Jimmy.The.Engineer

Never let the pilot drive the van. Never let the Nav have the map in the van. Engineer gets the map and one of the Loads gets the wheel. What are you, new?

Of all the things that are legitimately complain worthy, the enlisted promotion system is one with which I take no issue. I thank God each day that I don't have to deal with the same promotion system as the ossifers. If I don't get promoted, it is my fault. If the O's don't, it is because a ladybug in Zambia didn't get eaten at 1314 hours by a spotted baboon in the correct tree. We are set to lose a lot of very good dudes, in my squadron, due this idiocy - very good dudes. The ones who will move up are the bake sales reps and PTA presidents. It makes me sad. On the 20 year staff issue, If a dude doesn't want to move up, he isn't hurting me; he's actually helping me. We don't all have the same values.

Been my experience that people will even complain if you hang them with a brand new rope. It is about priorities. I have a wife and kids (kids are teen and tween), so I don't care about the local bar scene. Also been my experience that when people mention things to do, it means, "things to eat". My life doesn't revolve around what I eat, so, I don't care. You can shoot, hike, camp, fish, shoot, hunt, dirtbike, snowboard and do all manner of outdoor things here that you can't do in FL. I love mountains (the one thing I would move to this place, if I could). I hate rednecks, overcrowding, humidity, traffic and tailgaters and the beach gets old, after two days. My family loves it here and my wife is about to start working at the university. Is it the best place ever? No but its good enough for now. My priorities aren't the same and this is fine for me and mine. Disclaimer, I may be a bit biased, as I am from "constitutional carry" Arizona and can drive home in no time.

I like the direction we are headed with the Multi-Cam 2 piece flight suits. It is functional and comfortable - looks good too. We wear them deployed and are working on wearing them at home, too - one uniform that you can wear, no matter where you go. Hard to take them seriously, with regard to costs, when I have to maintain three different utility uniforms.

I have been absolutely screaming for years about the loss of orderly rooms. I too, like the other old codgers here, remember those days well. The admin dudes/dudettes were called, "702 troops". Then, they became, "IMs". Then, they became gone. Finance was a trip to the CBPO (consolodated base personnel office) building to sign out your gangsta roll for your trip. If you actually had a Diner's Club credit card, you just stapled your receipts to your voucher, upon return, turned them in to the desk, waited 15. The finance officer would review it and the A1C with the pistol in the cash cage would issue you some cabbage. Even the mere mentioning of bringing back "O" rooms makes a bit of drizzle run down my leg. You young guys are in for a real treat, if this is true. P.S. I hope the guy who invented DTS lives a thousand years with his shame.

They are really going to regret doing this, someday. People track this "social media" stuff. It will haunt them. Write it down.

No truer words. Once upon a time, when I was a young Airman, I was deployed to a Clintonesque CF near the Adriatic. We set up bare bases in various locales. At one, the CC (O-6 type) helped out - and I don't mean he "supervised". The dude even had on some bad-ass suspenders. You could tell, because he - wait for it - took off his blouse. He had weekly pow wows at the smoke pit and he would start em off with, "Smoke em if ya got em!" The guy used the f word and carried a rifle. We all had man crushes on him.

What made you think SOF doesn't have it's fags too? Revive Commando Look. Now.

The only "goofy" thing here is CNN. However, even the communists can't f up this one.

"Left waist, top turret." "Go for left waist." "I noticed you missed that last Messerschmidt. It is probably due to the tigers and naked girls painted on the back of your jacket."

This game is ridiculous. I just played for 5 hours straight. The sound is f'ing awesome, with headphones in, btw. This forum is a bad influence on me. How am I going to do my PME and learn how to ensure people wash their hands, in the chow ha...I mean DFAC?

Aside from it not being effective, it would add 7000 to the drag index.

AFI 36-2618 5.1.4. Demonstrate, inspire, and develop in others an internalized understanding of Air Force Core Values and The Airman’s Creed. Know and understand the Air Force Symbol. We get water boarded with this type of kool-aid. I try to just go to my circle.

There is no way to agree more.

As a long time enlisted man, I don't sympathize. Both parents don't NEED to work. You just need to cut your f'in expenses. You don't get paid like that. Your wife should stay home and watch your kids. You are a sucky parent, if your wife doesn't raise your kids and your kids will suffer for it. My wife and I would rather be dipped in shit, than to have someone else raise our kids - especially the government. As far as the pay goes, that is the deal you signed. If you want to get paid like an O, go be an O. Grow up. Where else can you walk out of high school into a good paying job with the best bennies anywhere and a retirement at the end? Oh and they pay for your school? My Master's is almost done and I owe nothing to anyone. Man the fvck up.

These "stories" make me sad.

That video is so fake. Everyone knows terrorists aren't Arab looking. Stupid.

I like you man. You're crazy...but I like you.

How to guide: The FE and load are in the back of the plane talking about a problem with something on top of the plane. This is done loudly and with the intention that all of the PAX hear (at least the ones in ear-shot). The load kinda shuffles off to the front, leaving the FE in the back. The FE leans over to one of the lower ranking PAX and tells him/her not to let them take off with him up there, as he is going to check on the prob. He then proceeds out the rear escape hatch and walks to the front escape hatch (careful not to make a lot of noise up there) and takes his seat in the cockpit. The load comes back and seals up the rear hatch. Maybe someone raises the flag - maybe not. Take-off, fly to dest, land and taxi in. The FE then goes out the front hatch and walks to the rear hatch, climbs back in the plane, whereupon, he begins to cuss the load.

Well, we know they ain't coming to AFSOC. The horse himself briefed us that our whole fleet is going to be R2ed - Talon 3 and Shadow 2. I guess the ship is sinking and I'll be headed to the 22, after all. Edit: I kant spel.

Herk FE, I get the same blank look, when I try to describe it as well (some times to the fuel truck dude too). Odd, as it is the most common and nearly the oldest enlisted flying position. Can't get too wrapped up, as I didn't know about it either, until I went to ALS with an FE and he had a hell of a time explaining what it was he did to my dumb ass. Concur with the rest - poor training and poor focus on the mission is to blame.

I'm sure I'm breaking some type of forum netiquette rule by posting after my own post but I forgot to comment on why I really wanted to squawk. I find it repugnant that some of your units out there aren't letting you carry on combat sorties. We carry 9s, M4s, 203s and 249s, for the same reason a dog licks his balls. Maybe you should join the dark side. We have really cool toys. This post was just blatant, shameless and self-serving but, hey, we fought a war. This is America and I can be as arrogant as I please.

The AF goes through a major ID change, every five years or so. Stop and take a gander around every now and then and you'll see it. For all of the stupid-ass queep we have these days, things have taken a turn for the better. I can hear all of the post 9-11 types disagreeing with that but they have no reference. I'll explain. Before 9-11, we went to places like Saudi Arabia, Turkey (Northern/Southern Watch, OPC), and I still don't know what the fvck that Bosnia thing was all about and I was in it. Point being, we had no focus and we were acting like the 101st guys in BOB on the tenth disc. My buddy, Mambo, rightly pointed out that we needed the Cold War back. The Russians were the best thing that happened to the US military. Sure we have to deal with disco belts, lack of orderly rooms (man I miss them), DTS (I too remember the gangster roll you signed out from an armed finance dude at the cashier cage.), me doing finance/MPF's job (I miss the CBPO) and SNCOs "helping" us with polyester clothing gig lines on shorts that make you leave a ball sweat mark in the chow hall (I won't bend. It is a motherfvckin chow hall, not a DFAC) but we have an enemy again. A no-shit enemy. Be they Soviet, AQ or the Mars attacks aliens, we need an enemy - a bona fide bad guy to curse and we have one. Personally, I would like to see the Soviets come back. I liked getting free pencils at work.

Ha ha "Government cheese". The problem is this place doesn't need to be so bad. There are other places that have the same geographic features and are thriving. The problem is the corruption and "Keep Cannon Shitty" crowd. Aside from here, though, New Mexico kicks ass. I just wish I didn't have to drive three hours to get back to America.