332nd AEW

[Deuce130]

I'm heading to the AOR in the near future and just got done reading some of the standards for the 332nd AEW. Not sure whether to laugh or cry! Just goes to show you that we've been doing this thing for way too long. It reads like a group of groundpounders got together and thought of everything they could do to piss aircrew off and make life as difficult as can be while you're on the ground. From the stories I hear, it sounds like the base support people don't know there's a fight going on outside the perimeter, they think the only reason they're there is to hand out speeding tickets, enforce uniform violations, and make sure everyone's got their reflective belt. Far cry from K2 and J-Bad in late 2001, early 2002. Never thought I'd call that time period the "good ol' days" of the GWOT.

 

[stonewall]

Are you authorized to access this site?? Sir, I'll need you to come to the Comm squadron between the hours of 1315 and 1318Z to reset the PIN on your CAC card. Be sure to bring a printout of your Form 41 (SAAR) and your COMSEC test. Once you bring that in, we'll think of some reason why you have to come back (most likely we'll be "training"), and we'll make sure your account locks up thirteen times. We can unlock it with a few keystrokes over the phone, but we'll still need you to come in (again, between the hours of 1315 and 1318Z, but only on Wednesdays for this type of issue) so we can verify your height and weight. While you're here, please fill out a Customer Service questionnaire. However, if it's negative, I assure you I'll shred it before it reaches my First Shirt. Hah, who am kidding?? If my First Shirt sees it, he'll just toss it, too! Can't have that on his EPR and all. Enjoy your stay here in the AOR Mr. Grumpy Pilot-man!

And stop hoggin' all the weights. I sit on my ass for 8 hours a day over here (well, 6.5 counting lunch), and when I need to let off steam I go to the gym! All the "aircrew" seem to think they can do what they want over here. This place would be all right (along with the whole Air Force) if it wasn't for all these damn pilots.

 

[SB Diver]

Oh, life is so tough in your branch!

 

[stonewall]

Life is tougher when you fly an EA-6B. Excuse, which way is backwards? Thank you! Maybe if you jettisoned one or two dudes from the internal 4-ship you could fly faster.

 

[Deuce130]

Oh, life is so tough in your branch!

Noone ever said anything about it being "tough." In this particular case, I just think the layers of supervision, regulation, and infrastructure has gotten out of hand for the combat zone. I'm all for good order and discipline, I just think we need to focus on the right things when we're fighting the war. Got any more spears you want to throw? Keep 'em coming, I'm sure MAGNUM!! has a TON of new material he'd like to drop on you.

 

[SB Diver]

I'm not saying that I ever had it too hard, but you won't see me crying in my coffee in front of everyone else!

 

[GCD]

MAGNUM,

You just described life at ORBD!

I thought I was looking at the Bravo Sierra through Army eyes, but it appears that you see it, too.

It appears that the role of supporting the troops has been reversed to the troops supporting their lifestyle inside the wire.

 

[dtfl]

Warrior Monks...thats what they want to turn us into....we should go fight and kill, but how DARE we revel in it or enjoy or celebrate it. Once we are home, we can have no FUN, no WOMEN and no alcohol. Warrior monks..one and all...whether its AF or bitchy Prowler drivers...oooppps who flew UAVs also? Thats the bug up the ___.

 

[dtfl]

Noone ever said anything about it being "tough." In this particular case, I just think the layers of supervision, regulation, and infrastructure has gotten out of hand for the combat zone. I'm all for good order and discipline, I just think we need to focus on the right things when we're fighting the war. Got any more spears you want to throw? Keep 'em coming, I'm sure MAGNUM!! has a TON of new material he'd like to drop on you.

You know the 16 SOW CC got a speeding ticket while heading around the outer perimeter at the base he was at, while driving at night. Hmm....speeding in the combat zone so you won't get shot and some skycop gives you a frickin SPEEDING ticket? I heard the 1st shirt was very upset and said something to the effect of..."when we are at war and start looking inward on our own, there's a problem..."

 

[Deuce130]

You know the 16 SOW CC got a speeding ticket while heading around the outer perimeter at the base he was at, while driving at night. Hmm....speeding in the combat zone so you won't get shot and some skycop gives you a frickin SPEEDING ticket? I heard the 1st shirt was very upset and said something to the effect of..."when we are at war and start looking inward on our own, there's a problem..."

Good for that 1st shirt, but obviously nothing's changed. "Warrior Monks!" Shack. Never heard that before, hilarious.

 

[Deuce130]

I'm not saying that I ever had it too hard, but you won't see me crying in my coffee in front of everyone else!

You missed the point of the post. It's meant to be the eye-rolling, throw the hands up, WTF, YGTBSM, typical aircrew bitching type stuff. Pulling rotes and following rules isn't "hard." The stupid queep the AF expects us to do is easy stuff. Fighting insurgents in Baghdad and Fallujah is hard. Leaving your family for a year is and then doing it again the year after that is hard. Remembering to wear your disco belt isn't. Not speeding in your crew bus isn't hard, either. My point was that I think the AF has lost it's focus. If you can't see an obvious attempt at cynical bitching then you probably don't deserve to be wearing wings or call yourself aircrew. I've always said that the squadron is OK if they're still bitching, that means they're holding out hope that things will get better. It's when they stop bitching that you need to be worried. Now, lighten up Francis.

 

[GCD]

Yeah, what Deuce130 said! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[727C47]

you guys all rock, question,why did they ever get rid of the Raven???!!!

 

[AA717driver]

Deuce--We civilians appreciate what you guys do every day. Many of us have had friends who have deployed several times and know how stressful it can be.

On behalf of all the cattle out here who don't fly and don't think about what you guys do, we THANK YOU!!! TC

 

[NTS ALL 4]

Noone ever said anything about it being "tough." .

No one said you don't have to spell correctly to be tough. No one is two words. Good thing you don't need to spell correctly to operate in the AOR.

Cheers!

NTS

 

[HoursHore]

The USAF has inverted to where support now drives the operations.

 

[SB Diver]

Plenty of folks on this forum have missed the point of giving each other a hard time just for the sake of it. That is also a part of aviation, especially military aviation. Bitchy? No. Poking fun at you? Yes. This is getting better each page!

 

[Deuce130]

No one said you don't have to spell correctly to be tough. No one is two words. Good thing you don't need to spell correctly to operate in the AOR.

Cheers!

NTS

Ooof. I'm glad you're not my copilot. Or co pilot. Or co-pilot. But since the grammar police is out in force, I think you've got a double negative in there. Take away the contraction, you're saying "No one said you do not have to spell correctly to be tough." So you mean that you DO have to spell correctly to be tough? Looks like I'll tread lightly at the next spelling bee I go to! Cheers!

 

[dtfl]

The USAF has inverted to where support now drives the operations.

NO SH*T

MX runs the sched and the WG CC lets them....that's crap. I bet Curtis Lemay would have had something to say...

 

[HarryShadow]

How about the sock police??? I got jumped by some extremely high and tight/pencil thin mustache Sergeant at a gym in country because my socks were too short! I asked him where he worked…he said it’s not important. I asked again and he told me he was the services First Sergeant. We had a one-way conversation for a bit (me to him). But when he asked me to leave the gym and go change my socks…my head almost exploded!!! So, I jumped him because he had a tattoo on his calf that covered more than 75% his exposed leg. I told him he needed to leave and put on some pants. He actually had the balls to tell me the AF tattoo policy was loosened in theater (which it isn’t). But I said, “Then so are my socks!!!” This geek actually hung out for an hour waiting for me to leave…I continued my workout for an extra hour that day just to outlast him…small victories!!!