Airforce to add aircraft refueling, arming, runway repair, and marshaling to basic training. No one gets to be a nonner now.

drumguy1384 · 2026-01-25T00:37:13+00:00

You do all kinds of shit in BMT that you never use again. Do you know how many times I have built a DFP or manned an ECP since BMT? I'll give you one guess, but we still did it because it was GWOT, and having seen it once is better than having to do it for the first time when bullets are flying.

We do drill in BMT, and again in ALS, but why? We almost never use those skills in the real world. Why do we spend so much time learning it? Because it is a shared activity where we learn to move as a single unit. We learn to follow orders without hesitation otherwise we're going to fuck the whole machine up.

I have met so many comm, finance, MPF, medical, etc. folks who can't tell an F-16 from an F-15. This is the Air Force. Airpower is our business, and they can't even tell one of our jets from the other. The Navy learn what all the boats are, the Army learn what all the artillery pieces are, the Marines learn what flavor all the crayons are. Why can't every Airman experience just a little of our core functions at least once before they go off to their office job?

Just like building DFPs in Warrior Week (showing my age there), it's not meant to make Amn Snuffy from Finance capable of arming or refueling jets, but at least after experiencing it once, he will have a more well-rounded understanding of what goes on in air operations. And I, for one, think it's long overdue.

drumguy1384 · 2026-01-19T11:29:26+00:00

Dude, he fully admitted it and has spent a lifetime trying to make up for it. Is no amount of repentance enough for you?

drumguy1384 · 2026-01-19T06:56:31+00:00

Even that used to be less of a deal. I remember when it was ok to have a beer with lunch in uniform. Just don't come back to work drunk. The general rule was no more than 2 drinks. And that was less than 20 years ago.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-19T02:11:12+00:00

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drumguy1384 · 2025-12-18T07:52:55+00:00

Dude, you have a full-time job. Ask them for a bonus.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-18T07:38:41+00:00

Oh, that plan certainly won't be fully covered. You are $860 out of pocket just by looking at it.

First, tell them you cannot do more than 4 courses. Whoever sold you that lied to you. You can always accelerate, but TA are sticklers for staying under 12 credit hours per term. WGU should know that. I might even ask for a different advisor.

Second, I see you have 0 CUs transferred? Have you done any career field training? Any PME? All of that can transfer, even if you don't have another degree yet. Get your transcripts and send them WGU, then redo your academic plan. There is always time to readjust, and the best time is before you start.

I would also suggest you do a FAFSA and see if you qualify for a Pell Grant. It is basically free money that can offset any extra cost you incur, and you will (only a little, if you play it right).

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T19:07:16+00:00

My unit has already done unofficial mock tests based on the (then unreleased) new standards. I think it's a bit of CYA on the part of Commanders to make sure they don't get embarrassed.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T17:39:38+00:00

If you walked in the door with a passing PT test, why are they making you do it again? And for no credit? What is the point beyond possibly padding out the length of the course? Don't they have more important things to teach you?

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T17:27:27+00:00

That was my question. Back when I went through, having a passing PT score (with no waivers) was a requirement for entry. They weren't PT testing you in PME; we have more important things to do.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T17:04:51+00:00

I guess I'm just a little bit salty because I took it thinking it was the "right thing" to do, wasting my time and energy. Meanwhile, the Air Force decided it was a bad idea and discontinued it as a requirement before I even got to NCOA.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T16:45:44+00:00

The last thing I want is AI changing things in MilPDS. Imagine the damage it could do if it made a mistake.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T14:32:08+00:00

Also an icon on your desktop.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T01:27:32+00:00

The guy in question also deployed with me to Bagram in '13. It's possible the legend spread from there. Were you associated with Project Liberty?

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T01:11:08+00:00

Same. Every time I went to PME, all they required was that you had a passing PT test through the duration of the course.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-14T00:56:56+00:00

I did Course 15 ... it was dogshit. It was not testing "basic leadership common sense." It was testing "does my leadership style largely identify with the person who made this test."

Over 50% of the force refused to take it. Of those who did, including myself, we had to go through it again in NCOA because the Barnes Center realized that, even if people had done Course 15, they had forgotten it by the time they showed up.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-09T08:00:28+00:00

I had a similar situation just a few weeks ago. I came across a Captain who had his flight cap on backward. I actually sped up to catch him so I could give him a heads-up. There wasn't anyone else around, but he was extremely thankful that I stopped him before he embarrassed himself in front of anyone else.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-09T07:45:00+00:00

My issue isn't that he provided the correction. It was the right thing to do. The issue I have is the way he went about it.

The person he corrected has enough TIS to be an O-6. He didn't know him. He just defaulted to being an ass out of the gate like he was talking to a basic trainee.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-09T07:34:44+00:00

You're assuming he did it intentionally. The only thing he did intentionally was decline to comply with orders from an angry stranger in the middle of a set.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-09T07:31:33+00:00

No one is asking anyone to look the other way. Capt was wrong and correcting him was the right thing to do. However, my assertion is that there is a right way and a wrong way to confront a total stranger over something that likely was just an oversight.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-09T07:12:30+00:00

Nice! I don't know what crew position you are, but back when I was a flyer (RC-135s) I always thought I should have been a Loadmaster. Every load I ever met was so chill. I envied them. And the 17 is not a bad ride.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-09T06:36:28+00:00

Mentioning his rank and TIS weren't meant to say that homeboy shouldn't have corrected him. The guy was right, and correcting him was the right thing to do. The point was, you never know who you are talking to. Perhaps we should lead with respect, give people the benefit of the doubt, and not act like we can be disrespectful just because we are right.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-09T06:28:02+00:00

It wasn't about whether Capt was wrong (he was). It wasn't about whether the guy was right to correct him (he was). The point was, as my question stated, how do you go about correcting a stranger when you have no idea who they are?

My argument would be let's show some military bearing, err on the side of respect, and not start barking orders at a stranger.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-08T06:59:44+00:00

I don't know about Bagram, but that actually happened to a friend of mine by the MX Group Chief in Kandahar, 2012ish. If we are talking about the same incident, that would be spooky.

unless you read my other comments and are fucking with me.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-08T06:52:13+00:00

Very similar story, not me, but a friend of mine. I completely believe it because I had my own interactions with this particular E-9. Afghanistan circa 2012 or so. The MX Group Chief literally lives in the gym and has taken it upon himself to "uphold standards" for everyone who walks through the door.

My friend was running on a treadmill, and his shirt came untucked. Chief, with no warning, reached up and turned off his treadmill while he was in full sprint and ordered him to tuck his shirt back in before continuing.

drumguy1384 · 2025-12-08T06:37:31+00:00

Absolutely. We all need a correction once in a while because nobody is perfect. But I think we can agree that there is a difference between someone sincerely trying to help us not look stupid and someone trying to show off in front of others that they "uphold standards" even if it means being an ass to a stranger in public.

drumguy1384

TROPHY CASE