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I may have to qualify for it, but I'm not going to wear it. Way too SWO-like...

For DC area people, two popular spots for commissioning ceremonies are the Navy Memorial (downtown DC) and the USS BARRY (at the Navy Yard). There is a scheduling process that goes with reserving either one of them, but I don't think it's terribly complicated. Either would be memorable and...

It's 159610, former VF-31. Check out interesting thread here for some backstory: http://www.tomcat-sunset.org/forums/index.php?topic=280.0

That's an awesome list. I looked/searched, but my google-fu is clearly weak today; who is Rafe, and how is he so wise in the ways of things??

My new screensaver! Awesome shot.

Sounds like you could use the Navy Time Tracker excel file about halfway down in the page here: the ever-useful "Toroid of Pain": http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140661&highlight=toroid+pain&page=6

Interesting discussion, but I think the big takeaway for anyone considering intel vs any other designator is that there is a "choose your rate, choose your fate" dynamic in play. If you go intel, you have to recognize that part of the deal is that you will be "pinless" - not that there's...

I'll just say this: the 40s are cruel years.... (Those in their 50s/60s can way in on the relative cruelty of those decades.)

Concur 100%. Not only is this the best book about Midway I've read, but to me it represents the "high water mark" in military history: An easy read, providing interesting insights, yet thoroughly (ruthlessly?) researched and extremely well-footnoted. I read it at the beach last year and...

This might better belong in "Stupid Questions About Aviation" thread, but was there ever a situation when you were transoceanic that you encountered a line of storms thick enough that you RTB'd (or diverted) rather than thread your way through? I would think there'd be a lot of pressure on...

A PDF of Grau's first book (The Bear Went Over the Mountain) can be found here: it's from National Defense University, so there are no copyright issues. I met Grau once; to say "he's a large man" is a bit of an understatement. The whole FMSO (Foreign Military Studies Office) out at...

From where I stand (and it's soda-straw perspective on "The Big Picture"...), the whole decoupling of the running-mate concept was presented not as a "force shaping measure" but as a tool to manage it once the shaping has occurred. Now what the deuce does that mean? Instead of continuing to...

Attached is a useful brief from Navy Personnel Command. For the more junior folks, the 2nd slide in the brief gives a nice career flow/summary of the different "gates" that would be expected during your career. The last slide lays out the "Community Values" that identify what is valued in the...

To date, the response of the international community to whatever antics the NORKs decide to engage in has been that of the British bobby (cop): "Stop, or I'll tell you to stop again!" And we all see how well that's worked out for everyone... Having said that, with a regime that is as...

Gen Kevin Chilton, Commander STRATCOM, is another example. His bio (here and here) shows a pretty interesting career. I guess if you can make it through the astronaut selection process (particularly from the military side) you probably piss excellence as a matter of course. Still, as Fester...

What's with all the pelican hate? :confused: When asked "If you could be any animal, what would you be?" my response is always "a brown pelican": 1) You live at the beach 2) Hang out with your pals 3) Eat seafood 4) Fly low levels all the time What could be better than that? Aside...

Asked, and answered: the much discussed, sought-after, but never pursued "Rods from Gods" The concept is workable from a technology standpoint, but it requires money to be free. The killer is launch cost - about $10K per pound to put something in orbit, whether it is concrete or gold...

I haven't heard that McKiernan did anything wrong to warrant the sacking, other than not being Stan McChrystal... That guy is a stud, and is the "real deal" from a SOF perspective. Word on the street is that he only eats one meal a day, and is an absolute PT fiend. If you review his...

I guess the degree of "horror" involved actually depends on who you ask, but here's an interesting summary of the issue that came out last month from Congressional Research Service regarding the issue: http://www.dodbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/crsf-18shortfa-apr09.pdf It's a great...

Talk about "be careful what you wish for...": Joe Dresnok: An American In North Korea Bob Simon Reports On The Last U.S. Soldier Still Living In North Korea http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/25/60minutes/main2398580.shtml

Interesting summary here of the whole debacle: http://static.cbslocal.com/station/wcbs/docs/flyover.pdf This was from the White House counsel's office, who was asked to look at the whole affair. My quick read of it sounds like they kind of threw Louis Caldera under the bus - it seems like...

Who's in pajamas, Walter?

I was going to try and go Wednesday morning. Don't take all the free pens / notepads / strike fighters!

It's because he has very little *earned* income, but has a lot of dividends and capital gains - taxed at 15%. See Greg Mankiw's (who is one smart econ mo-fo) article on the subject: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2007/06/mr-buffetts-tax-bill.html

Engine out landing on a highway; I like how he even manages to find a good parking spot! http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/04/21/vo.fl.emergency.land.affl

A personal favorite...

I think the BAMS solicitation was among the lower points in recent technology procurements - and that is saying something, unfortunately. That a squared away company like GA did not win says volumes about the Navy's inability to define requirements, write a well-structured RFP, and then...

Very interesting read, especially when it (briefly) addresses General Atomics' relatively unique business model: "Cassidy has earned a unique reputation by using company funds to develop what he believes the military needs rather than chasing Pentagon requirements that shift with...

The short answer is that it's not that big a deal. (The slightly longer answer is that you can't make a habit of it...). Ideally, you'll know in advance of any conflicts with a drill weekend, and you'll submit a request to reschedule (a "resked") for that drill weekend. That means you'll be...

Since I had never actually read a complete JAGMAN before, this was one of the more useful links I've ever clicked through to on AW. One question: I was surprised that there was a "Recommendations" section at the end; I had thought that JAGMANs were really about "findings of fact", and that...

I wonder if Sikorsky ever bothered to ask these guys: From the "I didn't know that..." Department - China has been flying Blackhawks for 20 + years. According to the fanboy/trainspotter set, they aren't holding up well...

Hiram Maxim invented them, and he always called them silencers. I've figured if it was good enough for him, it's good enough for me... :) Interesting background and early ad for his invention here: http://www.aacblog.com/?p=788 He also had a longstanding interest in aviation; no...

Not an NVDI either, but I did go through the syllabus (+ refresher), and I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last week... The difference between HLL and LLL is essentially whether there is any moon illumination at all - .002 lux is the amount of light from stars plus airglow; anything greater...

We had a pilot who had done more or less exactly what you're asking - West Point / OH-58 guy transitioned to active duty Navy, to EA-6Bs, then to FTS, then to VAQ-209. (We always pick up the misfit toys...). Good guy, too - PM me your email and I'll shoot you his. It's been a while since he...

I always figured the Prowler as more of the short school bus....

I'm a fan of the Eco Drive. Never needs batteries, keeps great time, can switch time zones without losing synch, and shows Zulu time. Got mine (Titanium) on Ebay for $250; so hot it burned my fingers, but it was a good deal...

Ebay - where else? :) http://cgi.ebay.com/Soviet-Russian-Striped-ArmyMilitary-Navy-T-Shirt-BLUER_W0QQitemZ370179582428QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item370179582428&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

??? While promising, it hasn't proven anything yet - especially against ICBMs. We're 13 years into this program, and I haven't seen a lot of return on investment yet. Whenever I consider this system, I remember what DeGaulle said about Brazil - "It's the country of the future, and always...

This is simultaneously funny, scary, and educational.... http://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=494769783 I'm not sure about the workmanship, but I sure would love to have one of those Lewis guns up over my mantle. Also, the term "Range Safety Officer" seems to have no equivalent in Urdu...

RADM Philman, N88. http://www.eglin.af.mil/news/story_media.asp?id=123140808 http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio.asp?bioID=331

You can never go wrong with Brownshoes in Action for some good laughs... http://safetycenter.navy.mil/MEDIA/approach/brownshoes/default.htm

Unfortunately, I think Sledge died several years back - 2001 if Wikipedia is to be believed. "With the Old Breed" was one of the formative books I read as a teenager - about the best 1st person account of the war on the ground in the Pacific that I've come across. Would have liked to have met...

He should be so lucky! :) I was at a squadron function a month or so ago that Crip attended, but I was too busy drinking to make it over and introduce myself. He's going from the frying pan right into the fire, and should be back in a couple of months with some good "There I was, in the...

Condescending? That's rich - "Pot, check in with black on Button 20". When I'm condescending, you'll know it without any ambiguity. I'll most likely post a picture of Walter Sobchak and claim in large bold letters Donny, you're out of your fucking element!". When I'm not being...

One of the interesting things about working on the "Dark Side" of the business in this day and age (as Flash does) is the availability of information. It's somewhat amusing to watch uninformed speculation that can't be corrected or re-vectored because of INFOSEC and OPSEC rules, but that's just...

Not on the board here (at least that I know of), but VAQ-209 just picked up one of your own - the only U2 pilot flying Prowlers that I've ever heard of! (Word on the street is that he's a good stick and good in the jet.)

For the OP: Can you give some sense of what the study is about, or what you are trying to assess? The last guy that tried to quantify me had his liver eaten, with some fava beans and a fine Chianti....

Inevitably, you *will* poke a hole in your raft with it.... :)

There was a decent thread on this last year; still has good gouge. http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140374&highlight=survival+gear