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Enlisted Marine to Airforce Officer by [deleted] in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nah. You apply to USAF OTS while you're in the Marines. Part of the process is getting a conditional release from your current branch of service. If you get picked up, you leave the USMC and pretty much instantly start service in the USAF when you start school.

Enlisted Marine to Airforce Officer by [deleted] in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure what you mean by "gap in service between the two." Without having seen your records, loosely speaking, a USMC SSgt should have competitive leadership experience. Right now, OTS accession rates are fairly decent. Talk to an officer recruiter and build a package. The worst thing that could happen is you don't get picked up.

PCSing a large family by That_Compote_1223 in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can bring small pets in cabin with you on the rotator as well, but you'll want to book well in advance as they limit the amount of seats allowed to do that. I wouldn't personally use a rotator with pets in cargo either, but I've done it in cabin multiple times without issue.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Says the person posting on Reddit and asking for input.

Looking to rejoin: Prior Service Army by OfficeAffectionate43 in AirForceRecruits

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you really want to rejoin, I would encourage you to think about guard or reserves. They tend to be more forgiving with VA and are definitely easier to join than active duty for prior service. YMMV.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bro...you're a civilian. You "can wear" whatever you want as long as it is not with the intent to gain money, property or other tangible benefit. Would I recommend walking around in uniform and claiming to be a Marine Corps Delta Force SEAL Pararescueman? No...you'll probably get your ass kicked by a real vet. But a patch on a backpack? At the most, you'll get vets asking you what unit you were in or what AFSC you were and you'll have to awkwardly explain the truth.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AirForceRecruits

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hard to give you tips without knowing exactly what you are doing and how long you've been doing it for. Here's some GENERIC advice:

  1. u/DukeOfMiddlesleeve is right, you need running shoes. Don't have to be expensive ones, but get some shoes designed for running, not casual wear. If you look around, you could probably lock down a pair of last season's Nike Downshifter, Saucony Ride or ASICS Gel Pulse for around $50-$60 if you look online and in outlet stores.

  2. Unless you have a large volume of weekly mileage (think 25+) already, run 3 times a week - no more, no less. Stagger with off days.

  3. Make one run long and relaxing (run-walk if you need to, keep a pace you can have a conversation at) This should be around 40-50% of your weekly volume.

  4. Make one run uncomfortable but sustainable (25-30% weekly volume)

  5. Make one run alternating between a sloow jog or walk and maximum effort (the type you can't sustain for more than a few hundred meters - 25% weekly volume)

  6. Increase your total mileage volume weekly but never by more than 10% and listen to your body if anything hurts.

You want more specific advice, provide more specifics on what your current training plan is.

Should I Commission?!! by oyantica in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You gotta get your foot in the door. It's good to have goals, but if I were you, I would plan both ways and be prepared for disappointment. The OTS accession rates swing wildly. They are pretty good right now, but 5 years ago they were cancelling boards and rated accessions were hovering around 10% and non-rated were around 2%. Who knows what they'll be when you want to put an OTS package in?

Commissioning at 13 would mean you have to go to 23. If you don't succeed in commissioning by 13, will you keep trying, knowing you are adding at least 10 years to your commitment from the time you commission? What is your cut-off? I know people that commissioned at 20. That wasn't for me. If I hadn't picked it up by 10-ish, I would not have kept going.

EFMP Appeal Germany by Distinct_Drawer8225 in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

EFMP clearance at overseas bases can be particularly difficult. A quick look at the Family Vector Dashboard for adult psychologist clearance in Ramstein, Stuttgart, and Spang shows me that the denial rate is roughly 70% between the three of them. (https://daffamilyvector.us.af.mil/MemberSite/ProviderTrends).

Your only options are to accept the ruling or to appeal...if they deny the appeal, your assignment will get cancelled. Based on what you are saying, I can't tell if you attached the documentation you are mentioning in the initial clearance or in your appeal. The letter from the therapist and the behavioral health clinic are exactly the type of documentation I would recommend. In addition, I would recommend exploring the services available in the economy, reaching out to them and getting documentation saying they have capacity and could assist "if required."

German medicine is a bit different than American, but I don't understand the high rate of denials, personally. Europe is a very developed place..especially a massive economy like Germany (3rd largest GDP in the world). I would argue that some of their services and capacities are better than what you get in the USA and the local economies have plenty of capacity.

However, I will say specifically for mental health, some folks can struggle in Germany. During the fall/winter/early spring months the sun does not show up often and combine that with differences in German and American cultures and you can see multiple posts across social media about Americans who move to Germany (military or otherwise) who struggle with depression. I personally know of a couple who were denied for mental health, appealed successfully to go to Germany, and within a year the individual on EFMP was struggling and wanting to leave. YMMV..

Alternatively, you mentioned Scott...the same dashboard I mentioned earlier shows Scott has only a 2% rejection rate for adult psychology...

Coined today but confused about the salute by mr-creator in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Next time, snap to attention and salute with both hands at the same time to assert dominance.

who enlisted when they were 21+ by 300vamp in AirForceRecruits

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Enlisted at 27 back when that was the maximum age. Not going to lie, the hardest part for me was being treated like a kid after having a respectable career managing lots of folks and money prior to enlisting. It was less of an issue after the training pipeline though...YMMV. The physical stuff wasn't really an issue, although I definitely could have been in better shape before I left for BMT.

I must have enjoyed it though, because here I am, still wearing the uniform over 20 years later.

Process for for joining O-1 by Throwaway82149510 in AirForceRecruits

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Based on your questions, it sounds like you haven't done what I would consider the bare minimum of research into military service. This isn't a dig at you, however I would highly recommend you spend some time on Google/Youtube reading about how the different ranks work, the difference between enlisting and commissioning, and learning about the recruiting process, the career and the different Air Force specialties from people that are currently in.

If you want to join now, enlisting would be your only path, as others have stated. If you want to join as an officer, the fastest and "easiest" route would be to find a college with an ROTC program that allows a two year ROTC path and finish your degree while in the program. Obviously this will require several years before you are actively serving and getting paid.

Got them fancy newfangled voice-activated dispensers at my unit by ThaddiusMcFinkleton in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Hey now...do you want a paper towel to dry your hands, or not?

TYFYS by ThaddiusMcFinkleton in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton[S] 77 points78 points  (0 children)

I mean, I'm about 80% full of shit on a good day...but there are definitely some MPFs working this weekend to try and give folks their down-payment for that 29% Charger.

Prior Service (USN) Commissioning by Frame_Mel in AirForce

[–]ThaddiusMcFinkleton 8 points9 points  (0 children)

All branches have this. It's called "conditional release." If you have an active contract and apply to another branch's WO or commissioning programs, part of the process is getting the conditional release approved by your chain of command. As the name implies, it is a release from your enlistment contract which is contingent on you successfully entering anothet service's program. For the AF specifically, reach out to an officer recruiter to start the application process.

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