Learjetter

I'm not serving 22+ years to turn my back on the greatest nation on Earth. The only one born of the love of Liberty, the one whose Constitution I've sworn to protect and defend. My loyalties run deeper than my irritation at our current Congress, Administration, and Court. That said, I may get a Condo in Costa Rica, just for fun and to stretch my retirement $$.

I think it's certainly a purer, truer, and more enjoyable ballpark experience.

Have your SQ exec call the Gp exec and ask him/her to call the Wing Exec and ask about the timeline.

Pretty sure you cannot "refuse" EFMP. Used to be it was optional...think it's mandatory now. Been on it for 15+ yrs, system worked as advertised for us....no issues, no troubles.

Why are you limiting it to mobility assets? IIRC some WWII "Flying Sergeants" and WAFs flew fighters.

I think the ACLU is more interested in publicity than true defense of rights--I think they cherry-pick the cases/causes that they think will gain them the most publicity....and occasionally handle a controversial one (i.e. KKK in Sheboygan) so they can tout that their agenda is only about equal protection, etc etc. Would love to see 100,000 conservatives join ACLU and elect a new governing board, then start championing amendment #2.

Except that it might be a challenge to fill out a BAH form, while "assigned to" base housing, Consider renting an apt off base and have a legit BAH claim, or forgo BAH and try for a base house.

Porcupines, UNITE! https://freestateproject.org/

Joe, you're wrong. Go re-read the article. The shirt was FIRED for NOT saying he AGREED with the CC that "anyone who doesn't support gay marriage is guilty of discrimination". Think about that.

Absolutely. The only "extras" that should be paid should incentivize job performance, not encouraging dependency. We're swerving from the thread. My point: whatever bennies any Ssgt or Capt gets, all Ssgts and Capts get. What you choose to do with yours is up to you. Stay single, or spend it on/with family. Further derail: next idea that goes along with this one is: no ADSCs. Ever. For anything. Stay or go? Your call, anytime. But no retirement until 20, and min rank to go to 20 is Msgt and Lt Col. HYT at 18 for both Tsgts and Majs. No partials, no vsp, no bonus... all or nothing from day 1. Back to the thread: if gays get 10 days PTDY for "marriage", then everyone gets 10 days PTDY for "marriage".

K-state: you didn't read my premise: everyone gets the SAME pay, BAH, etc....at the current w/dep rates. And I won't marry Joe unless he agrees I'm the big spoon.

Because a troop's $$ reduced due to finance's buffoonery is 100% a Sq/CC's issue. I'd fire any SQ/CC that DIDN'T intervene.

I don't normally do this, but I'm gonna agree with Joe. Except instead of reducing married/family bennies like w/dep BAH, I'd RAISE the "single" rates to match w/dep rates. In my scheme, every 04 gets the same base pay, bah, bas, etc...no more paying "family guys/gals" more. I'd even go for mil-mil marriages earning double, since each member earns the Bennie on his/her own status. Everyone gets exactly the same treatment/options...that's Joes point, I think. Of course, if I misread joes post, then disregard all after Bonjour!

WTFO? IBTL.

I've seen the pics

Rubbish. ETA: Quote Complete crap.

Maybe that "checklist discipline" thing has something to do with that? Or maybe our rockets have FEs?

Calm down fellas...I didn't say FOTR/BENT was a reality now...but it has been used in the past. Think about it: are we going to see increases in flying hours? More $$ in the budgets? I doubt it. What we WILL likely see is same/fewer flight hours for fewer guys to fly. So bonus-takers will be seen as "company men" and "rewarded" with continued flying, schools, assignments, etc. BENT guys will be reassigned to non-flying positions, PCS to staff, etc, and will have to earn their way back to flying thru good timing or outlasting the rules... To be clear: if crew ratios change (ex: wing PAA of 24... 2.0 ratio (48 line pilots) to 1.5 (36 pilots) in C-17 world = 12 pilots who don't need to fly anymore, and no UMD positions to put them in either)...so the wing will prioritize bonus takers over BENT. I suppose they could send all BENT to RPAs.

Matmacwc: you answered your own question quite well. I'll elaborate: FOTR/BENT dudes stop flying. They don't stop working. Because they're BENT, they DON'T get strats or job titles that lead to strats. Wing exec still flies. Chief of tactics flies...because if THOSE guys decline the bonus, they stop working those jobs, and go help XP plan the next ORI.

Got an under-the-tentflap peek at some recent red line/blue line charts. If you believe them, only 11F/11S/11H would be eligible. Translation: those are the only communities with shortages/predicted shortages....to FY30. That begs a question: will we see a MAF "feet-on-the-ramp" policy? (For you younguns: FOTR=non-bonus takers are immediately grounded and sent to command posts/current ops/XP/staff, etc) More good news: instead of buying more aircraft/flying hours, or increasing UPT production, expect a reduction in crew ratios...which will instantly create a surplus of pilots free to go to staffs or other non-flying gigs. Also: reposting: read your ACP contract carefully and understand it before you sign. It obligates You to stay in and serve (it does NOT obligate the AF to keep you flying or even in a rated position). Good luck, fellas.

Guess that means HFP and CZTE are done for there?

You'll need to define "normal". I married before joining the AF, wife decided not to pursue her career and be a stay at home mom. We moved 8 times to different bases (so far) in my 22 years in service. I've "deployed" 13 separate times to both flying and non-flying jobs, shortest was six weeks, longest (so far) was six months. I've also flown long missions (20+ days gone) in between and in addition to "deployments" in three different mobility airframes. Most times we knew when I'd be gone several weeks or months in advance...other times I left with 24 hours notice. For us, that lifestyle IS normal. I've missed lots of holidays, birthdays, sports games, and the like...but I've also been home for a bunch, too. My kids all graduated from different high schools, made lots of friends in lots of different places, and we all learned to take advantage of "home time". Half my career was Pre- 9/11, life was much more predicable then...now? It's a complete crap shoot: I have no idea what to tell my young pilots what their future holds...all the "old" career advice no longer applies, so...your guess is as good as any on what YOUR 20 year career would look like. Here's one "idealized" guess (using af career pyramids...ie what the company is selling) Yr Event 1-2 Pilot training then move to ftu & surv tng courses then move to first ops assignment 3-6 ops assignment #1. (Several deployments & tdy to schools) 6-8. ALFA tour or schoolhouse tour or ops tour #2 9-12 promote to o4, break for school + staff tour (or back to ops) 13-16. Ops tour #3, promote to 05 + command (or return to staff) 17-21. Break for school + staff & retirement as 05 That's at least six moves (8 w/schools) in 21 years. That's a pretty generic look at the whole shebang, but every old dude like me on BODN has a variance of the above...some "better", some "worse", some a LOT "worse"...but a lot of that characterization is relative. YMMV. Good luck.

Not a comparison, just mentioning two airlines who are better off now, than 10 years ago. But then, neither are hiring like gangbusters, so I guess the boom is still a ways away...

Southwest and Frontier.

I did exactly that: rented 5x8 enclosed uhaul trailer, weighed it empty, filled 'er up (sts) w/ DITY crap and my bike, weighed it full and proceeded direct to the new PDS. Worked like a charm. ETA: "trailer"