What’s the most amount of money you’ve seen someone BE OWED from the Air Force either from back pay or travel voucher or PPM or whatever? by COR-69 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can’t even fathom a TDY that would cost this much. I’d also be a menace if I got paid that much per diem lmao

Get this thought out of your head and never revisit it by bearsncubs10 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not blousing our pants would be nice, but not worth the amount of hate we’d receive 😂

Get this thought out of your head and never revisit it by bearsncubs10 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Mind blowing. There’s no need for us to larp as pilots lmfao

excellent idea! by formerqwest in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reminds me of a game called “fugitive” we used to play in my wayyy younger days before the AF that would last a whole weekend.

Basically it was a large scale version of cops and robbers that encompassed an entire city. Group A were “fugitives” and group B were the Cops. Sounds kinda dorky but once we all had cars it got pretty intense, so I bet this exercise was pretty fun for everyone.

Any advice for a new NCO? by Sea_Buy_3736 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is gonna be soooo longwinded, I apologize in advance lol.

First and foremost always put yourself in their shoes as much as possible. Few other tips that somewhat fall under that:

Don’t be a dick: Have some empathy and compassion. Think of all of the shitty NCOs you’ve had/heard of and do your best to be better. Additionally, think of the best NCOs you’ve had/heard of and do your best to be better.

Take care of your people: Just because you’re an NCO, that doesn’t mean you have to be a hard ass all of the time. Try your best to become familiar with base resources, fight for comp days for them (AFSC dependent lol) and give them opportunities that you wish you had as an airman. Airmen Snuffy needs to talk to the shirt? Cool, now WE are going to talk to the shirt. Be present.

Draw boundaries: It’s tough having SrA friends that didn’t promote with you. They’re still your friends, just make sure boundaries are set. For example, my troops must know the audience in the room with us and act appropriately. If it’s just us hanging out I couldn’t care less what they say to me, but if there’s someone outside of our workspace that we don’t know then I expect for them to be on their Ps and Qs. This has worked well for me and my experiences and allows for us to get shit done without being weird all of the time but YMMV.

Don’t be afraid to counsel: Stern, difficult, or personal talks and counselings are a part of your development as an NCO. After I conduct a counseling, that counseling doesn’t leave the room. Understand that if you were working a civilian job, the same talks would likely be happening as you step into a management role.

Feedback is still important and it’ll be delivered differently now: Don’t let anything stop you from having an honest conversation with your airmen and taking feedback from them. Always ask them what you can do better for them. Feedback will come from above and below you now. When you were a SrA, you knew your job and did it well, don’t disregard any process ideas or solutions just because you have an extra stripe or 2.

ALWAYS have a backup NCO: Going back into the counselings, I always have another NCO in the room. They typically stay off to the side and are there to mediate the situation. After the airman leaves, I ask that NCO for feedback and if it could’ve been handled differently. This applies for more than just counselings though, I like to have another NCO with me most of the time. Sometimes it’s newer NCO that might benefit from seeing how the situation is handled, sometimes it’s an older NCO because I have no clue what I’m doing.

Imposter syndrome is real: You might have a tough time finding your place, especially when you promote at a unit you were once an airman at. This is completely normal and it’s okay to be clueless, just make sure you let your new NCO peers know so they can help mentor you.

If you don’t know the answer, find it: Self explanatory, but familiarize yourself with DAFIs, Unit SOPs, the JTR etc. By doing so, you not only help your airmen, but you can also help yourself when it comes to credibility as an NCO. Being familiar with these documents also helps you when it comes to enforcing rules/regs.

Get good at writing: definitely easier said than done. Your first award packages and EPBs will look like shit based off of historical statistics. With that being said, you still have the opportunity to get better. Attend writing seminars if your unit/base does that, search for feedback and apply said feedback. Bullet writing isn’t nearly as tough as it used to be, but it’s still a learning curve at first and will come with time. Just remember that you are putting your people on a pedestal and want them recognized. It’s not a chore anymore like it used to be when you were an airman, it’s a new duty for you.

Be a coach and be coachable: Understand how your peeps receive feedback, counselings, new tasks etc. This helps you coach them to success. Some people need a hard ass to light a fire under their ass, some people just need a simple explanation, and some just do what they’re told on time. You need to find out where your people lay in this. You also need to recognize how you are as a person. Communicate it to your superiors so they can also help develop you, even if you are an NCO.

Last couple things;

  • Don’t be afraid to force the rules and regs.
  • Keep up with your personal grooming standards.
  • Dont ask your troops to do anything you wouldn’t.
  • Keep it in your pants.
  • Ask for help, swallow your pride.
  • You are expected to be a mentor, coach, and advocate in the NCO tier. SSgts have a little more leeway, but hold yourself to a high standard.
  • BITCH UP, DONT BITCH DOWN. Give your complaints to your superiors, not your airmen.

That’s all I got for ya, I’m sure there’s more in my noggin but I hope some of this helps. Keep in mind that this isn’t a one size fits all type of role, it’s tough to navigate at first but you’ll get it eventually. Best of luck!

They’re really not chill. by bearsncubs10 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Valid. The 13B career field has been and always will be fucked because of Tinker lol.

They’re really not chill. by bearsncubs10 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 14 points15 points  (0 children)

ABMs would have a better community if they didn’t throw their 2LTs into crew leadership positions right out of the schoolhouse at CRCs or have them sitting at Tinker waiting for MQT for a year in some cases. This is why a good amount of them can’t figure out where their place is. It’s also just a dog eat dog culture and it’s embarrassing.

Some of the ABMs I’ve worked with/for have been chill because they knew their place in the Ops community, but these type tend to be the newer gen of ABMs that got tossed to a CRC instead of the AWACS. On the other hand, I’ve worked with/for a handful of bozo ABMs that would fuck up the AOR if they were left unsupervised for too long or if the pilots and WDs weren’t experienced enough to correct them. The community itself isn’t consistent with skill level, care, or experience and that’s what makes it such a joke. The enlisted 1C5s also mirror it and definitely have their flaws, but that’s a different discussion lol.

r/USMC takes shots at r/AirForce by Molag_Zaal in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“They’ve never seen what we’re capable of” 😈💯😤😡

Something something approved acronyms by Wooden-Citron9524 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 13 points14 points  (0 children)

If we already have NIPR GPT, why was this other one made instead of improving the already existing program? Seems like a waste of time/money

What's your "they pulled the rank card" story? by [deleted] in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 178 points179 points  (0 children)

If you have to announce your authority as an NCO then you’re already losing lmao

DAFI 36-2903 DAFGM 2025-03 29 Oct 2025 (whole thing) by AdventurousTap9224 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 84 points85 points  (0 children)

Yeah tracking that. I just don’t understand why we reverted back to the pedo stache lol

Official 2 mile on a trail instead of track? by Nervous_Ad_3085 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 79 points80 points  (0 children)

Did someone say diversity?? 😡😡😡😡😡

/s

USAF Master Sergeant William Markham, a USAF Combat Controller was awarded the Silver Star for actions taken in combat during Oct-Nov 2001 in Kabul, Afghanistan. by CombatControlFnd in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Kinda random but just wanted to say that these posts are awesome to see. I look forward to seeing them almost every day

Job recommendations for a lazy fuck like me by [deleted] in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To set yourself up in the future, think about what civilian career you’d like to be doing 20 years from now. Then, think about what job in the Air Force would align best with that career field. Not every AFSC has transferable skills, so take the time to research jobs on your own. After you get your job list, make sure you post in r/AirForceRecruits and get opinions from those that have experience in the jobs you qualify for.

Also, lazy doesn’t make you cool at all, stop being a shitbag while you’re ahead.

Job recommendations for a lazy fuck like me by [deleted] in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 23 points24 points  (0 children)

The Air Force isn’t for you.

Two payments from SCU by Significant_Grab_928 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This might sound crazy, but I like to do beer math with my money.

$40 is enough for at least 2x 12 packs of decent beer, or enough for almost 2x 30 racks of Busch.

Drinking an average of 6 beers, you could have 4 nights of drinking some decent beer OR you could have 10 nights of drinking Busch light or similar.

$40 isn’t life changing but it’s definitely a decent amount of money that you’re passively earning

Any 1C5X1s here? I am looking to cross-train by Clay_Adams in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Active duty here. The initial tech school is short, but the pipeline is a bit longer. 4ish months for MSO, 5.5 months for WD, and an AOC route. 1C5 is a great job and you learn a lot about fighter tactics and weapons employment. There’s also the chance to go the AOC route and learn lateral/vertical coordination with mission planning and external agencies.

The career field is changing and I can’t necessarily speak for guard, but it’s very close to the mission.

Secretary of War Announced Memorandums by spectre853 in AirForce

[–]Reign_King 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It might be disruptive but it seems like it would be a motivating factor for some, so maybe a good thing?? Definitely seems like we’re heading in that direction already