So there I was...

[osulax05]

Before I share my story, I just want to say that this is not intended to be an academy bashing thread. I simply thought I'd share a funny thing that happened to me at the gym yesterday.

So there I was lifting here at Shaw yesterday, and this guy who is decked out in USAFA clothing is using all the same equipment as I am. So after a few min I say hi and ask him what he does. He says that he is a pilot. I ask him what squadron he is in, and he says he's going to pilot training next month. I kindly respond by saying, "If you haven't graduated pilot training I wouldn't go around saying that you ARE a pilot buddy." Quickly he says that's sir to you. This is where I get angry because he is clearly a new 2Lt who thinks his sh!t doesn't stink (BTW I'm a Lt as well). I decide to blow him off (sts) but as I'm walking away, he asks me if that is how I treat officers. I decide to tell him that I was also a Lt and that if he insists on pulling rank, then I'd be more than happy to find a SNCO for him to practice with.

Damn... I'm getting angry again just writing this.

Anybody else have stories like this?

Edited June 20, 2007 by osulax05

[Herk Driver]

Yep. Back in my SP days, when I was a 2Lt, it's about midnight or maybe a little later down at Robins AFB. We've been running an exercise on our gate guards and just finished up. The flight sergeant and I are out at the gate and we're debriefing the guy. A car pulls up so the gate guard goes to get up but I tell him just to sit and listen to the flight sergeant so we can get the debrief completed. I walk over to the vehicle and get the ID from the individual who is in civilian clothes.

The typical hey, how are you ensues and I check the ID which just like mine back in the day says LT. There's no 2Lt or 1Lt, just Lt. So, I hand her the ID back and say thanks have a nice night. She pulls the "what, do you not salute officers here at Robins"? I have to say that for a moment I was a little taken back by the comment. So, I think to myself that she was probably expecting an airman so I turned around and said, "Yes, I salute all officers that outrank me" and went to walk away. At this point, she says Oh, I didn't see your "bar". So I lean down to her level and point to my beret so she can she that I don't have a MAJCOM crest (BTW, for you new guys, there used to not be a Defensor Fortis patch, only a MAJCOM pin for the E's or your rank for the O's).

She then says to me, "I see that you are a second lieutenant and I'm a first lieutenant". At this point, I'm thinking that there is really no way in he!! that I'm going to salute. I calmly tell her that her ID card only identifies her as an LT and say "have a nice night" and walk away.

I was always under the understanding that rank among Lt's is like virtue among prostitutes.

[Hound47]

You just have to love the ate up people that we all work with. It is definetly stupid to call oneself a Pilot, Nav or any AFSC before graduating as many have found out its not a for sure thing...You can tell a lot about a person by how they react to stupid things like someone missing a salute and for gods sake Lt's do not salute Lt's thats just damn retarded. If you dont agree you are one of those ate up individuals I spoke of before.

My .02

[Techsan]

You just have to laugh at dudes like the one in the first story.

I have a similar story to Herk Driver's. When I was a casual LT @ Eglin, I was walking from my car to the finance building. I happened to pass a 1Lt that was wearing his blues, and as I passed I said "How's it goin'?". After passing each other, he then stopped me and said "Excuse me, you should probably salute officers that outrank you." I was quick to reply by saying "I'm sorry I thought you were a LT." He then proceeded to tell me that he was a 1ST Lt, not a 2nd Lt. I then snapped to attention and popped him a salute, with a sarcastic "Sorry, SIR". What a tool.

These people demanding respect and salutes from other Lt's really crack me up. Most of them obviously have a self esteem problem.

[Guest Xtndr50boom]

OTOH, I had a MSgt salute me walking into a building today. She looked at me, saluted, and said "good morning sir". I saluted back and said "enlisted". "Login Name" was 10-15 feet behind me--he probably got a kick out of that one

[Guest Hydro]

Total asshattery. Call your FAIP LTs "Sir" or "Ma'am" when appropriate, but that's where such nonsense ends.

[Gas Man]

Man these stories crack me up. What a bunch of tools!

[Guest LtLoad]

I said "standby" to a non-flyer type one pay grade above me, and got locked up and chewed out for being disrespectful. I used it like you would think, I was pretty busy and the guy was being a pain in the ass.

It dosen't compete with some of these other stories, but you can imagine my frustration.

[brabus]

Man, I think OSU's story's got the gold for now. I've never seen anything that bad, but I do remember first getting to ASBC last June...so you know every single one of us on that day had been on AD for about 3 days. I see these two fags no shit walking in their BDUs wearing their sky cop hats (2LTs there for ASBC) at the BX! You could tell they thought they were hot shit. I mean, I wore my uniform as little as possible in that sweltering hell hole, and these guys were wearing their uniforms a good day before there was any kind of required event to be at in uniform (in-processing bullshit the next day). Come to find out I was right and these two assclowns were brand new 2LTs and of course hadn't even gone to tech school, but were still wearing their berets and the SF badge on their BDUs. That'd be like casual LTs wearing wings on their chest b/c they are "going to get them anyways." Unbelievable the amount of idiocy some people possess. Also on the same day one of my buds said he went up to the gate to get a vehicle pass and there was an SF 1LT there doing some crap...he said first off the guy was being a total jackass to the civilian gate guards...obviously being an asshole just to be one. So my friend waits for him to finish his tirade; as the dude is leaning over to write something on a desk, my friend tells him he needs a vehicle pass, the dude just picks up his beret off the table, holds it in my friend's face and just points at the 1LT bar, then sets it back down and goes back to whatever BS he was doing w/o saying a single world. Talk about total douche bag.

[Whitman]

So after a few min I say hi and ask him what he does. He says that he is a pilot. I ask him what squadron he is in, and he says he's going to pilot training next month. I kindly respond by saying, "If you haven't graduated pilot training I wouldn't go around saying that you ARE a pilot buddy." Quickly he says that's sir to you.

Good kill, way to keep your cool.......I'm pretty sure I would've "accidentally" dropped a 100lb barbell on him

[Guest Jokes]

I can't believe you remember that brabus, funny to look back on it now. I still think that place does something to you... something wrong....

[Guest Boom]

....me walking into the BX (SSgt) and newly ex-wife walking out (Captain). The only salute was the bird I flipped her while laughing.

[Guest sleepy]

Total asshattery. Call your FAIP LTs "Sir" or "Ma'am" when appropriate, but that's where such nonsense ends.

Nice description.

I call my LT FAIPs "Sir," but I am also quick to give them a WFT? look when they call me "kid." "I'm sorry, Sir, what was that? When you get older you don't hear nearly as well as you do when you're 24." Most of them also get this awkward look when saluting them outside, too.

That's all good fun, though. Thank God for IP's with a sense of humor.

Whatever happened to Capts being double first lieutenants?

[Guest Boom]

Total asshattery. Call your FAIP LTs "Sir" or "Ma'am" when appropriate, but that's where such nonsense ends.

Do FAIP's go to SERE?

[brabus]

I'm pretty sure they don't go until after their done and going on to the next thing.

[ChkHandleDn]

I think saluting other LTs is rather absurd, but almost all of the SNCOs I discuss this topic with get all eaten up about it. "If you don't have to salute a higher rank, WTF should I salute officers?" It's very interesting to see the different viewpoints. To us it's no big deal, but some of these guys get really pissed.

Whatever happened to Capts being double first lieutenants?

Yeah I always heard "bars don't salute bars," but I'll still salute 'em anyway.

Edited June 21, 2007 by lagguer

[HuggyU2]

When I was a 2Lt, I saluted 1Lt's. Was it a big deal. No. It is a military courtesy, and simply a military greeting. Did it hurt me? No.

When I was a 1Lt, if I didn't get saluted by a 2Lt, I didn't say anything. I really didn't care.

Now days, when walking toward enlisted, it seems the new, young airmen are taught to salute within some super close proximity to me. Screw that: when I figure out they're enlisted, and I'm at the range when would say "hey", I give them a salute. It's usually good for a laugh.

[Guest Fogo]

Hey everyone-- new member to the board. Been reading for years and figured it was about time I join the fun.

Similar to the new LTs without a clue. I had an old friend tell me in his first week at ASBC a guy comes up and pulls out his RMO... in the GYM... and proceeds to inform some guys they need to buy him drinks. He was speechless and just walked away. He later said it was "payback" for all the times it had been done to him in the past. My guess is not in the gym.

[Guest T38driver]

Do FAIP's go to SERE?

To answer your question, yes and no. It depends on when the FAIP starts PIT. If there is enough time between wings and starting PIT, they'll go, otherwise they'll go at the end of their tour.

Regards,

[Stiffler]

When I was a 2Lt, I saluted 1Lt's. Was it a big deal. No. It is a military courtesy, and simply a military greeting. Did it hurt me? No.

When I was a 1Lt, if I didn't get saluted by a 2Lt, I didn't say anything. I really didn't care.

Now days, when walking toward enlisted, it seems the new, young airmen are taught to salute within some super close proximity to me. Screw that: when I figure out they're enlisted, and I'm at the range when would say "hey", I give them a salute. It's usually good for a laugh.

Thats cool. And by "that's cool" I mean "Dork"

[brickhistory]

Thats cool. And by "that's cool" I mean "Dork"

Disagree.

[Stiffler]

Disagree.

OK

You would "pre-salute" an enlisted guy? That is dorky. No other way to cut it.

Also, he implied that he would expect a salute from an 0-1, but wouldn't sweat it if he didn't Not only would I not expect it, I wouldnt like it if an O-1 saluted me.

But alas, I dont believe in reflective belts either.

[HerkDerka]

One time at the Deid I was walking to chow in my PT warrior suit. I passed a shoeclerk butterbar and gave him a nod as I passed. He stopped me and began to lecture on why it is important to maintain good customs and courtesies. I let him go all of the way through his spiel and then mentioned to him that ordering someone of a higher rank to salute him is contradictory to "good customs and courtesies". The look on his face was priceless.

The whole PT gear and saluting thing (in the AOR) has got to go.

HD

[brickhistory]

OK

You would "pre-salute" an enlisted guy? That is dorky. No other way to cut it.

Also, he implied that he would expect a salute from an 0-1, but wouldn't sweat it if he didn't Not only would I not expect it, I wouldnt like it if an O-1 saluted me.

But alas, I dont believe in reflective belts either.

"pre-saluting?" If the junior guy is arms full of stuff or doing something, then common courtesy is to just pass on by.

If it's low SA, then yes, the 'pre-saluting' method can be an effective reminder of customs and courtesies without being a d1ck.

If it's an obvious challange, then a one way conversation should ensue.

As for saluting 2Lt to 1Lt, way back when, I did it. Mainly because we're supposed to set an example (as addressed by the earlier post re SNCOs). If I was the 1Lt and a 2Lt didn't, who cares? But my personal technique was/is to salute those entitled to one provided it's not inappropriate to do so (i.e., 'shoot him first, Mr. Sniper guy....')

Concur on reflective belts.............

Edited June 21, 2007 by brickhistory

[M2]

The whole PT gear and saluting thing (in the AOR) has got to go.

'2'

I hate how the Army clowns salute in PT gear. It is not a military uniform, no matter what they think. It doesn't have rank or insignia on it, it is simply gym gear. It is almost as bad as their tendency to salute higher-ranking officers even when they (the sr officers) are wearing civilian clothes...I have been told by Army bubbas it is because the officer is still an officer even in civvies. Give me a break...are their egos that fragile?!?

And if you really don't want lieutenants to salute each other, than Brasso your bars so no one can tell what color they are.

Cheers! M2