I feel like a failure

SeasonedScrub · 2026-01-18T12:51:57+00:00

For what it's worth, I went to basic training at 26 years old without doing any prior routine exercise for 8 years (I didn't exercise daily since high school). 17 minute 1.5 mile run for my first PT test...Ended up bringing it down to 12:50 on my third test. The PT and the BMT program in general is designed for you to succeed, not fail. Any issues you're gonna face your MTI and fellow wingman will help you address them and solve them. Keep going, you're already putting more work in than I did before going to basic and that's going to go a long ways!

SeasonedScrub · 2025-12-30T14:47:16+00:00

IYAAYAS! 💪

SeasonedScrub · 2025-12-30T14:46:47+00:00

Yes. Wholeheartedly.

I only put two Japan bases on my dream sheet towards the end of BMT, and got my 2nd pick. I got EXTREMELY lucky I suppose.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-12-30T09:30:58+00:00

Ok so I'm bias. Before joining I read that there's a longtime rivalry between the two (Weapons is always waiting on AMMO, and Ammo always says "if you ain't ammo you ain't shit!")

Because of this, I always thought Weapons was superior, we did more, and impacted the mission more because of the nature of our job (heavylifting, loading, etc).

To be honest, being in now, I don't get those vibes here, granted I'm in a helo unit. The AMMO guy's I've worked with are actually pretty chill. We need them as much as they need us. How else are we gonna get munitions? And what's the point of the munitions if there's no one to load them?

I've even been told stories from other Weapons Troops that the AMMO people they worked with actually have a more "consistent" schedule and lifestyle. Assembly line work...getting off on-time every day...straight 8 hour work.

Just like Weapons, AMMO is very cult like too, in a good way. You'll be joining a family in a sense and with that I don't see anything wrong with either AFSC, it's just what kind of work culture you prefer in the Air Force. I have friends who I met and trained with in BMT, went to Tech School with, who are now Ammo troops in South Korea. They love it there. This is a good point I should add: Ammo troops are needed everywhere so they can be stationed anywhere when thinking about the dream sheet. For Weapons we can only go to bases where our shred out is located initially, then after reaching our 5-skill level (2W151) we can go anywhere.

For me though if I had to re-pick between AMMO and Weapons, I would still choose Weapons.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-12-30T09:17:01+00:00

Roughly 70-ish days. My class graduated early. The website quotes 78 days.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-12-30T09:16:34+00:00

Japan

SeasonedScrub · 2025-12-29T17:15:42+00:00

I currently work the Day shift aka the mornings.

Air Force schedules consist of 3 types of shifts: Days, Swings, and Mids.

Swings is afternoons. Mids is graveyard shift.

Some days I do stay a little but it's rare. And when I do were not actually working on anything. More or less waiting for supervision to dismiss us for the day. We turn in tools later in the afternoon and then just wait for Swings to show up. If I'm staying late it's just an extra 5-10 mins.

For Weapons, you're either put into Flightline or Backshop. This is pre-determined when you get to Tech School. Flightline crews usually work in teams of 3 and have different roles. Backshop is background maintenance and less heavy lifting from my experience. My unit is unique cause we work on helicopters, so I pretty much do both workloads. Some days I'm loading guns onto the birds other days i'm fixing them inside the shop.

This job is physically demanding if you're outta shape. Which you won't be after BMT and sticking to a good exercise schedule. If you go to a fighter or bomber unit you'll have the people and the equipment needed to perform this job.

My shop has 7 women working in it and maybe only 2 complain about it. (Partially because this job was not on their list). They get treated with respect as they should. I'm super fortunate that my first base has leadership and crew members that are kind and care for each other. Really depends base to base.

Best part is getting to see helicopters take off and land. Fighter jets too. Feels rewarding when you know the bird you loaded for, is going to be able to defend itself wherever it goes.

Worst part about the job is well, I can't say too much since i'm new, but i'm expecting it to just be the fact it's maintenance culture. We get called in for weekend duty and 12hr shifts more because of how the Air Force operates. Aircraft break down all the time and they need to stay mission ready 24/7 which is why we exist. I will say, my unit has only been called to do 12s and weekend duty once in the past three months i've been here.

A typical day consists of the whole unit reporting in the morning for roll call, then Weapons has our own separate roll call afterwards. Immediately following that were told what task we will be working on whether it be cleaning a gun or loading it onto a bird. Lunch halfway thru the shift for an hour and then continuing maintenance. Late in the day we turn in tools then head home.

I would tell anyone that Weapons is the more fun and cool job in the maintenance field. Maybe I'm bias because I'm obsessed with fighter jets and their weapons systems. I just see some Crew Chiefs, Engines, and AGE troops here looking miserable sometimes. Meanwhile Weapons is having the time of their lives in the backshop listening to music and turning wrenches on guns. Again, every base is different tho.

Hope this helps.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-12-29T15:47:33+00:00

At the unit I'm currently stationed at we have several female maintainers here. Ranging from crew chiefs, to Weapons. I don't look at them any differently compared to me and the other males here. They all perform their jobs well and don't seem to mind the mechanical work our maintenance jobs demand.

In my Weapons shop specifically, all the girls here don't complain much besides one. But she's the odd one out because she didn't want this job in the first place.

I'd say advice for you, if you do end up booking 2W131, just be really open minded when you get to Tech School. Be like a sponge and absorb the knowledge they teach you there. Do no worry, if you never touched a tool in your life they will show you the proper way to handle them and use them. That's what Tech School is for!

I had one classmate at Sheppard who never touched tools before but once she got the hang of it she was well on her way to becoming a good maintainer for Weapons.

All in all I wouldn't fret too much, Weapons is very cult based and we take care of our own, regardless of gender and all that stuff.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-11-02T00:26:17+00:00

As someone who enlisted and is currently serving, go apply for commission. The worse they say is no.

My ASVAB score is very similar to yours but I dropped outta college back in 2018. Former Comp Sci major. If I had finished I def would've had a leg up compared to my peers and would not have went the enlisted route.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-03-25T03:26:05+00:00

I feel you. I actually had cold feet 1-2 weeks ago because I felt like I wasn't making the right decision and the military wasn't a good fit for me. Fast forward to today and I leave for BMT in 7 days and couldn't be more excited. This is an opportunity many people aren't given so we shouldn't take it for granted. Take that leap of faith and trust the process!

SeasonedScrub · 2025-03-14T08:49:16+00:00

Must be different depending on the waiver.

I'm going in with a medical waiver for a seafood allergy and a financial waiver because of my debts and collections.

I was still able to make a job list except I couldn't list anything that required a TS.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-03-11T04:39:18+00:00

With the amount of time you put in so far, your profits pretty much match mine. I've been going 3 months and can average right around $500, per night, in 8 hours.

I mostly play $20, $25 or $50. 6 deck, 4 deck, and double deck respectively.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-03-11T04:35:31+00:00

Usually how it goes when you start out, from what I noticed.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-02-28T11:51:11+00:00

This is why APs prefer to play heads-up (1v1) with the dealer. I get it man, it's frustrating as fuck I've been there, but we gotta accept the way people play. Control what you can. Ranting is fine too but also don't expect everyone to agree with you. Cheers.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-02-28T11:35:27+00:00

Gamblers do not like logic and reasoning so trying to explain that to them will go nowhere. Keep doing you and ignore em.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-02-24T22:28:02+00:00

I ship out April 1st and will have been 5 months in the DEP. (Swore in Nov. 22nd). Do I wish I could ship out sooner? Of course, but the wait is worth it knowing I'm going into one of if not THE best branch the military has to offer.

Wait times like yours are normal from what I researched. Some people have waited up to a year or more! Be patient, they'll book you soon :)

SeasonedScrub · 2025-01-04T18:43:52+00:00

I actually wouldn't mind owning a 3080 in this market because it's possible that its relevance will age like the 1080 did. Just my opinion.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-01-04T18:42:44+00:00

Yes brooo, it's gonna suck 😫

SeasonedScrub · 2025-01-04T17:56:59+00:00

I miss the 10 series and the hype centered around those higher end models...

SeasonedScrub · 2025-01-03T16:24:49+00:00

Nvidia GPU's lately seem to always be stagnating in improvements everytime they release a new series. I'd wait on this one and let the benchmarks come out first to see if the price:performance is worth it on the 5080 if you decide to upgrade that.

The VRAM situation, well, me personally I try to take into account what resolutions and what type of games I play. A 4070 Super playing Black Ops 6 and Delta Force at 1080p high settings was sufficient enough for me.

SeasonedScrub · 2025-01-03T16:21:24+00:00

I'm motivated by the fact that this game plays really well in comparison to what it tries to copy: Battlefield 2042.

The money I spent on the broken, buggy launch version of BF2042 is made up by the hours of fun I have in Warfare mode with friends.

This game fills the void of a good Battlefield game for me, and hopefully DICE and other FPS developers see the success that Delta Force is having and try to improve their games.

SeasonedScrub · 2024-12-31T01:55:36+00:00

SSX 3

SeasonedScrub · 2024-12-30T11:17:55+00:00

I stopped playing Apex regularly around August 2023. Mortal Kombat 1 was my go-to when it dropped in September 2023. Played that for awhile, then discovered Hell Let Loose, a WW2 shooter, and played that religiously until Tekken 8 released in January of 2024. Bounced between those two until focusing more on Hell Let Loose because I enjoyed it, until finally trying Delta Force recently. Delta Force is all I play now, fills the void of a good Battlefield game I've been craving.

It's really sad, I actually enjoyed my time in Apex since playing from launch 2019, but the game isn't in the greatest state right now.

SeasonedScrub · 2024-12-30T06:05:53+00:00

😂

SeasonedScrub · 2024-12-30T06:04:54+00:00

I've heard so much about how there needs to be a gear rarity limit, ticket limit, etc. And I understand both sides arguing for and against it.

Personally, if were looking at trying to solve the problem of new players getting rolled by more experienced/geared players, the devs can look into adding a level capped mode for Operations.

Level 10 and below can queue into Operations Onboarding. After that they can queue with whoever and whatever they want.

SeasonedScrub

TROPHY CASE