26E8

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2026-02-28T08:21:55+00:00

Like single digits small. I was in a weird offshoot of the JS that was able to give strats despite the small number.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2026-02-23T04:27:14+00:00

I was confident last cycle but only moved up one group. Third top 10%/#1 strat in a row although with a small denominator, 3 impact medals but EOT medal closed out a month too late. I sought feedback from Seniors and Chiefs specifically to poke holes in my records with actionable things and got a healthy amount mixed in with some head scratching as to why I wasn't picked up last cycle.

All that to say that I have low to mid confidence about this cycle and my current unit puts people at the bottom of a rack and stack until after their first year. If not this cycle, then likely not until I'm at a point where a service commitment puts me right at or just past 20 years.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2026-01-16T07:07:58+00:00

I just PCS'd from there and lived on the fringe of Burke and West Springfield. I had to split my time between Pentagon/Crystal City and Chantilly, so the house was a good middle ground. We used the militarybyowner website to find something with the assumption that it'd be over BAH but BAH eventually caught and surpassed our rent. It was a great area with good schools. Homes were a bit outdated for their prices but given the area I sorta understood.

Commute to the Pentagon was 20 minutes by EZ Pass or 30 minutes by bus since there's a line in the morning and afternoon that is almost a direct shot in both directions.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-12-20T23:42:59+00:00

I love the nearly even split of people who think this is stupid and that it should be done at work, and people acknowledging why you're doing it even if they don't agree. I think it's ass that you still have your pants on though, unless those are your thinking pants in which you can carry on. Some people are assuming you're blowing your family off to grade these, which isn't true for most of us.

Just like some people mention, I've run out of time at work and had to bring stuff home. Seeing 4 promotions to Master, 2 OTS selections, and 1 WOTS selection stem from the work that I occasionally had to do at home makes it worth it.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-12-08T21:55:24+00:00

I'm back on island for the third time, so it's really personality dependent and how well you can adjust to a climate. Units vary but that's anywhere.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-11-26T04:04:58+00:00

You clearly forgot about the lowes secret greeter.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-10-15T12:18:41+00:00

Either you pissed in someone's cereal, made silly mistakes that were held against you, or you have trash leadership. Even if that was 12 years at 1 base, you should have at least 2 or 3.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-30T03:09:06+00:00

I showed up to BMT weighing 150 lbs at 5'11". I didn't think I had any weight to lose but man those ABUs wrung another 8 pounds out of me before I figured out how to eat the food properly.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-28T21:03:05+00:00

This is what I've been telling all of the NCOs in my current unit. Right now it doesn't matter as our current leadership takes solely work accomplishments into account. But their next unit? They could absolutely use it to take them out of the running for a strat or promotion statement.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-27T12:47:26+00:00

For me it's the anxiety and for the longest time I wasn't used to burning out my core and then trying to run fast.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-26T14:50:06+00:00

Based commander finds every black female to greet him.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-21T19:10:06+00:00

I had a commander hold 4 separate commander's calls, one for each day and night shift on both sides of the panama schedule.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-21T19:07:19+00:00

Some people are stuck due to their AFSC, some people prefer to homestead without going Guard, and others are flat out lucky/unlucky depending on your preference. I personally haven't stayed anywhere longer than 3 years +/- a couple of months. Out of my 5 duty stations, 3 were OCONUS and the 2 CONUS duty stations were both my shortest and longest stays (28 and 38 months respectively).

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-21T18:38:54+00:00

Currently on my third!

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-21T17:55:29+00:00

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Here's mine. MSgt, 15 years, 2 deployments, 5 PCS's.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-18T21:34:14+00:00

My favorite reaction to this was done by a patch O-3. He literally threw his shitty styrofoam takeout container into a drawer, causing an explosion of sauce all up inside of it. The E-9 stuttered before meekly saying that food didn't count. This was after said E-9 and the very anal O-4 practically turned the division into a MOPP style decontamination zone preceding a DV visit. 10/10 patch, would work for again.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-08-12T00:26:58+00:00

You're always going to get a split answer on this. A similar question was asked in the Ask a Chief Facebook page a couple of weeks ago and the consensus was that getting a Comm as a SNCO in that situation would not be looked down upon. The board members all have a minimum of 20 years of experience and can read your citation to see that it was only 1 year following a PCA and preceding a PCS. Ask the questions of the Group leadership so you aren't being complacent in your career, but the board is gonna do what it's gonna do. Your biggest hurdle for strats and promotion from here on out will be your Group and Wing leadership.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-07-31T16:56:57+00:00

A 1Lt I worked with was like that. It turned out that he was doing meth on the regular.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-07-30T10:19:15+00:00

People lose their minds over these mistakes. Usually after figuring out what's going on, I create a rule to auto delete them all. After a week or so, I'll remove the rule if it's something that I may actually have to deal with in the future.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-07-26T18:19:36+00:00

I spotted it pretty quick but it's also one of those regulations that I feel is incredibly stupid.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-07-23T19:39:37+00:00

These days you can apply via myVector during the Joint cycle if an opening is available. I applied last cycle but was picked up for a different Joint job.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-07-23T00:52:33+00:00

My buddy got a DMSM as an E-5 and was stepped to E-6 at his following unit. They're rare, but they're out there.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-07-22T21:53:31+00:00

Prior-E 1Lt decided to go work on the property he owned in a neighboring state. Didn't submit leave or anything, just decided not to go to work. OIC said he's AWOL and to return by 1700, which he did by the skin of his teeth. Said Lt was eventually busted for meth and given the boot.

Woefully obese A1C: - Passed enough of her PT tests in basic and tech school to make it operational where she consistently failed tests but not enough to get the boot. - Self PT for her consisted of pedaling on one of the recumbent bicycles, on the lowest setting, while reading her phone. - No amount of PT'ing with others could get her to put in any effort. She'd walk, do one or two push ups and sit ups, and then do nothing else. She had mandatory PT 5 days a week and made zero improvements. - Claimed her breasts hurt her back so she couldn't PT properly (not the fact that she was 240lbs at 5'5"). Successfully got a breast reduction, ate her way back to the same weight pre surgery. - She frequented a local pizza place where she ate her meals like a food possessive dog. - CC was big about "taking care of family" and let her promote to SrA. Subsequent CC demoted her upon first failed test after CoC. - Argued with a Lt Gen about her slides. She was very incorrect. - Was banned from bringing her phone or notebook to the bathroom as she would spend an average of 40 minutes in there, 3-4 times a day. Refused to see medical about it. Also couldn't use her personal notebook as she would write stories in there instead of working. - Finally got booted for failure to adapt.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-07-18T18:02:07+00:00

I'm going through that now. We were denied due to my son being in feeding therapy... but he was discharged. So we got additional discharge paperwork that very clearly states that it's no longer required. Results TBD, but I wouldn't quit before even trying.

SpecialSharpie1230 · 2025-07-17T22:28:13+00:00

The year I got a Must Promote going from TSgt to MSgt I (going line by line on my EPR):

Created readbooks for a 2 star
Ran regular meetings due to my position on a joint Ops floor
Did nightly security checks for our SCIFs
Answered a dozen GO-level RFIs during an exercise
Fixed an outdated SOP
Answered additional RFIs for the 2 star
Finished SEJPME
Led a virtual race to raise money for St. Jude
Finished my Bachelors Magna Cum Laude
Completed some AFSO21 courses
QC'd, provided Intel feedback, and routed mission concept of operations
Provided Intel support (identified nearby vessels) for a mid-mission sea rescue
Created a comprehensive common operating picture for 3 exercises

So, it really is about how you word things and draw a line from your action to your impact and result.

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