In the Military
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Thank you everyone. Since I started this process April of last year, (I'm 21 and not waiting because of school, DEP just takes forever) I've done more than my fair share of research on tips of anything and everything. It is still greatly appreciated though. The best ones come from those that have gone though it, and they have my respect and admiration for joining. I was just curious if anyone had any good experiences, whether funny or whatever, though their branch of military that they could tell. Sorry, I should have worded what I had posted better.
yeah I just googled USAF jobs and it seems you are in a bay. Theres a separate role for on aircraft avionic technicians. I really dont mean to put you off but most guys hate the bay however you may enjoy it and it probably depends where you are based and aircraft type etc. Ive personally never worked in one so I can only relay what the general consensus isYoshi4507 said:
Edit: In the UK we are dual trade too, so an avionics technician and 'electrics and environment' are the same trade. In really we only have 2 trades (avionics/electrics and airframes/props) theres usually an avionics bay and a hydraulic bay too. You guys seem pretty system specific, your airframes guys are split into hydraulics, fuel and structure
Sure, I remember how it feels to be on pins and needles waiting to ship out, so I'll be happy to share. XD
I was in the Navy from 2006-2008, a bunch of personal stuff that need not darken a page happened at that point, which resulted in my not being able to finish my hitch, but why dwell on negative things?
My experience with the military itself was overwhelmingly positive. People were generally nice, comradeship was common, and generally our presence was appreciated by the civilians.
It's not always good, I guess. You're pretty much guaranteed to encounter someone in your chain of command who gets off on his authority and refuses to be reasonable about anything (in the military it's almost always the senior enlistedmen, JOs are pretty chill, in my experience) but you encounter that sort of thing everywhere.
Just hang tough through basic and it'll be a unique experience. I've never regretted it, and have often regretted not being able to go back.
I was in the Navy from 2006-2008, a bunch of personal stuff that need not darken a page happened at that point, which resulted in my not being able to finish my hitch, but why dwell on negative things?
My experience with the military itself was overwhelmingly positive. People were generally nice, comradeship was common, and generally our presence was appreciated by the civilians.
It's not always good, I guess. You're pretty much guaranteed to encounter someone in your chain of command who gets off on his authority and refuses to be reasonable about anything (in the military it's almost always the senior enlistedmen, JOs are pretty chill, in my experience) but you encounter that sort of thing everywhere.
Just hang tough through basic and it'll be a unique experience. I've never regretted it, and have often regretted not being able to go back.
Pretty much this ^balladbird said:
Being a civilian I find there is very little difference between us and the military guys. Between most ranks its usually just first names. Like he ^ said theres a few that let rank go to their heads but I can say the same for some of my civvy colleagues too and I could say the same for any job. You need to remember that first and foremost you have a job to do. The shiny shoes and marching bollocks isnt really a big deal
Then again this is all based on the UK perspective. The US may vastly differ
The best piece of advice I can give you is that flight safety is the top priority. Dont sign for anything if you arent 100%. As soon as you put pen to paper you are accountable for the work youve just carried out
^I'd say the US version DOES vastly differ.
Seems to depend on the person. For some people it's fine. For other people it's completely wrong.
My ex-girlfriend got suckered into joining the Marines. She was all gung ho and I told her it wasn't for her, and that she'd hate it. She just got mad at me (which I totally saw coming). But I'd said my piece and warned her, so from then on I just supported her.
She went in and HATED IT.
Luckily, she got kicked out for some falsified enlistment technicality bullshit and was just SUPER relieved she was out.
She's super stubborn and proud, so she felt like she had failed by getting kicked out and was half inclined just to reenlist and prove she could do it. I had to convince her that the way she got kicked out was a retarded technicality, and nothing to do with her failing - that I was perfectly confident that she could EASILY do everything they asked of her, and that proving it wasn't worth all the pointless misery and BS. Eventually her wounded pride cooled off and she completely agreed.
My best friend is Army intelligence. He's gotten stuck being the base armorer. To him it was just a thing he had to do to get into the FBI, which he's doing very soonish. He's often the smartest guy in the room, and he has spent the last few months yelling at various superiors for being dumbasses, and escaping trouble because he's always horribly right. He's tired of dealing with morons and red tape, but otherwise okay with it.
He said if he were to hypothetically reenlist into the military for some reason, he'd probably join the Air Force instead of the Army, Navy or Marines the next time around.
My dad was in the Army. He was an MP. But that was long ago in a different time and a different Army.
I knew a bunch of other Marines, but they're pretty much all assholes, so I stopped talking to all of them.
With 3 exceptions, all of the US military personnel I know are all assholes on some level.
Not sure if the military attracts them or makes them. Seems like a combination of both.
I spent the night with an Army intelligence girl in Germany...we were drinking vodka and she just got WASTED. She unloaded a lifetime of dark personal secrets on me that night and just emotionally broke completely down. During the day she put up a hardass front and acted like kind of a jerk to fit in with her Army buddies/coworkers around her.
Another one of my close friends was a Marine before I met her. She got out because she got pregnant. She's pretty tough (though not a jerk), and as I got to know her I learned she has a pretty messed up past and family life too.
It's my experience and theory that the US military tends to attract guys that are kinda assholes and maybe magnifies their attitude (the whole "'Murica" thing is pretty stupidly accurate), and for women it often attracts the women who see themselves as...I dunno...victims, weak, having something to prove, or just not as strong as they wish...and then they build up a "tough guy" facade.
As with most things, I'm sure there are exceptions all over the place.
My best friend, for instance, consulted me over and over on if he should enlist, if his reasoning was sound, what better options might he have, etc etc. He ended up joining for purely logical, mathematical, monetary, practical reasons. Being in the Army hasn't changed him at all.
I don't think I know any Navy or Air Force...
*shrug*
That's just my perspective as someone who happens to know an awful lot of military and ex-military folks pretty well.
Seems to depend on the person. For some people it's fine. For other people it's completely wrong.
My ex-girlfriend got suckered into joining the Marines. She was all gung ho and I told her it wasn't for her, and that she'd hate it. She just got mad at me (which I totally saw coming). But I'd said my piece and warned her, so from then on I just supported her.
She went in and HATED IT.
Luckily, she got kicked out for some falsified enlistment technicality bullshit and was just SUPER relieved she was out.
She's super stubborn and proud, so she felt like she had failed by getting kicked out and was half inclined just to reenlist and prove she could do it. I had to convince her that the way she got kicked out was a retarded technicality, and nothing to do with her failing - that I was perfectly confident that she could EASILY do everything they asked of her, and that proving it wasn't worth all the pointless misery and BS. Eventually her wounded pride cooled off and she completely agreed.
My best friend is Army intelligence. He's gotten stuck being the base armorer. To him it was just a thing he had to do to get into the FBI, which he's doing very soonish. He's often the smartest guy in the room, and he has spent the last few months yelling at various superiors for being dumbasses, and escaping trouble because he's always horribly right. He's tired of dealing with morons and red tape, but otherwise okay with it.
He said if he were to hypothetically reenlist into the military for some reason, he'd probably join the Air Force instead of the Army, Navy or Marines the next time around.
My dad was in the Army. He was an MP. But that was long ago in a different time and a different Army.
I knew a bunch of other Marines, but they're pretty much all assholes, so I stopped talking to all of them.
With 3 exceptions, all of the US military personnel I know are all assholes on some level.
Not sure if the military attracts them or makes them. Seems like a combination of both.
I spent the night with an Army intelligence girl in Germany...we were drinking vodka and she just got WASTED. She unloaded a lifetime of dark personal secrets on me that night and just emotionally broke completely down. During the day she put up a hardass front and acted like kind of a jerk to fit in with her Army buddies/coworkers around her.
Another one of my close friends was a Marine before I met her. She got out because she got pregnant. She's pretty tough (though not a jerk), and as I got to know her I learned she has a pretty messed up past and family life too.
It's my experience and theory that the US military tends to attract guys that are kinda assholes and maybe magnifies their attitude (the whole "'Murica" thing is pretty stupidly accurate), and for women it often attracts the women who see themselves as...I dunno...victims, weak, having something to prove, or just not as strong as they wish...and then they build up a "tough guy" facade.
As with most things, I'm sure there are exceptions all over the place.
My best friend, for instance, consulted me over and over on if he should enlist, if his reasoning was sound, what better options might he have, etc etc. He ended up joining for purely logical, mathematical, monetary, practical reasons. Being in the Army hasn't changed him at all.
I don't think I know any Navy or Air Force...
*shrug*
That's just my perspective as someone who happens to know an awful lot of military and ex-military folks pretty well.
No, you worded it correctly. It's just that very few people genuinely ask about experiences so I guess us prior service guys can't help but gush with unsolicited advice. So I'll start over. What I said before, and kind of what user Knife said about the people you meet, they're the only thing that stuck with me over the years. And while I wasn't exactly laughing when the shit hit the fan, which was often, I do often wonder about where those guys are today.Yoshi4507 said:
Things were harder for me in basic than most. I had pneumonia for three days because they missed it at sick call. I just assumed I was having an off day. There was no shortage of guys dragging ass (malingering) so sick call was always full of pissers and moaners. And on day three, when I was freezing my balls off and could barely walk, I got to the clinic ten minutes late and the doctors just pointed to their watches and refused to unlock the sliding glass doors. So I had to walk to a taxi station and pay for my own ride to the main post hospital. Then the X-ray tech kept me waiting. I overheard him whispering to his supervisor that I was faking it, but thankfully his supervisor knew better. When I finally saw a doctor, all she did was give me Motrin and an IV (that's the universal military method for dealing with ailments) and I felt better in less than five minutes. It was Goddamn magical.
That's another bit of advice for you. Always try to keep your hands as clean as possible, and use soap every time. What happens is that when heavy smokers quit cold turkey they start to cough up nasty shit. They end up spitting out phlegm in the worst places, like right outside the chow hall for example. Then, some fuckup will invariably make some mistake and the entire platoon will have to do push-ups as punishment. So we all end up with our hands on the filthy concrete, only to go straight into chow without washing our hands. I caught both Pneumonia and Pink Eye during basic. It's a filthy fucking place.
Everything after basic, AIT, and Airborne School is a blur though. It's sad to think that my best experiences were before I got to my permanent duty station. That's the thing about basic though, it's where you're all on level footing, so the only thing you can do is build camaraderie.
Hey, former Avionics Sensor Technician here.shootthebandit said:
Yeah, I worked on the aircraft and was really glad I didn't work the backshop. That just seems like it would have end up being tedious. I had an all around good experience, as long as you make it past the first year, things get a lot more chill as long as you still do your job, maintain reasonable discipline and adhere to protocol.
Tips for USAF basic training:
Memorize this phrase: "Sir, Trainee [your last name] reports as ordered. Sir, [whatever you plan to say to the MTI]. You'll be using this a lot in basic, countless times everyday.
Respond to yes or no questions with "Yes, sir/ma'am." or "No, sir/ma'am." Never say "Sir, yes sir." That's what the Marines do and they'll be quick to point out this out, followed by pushups.
You're usually required to have two uniforms folded for inspection in your wall locker at all times. You also have a laundry bag full of dirty clothes. Pro tip: Wear the uniforms you have stuffed in your laundry bag, so you don't have to re-iron your ones for display every day. I kept one summer BDU and one winter BDU, as weather in San Antonio can be unpredictable, especially in the winter. Same with socks, and the athletic gear. It might fell a little nasty, but trust me, you'll be hard pressed to fold that shit every day.
In the last week, the MTIs are usually busy with their next batch of recruits. Sometimes you may be called to watch over a group that just arrived. Don't overstep your bounds, but definitely have fun with this.
Good luck, hope it goes well.
four years czech army in the infantry.
as far as tips go:
don't ever be the first.
don't ever be the last.
and never, EVER volunteer for ANYTHING.
i'm being serious. if they ask "who here likes to eat candy, would like to spend a week on paid leave and a bag full of money?" you'll STILL get shafted somehow if you raise your hand.
as far as tips go:
don't ever be the first.
don't ever be the last.
and never, EVER volunteer for ANYTHING.
i'm being serious. if they ask "who here likes to eat candy, would like to spend a week on paid leave and a bag full of money?" you'll STILL get shafted somehow if you raise your hand.
what ever you do don't cross train...they will ask you if youd be willing after basic before AIT.Yoshi4507 said:
other then that remember three things;
1. call sergeants by their rank, DO NOT CALL THEM SIR! unless you like push ups and don't mind your being ticked at you.
2. Get in shape cause you can be dumb as a post but if you pass your PT with high marks they will help you with the rest trust me.
3.this is the most important thing when they issue your boots make sure they fit if the supply people don't give you the right boots talk to your Drill instructor he will go to bat for you its basically the only thing you can throw a ***** fit over and not get in trouble. Take care of your feet you will be using them.
Edit:
forgot to mention 6 years in the army got out as an E7 so best of luck with the air force
Become real familiar with the phrase "Sir/Ma'am, trainee (your name here) reports as ordered" because you will say it EVERY TIME YOU RECEIVE ACKNOWLEDGMENT. I was in the AF myself (though I never made it past basic for reasons no one wants to hear) and that phrase was what kept most of us from having to endure some form of punishment.
Also pretty much what everyone else says; be respectful, try to seem as average Joe as possible - don't volunteer for anything unless you want that extra responsibility of having your flight or MTI pissed at you
And when you're given a test that asks about your mentality, whether you believe so or otherwise it's probably not a good idea to put that you've contemplated suicide. Trust me on this one
Also pretty much what everyone else says; be respectful, try to seem as average Joe as possible - don't volunteer for anything unless you want that extra responsibility of having your flight or MTI pissed at you
And when you're given a test that asks about your mentality, whether you believe so or otherwise it's probably not a good idea to put that you've contemplated suicide. Trust me on this one
Trust me, I'm definitely not one of those guys who was attracted for "Murica". Up until a little over a year ago I told myself I'd never join. I thought the military was stupid. Growing up in a community dominated way far right wing conservatives and rednecks made me want to be different I guess. Hell, my town annually holds one of the U.S.'s biggest annual rodeos, which just happened this week.Ieyke said:
Then I realised I actually had no reason to be against it. College wasn't working for me all that much, work made sure of that, and felt i had no direction. I'm joining to get out of a job of pushing carts all day, better pay, gaining experience, and school that is paid for. Plus the benefits after. Besides, after looking into it all, after this past year of waiting, it's been interesting me more and more. It's now something I'm actually wanting to do and be proud of. Not for "Murica", but for myself. A bit selfish, but i doubt the military itself will care so long as they have someone doing the job.
Hopefully my job in the electronic field will open doors in civilian life. If i wanted gone, I'd have joined security forces (MP) or structural maintenance. Would have lefter about three months after MEPS.
I love that those rules apply in every army around the world. If I can wax all bullshitty philosophical, I reckon I've got more in common with, say a Czech/Russian/German/whatever soldier than with an Australian politician.Kathinka said:
Advice for ultra-jubes? Most of it has been put here, but if I can put down the biggest things, they all fall under the header of 'play the game'
if you get a shitty task, eg If you get told you have to be at the armory at 0400 and you then end up waiting there till 0700, ***** to your mates but don't ***** to rank.
Don't be afraid to ask why you do something, that's how you learn, but make sure you do it and never ask 'why do I have to do it'. Important distinction, asking why a certain thing is done in a certain way gets you a greater understanding so you can do your duties in a more robust fashion. Asking why you specifically get stuck with a stupid task gets you marked out for a whiny little turd.
Don't look for excuses to be a special little flower, get to know your mates, work hard, do your share, listen and learn from your NCOs and 9 times out of 10 you'll have a good time.
Oh, and this is just a personal preference, don't go and make a dickhead of yourself on the piss, its okay to go and get sloshed with your mates, its okay to do something stupid, but know when to cut it away and don't go trying to front civvies or act like the tough guy out on the town.
Of course, this is all Australian and you are going to the Air force soooooooooo, individual experiance may vary.
Remember, just play the game.
In continutation to my last post. I should not need to tell you that food in the army sucks. That's why the rare barbecue comes as a hugely anticipated event - people can get so hungry, they'll eat it raw. Then there's the adrenalin junkie stuff like shooting your rifle or blowing stuff up with grenades or running an obstacle course. And then there are the quiet moments when you're just sitting around with your friends playing cards or listening to/playing music or talking about what you're going to do when you're out. Oh and if you ever get your hands on night vision goggles I advise you look at the night sky - it's beautiful to see all the stars you don't see with the naked eye.
Here are some personal stories from the "funny in retrospect" category.
There was some holiday feast and the next day the entire base got diarrhea. So the kitchen staff throws out all the food they have and we starve for a couple of days. Then when we go to the dining hall and all they're serving is sugar water (supposedly juice of some kind but it's so diluted there's no flavour) and moldy bread. You'd expect a loaf of bread with mold on it the size of my fist to be the first thing to be thrown out, but apparently the kitchen staff thinks otherwise. And the people start eating it as though it was some delicacy.
Then there was the time we went on patrol on this mountainside. Whenever the commander gives the appropriate hand signal we are supposed to sit down or lie down. We walk and we walk and then the commander gives the signal and I'm standing smack in the middle of a bush made 90% out of thorns. Kind of like this
And I sit down and I moan a little because there's a thousand thorns in my ass. The commander looks at me and says "Go ahead and move if you need to". And I reply "Too late, doesn't matter anymore". When we stand up I clean some of it. 2 hours later back at base, there are still thorns in my ass and I spend half an hour picking them all out.
Another time we were posted guarding a village. The soldiers change every thursday and the food truck comes every sunday. You're supposed to eat half of last week's supplies and half of next week's. We get there and the previous guys emptied out the fridge. Dinner comes and the commander sends one of the soldiers in the squad to go around the village begging for food. Half an hour later the soldier comes back with a tiny tomato. Not much between the six of us. So the commander sends me. I go around knocking on people's doors, explaining our situation and begging for food. After 3 houses I come back with a handful of eggs and tomatoes. We proceed to make tomato omelette. The commander looks at me and says to the other guys "See, this is how you beg for food" and one of the guys says "It's easier for him, he has a prettier face". For the next 2 days I get sent to get us food until one of the families invites us over for dinner.
Then there was another time we went on patrol. It was the middle of the night and the mountainside had such a steep angle (like 60-70 degrees) we were climbing more than walking. We were in full combat gear and I had M16A2E3 - a heavy piece of **** to be holding in your hands especially with the optics. It was very narrow and we were walking in a line 20-30 meters from each other. Somewhere along the way half the squad lost the other half and we spent half an hour trying to find each other in the dark. When we got back I found out that the bipod legs on the M16A2E3 are missing - they are bolted on and aren't supposed to come off the rifle. It was so dark and I was so tired I didn't even notice when they went missing.
Then there was the time we ordered pizza into a warzone. There were artillery shells exploding a few hundred meters from us, the forest around us was burning and we were starving. So we started calling all the local pizza places and obviously they refused to deliver to our location. Until the 9th place we called. The guy came in his van delivering 15 pizzas for everyone to eat. I don't know what went through that guy's head (probably greed fighting fear), but that was my only positive memory from that place (that and beating up my sergeant and lieutenant who ganged up on me, but that was just a mock fight a month before combat began).
Then there was one winter when we weren't given winter equipment and half the people got hypothermia and frost bites. And there was the summer when the guy in front of me in line to the dining hall fainted from dehydration. And the time I fainted from dehydration. And the time they told me to see a doctor because I have pneumonia only there was a mistake with the names and some other guy had it. And the time I fell asleep on the bus back to base and the driver woke me up at the last stop in another town, it was after midnight and no more buses until morning, so I had to walk 2 hours on foot to the right town with 2 bags on me about my own weight. If you wonder why I fell asleep, it's because I've been sleeping 10 hours a week back then. And the time we were at a road block, a truck pulls over, the driver comes out and sprints away, we look inside and the truck is full of drugs.
Sorry if I went a bit dark with my stories (sadly those aren't even the darkest stories).
Here are some personal stories from the "funny in retrospect" category.
There was some holiday feast and the next day the entire base got diarrhea. So the kitchen staff throws out all the food they have and we starve for a couple of days. Then when we go to the dining hall and all they're serving is sugar water (supposedly juice of some kind but it's so diluted there's no flavour) and moldy bread. You'd expect a loaf of bread with mold on it the size of my fist to be the first thing to be thrown out, but apparently the kitchen staff thinks otherwise. And the people start eating it as though it was some delicacy.
Then there was the time we went on patrol on this mountainside. Whenever the commander gives the appropriate hand signal we are supposed to sit down or lie down. We walk and we walk and then the commander gives the signal and I'm standing smack in the middle of a bush made 90% out of thorns. Kind of like this
Another time we were posted guarding a village. The soldiers change every thursday and the food truck comes every sunday. You're supposed to eat half of last week's supplies and half of next week's. We get there and the previous guys emptied out the fridge. Dinner comes and the commander sends one of the soldiers in the squad to go around the village begging for food. Half an hour later the soldier comes back with a tiny tomato. Not much between the six of us. So the commander sends me. I go around knocking on people's doors, explaining our situation and begging for food. After 3 houses I come back with a handful of eggs and tomatoes. We proceed to make tomato omelette. The commander looks at me and says to the other guys "See, this is how you beg for food" and one of the guys says "It's easier for him, he has a prettier face". For the next 2 days I get sent to get us food until one of the families invites us over for dinner.
Then there was another time we went on patrol. It was the middle of the night and the mountainside had such a steep angle (like 60-70 degrees) we were climbing more than walking. We were in full combat gear and I had M16A2E3 - a heavy piece of **** to be holding in your hands especially with the optics. It was very narrow and we were walking in a line 20-30 meters from each other. Somewhere along the way half the squad lost the other half and we spent half an hour trying to find each other in the dark. When we got back I found out that the bipod legs on the M16A2E3 are missing - they are bolted on and aren't supposed to come off the rifle. It was so dark and I was so tired I didn't even notice when they went missing.
Then there was the time we ordered pizza into a warzone. There were artillery shells exploding a few hundred meters from us, the forest around us was burning and we were starving. So we started calling all the local pizza places and obviously they refused to deliver to our location. Until the 9th place we called. The guy came in his van delivering 15 pizzas for everyone to eat. I don't know what went through that guy's head (probably greed fighting fear), but that was my only positive memory from that place (that and beating up my sergeant and lieutenant who ganged up on me, but that was just a mock fight a month before combat began).
Then there was one winter when we weren't given winter equipment and half the people got hypothermia and frost bites. And there was the summer when the guy in front of me in line to the dining hall fainted from dehydration. And the time I fainted from dehydration. And the time they told me to see a doctor because I have pneumonia only there was a mistake with the names and some other guy had it. And the time I fell asleep on the bus back to base and the driver woke me up at the last stop in another town, it was after midnight and no more buses until morning, so I had to walk 2 hours on foot to the right town with 2 bags on me about my own weight. If you wonder why I fell asleep, it's because I've been sleeping 10 hours a week back then. And the time we were at a road block, a truck pulls over, the driver comes out and sprints away, we look inside and the truck is full of drugs.
Sorry if I went a bit dark with my stories (sadly those aren't even the darkest stories).
Ahoy, I think I might be able to help you out with some more recent information. I've been in the Air Force for about 5 months and have just graduated tech school. Some of the information you've been given here about the USAF is a bit outdated, while other stuff is completely untrue.
I don't know about the academy, but I have yet to see any discrimination yet go unpunished. If anything, the Air Force is almost overly politically correct. As for talk of disbanding the Air Force, that's plain ridiculous.
For Basic Military Training, just keep your head down, don't put your hand up to do extra duties, learn your reporting statement, study your memory work, that kind of thing. If you want to be extra prepared, learn the Airman's Creed, and the AF song. If not, it's not a big deal, you'll learn them when you say them every morning and night.
You'll be going in the summer, so expect tough PT and some weight loss. Eat lots at chow, it'll help. Start running and doing pushups/situps if you haven't already. Mentally prepare yourself to be yelled at, because it will happen. Most importantly, remember that it's only 2 months long, and zero week and the first week are the worst weeks, and every week afterwards will be better. Remember that hundreds of Airmen graduate every week.
It's really not so bad, especially with the recent scandals making MTI's limit their tools. Just work hard and be a good wingman to those around you. Once you get to tech school, everything gets much better.
I'll just tell you a bit about tech school, since my recruiter and the MTI's were completely unhelpful. As I recall, Avionics folks have to go to both Keesler, where I went, and Shepherd, in Texas. I can't really help you with specifics about Shepherd, but I imagine both bases are the same. Here's a quick list of stuff off the top of my head:
1. There's a week of anti-rape, anti-drunk driving, anti-whatever powerpoint briefings. Get used to it, you'll have to do more for ATP.
2. When you arrive, you'll be ITP for anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks before you can leave the base and wear civvie clothing outside the dormitory.
3. You'll get room inspections and open ranks (dress uniform inspection) every week till you are ATP, then you just have to do each once a month, usually. Your room will have to be pretty gosh darn clean, but your drawers won't be inspected BMT style.
4. You still have to march from and to class every day, and to lunch at noon, but not after duty hours.
5. Ask around to figure out how hard your classes are, different AFSC's have different difficulties. In the end, as long as you study, you won't have a problem passing AF tests.
6. Enjoy yourself! If you've gotten this far, it'll feel like a major break from BMT.
If you have any more questions, I'll try to check back in here. Or just message me.
Cheers,
An A1C.
Yeaaah... this is all pretty untrue. The USAF has some of the best quality of living you'll find in the military, to the point that it's become a bit of a joke how much better our bases and dormitories are. Once you get to the operational AF, after tech school, you'll have a room to yourself pretty much no matter where you go.Zontar said:
I don't know about the academy, but I have yet to see any discrimination yet go unpunished. If anything, the Air Force is almost overly politically correct. As for talk of disbanding the Air Force, that's plain ridiculous.
For Basic Military Training, just keep your head down, don't put your hand up to do extra duties, learn your reporting statement, study your memory work, that kind of thing. If you want to be extra prepared, learn the Airman's Creed, and the AF song. If not, it's not a big deal, you'll learn them when you say them every morning and night.
You'll be going in the summer, so expect tough PT and some weight loss. Eat lots at chow, it'll help. Start running and doing pushups/situps if you haven't already. Mentally prepare yourself to be yelled at, because it will happen. Most importantly, remember that it's only 2 months long, and zero week and the first week are the worst weeks, and every week afterwards will be better. Remember that hundreds of Airmen graduate every week.
It's really not so bad, especially with the recent scandals making MTI's limit their tools. Just work hard and be a good wingman to those around you. Once you get to tech school, everything gets much better.
I'll just tell you a bit about tech school, since my recruiter and the MTI's were completely unhelpful. As I recall, Avionics folks have to go to both Keesler, where I went, and Shepherd, in Texas. I can't really help you with specifics about Shepherd, but I imagine both bases are the same. Here's a quick list of stuff off the top of my head:
1. There's a week of anti-rape, anti-drunk driving, anti-whatever powerpoint briefings. Get used to it, you'll have to do more for ATP.
2. When you arrive, you'll be ITP for anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks before you can leave the base and wear civvie clothing outside the dormitory.
3. You'll get room inspections and open ranks (dress uniform inspection) every week till you are ATP, then you just have to do each once a month, usually. Your room will have to be pretty gosh darn clean, but your drawers won't be inspected BMT style.
4. You still have to march from and to class every day, and to lunch at noon, but not after duty hours.
5. Ask around to figure out how hard your classes are, different AFSC's have different difficulties. In the end, as long as you study, you won't have a problem passing AF tests.
6. Enjoy yourself! If you've gotten this far, it'll feel like a major break from BMT.
If you have any more questions, I'll try to check back in here. Or just message me.
Cheers,
An A1C.
Well I'm just saying the hearsay I've gotten from service members I've met. Though in all honesty the main point of contention seems to be the academy itself more then the branch, with the people with the worst things to say about the academy being people who have been there. (though admittedly the person I know who had the absolute worst opinion of it I met while on shore leave. Guy was so drunk I thought he was a sailor and had to be removed from the bar by MPs. If his rambling was to be believed his transfer to Japan was because of his reporting of major infractions at the academy. I don't really believe him because of the state he was in when he said it, but even disregarding him I still wonder just what the hell is happening in Colorado and why their reputation is even half as bad as it is)Newtonyd said:
For the talk about disbanding the air force though, this isn't just something that's been going around in the US, this is apparently a NATO-wide discussion right now since the air force is, fundamentally, a branch with acts to further the ends of the Army or Navy (and Marines in the case of the US) but never its own, and with most countries having a de-facto Army's air force and Navy's air force already the question "do we even need a separate air force?" is being taken pretty seriously. Sure nothing might come of it, and nothing probably will, but it's also the same line of thought which say the air force created in the first place as well, so the possibilities are always there.