SocialD

🥃 Nickel

Yup. Words last year from a friend in finance is that DFAS (or whomever), decided they're just not going to fix the issue since they're rolling out new pay software soon. I asked how soon and she's says, "it's supposed to roll out Jan 2021." So pretty much...if you're a tech or part-timer, you'll continue to get 4, 5, and 6 paychecks a month and you can fuck off.

What's the old saying? Better to ask for forgiveness than get permission.

When I read through the paperwork (15+ years ago) my commitment to the ANG was tied to me actually finishing training. So if I had washed out of pilot training, I could have left the service with no issues. After seasoning you won't be forced into anything unless it's a non-vol activation, which are protected indefinitely under USERRA. Bottom line, your job will be protected. Now, every unit does tend to have their own internal scheduling policy which can vary wildly. I've seen a fighter squadron that required you to attend every squadron TDY, and if you don't want to go, you better have a good excuse. While others are much more chill and may only force you to go on TDY (maybe even half time) if it's for a pre-deployment spinup type thing...and even then you'll likely have the option to go half time. In my 19 years in the ANG, aside from trining, I've never been forced into any trip that I didn't want to go.

Well when your only objective is having a reason to fling shit, logic need not apply to the situation.

In the ANG, the absolute floor should be GS-12, and with any level of quals/experience, it should be a few steps. In the last few years we've been handing out GS-13s to guys who aren't even IPs yet (some with a step or 2), because they were in IPUG. That said, I'm not sure how every other base is doing it, but we've been told we have to convert all our Techs to AGR. You can't force a tech to convert so they'll remain techs until they vacate the position or willingly convert. We only have 3 techs and only 1 wants to stay because of the tech bonus, once that goes away, I suspect he'll convert then.

We have LOTS of Cops and State Troopers on our Guard base. Over the last few years, many have left their positions on the police force and taken full time positions on base. Talking with them, the consensus is that they feel they have zero backup from city leaders/politicians. They all felt like they were one edited video away from losing their jobs...the court of public opinion matters more than the truth. I expect to see more and more this.

Until the last few posts, I legit didn't know paying for uniforms was a thing for officers. I was always under the impression that if they wanted me to wear the proper uniform, they would be issued. I'm going to successfully avoid ever having a pair of ABUs as I've never needed them. I am however being issued a set of OCPs, I guess we're required to have a set for an upcoming deployment.

LOL, in 19+ years in the ANG, I've never paid for a single uniform. Take that back, I bought my Mess dress but was provided a one time, $400 stipend, which more than paid for it. BTW, what a waste of money...I've worn it twice (UPT grad and B-Course grade) and it still has Lt rank on it.

Too late...they're talking about PME and college professors over there. The issue in the ANG is control grades. For full time O5, there has to be a control grade available and each base only gets X control grades. There is lots of horse trading that goes one around the Wing when needed to make it work. I would say it's not impossible, but yes it can be more difficult to get full time if you're already an O5. Every Wing allocates their control grades differently. After talking with a pilot in another Wing in my state, I learned that, compared to his squadron, we have a crazy amount of control grades in OPS. I guess that's why you can't swing a dead cat in ops without hitting 5 Lt Cols. Maybe someone smarter on control grades can pipe up. I'm an O5 that never plans on going full time, so I've never really thought much about them.

Can this wokefest get its own thread?

You pay for uniforms?

This! I don't have cable, and have essentially blocked everyone on SM and the only thing on my feeds is stuff I'm interested in (mostly Aviation groups). Last Saturday someone posted on our Squadron group chat to avoid X part of town due to protests. I had zero idea what people were protesting about and had to look it up, which is when I heard about this incident. Today was spent tinkering on an N3N and a Stearman, then helped a guy who is building a Starduster, flew with a kid I'm teaching instruments, did a few pre-sunset grass landings in the Cub, then beers at my buddies hangar as we watched an amazing sunset. The world need less 24 hours news (err entertainment) channels and more sunset hangar beers!

We in the USAF don't let piddly things such as regs get in the way of our local policies!

Welp, guess I'll keep my 11 month streak of not checking my guard e-mail going.

Man there are going to be a lot of pissed off people when he is reelected.

Oh good, standing by for another touchy, feely course that we'll all have to sit through.

LOL, didn't they say that 2 piece flight suit testing for ejection seat aircraft would be done a 1-2 years ago? Based on that I fully expect to finish my career in a bag.

I was recently denied access to a Home Depot because I didn't blindly follow the rule du jour and have a mask on. How the fuck am I supposed to get my deck built with all this assholes telling me I have to wear a stupid mask...oh wait, I think we're no longer doing CV19... The struggle is real!

It mainly stems from the older management types that had been out of the military for quite a while, who still think the ANG/AFRES are flying clubs. One of them didn't believe me when I told him how many times I've deployed as a Guardsman. Hell, we still occasionally deal with this type of shit from AD folks, when we're deployed. In all fairness, the only reason I knew about the ANG was because I asked my high school guidance counselor what paid the best for college. He handed me a ANG pamphlet and said there is a Fighter Wing 1.5 hours north and they paid 100% tuition. Best thing that ever happened to me.

LOL! So that's what the WP C-17 guys fly with the callsign Rhino.

In my experience, some of the worst haters of the ARC pilots are the management guys (pilots) who did all their time AD and were never in the Guard/Reserve.

Circle back to summer 2019, who were pretty much the only people wearing masks back then? They all wore masks before this and the shit still got out!

Unfortunately for many that just won't ever be a realistic option. That said, if you can make it happen, it makes this job such an awesome gig. I live an hour from the employee lot, 8 minutes from the Guard and 30-45 minutes from all of my family...better lucky than good! It's why I would much rather go to our lowest paying category to stay in my current base than commute to stay on higher paying categories. What 2020 said above is spot on. I'd much rather be furloughed than be forced to commute to be a plug on a NB in NYC. I don't expect it will, but if it came to that, I'd probably take a voluntary furlough. Between part-time pay, my rentals and other side income opportunities, I'd rather not commute to sit in a crashpad in NYC for a year. It's events like this that illustrate the words I pass to all my buddies who think they'll ever go to airlines. If you're considering the airlines, do it ASAP, don't screw around for years making a decision. A few friends scoffed and said "the airlines are not for them," and even gave me a rash of shit about going to the airlines. Fast forward 3 years and suddenly they decided the airlines, in fact, ARE for them...and they're suddenly not giving me shit lol. So now they're 3,000 number junior to me and looking at either commuting to NYC or possibly being furloughed. I'm expecting to just be bumped back to a narrow body in my current base. Of course some delayed to get closer to an AGR pension, which I get to an extent. But this situation will be a boon for those who were just outside 5 years to go to an AGR pension.

Remember this is NOT pilots (yet), this is mostly enlisted leadership all over base including a few LRS & MX officers. It's not totally uncommon for random people around base to get tagged with 6-month deployments during the ACS/RCP/AEF (whatever we call it these days) window. What's different is they tagged 40+ from mx, which I have never seen before, nor have I ever seen them tag our MX officers. But yes, all the MX folks I've talked to are being individually deployed to run shops at various bases within the AOR. Apparently the AD is short on senior enlisted folks. On the plus side, they tagged about 4 our our Chiefs on base. Soooooo...with an increase in Guard E-9s, you might see a significant decline in Chiefing incidents at your favorite deployed hotspots. 🤣