SpeedOfHeat

What a train wreck. Haley could win, easily. Young, vibrant, appears intelligent & acts presidential. Can actually speak in full coherent sentences. She would absolutely wipe the floor with Biden in a debate. She would get tons and tons of independent voters, women, and, if she was the nominee, many Trump supporters that will give her the vote as a vote against Biden/the left. But instead, we’re going to get the guy that lost vs. Biden. And if he loses again, …it’s back to the Trump playbook — the election was “rigged and stolen.” …in-between his many court appearances, of course. If we as a country allow that to happen again, we deserve what we get.

Boeing stock….

In no particular order: - Maintain a personal logbook and check it against the HARM records every 6 months. You can check it online via ARMS or AAMS from the AF Portal. Get smart on the various rules about logging time. Refer to the actual flight records reg - there are lots of guys logging their time wrong/inaccurately and spreading bad gouge. Use Milkeep or something similar on your phone. Having an accurate logbook will save you tons of time and stress if you apply to a flying career after the AF. - Learn about VA Disability Claims. Waiting 20 years and then trying to claim stuff at the end and navigate the process is a recipe for disaster. There are tons of videos on YouTube. Just search “Maximizing your VA disability rating” and spend an hour or two watching and taking notes. It’s not about fraudulently claiming things and playing some sort of game…..it’s about building SA. It will give you an idea of what conditions are claimable - you might be surprised - and how evidence for those conditions is evaluated to determine a rating. Knowing this at the beginning will help shape how you approach your medical visits. As others said, document every visit to a health professional. It’s a bit like keeping a logbook. Every year or two (depends how much medical care you need/receive), compare your personal notes to your AF record. Get smart on the MHS Genesis site and/or go to flight med and formally request a copy of your records. Again, this will save you tons of time and heartache at the end of your career. *Heads up in the fighter world, it might have changed, but as of a few months ago, visits to OHWS….massage, athletic trainer, etc…… were still NOT being logged on your official medical record. That’s a huge problem. I think OHWS is great, but if you have legit neck, back, joint problems, you have to go to the med group PT or ortho if you want things documented on your record. And you do want them documented, I promise. Finally, if you have an issue, go get it looked at. Don’t “lie to fly” or “walk it off” or “man up.” The AF will operate just fine if you’re DNIF. Your health is the most important thing. And rightful compensation for any injuries or health impacts your military service caused you will be hard to get if you don’t get it documented and then follow up to make sure it’s in your record: i.e. “You don’t graduate, your gradebook graduates.” - Moving sucks. Moving companies, in general, suck. This is just my opinion and I’ve admittedly had some horrific move experiences, but don’t buy really nice stuff. The movers will likely break it, scratch it, damage it or lose it. If I could do it all over again, I would minimize the amount of stuff I had in general, and lean heavy into Facebook marketplace and Craigslist at the beginning and end of each assignment. Or Costco, or the BX, or other affordable place to find furniture. Obviously keep the stuff you love and that makes you happy and that you use often. But furniture is just furniture. *Caution, many wives are violently opposed to this strategy, so YMMV. When you move, photograph everything and don’t rush to sign the inventory. Make sure everything has a sticker and everything’s on the inventory and it’s legible. If not, don’t sign. “If it’s not on the inventory, they didn’t ship it.” So if they lose (or steal) it, too bad for you. GPS trackers are worth their weight in gold. Also, buy the movers lunch and have plenty of cold water bottles for them. Know ahead of time who to call at TMO if things start to go wrong. - Do everything possible to get stationed overseas. Again, just my personal opinion, but travel as much as you can. “Spend your money and you can make more. Waste your time and it’s gone forever.” Kids are wonderful, but obviously change your life drastically. Travel and explore before kids. Go anywhere and everywhere. Go see the main tourist attractions, but also make it a priority to get off the beaten path - that’s where the really good stuff is. Don’t be afraid to use Space-A - just get smart on strategies for it and stay flexible. - Don’t take a bad deal in hopes that it will get you a good deal later. The AF is far too dynamic and ever-changing to play that game. At the end of each assignment, ask for the best assignment available right then and there. Follow your heart and ask for the assignment/jet/location that makes you feel Iike a kid waking up on Christmas morning. If people are encouraging you to go somewhere because “it’ll help your chances for upgrade,” or “set you up for ‘school,’” ignore them. Find the people that talk about assignments in terms of the great bros there, or the awesome skiing, or the great schools for your kids. Go where you and your family will be most happy. - Do deliberate career management along the way. “Career management” is vastly different from “careerism.” It simply means you give a shit. You seek mentorship and try to excel and generally know what’s required to make the rank that you aim to make, get the assignments you aim to get, and meet other goals you set for yourself and your family. *Careerism, by contrast, is trying to attain pieces of flair: medals, awards, titles, accolades, and high rank insignia for the sake of improving individual ‘status’ or sense of self-worth. It’s brown-nosing the boss, attention seeking, and stepping on the bros along the way. Don’t do that. - Work really hard to maintain family relationships and see family as much as you can. It can be really awesome living all over the world. But it can also steal a lot of time away from family members. A lot of people assume they can spend time with family…..their parents, for example,…..after they separate or retire. At least I did. Not always the case. It’s a real gut punch when you envisioned a future filled with quality time with family members, and instead the clock runs out and their health declines and/or they pass before you get that chance. You will meet great people in the AF and make life-long friends. But family is family. The pinnacle of career management is making sure you run out of AF before you run out of family. - I’m not going to give you specific financial advice. Just do research now, up front. No big surprise, most people build wealth in the stock market or in real estate, or a mix of the two. There are many strategies……..I will just say that most of the strategies require TIME, which is a resource you have now but not later. Best of luck!

Ever notice that the people claiming that Trump isn't stupid always try to demonstrate it by implication? Always. The two most popular, paraphrased, are: -"Trump can't be stupid, he won an election." -"Trump is a billionaire.... no way you get that much money by being an idiot." Imagine if we applied this to the AF: -"Lt Col Smith must be smart and a great pilot.... no way you get to be a Sq/CC if you're not." -"Gen Jones is a great leader. Afterall, he made General." Hopefully you can see how flawed that logic is. There are plenty of ways that average or even below-average people can ascend to high positions. Besides, the people making these claims by implication only want them to apply to Trump. They seem to forget that Biden and Nancy and all the others they think are braindead also met this criteria of winning elections and amassing tons of money. Try to point to something Trump's said that only a smart person could say. *His zinger's on the debate stage were good. He said unconventional things and drew lots of applause. But they didn't require higher-than-average intelligence. It doesn't take smarts to call Rosie O'Donnel a pig or make fun of Jeb Bush or to call your opponents disparaging nicknames. This is evidence of his pettiness and childishness, not intelligence. I really look up to several instructors, professors, engineers, and doctors I've been around in my life. I knew they were intelligent not because of their title or rank. I knew because, when they spoke, it was immediately clear that they had an above average ability to learn, to teach, to problem solve, to assimilate information, to communicate, etc. There are politicians that fit that description too, but certainly not all. What has Trump ever said that leads you to believe he possesses those qualities?

When I asked, rhetorically, if he had heard him speak, I wasn't implying that there was a problem with Trump's public speaking abilities. I'm referring to what he says, and how what he says is consistently devoid of intelligent thought, wisdom, or critical thinking. His speeches before Congress were all scripted and he read off a teleprompter (like every president). Again, I don't care about his speaking (or sharpness in recalling names. ...Unlike our current POTUS, I agree, Trump doesn't appear to suffer from dementia.) I'm talking about what's in (or not in) his mind, which one can reasonably assess by listening to what someone says. Especially when you listen to them regularly over the course of years. There's a huge difference between teleprompter Trump and real Trump. The things he said at his MAGA rallies, the answers he gave to interviewers, and the things he said at debates.....that's the real Trump. Having watched a fair amount of each of those over the years, I find it astounding that anyone could conclude that he's smart, when nothing he ever says demonstrates that, or even suggests it. But it is what it is. As I said above, I firmly believe it's either a) or b). *And I agree that the current POTUS is a total disaster. That said, he's not the one selling playing cards of himself with cartoon 6-pack abs and a cape, or dressed as an astronaut. Lol.

Comments like these blow my mind. "Stupid probably isn't one of them." ????? Have you ever heard him speak? 'Stupid' is his most obvious and immediately identifiable trait. (.... granted, it's neck-and-neck with 'narcisist,' 'ego maniac,' and 'petulant child.') The people who don't think he's stupid are either a) genuinely too stupid themselves to recognize stupidity in others, or b) eager to pretend he's something he's not. The latter are the same crowd that buy flags, t-shirts, and these digital cards depicting him as some sort of fantasy ripped Adonis superhero, when in reality he's an obese, disheveled 76-year old with man tits and a combover.

This has got to be the most pathetic thing I think I've ever seen:

The transmission possibilities are zero if you don't have COVID in the first place. Which describes the overwhelming majority of humans on the planet right now. The evidence for asymptomatic transmission is extremely shaky. Healthy people without any symptoms should not be forced to wear masks. It's stupid. We need to snap out of this nonsense. If someone is symptomatic, I agree that it's wise/considerate to wear a mask, as they've done in Asian cultures for a long time. Or if someone has been in direct, prolonged contact with someone who's symptomatic, again, go for it. Makes sense. But universial mask mandates and guidelines for everyone are issued for one reason: simplicity. The guidance above is, sadly and unfortunately, too nuanced for the masses. So they make it one-size-fits-all. Just treat everyone as if they're infected, even though the reality is that only a miniscule percentage actually are.

I get that to you two, given the decision, it was preferable to take the idiot instead of the scumbag. But the majority of GA voters didn't think so. Inflation out of control, nonsense covid mandates, Afghanistan debacle, shitshow at the border, etc. etc. A scumbag senator who supports all that should be easy to defeat. Especially in the South. But instead he won. Because Walker was, among many other things, an insufferable moron. If the GOP wants to win elections, they have to put forward better candidates. It's not too much to ask. The candidate that could have beat Warnock didn't have to be perfect, or a genious. He or she just had to be someone of decent character who could speak moderately well. Instead, they put up a complete fool, and this is the price they pay.

I'm cheering hard for the GOP, I really am. But they need to put forth candidates that aren't obvious idiots. So glad that this dumbass lost. The scariest thing is that it was close. 1.7 million people thought he should be a US Senator.

It is laughable to think he knew the content of these documents. There is zero chance. Simply because he doesn't read. Ever. He only watches cable TV. And only if it's coverage about him.

Can you imagine playing hide-and-seek for nearly 21 years???

Except when the A-10 goes away, the pilots will all go to F-35. (*Or a tour at UPT/IFF, and then F-35.) But 11B's will still be 11B's.

Have any bases brought them back now? Several bases are in counties that meet the CDC's definition of "High" Community Level. For example, Maricopa in AZ. Anyone at Luke? DoD policy, as far as I can find, is to match CDC Community Level recommendations.

She's got a thing for pilots. Remember her from "The Rocketeer?" Lord have mercy.

FIFY

It's total insanity. I don't know what the point is, but it sure isn't 'science,' or 'public health.' The rationale for mask mandates was always based on two main concepts: 1) "Flatten the curve" so hospitals don't get overrun. 2) In the good ol' days of cloth and surgical masks, 2-way masking was touted as the solution for the fact that those types of masks don't protect the wearer. "My mask protects you, and your mask protects me," they told us. Fast-forward to today, and both those concepts are OBE. They mailed out 400 million "free" N95's across the country and the CDC declared that 1-way masking using them was "highly effective" at protecting the wearer. So now, "your mask protects you," and we're at no danger of overrunning hospitals? Great. Mandates should have ended that very instant. If 1-way masking is highly effective, and we're not going to overrun hospitals, why should I be forced to wear one? The reason is that they've decided that the US is a nanny state. They know what's best for you, and will help you make the "right choices" for yourself ...by not allowing you to make choices for yourself. And sadly, very few people are calling them out on it or even highlighting the disconnect. Vote them all out.

This thread got going again because of mandates. The mandates for Airline travel, and then Philadelphia's new mandate. The examples of individual's showcasing their mask lunacy are provided to demonstrate how messed up some people's heads have gotten because of all this. Although you are absolutely right that I don't care what they do personally as individuals, their hysteria and idiocy is relevant because it impacts public policy (i.e. mask mandates that I'm ordered to follow.) There are ample mitigation resources and strategies available to everyone. People can make choices for themselves. And when/if we are allowed to, you won't hear a peep from me. But for now, unfortunately, that group -- the covidian psychos -- are still driving stupid, irrational policies that everyone has to follow.

Meanwhile, the CDC shows Philadelphia County as "Low, no masks required." Makes zero sense. Good luck with enforcement. As others have said, we have to vote our way out of this. The lunatics are determined to have this go on forever.

Your first and third paragraphs assert two different things. The latter is close to correct, just replace "yet" with "and" I am complaining about mandates, absolutely. I am not complaining about people wearing surgical masks skiing, biking, etc. (In fact, I said I was oddly in favor of it.) People were reacting to the picture of the band member with the hole in her mask, and I felt like pointing out that there are many common examples of mask practices that are equally insane, despite not having a literal hole in the mask. Does that mean I "feel pretty strongly about what choices other people make for themselves?" Sure. I have opinions. Everyone does. You'll notice, however, that I never suggest that my opinion means anyone else has to be mandated to do something. In fact, I wrote "Other people can wear whatever they want."

Agree 100%. It is fundamentally about the mandates. The rage is because people cannot just do what they want. We're supposed to, stupidly and for no reason at this point, wear a mask on base. My kids, likewise, are forced to wear one at school for no reason. As soon as the mandates go away, I'm good. Other people can wear whatever they want. I know many people will, while ironically claiming to "follow the science," continue masking no matter what. That's fine. Just leave me out of it. My story about the kid in center field is just to highlight the mental impact. Billy can do whatever he wants. I just find it sad, and an indication of the larger problem that all the people chanting "it's just a mask, what's the big deal???" aren't understanding. Billy is wearing a mask because he's developed an irrational fear. Nothing I can do about it at this point, except advocate for lifting of the mandates so more kids don't think they need a mask... while outside.... and while double vaccinated.... and while healthy with no underlying conditions. For the people wearing cloth or surgical masks that still think it offers them protection, I actually like it. It let's me know right away that they're really stupid. Goes with the "...here's your sign" skit. So I'm oddly in favor of that sort of self identification continuing.

While ridiculous, it's no more ridiculous than the people I see on a daily basis wearing masks outside by themselves. My favorite is the people riding bikes or, ...I saw this a couple weeks ago...., SKIING while wearing a surgical mask. --"Tell me you have a mental disorder without telling me you have a mental disorder." It's no more ridiculous than the kid I saw at my son's baseball game two nights ago wearing an N95 while playing CENTER FIELD. His dad said he wished his son would take off his mask, at least outside, but that "he doesn't feel safe without his mask." Holy $hit. It's no more ridiculous than my kids still being mandated to wear cloth masks all day in school, when the CDC has finally admitted (what anyone with a brain knew all along) that cloth masks do nothing. WLOFMs

FIFY

The problem isn't the simple act of wearing a mask. The problem is the implicit messages, day-by-day being cemented in people's heads. Implicit message #1: Uncovered face = scary and unsafe. You (and everyone else) must wear a mask for "safety" or "health." Many, many people now instinctively think anyone with an uncovered face is: a) gross/disgusting b) germ-spreading, c) dangerous, d) all of the above. Implicit message #2: No mask = rude, selfish, uncaring, asshole, etc. You can make character and personality judgements based on mask status. (At least half the population, and virtually all businesses with mask requirements, are donning the bullshit rag for that reason alone, and you know it.) Overall implicit message: "Health" is mask wearing and getting shots, and other humans are dangerous. The true horror will present itself in 10-15 years, when this generation of kids (who are being conditioned to believe all of the above) become adults. My kids watch movies filmed before 2020 and anytime there's a crowd, they frantically ask "where are their masks?!?!" "Dad, how can they fly on an airliner without a mask???" It makes me want to vomit. We have lived life as normally as possible throughout this whole thing, .... sports, travel, seeing friends and family.... all unmasked to the absolute max extent. But the fact is, most of their time is spent in school, where the lunatic branch Covidians have them masked and distanced and afraid. And shamed because they're not vaccinated, or because they were seen unmasked at baseball practice (ohh, the horror). It's despicable. Imagine how f'd in the head they'd be if we were idiot Covidian parents at home as well. Well, that's reality for many kids - they're having this bullshit irrational fear pumped into their heads FULL time, at home and school. You are flat out crazy if you think the implicit messages I listed above won't cause irreparable damage over time.

Exactly. "F Trump" in 2016-2020 was met with "How dare they insult the POTUS that way???" And mods on this site warned military members about criticizing the POTUS. Then, no more than 2 months into the Biden Presidency, it's "F Joe Biden," and the same mods joining in. ...Gee, what changed? Total hypocrites. BOTH Trump and Biden are absolutely terrible and a disgrace. Why not at least be consistent?