Bigred

I still maintain that the way it reads, you only need a coyote shirt if you’re going to have undershirts with logos on them. Otherwise all colors are good. I’m a dirty sea lawyer and unfortunately my reasoning didn’t convince the vice.

Downgrades don't tend to be an issue, especially if it was when you were a young copilot. As jice said, don't sweat it.

Never met fighter pilots eh?

Better quality of life (paternity leave is one example). Better pay. Housing and dorms vastly improved from when I lived in the barracks. No sequestration of flight hours. Parts that are actually available. JFIRE and JCAS being incorporated across all branches vs individual branches having their own CAS methods. That’s an example from admin, ops, and tactics. I can keep going. I laugh when people say ‘what’s better than 10-20 years ago’. My dad enlisted in the late 70s, he said he got slapped around. I enlisted in the late 90s, didn’t get hit but we lived in moldy ass barracks and had no hot water. Kids these days think it sucks they have to field day the barracks. Life was always ‘better 10-20 years ago’. When people say that I ask them to actually, seriously, look at what was going on then versus now.

I know you didn’t tag me but I’ll chime in as I was in a heavies. New LTs are expected to learn the aircraft and maybe be an assistant to some flight commander/skeds/etc. Realistically you won’t get much leadership opportunities as a LT, and even as a younger Captain, because a lot of ops squadrons don’t have a huge amount of enlisted. Heavies do have loads, booms, etc, so you will have plenty of exposure but you won’t be directing leading them.

So your argument is; because people in the upper classes, whom most on this board have zero influence and interactions, don’t pull their share with the military than the rest of us shouldn’t as well? I hold no illusions that there are parts of the DoD that suck. There are also parts that are awesome. My concern is when I hear of current and former military actively discouraging people from joining. There’s nothing wrong with telling the truth, bluntly, to those that are interested. But tell both sides, the good and the bad, and let them decide.

This thread is wild and baffling. Military service is good for the person and it's good for the country. I encourage my kids to join. I have three and I think one will. I told them the same thing my dad told me, do four years and if you're having fun keep going. Otherwise get out. The more we isolate the military from all classes of the population the more we will see the political-mil issues we see today.

Be a good dude and take care of your bros.

My understanding is he can bring it for the duration of his time here, but he can’t sell it in the US. Aka, he’s gotta take it back with him or scrap it. I believe he’s exempt from the emissions requirements.

U-2s are hiring, fyi.

He’s not. What you are saying tank drivers can do in the civilian world are the intangibles that pawnman listed; (self discipline, etc) Tank drivers can do well in the civilian world, but it ain’t gonna be by driving a tank. My brother in law was Marine artillery and he had a helluva time finding a civilian employer who needed idf. He did get a good job working with the VA though, mainly due to him being a smart, hard working dude.

What happens on deployment stays in deployment 🤫

The irony is I’ve read on this board the lamentations of the AF not preparing for the next fight. For as much as they eat crayons, the Marines are pretty brilliant in their force development, last time I checked heavy artillery doesn’t float, and armor floats even less. Considerijg the AOR of a potential conflict, they need highly mobile forces supported from the air with a relatively mobile IDF capability. It would appear they are doing just that. And yes, they Marines are wary of air support from the other branches. It’s just their culture.

Apply to the U2. It’s worth it.

It’s absolutely a great deal. I wish more dudes would apply and take advantage of it. Flying in the suit is actually enjoyable once you get used to it, the view up high is incredible, and being able to go f-off in a 38 for a 1.3 every now and again is icing on the cake.

T-38 then U-2. Expect 3-ish months from checking in to 38 qual. Then 6-8 months for U-2 qual. All done in-house.

Even more difficult than resource, it’s be a culturally intensive shift for the Air Force. I actually think that’d be the more difficult hurdle.

It totally is. They get the kick in the junk of essentially ‘mission first’ from the very get go. As buddies of mine put it ‘the rifleman is the focus and has the support of the entire Corps’ As much as it’d stroke our egos even more, imagine how the AF would run if we had something similar ‘the pilot is the focus and has the support of the entire Air Force’.

Just Cannon, OCONUS, and the FTU? Or is there a new CONUS base opening?

I’m really interested to see what happens in a few years when situations develop like Osprey dudes taking the bonus and choose OCONUS/Hurlburt to avoid Cannon.

I don’t understand the rational behind that. 12 years would put an initial eligible dude on the hook till 21-22 years, if I’m understanding it correctly.

Just replace that ‘p’ with and ‘r’ and you’ll figure out what Navy life is like

You can only join at 17 if your parents approve and sign paperwork.

Insider baseball says it was held up above HAF level, aka, OSD, due to conflicts amongst DODI, FM instructions, and the new NDAA. I have no idea what the bonus will look like but I’ll be the first to admit I was bitching about HAF dragging their feet and it appears they are waiting like the rest of the us. All that said, who knows when it’ll actually be released.

Ah, I see your point now. I’m agreement with all of that.