Not trying to be mean....

[Murphy]

To all the Guardsmen and Reservists, thanks for doing your part for the Total Force. I was active duty for 20+ years and I don't know how you do the juggling act with two jobs and maintain some sort of a personal life.
YankandBank probably thinks that people who do mil charters for their airline are milking the system also. I was at Biggs AAF a few years back and an American Airlines crew brought a plane full of soldiers back from Germany who had just finished a tour in Iraq. Our crew went over to talk to the AA crew and you could tell that they were deeply moved to be contributing to the war effort.

 

[XRMEFLYER]

Happy Thanksgiving to all our Servicemen abroad and "Thank you".

That about sums it up!

 

[Big Beer Belly]

Hold on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY GOD!!!

Exceuse the hell out of me for thinking faster then what my fingers can type!!! Yes, I've talked to 4 miltary guy's doing this. "Milking" the system. I'm not going to name names or they work, but they know who they are. I'm sorry if you think I ment all milatry guy's are doing this, didn't mean it that way!! Sorry for the bad timeing. Alot of us have family too and still have to work the holiday's.

The 4 guy's I'm talking about just do pond crossings and Euro stuff. I asked how they liked sand and they all said they were not there. Sure there are bad egg's, on both side's. But why should they get to milk the system when others, on both side's, get screwed?

I know a lot of vet's from all over. I love to listen to the things they have seen and done. I've alway's thanked each one, no matter what they did, for letting me hear there story. Some of them have said that it's said that there are some "milking" the system.

So if you took this personaly, get off your high horse!!

If I have offended the "real" miltary guy's, I'm sorry.

If you are going to judge me the number of post, sorry I've got better things to do then sit around bitch at some one about the number of post!! I've just flying too much and my plane doesn't get internet!!

Just a guess here ... but the horrific grammar above suggests this is some 10 or 11 year-old "english as a second language" child stirring the pot.

BBB

 

[C-150ETOPS]

Yank,

One example I saw in fall of 1990 at AA

07:45- New hire on hotel van, excited about starting a new life at what was one of the top places to be as an airline pilot. His family is ecstatic, his wife is probably relieved that she won't become a widow because of a smoking hole in the ground.

08:15- After introductions, new hire signs corporate paperwork, he's now an airline pilot with a seniority number.

08:30- Phone call comes in from some unknown important place.

08:45- This stunned guy is outside my class with orders to go ASAP to the Middle East. I saw him being told that he was an AA pilot with a number, and his job will be there when he got back. He seemed relieved at the time that it was the one "sure thing" he had.

My plump little civvie arse went on to bitch about life in a crash pad and watch guys like him produce target videos for CNN.:beer:

 

[Networ-King]

For me, drill pay was the only thing that kept me solvent during my first year at Trans States. I do still take as much military leave as I can because I like it and it pays 2-3 times as much as my "real" job. I'm sorry if that doesn't meet with your approval. If you're really upset, you could lobby congress to get the law changed...

First off... let me thank all the guys/gals out there doing their jobs in the military to let us keep our lives going smoothly.....

As for the this thread? I think alot of you military guys are comparing apples to oranges. IMHO.... I believe the guy that started this thread is talking about the a$$holes that I've quoted above. This guy didn't get DEPLOYED. This guy "still takes as much military leave as he can because he likes it and it pays 2-3 times as much as his REAL job". Now... the fact that us civies have to cover for this d!ck while he abuses the system means nothing to you guys because we never served right? Give me a break.....I'll be the first to do a fly no pay for the guys that are out there doing their job and getting deplolyed, but for the guys that ruin my holiday and screw with my schedule because he can, time and time again, well... Im sorry if I don't kiss his feet and keep thanking him for abusing the system.

We got a guy at UPS that got his probation extended by 10 months because he only flew FOUR trips in one year for big brown. No.... he did not get deployed.... yes he absused the system and yes he got caught. THIS is the guy that gives you hard working military guys a bad name...... again JMHO. I don't think there is anyone in their right mind that would say anything negative to you guys that have gotten deployed to serve this country, just the guys that keep f&*king their union brothers and sisters over and over again just because they can..... don't you worry though.... as someone wrote earlier.... EVERYONE knows who you are... and karma's a bit c h.

Happy Turkey day Yallllllllll........... rant over.......

 

[afhercdriver]

Happy Thanksgiving Guys!

 

[YankandBank]

Thanks Networ-King... finaly some one got it!! Sorry if anyone eles had problems reading my post. I'll stop using my decoder ring to type!!

Happy Turkey day to ALL!!

 

[Scrapdog]

First off... let me thank all the guys/gals out there doing their jobs in the military to let us keep our lives going smoothly.....

As for the this thread? I think alot of you military guys are comparing apples to oranges. IMHO.... I believe the guy that started this thread is talking about the a$$holes that I've quoted above. This guy didn't get DEPLOYED. This guy "still takes as much military leave as he can because he likes it and it pays 2-3 times as much as his REAL job". Now... the fact that us civies have to cover for this d!ck while he abuses the system means nothing to you guys because we never served right? Give me a break.....I'll be the first to do a fly no pay for the guys that are out there doing their job and getting deplolyed, but for the guys that ruin my holiday and screw with my schedule because he can, time and time again, well... Im sorry if I don't kiss his feet and keep thanking him for abusing the system.

We got a guy at UPS that got his probation extended by 10 months because he only flew FOUR trips in one year for big brown. No.... he did not get deployed.... yes he absused the system and yes he got caught. THIS is the guy that gives you hard working military guys a bad name...... again JMHO. I don't think there is anyone in their right mind that would say anything negative to you guys that have gotten deployed to serve this country, just the guys that keep f&*king their union brothers and sisters over and over again just because they can..... don't you worry though.... as someone wrote earlier.... EVERYONE knows who you are... and karma's a bit c h.

Happy Turkey day Yallllllllll........... rant over.......

Networ - thanks for appreciating what we do, that is always nice to hear. However, here is a quick heads up for you. We don't just take mil leave to deploy, mil pilots will continue to take mil leave during normal ops to keep our training up. I have no intention of abusing the system, however I will take whatever mil leave is necessary to continue to keep my skills as sharp as possible so when I DO deploy, I'll be the warfighter capable of winning the mission.

I guess what I'm saying is - there is a fine line between "abusing" the system and taking the required mil leave to keep current in today's high demand enviornment, especially with the new hardware coming off the line - i.e. the F-22 and the future F-35, which bring a whole new complexity to flying and employing fighter aircraft. If that means taking mil leave that require me to perform my mil duties during normal weeks and during holidays, so be it. It's just what is required to be the best of the best....sometimes the timing just stinks for civ guys, and that's unfortunate. Bottom line, mil leave is required for guys both deploying and during peacetime training to be the best warriors they can be - that's just the nature of the beast.

 

[BluDevAv8r]

Scrap et al,

Why even give this guy the pleasure? Clearly flamebait...he can't even spell half of his words correctly.

-Neal

 

[Networ-King]

Networ - thanks for appreciating what we do, that is always nice to hear. However, here is a quick heads up for you. We don't just take mil leave to deploy, mil pilots will continue to take mil leave during normal ops to keep our training up. I have no intention of abusing the system, however I will take whatever mil leave is necessary to continue to keep my skills as sharp as possible so when I DO deploy, I'll be the warfighter capable of winning the mission.

I guess what I'm saying is - there is a fine line between "abusing" the system and taking the required mil leave to keep current in today's high demand enviornment, especially with the new hardware coming off the line - i.e. the F-22 and the future F-35, which bring a whole new complexity to flying and employing fighter aircraft. If that means taking mil leave that require me to perform my mil duties during normal weeks and during holidays, so be it. It's just what is required to be the best of the best....sometimes the timing just stinks for civ guys, and that's unfortunate. Bottom line, mil leave is required for guys both deploying and during peacetime training to be the best warriors they can be - that's just the nature of the beast.

Scrap....

LOL... you crack me up man.... Alright I'll give you the "gotta keep the skills up bit", but do you honestly think I don't have mil buddies that tell me about their "training" events? LOL.....Like I said, I would probably also use it to my advantage, but I wouldn't screw my fellow union brothers and sisters as bad as some of these guys do.... just because they can..... know what I mean? Anyways.... its just a few bad apples that give the rest a bad name.... just like anything else I guess. Thanks again to all the guys and gals putting their necks out on the line for us ungrateful civilians:beer:. Hope eveybody had a great thanksgiving.......

 

[Benhuntn]

Mil guys you gotta hate'em

 

[AdlerDriver]

There’s another aspect to this discussion:
Mil pilots can’t always align the planets to get out/retire/switch from full time Guard to part-time at the exact time the airlines are hiring. The military is a great profession for a pilot but most will find themselves at the end of their career, retired in their mid-40s looking for work. If that happens to be during a hiring lull with the airlines, he’s hosed (assuming he wants to fly civilian). So some have had to jump when they have a chance to grab a job they’ll (hopefully) be able to do until they’re 60 (?65 – whatever). That chance may come when they have several years left to fulfill the requirements for a full 20 year military pension. That pension won’t pay all the bills (not even close) so he’s going to need something else and a job at Fedex/SWA/wherever is a great opportunity to begin a second career.

I know several guys who got out, got a line number, maybe finished probation and then went on mil leave to finish their 20 years. In this day and age, are you going to fault them or call that “milking the system”? That pension may be the only thing they can count on down the line at the rate things are going. You want that mil pilot and his family to pass that up because a side benefit of this plan happens to be returning with better seniority or missing out on a few Christmas’ in the crash pad?

Chances are, with the ops temp as it is, he’s probably missing Christmas or Thanksgiving anyway. His “crash pad” happens to be a tent, alert shack or something similar. Not to mention the threat is a lot higher while deployed than a overfilled pad, an AM call from skeds or walking in on a roommate rubbing one out with Miss September (GAWD - I still have uke: nightmares). Bogus mil leave around the holidays is BS. It’s also not done by most. The guys that boast about doing it lack as much smarts as they do integrity. Those few force the rest of us to have to defend what should really require no defense at all.

 

[Networ-King]

well said adler....

And it was miss october and I already apologized about that a thousand times.

 

[Huck]

That pension may be the only thing they can count on down the line

My uncle just retired after 20 years at UAL, and he's living off his military pension and the scraps from the UAL debacle....

We all thought he was nuts, taking a helo slot in the ARMY guard after getting hired at UAL. He spent how ever many months in Mother Rucker learning helos (he was a C-130 pilot in Viet Nam before that). But the AF Guard wouldn't take him, and he wanted his pension. Look at where he'd be without it.

 

[V1cutsrfun]

Ok, what is up with all of the miltary folks getting great avation jobs and then going on miltary leave? It's great that you protecting our country, but don't you think your milking the system? I've ran into so many miltary guy's that keep going back to active duty for 3 and 4 tours, just so when they come back there senroity number is great or they hold out for bigger iron. I've been seening this for some time and I just don't get it. Why are you doing this?

I'm all for the miltary, I tried and didn't get in. Very long stroy. I'm not dogging anyone or any branch, I'm just wondering is it just me? I've asked some of the miltary guy's and they say just so they can get a kick butt schedual. That is just for the wrong reasons.

Well...I can't believe this. On Thanksgiving weekend I'm reading this?!!?!??!

Ok, so they gained some senority, I'll gladly give a higher quality of life to those that serve so that I my kids may have freedom.

Do us all a favor, go rent the box set of Band of Brothers and in particular watch the episodes on the Bastogne, or better known as The Battle of the Bulge. A higher quality of life for our (thankfully) returning service men and women abroad is just a small payback for living in a tent on the other side of the world, away from their spouses and children, under constant threats of attack and loss of life.

Perhaps a little graditude on Thanksgiving weekend would be in order.

To all that serve....Welcome home.:beer: We all owe a huge debt of graditude.

If you can read this thank a teacher....If you read it in English, Thank a Vet.

V1