raimius

Was that supposed to be humorous or was it intentionally patronizing and condescending? "You don't have it that bad! At least you aren't a golf ball!" Is that supposed to help people?

And/or don't have any clue about firearms aside from their issued weapons!

Laughlin had a policy where personal arms could only be checked out for 48hrs without approval from some higher-up (don't remember exactly who). BIG "2" on not checking firearms with SFS. There's usually some storage locker place off base that costs $30/mo or less, if that's your only option left.

In a risk averse world, use safety as a weapon...might work.

Don't password lock them...? We only have certain things password locked, and it isn't some ridiculous upper case, lower case, symbol, number, do a backflip while riding a unicycle, changed every other Tuesday monstrosity.

If you enjoy your job and like the pay, I'd say go with the guard. Getting paid well and flying sometimes is a great deal. The other thing I'd ask is, "How do you feel about moving every 3 years?" For some, it's an adventure. For others, it sucks the life out of their family. I'm glad I joined, and so far AD life is treating me well. That said, there is a lot to fix in the AF (like any big govt. bureaucracy).

If Putin knew we deployed forces as a political/social "tripwire," I think he would be likely to back off. That said, we won't. We don't want a military confrontation over Ukraine, and deploying any American forces would increase the risk of military escalation. ...my opinion. Worth what you paid for it.

Who would you rather follow into combat, the one who is dignified and would never stoop to looking goofy on the internet, or the one who knows their people and isn't afraid to occasionally look a little foolish for them?

Well, being accused of trafficking automatic weapons and missiles from Islamic groups in the Pacific is kind of a big deal! Getting rid of an anti-rights politician and guy who is trying to bring missile launchers into the US sounds like 2 wins for the price of 1.

It seems like the simplest solution that will not greatly offend any party and is easily dictated from high level without much need for reasoned explanation... AKA the thing you would expect from the AF.

You, sir, are a perceptive person. That was the policy sent out, from what I've heard.

After landing, I went to put the seat pin back in, and realized it was already there.

Take a group of relatively smart and motivated people, shove them into a bureaucracy like the DoD, and they'll figure out where the issues are. This place just gives people an unofficial place to vent that frustration. (Do I get the "Capt. Obvious Award" for saying that?)

Glad to see there is already one commentator saying we should write off people who would rather be experts in their field or have a family than have a degree from Phoenix as whiners and self-identifying as not ready to promote.

Short and funny is good for a graduation speech, in my mind. Maybe a good war story about keeping priorities straight, seeing the big picture, or enjoying life would be good.

Inside the Beltway at Van Dorn has a lot of apartments, but I wouldn't say that most of it is particularly walking friendly. Old Town Alexandria would be the place to be if you want a social scene, everything in walking distances, and not too far from Andrews. There are a bunch of larger town homes right near National Harbor on the MD side, as well, if you want something like that. Kingstowne isn't too bad for the commute. Waldorf has cheaper prices, but you'll pay for it with commute times!

Yeah, it'd be nice if we could fit the administrators and managers into those positions, and find leaders for leadership. Not an easy thing though. The AF has a real desire to groom everyone for CSAF until they don't make the cut or check the right boxes, for some reason.

Some place near a metro stop, if you are going to the Pentagon. The Blue Line at Springfield or Van Dorn would work nicely. Huntington might also be a good option. I'm close to the Van Dorn station, and with the exception of a few townhouses, it's mostly apartments. Kingstowne has some nicer townhouses and houses, but I never looked at the prices.

As long as it doesn't just up and vanish!

Might not be a bad idea, if only to get senior FGOs and GOs to remember what seems important to LTs (heck, bring in some A1Cs and SrA, too.) So then, "morale" is defined by the Sq CC and freestyle expression shouldn't be included? I get that we REALLY value our image, but isn't a little personality and personal display of pride the main point of a morale patch?

Chang, I love my primary duties. Sadly, additional duties and random queep take up more time than my "primary duties." Worse is that my squadron is downright lucky compared to the pain that some are feeling. I love the majority of the people I work with. I like the fact that I get paid really well for the experience level I have. I don't like that people have to constantly argue with "the man" to use tools and capabilities they already have access to. I don't like that my training as a military member has focused more on fire extinguishers and freedom of religion via cheesy CBTs (to put it kindly) than how to use a pistol, rifle, or any other weapon system. I don't like that expertise at my job is equally likely to win accolades and promotion consideration as volunteering at a local library. I don't like that AF leadership thought it was a good idea to tell people "you might get laid off soon" just before Christmas, let that stew over the holidays, then pseudo-release information in barely understandable ways, while breaking their own deadlines. I don't like that I heard someone tell a new co-pilot that they were flying too much! The most important thing is to keep the most important thing the most important thing, but I don't think our AF knows how to do that anymore.

Yep, there's an AFI for that. ( https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/71_fss_qae/publication/afi11-202v3_aetcsup/afi11-202v3_aetcsup.pdf ) Your chances of getting the proper approval for a Gopro as a T-6 stud are essentially zero. Work hard, have fun, and don't give yourself any title before you've officially earned it.

DC area?