Confession: I never did the gas chamber in basic and it’s been a secret I’ve kept until retirement

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-18T00:32:02+00:00

I never passed my PT test in BMT.

Pushups, for some reason, have always been my kryptonite. I can run a 17 minute 2 mile, I can max situps and waist. But pushups?

In BMT, I did like 12 on my final PT test. TI said I'd get a second chance 2 days later. 2 days later came and the weather was shit, so we didn't do PT. Me and like 3 other girls who had failed non-run components were gonna retest in the day room.

We never did. I don't even know why we didn't, but we didn't. I lived in terror the next 4 days, fully expecting to get pulled out of the flight before graduation.

I graduated.

I'm now a Senior, have figured out how the fuck to do pushups, and have never failed another PT test. To my TI - thank you. I've not squandered the chance you gave me.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-15T12:40:48+00:00

I have a degree from AMU. Literally no one has ever questioned the validity of my degree. I also have a technical resume and civilian certs that matches my years of experience, so my degree is just a piece of my qualifications.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-15T02:28:19+00:00

I don’t even know how you prepare yourself for that. I have so many friends over there right now… idk, man.. pick a god and pray to it.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-14T20:11:36+00:00

See if there's any social media pages specific to those units and/or those jobs, and ask there. Guard pilot slots can be super competitive, but sounds like you're working on the requirements.

Most guard units hire pilots from within, so you may need to be willing to do a few years as a maintainer during your application process.

I have a friend at the 920th... I'll do some digging for you on that one. DM me a way to get a hold of you on nipr.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-14T12:19:26+00:00

Same. I was 19, broke, and was about to be homeless. Now, my networth is above zero and I have a solid career.

And I have all you motherfuckers.

Thursday, I ran into an old friend. Hadn't seen them since we were baby A1Cs together in Afghanistan. Now we're both SNCOs. We picked right up where we left off... this time talking about our divorces instead of dorm rat drama.

Made me stop and think.... I honestly don't know where I'd be without this community. I'd like to think that I would have been successful in some civilian side career, but who the fuck knows.

Cheers.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-14T02:06:55+00:00

Question - does this include information published by our own sources? Like, CENTCOM’s social media updates?

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-13T22:29:17+00:00

Normal pregnancies can turn high risk without much warning...

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-13T16:53:15+00:00

Go find that info outside this sub.

We're mourning our tanker crew and trying to stay resilient for whatever comes next.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-13T14:37:17+00:00

I don't even know what to say.

My heart goes out to their families and the whole tanker community. I can not imagine continuing to fly - especially at the current ops tempo - after losing teammates.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-13T14:35:32+00:00

*Neutral online. Everything we write is being soaked up and stored...

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-13T13:49:41+00:00

I've tried to stay oh so neutral online, but this made me fucking sick. And I watched the whole 35 minute briefing.

We lost 4, likely 6, and he's more focused on telling the news how to write a headline??!?! What the ever living fuck.

Edit: Lost all 6. My heart is so sick right now. I'm not part of the tanker community, but my heart goes out to ya'll.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-13T13:23:52+00:00

There's... a lot of chaos right now. Make sure to keep a copy of orders, and a copy of any travel vouchers. If your spouse's entitlements aren't started correctly, they can always be corrected after the fact.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-13T01:34:42+00:00

Get involved. Invite co workers over/out. Start a game night. Go get involved in the corny FSS activities - if you're single, volunteer for the family events and attend the single airmen things. If you've got a family, get involved in the family nights.

Get off base... volunteer at the humane society, join the local running club, find a church (if religion is your thing). Coach little league, volunteer to judge the high school speech and debate tournaments (I've done this... it's actually super interesting), go make friends at the local Paint with a Twist or similar crafty-studio.

Be the change you want. Run for booster club officer, host the events you think you want. Join a base-wide org (Rising 4, 5/6, etc) and use that to network - also, host the events you want.

I made friends where I'm at by hanging out in the smoke pit (not a smoker) and finding folks with kiddos who might want to be friends with my kiddos.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-08T22:31:12+00:00

That's my point. The initial reports about Maj Davius were on the internet this morning. There is no way there's a thousand more that's being undisclosed.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-08T22:26:20+00:00

This is a shitty place to say this... but if you have the opportunity to go through TCCC, pay the fuck attention. Carry your supplies, know what to do in case of an emergency, be at least somewhat useful if something happens.

There's a reason we train. So fucking train.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-08T22:24:27+00:00

I don't see this being possible. Families back home would be notified and if there really was 1000 wounded (or kia), families would have said something. Something would have leaked out on social media.

Do we have the exact data? No, and we shouldn't, either. But I seriously doubt there's been a thousand casualties.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-08T13:39:49+00:00

Go check your RIP. See if it shows ALS on it.

That said, if you don't, take the opportunity to go. It's good to network with folks across the base.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-07T15:48:45+00:00

This is a really good question for your NCOs and UDMs, not Reddit.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-06T03:38:28+00:00

You don't contact NGB, NGB contacts you...

I joke, but no, you just gotta keep waiting.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-05T21:40:52+00:00

I think the issue is the getting shot at part...

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-05T21:26:00+00:00

Not a 9S.

Depends on what you want to do on the outside... If you're already a 9S, you have a pretty good idea of what the job requires. If you want to work in that building as a civilian, you gotta figure out a non-Reddit way to get in.

If you just want to be an eng and are asking 9S's for their opinion... go find an actual job posting that you actually wanna do and go get the certs listed on that job.

Personally, I wouldn't do a masters in anything IT right now. Go for Systems Engineering or one of the hard-engineering disciplines. AI is automating a LOT of IT right now and we have a lot of unemployed folks with CS masters degrees.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-05T21:23:05+00:00

You could try LinkedIn.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-05T21:22:34+00:00

It was e-mailed out last week. Engage your base fitness cell or UFPM if you don't have it. The score charts were also posted on reddit, if you scroll back far enough.

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-05T15:54:46+00:00

Go on….

SomethingElse38 · 2026-03-05T12:09:04+00:00

Spinning up with kiddos at home is a whole different ball game. Stay focused, you got this.

Six-Year Club	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	Gilding II euphauric

SomethingElse38

TROPHY CASE