Dear Boss, I quit! A letter to Air Force leadership....

[Recovering LSO]

Well, this, too, is probably a bit of an oversimplified and cynical summarization:
Write my name (BOLD/UNDERLINED) in the "Officially part of the problem" column. Except please give me "an asterisk"...because I actually think that I was "part of the solution" that helped people like you see a light at the end of what was, at times, a VERY loooong tunnel. I took that role increasingly seriously the more senior I got. You should too.
Trust me...I empathize (more than just a little bit) with a lot of what the dude has to say (does he..or do you...think this is something NEW?)...but he lost me at "I don't just quit, I give up!" Sounds like a DOR to me. Fine...more for those who choose to stay.
Short version of my too-long note above: Ladies and gentlemen: it's a fuckin' sine-wave...has happened I don't know how many times during our collective 101+ years. Probably the absolute WORST was the time between WWII and Korea. No...I wasn't there...but I'm privileged to know many who were. So it's happening again. It will change.
If you can't take "the suck"... well, you won't be there when "the blow" starts again.
Helpful hint: If you do punch out for WHATEVER reason, don't sell or donate all of your uniforms to the local Thrift Shop. When your day comes...the day when they give a great party in your honor on the one day they know you can't be there...you or your family are going to want you to be dressed in your SDBs or your choker whites while draped under the flag of your nation. Trust me..."those were the best days of your life".

Valid - mostly. The point of my posts in this thread is that I think we're anchoring on the wrong points of this dude's letter. He correctly identifies leadership problems that are independent of F-22 inventories....

I think you're missing my point. They are a force multiplier. If they vanish today, we will still be able to accomplish all of the missions you're talking about. You'll get gas from a KC-130J or Rhino configured for tanking.

That Rhino isn't taking / tanking me outside of about 100nm from mom - and that KC-130... It's a great asset for your guys, but not a strategic asset that's going to service an entire strike package.

 

[Pags]

I agree that the AF has a lot to offer. As much as we don't want to admit it, each service provides a unique capability that when combined allow ALL of them to win our nations wars (or execute global missions for good, blah, blah). This guy bemoaning the fact that he had to do CAS, forcing his nice jets to act as airborne artillery for, god forbid, the army, seems to indicate that the author doesn't get the big picture of what the AF is all about. As much as it may hurt the authors personal pride, the AF is also tanking, airlift, satellites, icbms, and a bunch of other missions. Just because this guy didn't get a chance to go guns blazing against some MiGs over the Yalu doesn't mean his time has been wasted, unfortunately he doesn't seem to see it that way.

Complaining about the utilization rate of his jets? Come on now...they're the mans jets, if he wants you to burn me up, thats what you get paid for.

I can't imagine what he could have expected his leadership to do when it came to the f-22 and gates...say "fuck you mr secretary! Gimme the money!" maybe "strenuously object?" just like his airmen can't say no to him, the generals really can't say no to the SECDEF. Maybe he would have preferred a "revolt of the admirals" style public showdown, but things start to get kind of nasty when military leadership tries to buck civilian leadership.

 

[Renegade One]

Valid - mostly.

Game on. Tell me more about the "invalid" parts.

 

[Flash]

......I can't imagine what he could have expected his leadership to do when it came to the f-22 and gates...say "fuck you mr secretary! Gimme the money!" maybe "strenuously object?" just like his airmen can't say no to him, the generals really can't say no to the SECDEF. Maybe he would have preferred a "revolt of the admirals" style public showdown, but things start to get kind of nasty when military leadership tries to buck civilian leadership.

Yeah, that already happened and it didn't end well for the CSAF or SECAF at the time.

 

[squeeze]

I enjoy some good-nature ribbing of my Harrier buddies, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they weren't fighter pilots. Granted, there are far better platforms out there for A/A, but they do train to the mission to a small extent.

I'm an Attack Pilot, thank you. Yes, we train to multiple mission sets, but I'm no damn fighter pilot - I like women and I know who my parents are.

 

[bunk22]

Valid - mostly. The point of my posts in this thread is that I think we're anchoring on the wrong points of this dude's letter. He correctly identifies leadership problems that are independent of F-22 inventories....

This. Obviously the leadership issues are nothing new. Just read a really good book on the creator of the Marines Night Fighter program in WWII, later commanding VMFN-533 off Okinawa, the highest scoring Marine night fighter squadron. His complaints about leadership, politics at the beginning of WWII pretty much ring true with what we see today. I think Robin Olds said as much in his book as well, same shit different day. What's that old saying from A4's, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[Renegade One]

I'm no damn fighter pilot - I like women and I know who my parents are.

Whatever gets you through the night.

 

[robav8r]

I'm an Attack Pilot, thank you. Yes, we train to multiple mission sets, but I'm no damn fighter pilot - I like women and I know who my parents are.

Squeeze - been reading some interesting things lately about MEU composition and who commands the ACE. Is it true that Phrog pilots usually command the ACE?

 

[bert]

Squeeze - been reading some interesting things lately about MEU composition and who commands the ACE. Is it true that Phrog pilots usually command the ACE?

They like to have Phrog guys as ACE CO because they generally do a better job of taking care of the aviators from other platforms.

 

[Gatordev]

Squeeze - been reading some interesting things lately about MEU composition and who commands the ACE. Is it true that Phrog pilots usually command the ACE?

Rob,

There was a pretty lengthy thread about this a few years ago. I'm having a hard time finding it, but maybe HD or the Phrogs can find it since they were part of the dicussion (I think...and maybe even Squeeze).

 

[Alto53]

Squeeze - been reading some interesting things lately about MEU composition and who commands the ACE. Is it true that Phrog pilots usually command the ACE?

Rob,

First, I'm new onboard, retired in '03 after a dual USMC/USN stint of 21 years. Cruised in '86 and '88 as a Marine 53 pilot and was the Mini-Boss on a '93 cruise. HMM Skipper's were the ACE CO because the whole squadron deployed with 'added-on' assets of 53's, Cobra's, and Hueys making them a 'Composite' squadron. Sometimes they added AV-8s if cruising on a Big Deck LHA, not enough room on an LPH. Can't speak for now, but thats the way it was in the 80's/90's, if that's helpful.

 

[Harrier Dude]

They like to have Phrog guys as ACE CO because they generally do a better job of taking care of the aviators from other platforms.

Please tell me that you're joking.

This is all becoming a moot point since all of the active Phrog squadrons are almost gone, but that's not the reason that HMM (now VMM) COs command the ACE of a MEU.

Bottom line is that they form the core of the squadron because they have the most aircraft. They have the most aircraft because they're in charge. And around and around we go.

I'm waiting for the Battle Royale between the Phrog turned Osprey mafia and the Hornet turned Lightening mafia.

I'd love to see it, but not enough to stick around that long.


As to fighter/attack pilots, that's just an air force thing. Airlines too, apparently. If it's a small tactical jet, then it's a "fighter". Hence "fighter pilots" for everyone.

I've learned to respond to airline dudes (who may be considering hiring me) when asked "Do you fly heavys or fighters?"

"Fighters".

I feel dirty now.

 

[robav8r]

^ All good stuff, thanks !

 

[bert]

Please tell me that you're joking...

I'm waiting for the Battle Royale between the Phrog turned Osprey mafia and the Hornet turned Lightening mafia...

Probably closer to trolling than joking - I've spent a lot of time around ACEs.

I will be interested to see if the prior-Phrog and Osprey-from-the-beginning guys will be able to get along. Navy helo communities have always had problems with that as new aircraft are introduced to communities. I redesignated and skipped a lot of the bs when my community did it, but you can see back and forth between lifelong 60S guys and old phrog guys even on this forum.

But if there is friction in the ACE, canceling the Harrier/Lightening line ought to fix it...

 

[Jim123]

...the big picture of what the AF is all about. As much as it may hurt the authors personal pride, the AF is also tanking, airlift, satellites, icbms, and a bunch of other missions....

+1

Just like a lot of the Navy's mission is to bring tons of stuff to where it needs to be and to sail our ships to the other side of the world to encourage other people to see things our way. Not much glamor in either of these things, but they're still important.

I'm an Attack Pilot, thank you.

I don't think you can blame the Air Force for the "fighter" moniker- way back when, the Army Air Corps had "pursuit" planes but the Navy called them "fighters" all along...