brutal. I can only imagine how much of a leader they made you. After all, 6 weeks of marching a flight and shooting for top gun proves someones ability to be a great "leader". Try 12 weeks of brutal OCS and then 6 months of ground school and I'll take your "leadership" seriously. Btw, Leadership doesn't start as a LT. It starts from the beginning. I'm just "honestly" saying I think your a bad example for the AF image. Hey, don't be mad, I'm just practicing your favorite leadership trait. H O N E S T Y.

Glad to see the AF offered you a commission. I'm sure you understood what "excellence in all we do" really means... You see those extra 10 over the max as being a tool. Around here our det encourages that type of drive. Those who go above and beyond are the only people noticed around here. I guess your det was another story. Doing what I suggested above can only make you a healthier individual. Its not about being a tool, its about being in great shape. If you don't want that, fine. Smoke a pack and day and brag about it. Your future will let you know how your plan turns out. I can say from reading what you've wrote, theirs missing attributes in your character/leadership that I wouldn't want to follow. If someone wants to work on their body to do better on the PFT, good for them. They are showing they care about their future. I have seen people max out at 20 push ups because they didn't work on them. You get out of it what you put into it. Work on your weaknesses and you'll make them strengths. Were not interested if you got by on the PFT. This thread was made to help people increase theirs scores. We push the limits to be the best in the world. Anybody wants to argue that, your in the wrong business.

Volunteer for as much as possible and perform those duties well. Toro said it best IMO I know around the det here, people get up and ask for volunteers every damn day, and you can tell the people who are insane over getting pilot slots, because theirs hands shoot up like rockets. If you have the time for it, do it. If you don't have the time for it, make up for it by doing good in other areas.

Train with intensity. Example: If your doing push ups and max out around 40, drop down on your knees at 40 and max out from there. If your running, push yourself harder every time and when your at your last lap, light the fire under your ass and take off as fast as your legs will carry you. Your body will adapt over time. I found the best way to do push ups is doing push ups. If your watching some tv, drop down and do sets or one large max set till your juiced. Try doing it everyday or every other day. Since its summer and your not doing homo workouts that some POC threw together, you can do whatever you want and not have to worry about training aside from PT 2-3 days a week. Sit ups are sit ups. The more of them that you do, the better you'll get at it. The AF's requirements are very easy to accomplish with little work, assuming your not some fat ass off the street looking for an easy route to silver wings just getting by with minimums. Aside from all of this, My uncle does cross fit training and loves it. However, you need to know what your doing and it can be more time consuming than what your already doing. If you have someone that will do the cross fit training with you, give it a shot and see how it works for you. From what I've heard, its really intense. The guys from 300 did cross fit in preparation for the movie. For myself I like to incorporate push ups, sit ups, pull ups (Marines OCS applicant), running, and 5 days a week of weight training to stay in the best shape possible. Sounds like a lot of activity, and it is, but I take in a boatload of calories everyday and my bodies adjusted.

Doesn't surprise me one bit. I also get the feeling this has happened more than once. One of our cadre was a missile guy years ago up at Minot. He despised his job more than anybody I've ever heard of. 72 hour shifts strapped into a sliding seat behind glowing buttons. Told us stories of how when your locked in, your stuck for your 72 hours. Guys would get calls from their buddies saying, Hey man, your wifes gotta Uhaul outside your house, I think she's leaving. Nothing you can do about it, your locked in till your shifts done. Minot sounds like the place to be. Gotta drive 5 hours just to go to the nearest Olive Garden. Any takers?

Brabus, First and foremost, I respect you because your to the point. That aside, I think you took what I wrote wrong. Of course theirs rotc grads/ots grads out at Luke, I've just not run across many. Second, I don't think the AFA is the real AF either. I was talking about ROTC alone and the fact that it isn't like the AF. My statements about ROTC are my own. I just figure if someone is going to come in here and ask about ROTC, I will give them a different perspective. I heard only the good things about ROTC when I first joined and figured out so many things I wished someone would of shared with me from the start, but didn't. ROTC is a commitment that's time consuming and I think if someones gonna commit to it, they should put 100% into it and be happy with their decision to commission that route. So by giving them the heads up from another's perspective, they can take it for what its worth. If its worth nothing, they've lost nothing, if its worth something, hey thats cool. Third, your right about all dets being different. I would like to see other det's, but I'm stuck here for school and gotta make due with what I've got now. Hope this cleared up my statements. Sorry for the misunderstanding.