Clayton Bigsby

My roommate, who was maintenance, had gotten ahold of a "contractor" nametape and sewed it on his DCUs...any time he wanted to get away with something, he'd throw that DCU blouse on. Pretty easy, actually.

BTW I wanted to stress I'm not b1tching about per diem rates - hopefully there's no perception that I am. They are what they are and I don't get to set them. But it does bother me if I see Finance making up the rules as they go along, and it seems that's what's happened - and as mentioned, their mistakes rarely go in your favor. And they're the first people to suck back money from your check, without warning or explanation, if they even think they've ever overpaid you on something. For many months as a young Airman I had random "Debts" listed on my LES, at random, and even if I went to Finance to ask WTF was going on, sometimes they couldn't explain it. A big deal when you're an E-2 living in the dorms, that can be a big percentage of your limited pay. Especially on top of your MGIB and other payments. [ 26. November 2006, 01:05: Message edited by: Chuck Farleston ]

The basic issue, as I see it, is the chow hall/deployed facility thing - 3.50 is used (after the first day) for places like the 'deid, manas, balad, bagram, etc that have a DFAC or chow heezy or whatever you want to call it, where you sign in upon entry and that's how the contractor gets the money for the food from the gov't. Otherwise, if you're on your own with the local economy (PK Inn, Mean Gene's, Sailor's Club, stupid-ass-rules-central Navy chowhall, CPO club, etc) where you pay for your food, then you collect FULL per diem. That's how it's worked for every TDY I've been on, until this one. I mean, if we go to the 'lik, it's 75 bucks a day every day, and there's a chow hall there too...but I gotta pay for it, and I can't always make it there. It makes sense if you're a part of a deployed AEG, like at the 'deid, and if your meals are contracted and at no cost to you personally. However, when that's not the case...especially when our finance shoe clerks need to do their homework - AMC crews are NOT a part of a BOMBER expeditionary wing, and can't eat in their free chow hall anyway! And that wing (and chowhall) doesn't exist anymore anyway!...that makie no sense. Oh well, guess I get to go argue with all the shoes on monday. Maybe I should show them pictures of the no-more-tents in Camp Justice, just to prove it's been abandoned. They'll probably say I photoshopped them. Retards. And yes *******, I have seen those that choose to schedule themselves to get the 'double ching' at the ends of months, but I am not that guy - I disagree with it too. If I'm there around the end of the month, I've most likely already been there a couple times before in the month so it really makes no difference to me. Not really sure how that became subject matter appropriate for this issue/discussion, but ******, if it makes you feel any better, I don't do that.

I recently passed through Diego, and ended up staying there a couple days. Voucher finally paid, and for each succeeding day after the first, only $3.50 was paid for per diem, instead of the usual $27.50. My only beef with this is that we were not a part of the deployed AEG at all, but rather a transient crew...in fact, Camp Justice (or whatever they were calling it) is completely shut down now, the tents torn down, and no free chow hall like you get at all the other $3.50 locations. Now Diego isn't exactly expensive, but...I was certainly paying more than $3.50 on sundries, incidentals and meals on a daily basis. So, anyway, if you're paying for meals shouldn't the per diem be the full rate? If you're not a part of the deployed AEG (that isn't deployed there anymore anyway!!!), shouldn't you get the full rate? Thanks

Funny that the TTR airfield is even being discussed in any way...I thought it wasn't a suitable subject of any discussion, despite the press going there once the F-117 was declassified. Cool to see the AF finally own up to at least some of this - some those MiGs have been circulating around the AF for some time, popping up at museums or being used as gate guards or static displays for airshows...kind of like the MiG-29s we bought from Moldova to cockblock the Iranian sale. One pops up every once in awhile. This all was also discussed in the "Dark Eagles" book. One thing though...no tech data. Yeah that'd be fun. My crew chief roots don't like that idea, one bit... [ 19. November 2006, 12:34: Message edited by: Chuck Farleston ]

Lots of people do stupid things, worthy of bashing. Do I have to know all of them to criticize in any way? Like Flav-a-flav the Major from Manas? And to the comment of "the tools are the ones looking at the internet on friday night", NOT EVERYBODY WORKS M-F 8-5. Think about that. What are you, his ROTC fraternity boyfriend or something? Personally I couldn't stop laughing after what Jenna said at the top of this page. Good stuff!

You know, in about a year, he'll be whining about all the constant deployments, how they take him away from his love life/family back home, how The Man makes him wear PT uniforms downrange and even enforces how long and what color his socks can be, and how he can't get out of this job, just BEGGING for Palace Chase or VSP. yeah, whatever.

So why is it that O's have to do what the Shirts say? If you can get your CC to back you up and agree that the requirements are retarded, can't you tell your shirt to sod off?

It's stupid as supposedly it's optional to wear ribbons on the shirt; however EVERY time you go through ANY sort of PME or AETC course, they require you to wear your ribbons. Even FTAC (First Term Airman's Center), which is supposed to just be a basic orientation to your first duty station. The reasoning behind it is to prove that you know how to wear ribbons, but to require it for each and every PME class is fvcking retarded. Hence more and more enlisted think it's mandatory. Kills me, as I don't like wearing them on my shirt, just on my service coat.

That is pretty gnar gnar. Can you fit anything larger than an H-58 or H-6? If you take off the rotor mast, can you fit an H-1? We can fit 8 of the Kiowas, but that goes along with the whole much-bigger-airplane thing. Don't know anything about the kandahar turd. All the downrange stuff I've done recently has been OIF. So what was it - blown gear struts? The plane "leans" to one side to change tires, a self-jacking job type thing, maybe it got stuck?

Herkbum, if you're referring to the Bagram accident -17, that's not in my department (LM). That plane very nearly became a permanent static display there! Interesting to see the WB-57 there without its NASA titles, as they're the usual operator. But I guess the US Gov't 'owns' NASA and can appropriate their aircraft whenever they want... I have many similar photos as well, and I've seen that Silk Air Il-76 all over the place. Except my photos aren't near as good. [ 30. September 2006, 20:32: Message edited by: Chuck Farleston ]

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YEAH BABY!!! AS GOOD AS IT GETS!!! LET'S SEE YOU HERC HOMOS DO THIS!!! [ 30. September 2006, 18:02: Message edited by: Chuck Farleston ]

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OK I will. Some great photos! Warning, this will bring the CENTCOM computers to their knees...pic-intensive. [ 30. September 2006, 18:05: Message edited by: Chuck Farleston ]

Lots of unmarked Hueys in there.

So who was the last flier that got force-shaped? Answer - it hasn't happened. Yet. Okay, so a couple navs at Offut will be affected, but NOT people signing on for that 10-12 year commitment. As for deployment rates and families and all that other horseshit, you're joining the MILITARY. They pay you on the 1st and the 15th for that shit. Amazes me how many people can't seem to grasp that. A maintenance buddy of mine just got back from a deployment to Kyrgyzstan, and mentioned he wants to cross-train. I asked what, and he says Optometry. I asked cool, now why? Answer - "I want a job that never deploys, so I figure that's where to go." I wanted to reach across the table and strangle him. Keep in mind this was his second deployment in 3 and a half years, and his previous one was to Frankfurt, Germany - pretty cake as far as deployments go. His complaint is that this deployment stuff takes him away from his wife and possible family (wants to have kids). I guess he forgot whom he gave his oath to. What pisses me off even more is that he gets paid extra money (family sep) for this, that I don't get, and he STILL *****es about it... [ 26. September 2006, 00:17: Message edited by: Chuck Farleston ]