panchbarnes

I know what Kelly McGillis looks like now but this is still better than Penny

I prefer the original Kelly McGillis over the sequel Jennifer Connelly. Fight me.

I feel like I'm out of the loop, but at what year did promotion to O4 stopped becoming "100%"?? I know this isn't 100% true, but I see a "successful" exec/CAG/XO/Aide tour as key to getting that coveted strat and assignment, and this is what I've seen across all services/branches. I also know some people might look down on these kind of assignments but it's a really educational experience that will either serve you well as you progress in rank and responsibility, or influence your decision to not play the promotion game. This system has been around since the Army Air Corps days and it's not going to change.

No they don't pay for TLE and Per Diem. Just airfare, household goods and vehicle. I'll see if i can find the actual citation. You *may* not even extra baggage allowance from the airlines since you'll be flying with a retiree ID and not Active Duty CAC. I say may because some check-in agents may or may not give you that benefit. Edit: Found the memo from the local finance office.

Watched Top Gun: Maverick last night, great movie, opening scene/credit was awesome. Great aerial footage, especially the last aerial battle in the movie. Will have to watch it in IMAX next! The original was still better. Better acting, soundtrack and overall entertaining movie. 9/10.

Going to start shopping auto insurance around, heard great things about GEICO. Been dealing with an auto total loss claim (I'm not at fault), the customer service has been terrible. Is not proactive in contacting throughout the whole process (I had to initiate the f/u call after waiting the first 48 hrs), gave conflicting policy info depending on who you are talking to. Lack of empathy on the phone, borderline rude/don't give a fuck about the claim (multiple agents). Website did not update even after the settlement has been reached so I had to call after 72 hours of waiting because I couldn't continue the settlement process online. The company appears to have taken it's customer base for granted over the years and is in a steep nose dive. I'd rather them save their national TV commercial budget and put it towards staff training. I mean, are military folks and dependents really going to sign up for USAA because they saw Gronk on TV??? I also bank with Navy Federal for checking. Have visited their branches all over the world and top notch customer service, super easy and fast to get documents notarized as opposed to waiting at the base legal office.

I looked through the document and the author is pretty spot on from my experience (AD, non-rated ops, heavy Joint time, retired O4). Focusing on the staff jobs/titles, most FGOs know which staff jobs are promotable ones (this is the same across all services). Then there are the HPO designated staff positions, where it's only reserved for the HPOs (AFSC specific) and no one else can touch them. As a matter of fact, we had a manning shortage one time and they were looking for a volunteer (any AFSC) and openly advertised the designated flying HPO staff job as an "on-ramp" to the HPO world. So not all staff jobs are created equal, know the rules of the game early and then decide whether or not you want to play. Unless you were selected as the golden child as a LT, then you really gotta advocate hard for yourself or you'll fall behind your peers. I thought the author was passing his knowledge down, leveling the promotion playing field for everyone. Again, everything in the document is pretty consistent with what I've seen during my career.

There is so much historic context with every geopolitical event/action that it's unfair for you to write the above paragraph. Every country and the implied actions you just named are not the same and not black and white. It's kind of absurd to imply China wants to take over Japan.

The biggest surprise is the annual leave and retirement date. They like to retire people within the first week of the month, they send your retirement orders pretty much without your input, and once you get the orders, it's really painful to push back the retirement date (needs CC input and can only push back to end of month), so make sure you have enough time to burn your leave (if that's what you want). Selling back your leave is not a bad deal for medical retirement if you are not in a hurry to start work before retirement date. But the fixed retirement date can be a pain.

I highly recommend this site. It used to be completely free, but IMHO paying to access the website is completely worth it. https://militarydisabilitymadeeasy.com/ Contains everything you need to know about the MEB process and the rating/compensation system. For MEB, I couldn't use a VSO but with this website I didn't need the VSO. @VMFA187attached are the USAF MEB references. 04_DoD_IntegratedDisabilityEvalSystem_Brochure.pdf DES Info for CC Fact Sheet 15 Jun 17.pdf Disability Evaluation System Fact Sheet (Aug 2018)v2.pdf

Reports of Kabul Airport under attack. Someone just posted this on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1426947997104054277

The long awaited Masters of the Air is finally in production now. Sucks it will be on Apple TV+ and not HBO. Which means you won't be able to buy the DVD or digital rights, as the only way to watch it is via Apple TV+ subscription. See Tom Hanks Greyhound film. ☹️ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_the_Air

For us it comes down to remaining life expectancy for the parents, age of children, ability of survivors to earn income, expected retirement lifestyle, monthly pay deducted, and expected payout. Analyzing those factor and it wasn't worth it for us (everyone's situation is different). To me, it might be a good deal for a younger person but not an old fogie. @GuardianI've attached AFPC's overview here. SBP Slides 15 (AFPC).pdf

I think this is a logical explanation. I think Big Blue is trying match Big Army's O5/O6 promotion timeline hence the 5 looks and no BPZs. The transition period (starting this last board) is going to be painful until things "normalize". The 1st look is now really 2BPZ, and 2nd look is 1BPZ, 3rd look is IPZ (~16 yr TIS). So starting this year they need to ensure the golden children are promoted 1st look along with the regular people. Everything comes down to promotion timeline.

Depends on the type of industry or position you are pursuing, emphasize keywords that align with what you are thinking. In my humble opinion, these are decent LinkedIN profiles (just did a quick random search) to emulate, and TAP will go over some of this stuff as well. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalethwright/ "- Advised Commander/CEO on leadership, health/welfare, and utilization of 5,700 personnel at world’s largest air refueling wing resulting in successful execution of 56,000 flying hours and 6,500 missions with a 97% mission effectiveness rating" The focus is on the word CEO to help non-military types understand the position of Commander. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-bass/ "People are My Passion — Building Strong Leaders is My Mission ✨ 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF) at United States Air Force" Emphasis on People are my passion-building... feel good phrase that should connect with non-military types. "Senior Executive Manager, Professional Development Expert, Team Builder & Coach, and Military Veteran with 28-years of proven experience in the United States Air Force. Senior leader, advisor, and consultant with a broad set of technical skills and a wide range of large organizational management and leadership experience in the joint, special operations, and international communities. Possesses extensive knowledge in strategic and organizational management and able to build successful and diverse teams to accomplish goals and objectives. " Both of good write ups for the about section. Chief Wright's profile picture is onpoint.

Get a professional photographer to do your profile picture, should cost around $200 or so. You might be able to get away with iPhone portrait mode but don't use a casual or funny profile if you are serious about looking for a job. Use keywords in your description or history that civilians can understand and search for. Instead of SQ/DO try something like Assistant to the Regional Manager. You get the idea. Golden LinkedIN might also come with online courses you can take in different fields that gets you certificates that will go on your LinkedIN profile as well.

At the end, the VA's bureaucracy and inefficiencies were just too much to handle for the terrorists. The terrorists chose to surrender and be taken away rather than continue to argue with the VA staff...

But why the VA hospital??? Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints) stars as decorated army veteran Jason Hill. While on a routine visit to the local VA hospital, organized terrorists infiltrate the building and take hostages, including a decorated general, and Hill's wife. The highly trained veteran is outnumbered and the last line of defense, taking on a building full of armed insurgents before it's too late. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/assault_on_va_33

Inflation is here already. Look at real estate and stock markets. And it's not just in the U.S. And for fucks sake, $20 for haircut at Bolling??

In related news...

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We ain't gonna do shit in Thailand or Myanmar. Complicated situation and everyone sucks. We are lucky CG is still going on uninterrupted in Thailand. Thailand - Been under human rights scrutiny since ~2014, new King and PM are both unpopular. Young people want to overthrow the government. The student leaders are arrested. Heavy COVID impact. Soi Cowboy is empty... Myanmar (Burma) - ASSK got released from prisons, partners up with the Junta to shit on the Rohingyas and is under human rights scrutiny. The Junta arrests ASSK and putting down mass protest.

We literally went through this exactly 10 years ago. I guess we didn't sanitize enough the first time around. What's next? Return of Blues Monday for the sake of heritage? Re-rewrite of the AF song?

https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/conusCalc.cfm Interesting...