Finally done in Afghanistan?

[Lawman]

You would be surprised at what they teach at "Colonel Charm School."  They start by sending you a document attached to a congratulations note.  Paraphrasing the document but mostly verbatim:
1.  Don't ask to be stationed near your parents because they are ill, all Colonels have older parents and we can not accommodate.
2.  Don't ask for an extension in one location so your kid can finish high school, all Colonels have kids in high school.
3.  Expect to move a lot, the average Colonel moved every 18 months. The needs of the service were never more true than now that you are a Colonel.
4.  Again, don't ask for the above, if you don't like these rules, thanks for your service, bye Felicia.
I went through both the Group Commander Course and the Wing Commander Course prior to taking command and both were centered on "here are the things that gets Colonels in trouble:
1.  The car - I shit you not...long discussions about the rules for using your White Top.  The car went away after my command so I guess it was even more sensitive.
2.  Money - Be careful and be sure about how you and those in your command spend govt funds...trust but verify.
3.  Your dick - I forget the percentage but as I recall almost half of all instances of being removed from command were caused by misplacing your dick.  There was a small section about being a dick...for a brief time the AF was actually going to stop caustic leaders but we all know that was just lip service.
 
 

Just another Tuesday night on the boardwalk at KAF… watching another O6 eat ice cream with an E4…. Nothing to worry about….


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[Lord Ratner]

3 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

You would be surprised at what they teach at "Colonel Charm School."  They start by sending you a document attached to a congratulations note.  Paraphrasing the document but mostly verbatim:

1.  Don't ask to be stationed near your parents because they are ill, all Colonels have older parents and we can not accommodate.

2.  Don't ask for an extension in one location so your kid can finish high school, all Colonels have kids in high school.

3.  Expect to move a lot, the average Colonel moved every 18 months. The needs of the service were never more true than now that you are a Colonel.

4.  Again, don't ask for the above, if you don't like these rules, thanks for your service, bye Felicia.

I went through both the Group Commander Course and the Wing Commander Course prior to taking command and both were centered on "here are the things that gets Colonels in trouble:

1.  The car - I shit you not...long discussions about the rules for using your White Top.  The car went away after my command so I guess it was even more sensitive.

2.  Money - Be careful and be sure about how you and those in your command spend govt funds...trust but verify.

3.  Your dick - I forget the percentage but as I recall almost half of all instances of being removed from command were caused by misplacing your dick.  There was a small section about being a dick...for a brief time the AF was actually going to stop caustic leaders but we all know that was just lip service.

 

 

You know, that might have surprised me at one point, but now that's pretty much what I expect. Don't make us look bad. 

 

I guess I didn't think about the car thing, but the rest is about what I expected 😂🤣

[Lord Ratner]

1 hour ago, Lawman said:

Just another Tuesday night on the boardwalk at KAF… watching another O6 eat ice cream with an E4…. Nothing to worry about….


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When I was a cadet at Osan for a 3 week field trip, I remember asking the jag and security forces guys for all the juicy stories. It was remarkable how many colonels were openly dating e-2s and e-3s, but the most surprising part was that they didn't feel like they had to stop when they were sent back stateside.

 

Still the strangest place I've ever been in the Air Force

[Lawman]

When I was a cadet at Osan for a 3 week field trip, I remember asking the jag and security forces guys for all the juicy stories. It was remarkable how many colonels were openly dating e-2s and e-3s, but the most surprising part was that they didn't feel like they had to stop when they were sent back stateside.
 
Still the strangest place I've ever been in the Air Force

Korea is the Disney Family PG version of a tour in Asia compared to the stuff going on in my dad’s or my Grandfathers military.

Spending 6 months in the Philippines on staff and seeing Clark and Subic in person a lot of old jokes made waaaay more sense. My dad used to say that you could always tell the guys that went to Guam/Japan/etc vs Philippines. The ones that did the PI islands came back “broken” to normal life elsewhere.


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[bfargin]

No doubt, even week long tdy in the PI was shocking. You couldn’t walk anywhere off base without someone trying to sell you their sister. Made me sad to see what a U.S. base attracted around it, even though it did result in some epic stories and folklore.

[hindsight2020]

My father (never-military) once quipped when conversing with me about his geo-bachelor father (retired USA SP5, English-non-proficient, gone 20 years, complicated homesteading circumstances not made easier by my grandmother choosing to remain local, to be fair to the man), that he anecdotally felt he probably had a korean, filipino, or vietnamese half-sibling on this Earth, and he'll never know. Then he went on with the conversation.

It was the most nonchalant comment, this is before I entered the military anyways so it didn't particularly resonate. Took me years of my own service, token TDYs over to PACAF, to finally recall that comment and realize once you put it in the proper context of that time (1946-1966 for my grandfather), how it really isn't that much of a stretch. 

break--break--

As to present day pearl-clutching, I'm of the opinion it's high time for systemic overhaul to frat rules anyhow. Demographics of the military are saturated with female members writ large. For every "undue command influence" so-called scandal about senior officers disparaging the supposed good order and morale of the Service, we all know of the thousands of lasting marriages borne out of fraternization. If it's a matter of pretense for domestic consumption, that's fine by me. I'm no warrior monk nor is it like we didn't go through DADT (spank you today, give you a medal for it tomorrow) for decades as an acceptable COA for the Service's inability to process their own cultural myopia.

But the nerve of the service to get chagrinned about any of this. I know I know, not supposed to talk about fight club, but after 17 years I've grown quite insensitive to the warrior monk litmus test virtue signaling. They're gonna run out of bare bone technical/aptitude bar clearing volunteers if they keep it up. The Col Jessup mantra has never rang more true for me. Solicit my indenture, then question the manner in which I provide it. lol.

You know, this wouldn't make a terrible prologue to my memoirs for ol' Jr to read in my passing:
"Dearest [redacted], here's the story of how your English-illiterate great grandfather retired an SP5, and your father an iron major nobody with 5,000 hours and no staff tours....we did it our way.  Chapter 1: *inhales* ".  🤣

 

[GKinnear]

19 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

You would be surprised at what they teach at "Colonel Charm School."  They start by sending you a document attached to a congratulations note.  Paraphrasing the document but mostly verbatim:

 

The current "Brief" at least takes you to dinner and pretends to listen to you first...but no changes since your time.

[brabus]

36 minutes ago, GKinnear said:

The current "Brief" at least takes you to dinner and pretends to listen to you first

When you realize you’re the chick in a college date scenario and the AF is the dude who only cares about fucking you…

 

 

[dream big]

On 4/8/2023 at 7:20 PM, ClearedHot said:

You would be surprised at what they teach at "Colonel Charm School."  They start by sending you a document attached to a congratulations note.  Paraphrasing the document but mostly verbatim:

1.  Don't ask to be stationed near your parents because they are ill, all Colonels have older parents and we can not accommodate.

2.  Don't ask for an extension in one location so your kid can finish high school, all Colonels have kids in high school.

3.  Expect to move a lot, the average Colonel moved every 18 months. The needs of the service were never more true than now that you are a Colonel.

4.  Again, don't ask for the above, if you don't like these rules, thanks for your service, bye Felicia.

I went through both the Group Commander Course and the Wing Commander Course prior to taking command and both were centered on "here are the things that gets Colonels in trouble:

1.  The car - I shit you not...long discussions about the rules for using your White Top.  The car went away after my command so I guess it was even more sensitive.

2.  Money - Be careful and be sure about how you and those in your command spend govt funds...trust but verify.

3.  Your dick - I forget the percentage but as I recall almost half of all instances of being removed from command were caused by misplacing your dick.  There was a small section about being a dick...for a brief time the AF was actually going to stop caustic leaders but we all know that was just lip service.

 

 

You’re not kidding it seems…what is “Col Charm School?” AWC or Wing/CC course? 

[hindsight2020]

The latter.

[Swizzle]

22 hours ago, Lawman said:

Korea is the Disney Family PG version of a tour in Asia compared to the stuff going on in my dad’s or my Grandfathers military.

// //

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Have you been to, or heard of, Cannon?!

Or I'm wrong and Cannon is the pre-game to the warm-up of Philippines, no? Because it was in the order of Can-Kun was it not? To settle the matter, guess the US Navy ADVON teams to the 4 new P.I. locales will test these theories...is there a BOATops.net? We need to follow their threads - this could be vicariously epic!

[pawnman]

On 4/8/2023 at 1:20 PM, ClearedHot said:

You would be surprised at what they teach at "Colonel Charm School."  They start by sending you a document attached to a congratulations note.  Paraphrasing the document but mostly verbatim:

1.  Don't ask to be stationed near your parents because they are ill, all Colonels have older parents and we can not accommodate.

2.  Don't ask for an extension in one location so your kid can finish high school, all Colonels have kids in high school.

3.  Expect to move a lot, the average Colonel moved every 18 months. The needs of the service were never more true than now that you are a Colonel.

4.  Again, don't ask for the above, if you don't like these rules, thanks for your service, bye Felicia.

I went through both the Group Commander Course and the Wing Commander Course prior to taking command and both were centered on "here are the things that gets Colonels in trouble:

1.  The car - I shit you not...long discussions about the rules for using your White Top.  The car went away after my command so I guess it was even more sensitive.

2.  Money - Be careful and be sure about how you and those in your command spend govt funds...trust but verify.

3.  Your dick - I forget the percentage but as I recall almost half of all instances of being removed from command were caused by misplacing your dick.  There was a small section about being a dick...for a brief time the AF was actually going to stop caustic leaders but we all know that was just lip service.

 

 

I can't imagine why so many people retire instead of taking the promotion to O-6...

[GKinnear]

44 minutes ago, pawnman said:

I can't imagine why so many people retire instead of taking the promotion to O-6...

This was essentially going to be my reply to @brabus...keep voting with your feet!  I have no first hand knowledge, just what I've gleaned and deduced over the last couple years from some brand new, just happy-to-be-here 1 Stars, and my current Group Commander.

I think the amount of O's bailing at the O-6 gate caused Bug Blue to rethink the O-6 management strategy.  It's now "there's someone for every assignment" vs. "feel free to retire".

IMO, the theory would work for pilots in general as well if recruiting didn't mask the issue.

I'll defer to @ClearedHot or any other experienced dudes lurking on the net.

[ClearedHot]

48 minutes ago, GKinnear said:

This was essentially going to be my reply to @brabus...keep voting with your feet!  I have no first hand knowledge, just what I've gleaned and deduced over the last couple years from some brand new, just happy-to-be-here 1 Stars, and my current Group Commander.

I think the amount of O's bailing at the O-6 gate caused Bug Blue to rethink the O-6 management strategy.  It's now "there's someone for every assignment" vs. "feel free to retire".

IMO, the theory would work for pilots in general as well if recruiting didn't mask the issue.

I'll defer to @ClearedHot or any other experienced dudes lurking on the net.

The pendulum swings hard left followed immediately by hard right. 

For a while O-6's had to volunteer to be considered for command...that resulted in a shortage of "HiPos" seeking command.  A Corona discussion followed..."we aren't people volunteering for command?  The reason as it turns out, people were freaking tired...I can't imagine why?  As is the norm CSAF responded by making all O-6's "all in" whether they like it or not for the next command screening cycle.

I don't know what it looks like now but in 2014 they had a SERB for O-6s, two years later they asked O-6's to come back from retirement to fill certain staff roles. 

Also, as I recall in 2020 or 2021 AFSOC lost almost 60 O-6's, that is a lot of experience walking out the door to escape some caustic leadership.

Regardless of what they say your best interest is NOT in Big Blue's crosscheck.  You are just another number in the system.

[Biff_T]

1 hour ago, ClearedHot said:

Regardless of what they say your best interest is NOT in Big Blue's crosscheck.  You are just another number in the system.

This.  

At least they cant tag you for a 365 to Afghanistan during your 18th year anymore.  

Listen to CH for truth and wisdom. 

Listen to Biff for fart jokes. 

[HeyEng]

15 hours ago, Biff_T said:

This.  

At least they cant tag you for a 365 to Afghanistan during your 18th year anymore.  

Listen to CH for truth and wisdom. 

Listen to Biff for fart jokes. 

I was flying a local many years ago with our C-5 AD advisor , who was a LtCol and on his 18th year and he told me his next assignment was going to be working at a prison in Afghanistan. I about leaped out of my FE seat and hit the ceiling! I was more mad than he was. He calmed me down by telling me that he had a bum knee that he was nursing and was going to play the medical card when the time came. 
I think that was when I realized that Big Blue never really had their head in the game and was more focused things that really didn’t matter!

No wonder the whole Afghanistan adventure turned into a boondoggle!

Edited April 10, 2023 by HeyEng

[HeyEng]

Wording

[FourFans]

2 hours ago, HeyEng said:

I was flying a local many years ago with our C-5 AD advisor , who was a LtCol and on his 18th year and he told me his next assignment was going to be working at a prison in Afghanistan. I about leaped out of my FE seat and hit the ceiling! I was more mad than he was. He calmed me down by telling me that he had a bum knee that he was nursing and was going to play the medical card when the time came. 
I think that was when I realized that Big Blue never really had their head in the game and was more focused things that really didn’t matter!

No wonder the whole Afghanistan adventure turned into a boondoggle!

Nothing new...and it still happens.  If I'd have stayed active duty, my 18-19th year would have been spent in Kabul...on an air staff...during 2021.  All while my family would be finishing the move to Abilene or Little Rock.

I still haven't heard what they did with guys that were on a 365/180 to Kabul during the collapse.  Did they get sent home, or re-deployed somewhere else to finish their sentence?

Edited April 10, 2023 by FourFans

[Biff_T]

1 hour ago, FourFans said:

still haven't heard what they did with guys that were on a 365/180 to Kabul during the collapse.  Did they get sent home, or re-deployed somewhere else to finish their sentence?

They're still there lol

[Scooter14]

I still haven't heard what they did with guys that were on a 365/180 to Kabul during the collapse.  Did they get sent home, or re-deployed somewhere else to finish their sentence?

All of the above, but from my limited viewpoint they finished their sentences.

When ATIS and I were at the CAOC (we got there around Oct 2021) there was a dude there who was on a 365 to AFG. CENTCOM pulled him back to the Died and if I recall he volunteered to help out the CoS with some projects. I think he could have gone home but he figured he was already there…

I also know from my time working with the ECEG that a bunch of the firefighters that we deployed from the Died out to the garden spots across the AOR had come from HKIA and they finished their tours o/a Jan ‘22 (I remember this because it was a huge goatrope getting them home in time to quarantine and make their redeployment date
since most were reservists. Those guys dealt with a lot of shit.

Other guys got sent to Shaw to finish out their tours. That was true of “run of the mill” CAOC dudes as well…lots of transition in those post AFG months.

Same thing happened when they closed Al Jaber, a few CE from my base was there and they just pulled them back to the ECEG at the Died until it was time to go home.

Some probably got cut loose early, but for the most part by the time the dust settled I feel like they just recapitalized the manpower they already had in theater until the swapout in January 22 and those dudes didn’t get replaced.





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[Lawman]

Nothing new...and it still happens.  If I'd have stayed active duty, my 18-19th year would have been spent in Kabul...on an air staff...during 2021.  All while my family would be finishing the move to Abilene or Little Rock.
I still haven't heard what they did with guys that were on a 365/180 to Kabul during the collapse.  Did they get sent home, or re-deployed somewhere else to finish their sentence?

B/1st Bn 82nd CAB we’re the Apaches performing “route clearance ops” for the Airlift at Kabul.

They evacuated to Kuwait…. Then stayed to wait a few weeks for the rest of their Bn Task Force to finish RIP and depart Iraq…..

Yeah… wtf right.


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[MCO]

On 4/9/2023 at 7:47 PM, ClearedHot said:

The pendulum swings hard left followed immediately by hard right. 

For a while O-6's had to volunteer to be considered for command...that resulted in a shortage of "HiPos" seeking command.  A Corona discussion followed..."we aren't people volunteering for command?  The reason as it turns out, people were freaking tired...I can't imagine why?  As is the norm CSAF responded by making all O-6's "all in" whether they like it or not for the next command screening cycle.

I don't know what it looks like now but in 2014 they had a SERB for O-6s, two years later they asked O-6's to come back from retirement to fill certain staff roles. 

Also, as I recall in 2020 or 2021 AFSOC lost almost 60 O-6's, that is a lot of experience walking out the door to escape some caustic leadership.

Regardless of what they say your best interest is NOT in Big Blue's crosscheck.  You are just another number in the system.

We were fat on O-6s the last couple years but back to normal numbers. I wouldn’t be surprised if it continues down. We are back to letting people opt out of command, although leadership can disapprove it and make you compete. We are always a number in the system from the day we join and it doesn’t change when you are one of 4000 Colonels. Some generals worry more about individual desires than others, but the system at least tries to listen. The problem is the system tries to get the best overall answer, but if your the guy that got sent to the opposite side of the world from where you wanted in a job you asked not to have, you rightfully could give 2 shits about the fairness of the system and how much it cares about you.

[bfargin]

State Dept After Action Report

Report:

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/State-AAR-AFG.pdf

Damning Article:

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/06/30/politics/state-deparment-afghanistan-withdrawal-report/index.html

Edited July 20, 2023 by bfargin

[gearhog]

8 minutes ago, bfargin said:

State Dept After Action Report

Report:

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/State-AAR-AFG.pdf

Damning Article:

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/06/30/politics/state-deparment-afghanistan-withdrawal-report/index.html

And to think the people that botched Afghanistan and excoriated here are the very same decision makers in the current conflict. 
 

No consequences, no accountability. What could go wrong?

[MT near]

Released on a late Friday afternoon before the 4th of July holiday, close to a year after the report was finished...classy