New stop loss info out

[Sonic Cruzer]

Hey BlueTeam...

I'm working on my package/sponsorship for the September Reserve board.

My recruiter commented yetserday on the possibility of some of the Stop Loss being lifted in April. AFRC has already allocated UPT slots however placement is the problem.

Many of the units I've spoken to are overmanned right now. They still need to put people in the pipeline though if they want to avoid shortages when and if the Stop Loss is lifted.

Several of the units I've wanted to talk to are 90% deployed (so shaving the next morning rather than hiring is their most pressing issue). The larger heavy units are still intent on sending several folks per board.

Personally, I would worry more about putting together a bang-up package for the board than whether or not StopLoss will result in StopAccession.


Andrew
(will share notes)

 

[zman300]

Stop Loss and "Enduring Freedom"

Heh, heh! Has anyone caught the irony of what stop-lossed personnel who want to get out of the military are being asked to fight for? (No political/military rhetoric please! Just wanted to point out an amusing observation)

 

[DaveGriffin]

Re: Stop Loss and "Enduring Freedom"

Heh, heh! Has anyone caught the irony of what stop-lossed personnel who want to get out of the military are being asked to fight for? (No political/military rhetoric please! Just wanted to point out an amusing observation)

Let's see zman 300.........you make a political comment on a military board and ask for no military or political responses. Sorry, can't give you the pass.

I suppose your simple minded "ironic observation" is that some pilots’ service obligations are being extended beyond the expected separation date and this creates a type of indentured servitude. Guess what? It all’s been fully disclosed to everyone prior to acceptance of their commission and aviation training. Every pilot agreed to the terms. No surprises at all, it just so happened that some expected separation dates happened to conflict with our priorities for national defense.

There is no amusing irony, just our military doing exactly what it is intended to do.

 

[pilot141]

Jeez Dave, lighten up!

If you can't laugh at yourself (or your situation) then who can you laugh at?

Just because zman and his C-5 crew came up with this while droning across the pond for the fifth time this month doesn't make them unpatriotic! He's just trying to bring a little levity here - it helps you keep your perspective on life straight!

Fly safe, and have fun while doing it!

 

[DaveGriffin]

Harmless Ironic Observation

Your so right pilot141, we should all be able to laugh at the unexpected irony in our own situations.

In fact, here’s another side-splitting observation which should be good for a few chuckles, help us all lighten up as well as allow us to keep our perspective on life.
Doesn’t it strike you as particularly amusing, ironic and oh so insightful into the AF country club mind-set that as soon as some real shooting starts any extension beyond the expected DOS is viewed as unfair, anti-career, and a family hardship. Even when there are furloughs and zero hiring taking place at mainline civilian aviation. So let’s all just laugh at this entertaining lampoon and please, no defensive rhetoric from the AF types who my not see any levity in this harmless spoof.

 

[pilot141]

Dave,
As someone who has fought on these boards to bring another point of view into focus (ie from a jumper, not a pilot) you should appreciate different perspectives.

The "Air Force country-club" attitude is different than the snake-eater attitude. No apologies, no problems. Not everyone can jump from airplanes, and not everyone can fly the airplanes. It takes all kinds, even though we all wear the uniform.

As for the observation about "Enduring Freedom" - guys were bitching about deployments and being gone from home BEFORE the "real shooting" started. Why should they stop now? A bitching aircrew is a happy aircrew.

However, I think we are going to agree to disagree on this one.

Always bitching and always happy,

pilot141

 

[spongebob]

What I think is interesting is the way decisions are being made as to which pilots (or other guys) to keep in. Don't tell me they have put a lot of thought into this one...

In the C-5 community they only activated some of the reserve component pilots although they claim a shortage. Nonetheless, they are still sending pilots to SOS, ACSC and the like. Pilots fly their buts off and others sit home and mow the grass.

It is obvious the plans for stop-loss are a knee-jerk reaction until the personnel guys can study the issue and come up with more educated plans. Don't be surprised to see them RIFfing some of these same guys in 6 months.

The ARMY is paying AH-64 guys a bonus to stay in but they are Stop-Lossed as are other non critical pilot groups such as MH-6s.

Go figure...

 

[zulua320]

How's this for irony and lack of thought:
1. I'm listed as undeployable because I have a pending separation
-BUT-
2. I can't separate because of Stop Loss
-AND-
3. I'm affected by Stop Loss because I might be needed to deploy
-BUT-
4. I'm listed as undeployable because I have a pending separation
-BUT-
5. I can't separate because of Stop Loss
-AND-
6. I'm affected by Stop Loss because I might be needed to deploy
-BUT-
7. I'm listed as undeployable because I have a pending separation
-BUT-............ oh well, you get the picture.

Guess I'll continue to collect my $6500/month for reading the paper and going to the gym -- after all, I'm mission critical.


Z

 

[zman300]

"Guess I'll continue to collect my $6500/month for reading the paper and going to the gym..."

Hey, your duty day sounds a lot like mine! I'm making slightly less though, so I don't hit the gym too often

I'm in a similar boat:
- I'm forced to stay in an over-manned T-1 squadron because the AF is short of C-5 pilots.
- I WAS a C-5 pilot, but I'm still counted as one for manning purposes.
- I can't deploy; I'm not on "ready" status.
- I asked about going back to help out the under-manned C-5 pilots for the duration of stop-loss, but I can't because AF policy is to freeze all assignments for personnel with separation dates...UNLESS you pull your paperwork. Yeah right!
- So I'm critically needed in a squadron in which some guys beg to fly twice a week because there's too many pilots and not enough jets.

That's what ticks me off about the waiver process; the leadership doesn't tend to look at them on an individual basis.

Oh well, I'm with pilot141: there's no such thing as an aircrew member that doesn't bitch...period! What would life be like without our complaints? (Shudders) So, DaveG, take it easy man; I'm just trying to lighten a bad situation up. Stop loss may have been disclosed to you, but I'll be darned if I ever heard about it when I got my commission. "Should've read the fine print?" Perhaps; and dumb of me not to. But tell me the next time you read all the fine print on your next auto loan Take it easy.

 

[Visceral]

I'm back. I guess I should go back and look at the 300 documents I signed when I accepted my commission too. I honestly can't remember signing one that said if the U.S. was fighting conflicts and not an undeclared war, that certain "critical career fields" would not be allowed to leave at the end of their Active Duty Service Commitment. I do remember having to sign an ADSC every time I took a Masters class though that extended me 2 years upon completion. According to the latest briefing we got today, those guys at AMC do not have a plan in place on how to solve the stop loss issues. They know that every crew dog who might have been on the fence about getting out or not will have this on his mind. Plus, all the junior guys are seeing the AF at its finest. Who knows where the Pres is going to send us next, but when he asks Gen Jumper if we can support it, he will say yes of course. What he won't say is that the support will cost the Air Force in the long run. I guess stop-loss is good for somebody...civilian dudes. Without many AF applicants, there are more opportunities at FedEX, UPS, and the hiring regionals. Oh well...