Aviation Uniforms and Customs for the new ENS

[GroundPounder]

2315: male sounding caller purporting to be Retired ADM Snatchy calls. No way to verify if actually Retired ADM Snatchy but did verify that retired ADMs no longer matter. Duty goes to sleep.

I always love this conversation:
"Hi, I'm retired Captain Steve "Hufflepuff" Stevenson and this is what I think you should do."
"Hi Steve.


So, moving on in the meeting."

I think I've told this story on here before, but about 10 years ago I had to interact every year with a retired USAF Brigadier General for a local airshow. Everyone around him was appropriately respectful of him, for several reasons. One, he was participating in the show, two his military service which included a distinguished combat history in Viet-Nam flying F4s. In fact, being southern, most people here are respectfully of most people and are into the " yes sir, no sir " routine with everyone.

Outside of a woman astronaut with ties to this area, I have never been around a more obnoxious person in my entire life. Every year he would complain that some random volunteer did not " extend the appropriate military courtesy " to him. These offenders included high school age volunteers than manned the pilot's lounge whose transgressions included referring to him as " sir ", rather than BG Doucheington as they handed out coffee and refreshments.

Due to the set up of where the airshow was held, he was not able to land his plane on site, so we had a State Police helicopter ferry him over from the big airport to the show site after his flight, so he could wave to the crowd and such. He would get ferried over and back twice each show day, or was supposed to have been, until he berated the pilot who told the organizer that he was no longer welcome on any of the State Police aircraft and banned him from the helicopter. It was not the cause of his banishment, but he did bring his own 1 star placard that he wanted put on the helicopter, which they would not do.

BG Doucheington did not enjoy the van that replaced the helicopter for his inter airport transfers.

 

[SynixMan]

I refuse to believe that was taken this year or last year. I have not met a group of O-1s that stupid... yet

Since Flight Suit Fridays at Mustin are not going on right now, studs had unofficial post API shenanigans. One of which was a house party that happened to be in a neighborhood of a retired flag officer who proceeded to call the base. Wasn't pretty I heard.

SNAs getting collectively slapped down for doing stupid shit is cyclical. Occasionally a blood sacrifice needs to be made at the alter of Good Order and Discipline at Schools Command. With the exception of the Bird Shooters, usually it's not criminal in nature and lessons are learned, careers aren't ruined, and we all laugh and move on.

 

[hlg6016]

Seriously? What a universe of dicks. First, shame on the old bastard that placed the call. Second, someone on base actually cared about a retired flag officer, would they have gotten to work for a retired E-6? I have to be honest, once he hung up his uniform his value to nation is no greater than a retired seaman apprentice. I can walk out my door and walk past the homes of about ten retired flag officers in under five minutes...and not care one bit. Total BS.

Said E6 would have joined these gentlemen and held a hip pocket class on keg tapping while sporting a loud Hawaiian shirt and plaid pants.

 

[Waveoff]

Hate to be the bad guy, and I don't know how API is doing the whole COVID thing right now, but if flight suit friday had to be canx because we are in the middle of a pandemic, then canx it is. Sorry the FRAGORD was enforced.

 

[DanMa1156]

Seriously? What a universe of dicks. First, shame on the old bastard that placed the call. Second, someone on base actually cared about a retired flag officer, would they have gotten to work for a retired E-6? I have to be honest, once he hung up his uniform his value to nation is no greater than a retired seaman apprentice. I can walk out my door and walk past the homes of about ten retired flag officers in under five minutes...and not care one bit. Total BS.

Maybe everyone's comments are going over my heads, but I think this has to do with COVID mitigations vice noise complaints or some old geezer who doesn't want a party on his block. The base here takes calls from Japanese locals now to shut down house parties here from what I've heard - again - less (or not at all) about concern for noise and more of COVID mitigation. I don't think the fact that he's a retired flag had any bearing, although he probably knew who to call.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Maybe everyone's comments are going over my heads, but I think this has to do with COVID mitigations vice noise complaints or some old geezer who doesn't want a party on his block. The base here takes calls from Japanese locals now to shut down house parties here from what I've heard - again - less (or not at all) about concern for noise and more of COVID mitigation. I don't think the fact that he's a retired flag had any bearing, although he probably knew who to call.

Oh it’s about COVID? Yeah we know. He can still get fucked. Japan is a different situation

 

[DanMa1156]

Oh it’s about COVID? Yeah we know. He can still get fucked. Japan is a different situation

I catch your sarcasm, but I don't feel a ton of sympathy for dudes who knew they were breaking the rules on purpose.

 

[SlickAg]

Maybe if he was that concerned he could’ve gone and said something to them directly, instead of trying to screw with their livelihoods by narcing on them to their chain of command. I wonder if he also spends his days sitting in the NEX parking lot Corry Station helping MAs catch speeders?

Also, seems like the sort of dude who spent time as a LCDR sitting right by the turnstile at the hangar entrance demanding that the JOs salute him.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

I catch your sarcasm, but I don't feel a ton of sympathy for dudes who knew they were breaking the rules on purpose.

Personally, I never broke the rules. I definitely never put myself in a position to get a virus. Especially if that virus posed less danger to me than flying. Or driving to work. Or getting shitfaced at the party that got reported.

 

[DanMa1156]

Personally, I never broke the rules. I definitely never put myself in a position to get a virus. Especially if that virus posed less danger to me than flying. Or driving to work. Or getting shitfaced at the party that got reported.

I'm not going to turn this into a fight over COVID, we have an entire thread dedicated to that. But it's an order and they are officers.

 

[scoolbubba]

I’m surprised USFF hasn’t put out a FRAGORD banning suicide. It is a far greater statistical danger to servicemembers. They could really get out in front of that epidemic if they just made an order against it.

 

[Jim123]

I’m surprised USFF hasn’t put out a FRAGORD banning suicide. It is a far greater statistical danger to servicemembers. They could really get out in front of that epidemic if they just made an order against it.

This is a tectonic paradigm disruption that could really leverage some core synergy.

 

[0621 Hertz]

To answer the burning question above, it was COVID related, not a noise complaint. I think this was the first week that FSFs were canx, (we're talking early March here, so early in fact you would be out of uniform for wearing a mask) so no official FRAGORDs were put out yet.

There are more details to the story but it was the API class a couple of weeks ahead of me. And since I wasn't there, I feel that I won't do the story proper justice. If I run into a stud who was actually there, instead of a second or third hand account, I'll post it here

Although there was a story about a year ago that involved a noise complaint and in return a broken window of neighbor, which turned out to be a window of an Escambia County Judge's home. But that's about all I know.

Right now API is entirely online, with the exception of tests, navigation classes, and some physio events.

.

 

[Waveoff]

Hopefully they let the studs study together in small groups. I could see myself wanting to do it virtually I guess if was back in those shoes. For sure wouldn't have passed API without my group study sessions (and the one kid who majored in Aerospace). Good luck with training.

 

[Birdbrain]

To date I also doubt I would have passed API if it wasn't for my friends and study groups and also thanks to instructors who knew how to emphasize important points.

Can you get virtual footstomping?