Skitzo

What did BLAZE stand for anyways?

Good leadership can fix management problems. Good management can fix management problems. Good management cannot fix leadership problems. Sadly, I cannot think of many aspects of this job where leadership is at play. I can think of a few, maybe two commanders that I have worked for have been true leaders and managers. They managed efficiently enough to make time to lead. I would follow these guys anywhere. The other commanders I've seen don't truly have a chance to lead, they are too busy managing the shit that is rolling down hill. Heck, for half the time I've been in AFSOC either the CC or the DO have been deployed at the same time with 50% of the squadron home, and 50% gone. I'm not saying that all of these guys wouldn't be excellent leaders, they just aren't set up for success. If World War III kicked off tomorrow no one would care what ADLS course you didn't complete. No one would care that you missed your semi annual training by one ILS and those going overdue would get a waiver instead of paperwork. The commander and others would actually lead and manage the fighting force. The mission and not the queep would take priority. I know of a guy who went overdue on the chamber while deployed. The solution was rapid airlift to the nearest chamber to complete training. You have to be kidding me; what is the intent behind the time limit? It's to make sure that we all get that training within a predetermined timeframe because symptoms of hypoxia change over time. It's not to cause the situation I just described. Queep: When the time/resources/difficulty of accomplishing a given task is disproportionate to the value gained. I don't care if it is congressionally mandated training, if it is queep and congressionally mandated it is probably CYA reactionary BS. I guess my point if any of all of this rambling diatribe it would be this: there is way to much bull to manage to even identify who is an effective leader for the average officer. So we continue with the system we have. We have awesome leaders and we have shitty leaders. We don't place a premium on leadership in the active duty operational world. The proof of that is flushing every bit of doctrine we learn in PME when it is convenient to do so. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I love the things I have done, I still have more love for it than to leave it, but that's just me. What can I say, I grew up in a dysfunctional family, so the Air Force fits me like a glove.

Think Liquid meant in regards to the message board... Edit: Holy shit 1000th post. Kind of like when your car hits 100k miles... over 11 years?

I had a bro check out the aussie option a few years back. They were really wanting helo and hornet drivers... go figure.

Epic thread revival

That stinks, I saw some Lt's furiously working on a Friday shirt last Friday. Had some promise.

Okay, well that's not bad if you are 200/200 then you don't probably need to be retained but if you are 9/9 well that math should be a little more fuzzy, when you compare the other 200. I like what Welsh is doing but I feel like they need to come up with a better answer. I remember in ROTC that the Commander's Ranking score dealt with the general population of the commissioning class. General Chang... in ROTC 1/3 in a year group did not equal 33/99... correct me if I am wrong, TMO screwed up and half of my stuff isn't even here...and I've had 4 beers... #Clovisrocks!

Wow... I'm speechless, even if the Definitely Retain pile is your top 20% it puts a lot of extra work on the board. As I understand it DPs and DRs in the past are effectively shoved off to the side and the Ps and Rs are shuffled through to determine the gray zone. I am curious to see if there will be a Do Not Retain quota as usually a Do Not Retain or a Do Not Promote would usually have paperwork to justify the rating...in this case if there is a quota it could be a mixed bag between douchers with paperwork and poor helpless souls who showed up at their base 1 day prior to the RRF accounting date.

but then you can't brag about a 90% promotion opportunity to major!

Considering how the intel field is getting gutted, a good call I guess. Strats for those who need them not who have earned them.

Unless we return to an Air Force where if you don't sign, you don't fly... I think the road of the future is to find a way to make it cheaper to train AF pilots to a point where both the 10 year commitment remains but the bonus does not.

My quick math of all overages for the FSB and RIF indicates 3946.

What a great reference.

2004 is getting hosed because it's on a promo list. You would think that they would allow VSP to anyone passed over but whatever.

Year groups are the single worse thing the military has going for itself.

Lol. This is funny. Not really but I've had 4 beers and all I can do is laugh.

Non-selection for promotion is different than non retention... at least that's how the it reads now....

This has not been a good week. Them Them

Damn, was in ROTC with Sean.

Right because she will answer all questions once it becomes official....

Wow how many man hours would be saved if the PRF, RRF and 1206 forms allowed for the same length of bullets?

<br /><br />Excellent!

FWIW: I've known precisely one person to apply for VSP from my little corner of the world and get denied...then he told the commander no matter what his next assignment would be his last. After that he asked his commander if he could go to SOS instead of deploying. Dude was a DG out of SOS, is at his last duty station right now. All he ever wanted was to get out, but yet the Air Force wants him in... IDE select as well.... YMMV but those that are in the top 20% already have a plan charted for them and I would think (since I am NOT in the top 20%) that no matter what those that are "chosen" would not feel the repercussions of a VSP application. If you are below the cut line though, I would not submit unless certain.

Huh? I was in the last one, and I am in the 2004 year group.

20K Liquid Cash....Emergency Fund in a Money Market 50K ROTH IRA w/Fidelity Value Discover, Perm Portfolio Fund and some Ford, Kohls and American Airlines Stock (My IRA) 10K ROTH IRA w/Fidelity Contra Fund (Wife's IRA) Prepaid College Plan for 3 x Kids Started a ROTH TSP last year, pretty small amount I'm thinking the market is going to be in for a major correction this year, kind of want to take a cash position or possibly bonds or something to mitigate the risk. Anyone else? I know I have a lot of years ahead before retirement, just don't want to see that much money go.