Tops in Blue (TIB) - WTF?

[MSCguy]

I think the guy Sean Connery murdered in Hunt for Red October was the protocol officer.

[JarheadBoom]

Wasn't that the Political bureau guy the Russians used to put in military units to make sure nobody said anything mean about Stalin. That's sure as hell what it sounds like.

I think the guy Sean Connery murdered in Hunt for Red October was the protocol officer.

Political officer, or zampolit.

edit: Sarcasm detector failed ops check. Parts on order, ETIC TBD.

Edited May 6, 2014 by JarheadBoom

[Fuzz]

I'm not exactly sure what a protocol officer does, but I assume he determines things like if eggs should be cracked on the big end or little end.

They are the ones that know all the rules of ceremonies and functions (flags, who sits where ect.). They can be pretty useful for those of us who don't have the time to look that shit up while planning said event in addition to all our other duties.

[Herk Driver]

They are the ones that know all the rules of ceremonies and functions (flags, who sits where ect.). They can be pretty useful for those of us who don't have the time to look that shit up while planning said event in addition to all our other duties.

Isn't that what a continuity book is for?

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[Lawman]

Isn't that what a continuity book is for?

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I was gonna say isn't that what E9s are supposed to be for? That's the only thing they are good for in the Army.

[pawnman]

They are the ones that know all the rules of ceremonies and functions (flags, who sits where ect.). They can be pretty useful for those of us who don't have the time to look that shit up while planning said event in addition to all our other duties.

During our last wing change of command, our protocol officer was actually pretty useless and knew almost none of these things.

There is certainly a limit there too....

I'm all for the USAF Band. USAFE & PACAF Band - fine.

But why the hell do we have 69 other bands, many of them almost as lame as TIB. For instance why the hell does the Academy have it's own country & western band?

https://www.usafacademyband.af.mil/ensembles/BandEnsembleBio.asp?EnsembleID=122

And why does the ANG have 5 (count 'em!) different bands?

https://www.bands.af.mil/bands/

Cut them some slack, they deactivated 9 bands last year:

In 2013 the Air Force executed a restructure of its band program which resulted in the inactivation of three active duty bands and six Air National Guard Bands.

[Fuzz]

Isn't that what a continuity book is for?

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True, so by your comment, I'm assuming your squadron has a continuity book for every function and all those protocol details documented? Usually the continuity books I have seen are usually light on those types of details and focus more on the actual event planning (POCs, reservations, ect.) and that's lucky if you have a continuity book for said occasion.

During our last wing change of command, our protocol officer was actually pretty useless and knew almost none of these things.

Yeah they can be completely useless, not saying there aren't ones that aren't but if the person knows their stuff they can be a real asset.

[Herk Driver]

True, so by your comment, I'm assuming your squadron has a continuity book for every function and all those protocol details documented? Usually the continuity books I have seen are usually light on those types of details and focus more on the actual event planning (POCs, reservations, ect.) and that's lucky if you have a continuity book for said occasion.

Yes, because protocol did not support every event and frankly there are very few squadron events that have protocol issues. So between the book and the shirt we could make sure that we were not doing anything embarrassing. Funny thing was that when protocol did have the time and you asked a question it was almost a wag answer anyway.

Additionally, many of the issues are in the PDG or an AFI these days.

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[pawnman]

Yes, because protocol did not support every event and frankly there are very few squadron events that have protocol issues. So between the book and the shirt we could make sure that we were not doing anything embarrassing. Funny thing was that when protocol did have the time and you asked a question it was almost a wag answer anyway.

Additionally, many of the issues are in the PDG or an AFI these days.

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But who will sort the Skittles by color before the general arrives?

[hispeed7721]

Yes, because protocol did not support every event and frankly there are very few squadron events that have protocol issues. So between the book and the shirt we could make sure that we were not doing anything embarrassing. Funny thing was that when protocol did have the time and you asked a question it was almost a wag answer anyway.

Additionally, many of the issues are in the PDG or an AFI these days.

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The other piece to this is that 99% of top brass has no idea how situation-x is "supposed" to go anyways (from a protocol perspective)...so as long as whoever is in charge makes a legit effort to get it right and it doesn't look completely ass backwards it's fine

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[HerkFE]

The other piece to this is that 99% of top brass has no idea how situation-x is "supposed" to go anyways (from a protocol perspective)...so as long as whoever is in charge makes a legit effort to get it right and it doesn't look completely ass backwards it's fine

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But then again, there's always that one D!ck (ahem, the one whose name shall not be mentioned) who knows protocol better than anything else and searches for some reason to jump someone's ass.

Edited May 7, 2014 by HerkFE

[guineapigfury]

But who will sort the Skittles by color before the general arrives?

Trick question, they're all blue, just like the Kool-Aid.

[Herk Driver]

But then again, there's always that one D!ck (ahem, the one whose name shall not be mentioned) who knows protocol better than anything else and searches for some reason to jump someone's ass.

And that won't change just because you had a protocol officer help you.

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[Homestar]

https://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140511/NEWS/305110012/Former-Tops-Blue-members-defend-performance-program

The headline image is just screaming for a Reddit Photoshop battle.

[mcbush]

“The Air Force Academy cadet crowd is the rowdiest, most energetic crowd I’ve been in front of. This is the future of the Air Force, and they’re having the time of their lives.”

Yes, of all the things I've ever done, the time of my life was definitely sitting at a TIB show at the zoo.

Also:

Boren also disagreed with critics’ assertions in May 5 articles in Air Force Times that airmen are sometimes ordered to attend Tops in Blue shows.

“They’re completely voluntary,” Boren said. “I can name multiple venues where people have been turned away because they can’t get in. We get to a building, and there’s a line of 500 or 600 people lined up, and the doors aren’t even opened yet. These are active-duty airmen coming to shows; they aren’t ordered to come. If they are [ordered], their commanders are wrong, and I will tell commanders they are wrong to tell people to go to the show. But I never heard that once.”

Former Staff Sgt. Tommie Crutcher, a vocalist on the 2008 and 2011 tours, said he was having difficulty adjusting to the Air Force before discovering Tops in Blue.

“When I was in basic, I was still lost,” Crutcher said. “I didn’t think I could handle it. I needed some sign. Then one day, they made me go to ‘mandatory fun’ — that was a 2006 Tops in Blue show. This rejuvenated me and made me go, ‘OK, maybe I can do this.’ ”

Get your shit straight, TIB.

[drewpey]

https://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140511/NEWS/305110012/Former-Tops-Blue-members-defend-performance-program

"Men," he began his address to the officers, measuring his pauses carefully. "You're American officers. The officers of no other country in the world can make that statement. Think about it." He waited a moment to permit them to think about it. "These people are your guests!" he shouted suddenly. "They've traveled over three thousand miles to entertain you. How are they going to feel if nobody wants to go out and watch them? What's going to happen to their morale? Now, men, it's no skin off my behind. But that girl that wants to play the accordion for you today is old enough to be my mother. How would you feel if your own mother traveled over three thousand miles to play the accordion to some troops that didn't want to watch her? How is that kid whose mother that accordion player is old enough to be going to feel when he grows up and learns about it? We all know the answer to that one. Now, men, don't misunderstand me. This is all voluntary, of course. I'd be the last colonel in the world to order you to go to that U.S.O show and have a good time, but I want every one of you who isn't sick enough to be in hospital to go to that U.S.O. show right now and have a good time, and that's an order!" --Excerpt from Catch 22 (1961)

The more things change the more they stay the same.

[Goblin]

There's quite the difference between volunteers for USO shows and airmen who's JOB it is to do this, at the behest of their actual AFSC.

[10percenttruth]

I still think it speaks volumes that the only people defending an ENTERTAINMENT organization are people that were in it for a tour.

Not the audience(s).

Not the leadership.

Only the folks that got to skip out on their AFSC for a while to sing & dance & skip & prance.

[hispeed7721]

I still think it speaks volumes that the only people defending an ENTERTAINMENT organization are people that were in it for a tour.

Not the audience(s).

Not the leadership.

Only the folks that got to skip out on their AFSC for a while to sing & dance & skip & prance.

Shack

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[Azimuth]

If Doug Boren spent the time he does arguing about stupid shit on WAPS studying, he probably wouldn't be a 16-year TSgt Boom Operator.

[Herk Driver]

If Doug Boren spent the time he does arguing about stupid shit on WAPS studying, he probably wouldn't be a 16-year TSgt Boom Operator.

Maybe he doesn't test well :)

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[M2]

Was putting gas in the Jeep this afternoon in Helotes (NW San Antonio) and saw this huge RV going down Bandera Road towards downtown. Lo and behold it was the official TiB tour bus...

I only wish I had a dozen rotten eggs with me, as I would have loved to paint that thing up with them!

[sky_king]

San Antonio? Damn, I hope I didn't miss the show.

[FUSEPLUG]

Has M2 been a closet TIB groupie all these years? Who just happens to see the tour bus around town? That is so ratchet.

[TreeA10]

No sparkly paint job? I'm surprised.