eerw Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Always a fun day..first day for Air Force Academy doolies from one of the photographers on my staff. Welcome class of 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupie Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 That looks like fun, what is the attrition rate of the Air Force Academy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 That looks like fun, what is the attrition rate of the Air Force Academy? Varies..last numbers I saw..Class of 2003 was 13% highest was Class of 1975, 48% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 They don't look scared enough. I say we bring in TI's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I would have to agree. After watching my brother at AF basic, that looked like nothing. Fort Benning, Sill & Knox as well as Parris Island being in a different class. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSiess Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 its like basic training, but for 4 years... "a $250,000 education rammed up your ass a nickel at a time" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 its like basic training, but for 4 years..."a $250,000 education rammed up your ass a nickel at a time" That is about right. While I was recruiting, I would always try to get them to apply to ROTC also; same commission, a lot less BS, and you don't need a congressional appointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Did seem awfully gentle, but then, I'm sure there is more where that came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullauto_Shooter Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I would have to agree. After watching my brother at AF basic, that looked like nothing. Fort Benning, Sill & Knox as well as Parris Island being in a different class.Rich My oldest son has been in the AF a little over 2 years, but he's ready for a change. Told me he wants to be in a unit where men look out for each other - a place with esprit-de-corps, camraderie, and a bigger challenge. His NCOs put him in charge of leading PT for a group of about 20, then chewed him out when he made them run more than twice a week and do more than 20 pushups at a time. He's in a joint intelligence unit and his friends are almost exclusively Marines. Funny - he told me he'd really like to serve in the ARMED FORCES when his AF enlistment is up. He's thinking of ROTC and wants to go either Army or Marine Corps. No disrespect intended for our AF brothers and sisters, just sharing the thoughts of a 21 year old Airman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anubis Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Told me he wants to be in a unit where men look out for each other - a place with esprit-de-corps, camraderie, and a bigger challenge. Yeah, not in today's AF unfortunately It's a shame..... But then again things might be different outside of maintenance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINGMEN10 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Heck Man, It is the Airforce Academy, unless the cable goes out or the internet is slow, how stressful can it get...LOL!!! As a retired Army guy, there is alittle difference in the attitude of the some of the "zoomies" and the 82d Airplane gang, but probably one of my best friends is an Airforce guy. He spent 6 years with the Ranger Regiment, 3 Years with Joint Special Operations Command, he is Ranger Qualified, Halo Qualified, SOT, SOTIC, combat jump and is currently the Task Force Senior Enlisted guy in an Area without drive throughs, but plenty of drive bys if you know what mean...But to me is always a sissy Airforce puke...He gets a kick out of it. But Seriously, in this world of virtual B.S. and snotty kids with no focus or guidance, I applaud any an all who pick up a rifle, drive a truck, fly a plane or fill it with fuel in service to this country..I guarantee the Zoomie Academy is still harder that Billy Bob's Community College...LOL T-VS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Told me he wants to be in a unit where men look out for each other - a place with esprit-de-corps, camraderie, and a bigger challenge. Yeah, not in today's AF unfortunately It's a shame..... But then again things might be different outside of maintenance Depends on the unit Anubis. You get into the AFSC's pulling time on the ground with SOF and you see a different mentality. There's about a half dozen people floating around the US right now that I would quit my job, pack my truck, and drive to where every I needed to go if they were in trouble and needed 'assistance'. You have to wade through the meatheads no matter what career field you are in, but some career fields filter they majority of them out. Those are the ones that are hard to get into and put you in harms way. It's different. Anyway, I digress... As for the Academy, I think they would benefit a TON by bringing in a different mentality of enlisted assistance to the cadets. I'll leave it at that before I say something to get me in trouble... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 But Seriously, in this world of virtual B.S. and snotty kids with no focus or guidance, I applaud any an all who pick up a rifle, drive a truck, fly a plane or fill it with fuel in service to this country..I guarantee the Zoomie Academy is still harder that Billy Bob's Community College...LOLT-VS Amen brotha. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RV man Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 My son joined the Air Force and has absolutely loved it because he gets to work with all branches of service since graduating tech school at Eglin. He did get homesick during an extended trip to Balad though. The older I get, the younger these men look that are protecting my home! Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerlimits Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 no disrespect, but here's a reminder... Rules of Combat for the Four Armed Services As Seen By The Marines United States Marine Corps Bring a weapon. Preferably, bring at least two. Bring all of your friends who have weapons. Bring their friends who have weapons. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive. Only hits count. Close doesn't count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough, nor using cover correctly. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.) If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a big weapon and a friend with a big weapon. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived and who didn't. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting is more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the weapon. Use a weapon that works EVERY TIME. As George Washington said, "All skill is in vain when an Angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket." Someday someone may kill you with your own weapon, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty. In combat, there are no rules, always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose. Have a plan. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work. Use cover or concealment as much as possible. The visible target should be in FRONT of YOUR weapon. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours. Don't drop your guard. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them). Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one. Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet. Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a ".4." ARMY See USMC Rules for combat. Add 60 to 90 days. Hope the Marines already destroyed all meaningful resistance. NAVY Spend three weeks getting somewhere. Adopt an aggressive offshore posture. Send in the Marines. Drink Coffee. Bring back the Marines. AIR FORCE Kiss the spouse good-bye. Drive to the flight line. Fly to target area. Drop bombs and fly back. Pop in at the club for a couple of drinks with the guys. Go home, BBQ some burgers and drink some more beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RV man Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Not all AF are pilots. Some have real jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupie Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I always thought the Air Force has it right, They stay in the rear and send their officers to fight! What were we thinking. My brother 11 years in the AF and he never stayed anywhere while he was tdy except hotels. Man what was I thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viggen Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I always thought the Air Force has it right, They stay in the rear and send their officers to fight! What were we thinking. My brother 11 years in the AF and he never stayed anywhere while he was tdy except hotels. Man what was I thinking? Good point. I like the part about sending officers to fight. We always ate well on Air Force Bases as opposed to Army posts, Army food wasn't.... The thing to remember about the AF Academy is the desired outcome. They want smart, technical, competent officers and to do that you have to attract certain types of people to your program. You want to keep those people with the program, not drive them off. The Army and Marines need certain types of people. The Air Force needs someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted June 27, 2009 Author Share Posted June 27, 2009 it's interesting all your experiences. the main reason I posted is that I think its really cool to see a group of young people motivated enough to undertake the challenge and the duty to country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glock17w Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 It reminds me of 1 July 1996 at the United States Military Academy West Point NY. I graduated on 27 May 2000 and haven't been back. Our attrition rate was about 20%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gameplayer Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I think its really cool to see a group of young people motivated enough to undertake the challenge and the duty to country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 (edited) Say what you will about us "zoomies"; but the work these mantainers are doing, is nothing short of amazing. I'm in charge of maintenace for the week-end, I just returned from watching the guys work on our F-22's. The attention to detail these guys put in to the daily job is incrediable. The planes are to Fly on Tueday, these guys are putting in a 12+ hours shift today and if need be, they are coming in again on Sunday to get the job done. Not one complaint, ok maybe a little one, but it is understandable. This is CONUS and this is for training missions. I didn't have to tell them what to do, they know the job gets done. The times I've been deployed, the maintainers work even harder. Say what you want about our perks, but I bet you are happy when your air support shows up or your ride home. Edited June 27, 2009 by North Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffWard Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I always thought the Air Force has it right, They stay in the rear and send their officers to fight! What were we thinking. My brother 11 years in the AF and he never stayed anywhere while he was tdy except hotels. Man what was I thinking? Good point. I like the part about sending officers to fight. We always ate well on Air Force Bases as opposed to Army posts, Army food wasn't.... The thing to remember about the AF Academy is the desired outcome. They want smart, technical, competent officers and to do that you have to attract certain types of people to your program. You want to keep those people with the program, not drive them off. The Army and Marines need certain types of people. The Air Force needs someone else. You're absolutely right... In Korea, they got the captain of the football team to fly the jets. They needed athletes. Today, they recruit electrical engineers to fly the jets... with lots of experience on an X-Box. The unmanned aircraft in the USAF fleet are flown with X-Box controllers... The war-jets of tomorrow will be flow from the ground, by a "geek". This IS the new Air Force. Marines will always be Marines, God bless them. But the AF mission, is NOT the Marine Corps mission. From a former AF guy... Who played college basketball, AND got an Aeronautical Engineering degree! JeffWard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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