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I had to check in with my school's financial aid office to make sure I wasn't missing anything. When the counselor asked why, I said because everything was going too smoothly. That's what the military does to you.
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Aug 12, 2013 17:20
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shyduck posted:All of those videos are either bullshit or represent 0.00001% of the AF population Think that applies to any branch... Silent drill team, SEAL/SWCC For some reason the Army ones are just people doing some insane obstacle course I don't think anyone in the Military does
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Aug 12, 2013 17:28
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holocaust bloopers posted:I had to check in with my school's financial aid office to make sure I wasn't missing anything. When the counselor asked why, I said because everything was going too smoothly. Yeah poo poo. Whenever I check my transcripts I honestly expect credits to be missing because that's what the military would do.
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Aug 12, 2013 17:30
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holocaust bloopers posted:I had to check in with my school's financial aid office to make sure I wasn't missing anything. When the counselor asked why, I said because everything was going too smoothly. The last time Vilepilot went on a spree Vas wasn't around after about half an hour so I shot Ozma a PM to help out since she was already actively patrolling a Bradley Manning thread. Vas showed up shortly after and cleaned up the place. For the rest of the day I had something nagging in my mind about that. I felt bad that I went to Ozma to get rid of the mentally ill threads. Then when I sent an apology to Vas for doing so, it loving dawned on me. I jumped the chain of command. I had something buried down that made me feel like I was bad or wrong in doing that and almost expected reprisal. That's what the military does to you.
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Aug 12, 2013 18:34
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Mr. Nice! posted:The last time Vilepilot went on a spree Vas wasn't around after about half an hour so I shot Ozma a PM to help out since she was already actively patrolling a Bradley Manning thread. Vas showed up shortly after and cleaned up the place. For the rest of the day I had something nagging in my mind about that. I felt bad that I went to Ozma to get rid of the mentally ill threads. Then when I sent an apology to Vas for doing so, it loving dawned on me. I jumped the chain of command. I had something buried down that made me feel like I was bad or wrong in doing that and almost expected reprisal. That's what the military does to you. I was on leave for a few days with my family, and before I went out drinking for the night I told them where I was going, the others I was taking with me, the time I was expecting to be back, what to do if I didn't get back in time. I felt like such a scum bag for not having an "A." I think its even more hilarious when I hear my teammates who have kids talking about how they "make their kids give them a GOTWA" before they send them out to play with their friends. Its really common sense poo poo, but I personally think its one of the better examples to come out of a military lifestyle. I do however find my self appologizing to people, usually in service jobs like hotels, because I have to reach into my pocket to get my passport/credit card, or don't have a pen in my hand ready to sign whatever they hand me. That's some crazy military stuff right there.
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Aug 12, 2013 23:08
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If I ever become like that I am going to eat a loving bullet.
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Aug 12, 2013 23:12
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Dude once you leave the military, you'll notice all sorts of dumb poo poo that you do. I have to be told to take a seat in someone's office or I'm perfectly content standing at the door.
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Aug 12, 2013 23:15
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I had to give somebody a student ID number over the phone today and I nearly started talking like it was a PMSV 
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Aug 12, 2013 23:20
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holocaust bloopers posted:Dude once you leave the military, you'll notice all sorts of dumb poo poo that you do. Haha did this on Friday. Was also shocked normal people in administration keep ours other than nine thirty to one o clock.
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Aug 12, 2013 23:39
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I have a bad habit of using NATO phonetics to spell things over the phone.
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Aug 12, 2013 23:53
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I get bugged when people do the "N as in Nancy, D as in David" thing.
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Aug 13, 2013 00:14
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I'd like some information on what sort of bullshit to expect and look out for when I go to the recruiter to start my application process into Air Force Officer Training School. But first, let me throw out a laundry listed summary of relevant "stuff" I bring to the table. -Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice (3.92 GPA and "Magnum Cum Laude" honors) -Associates Degree in Emergency Management (3.06 GPA and no honors) -Three years of experience doing private security ranging from rent-a-cop duties to surveillance investigations. -Worked with police and government information services via internships. -Can pass the Air Force PT test today. From what I understand about the officer selection process, they select individuals based on the "whole package" approach, but I heard it has a lot more to do with test scores and leadership experience than anything else. I also have been told that they select individuals who would fit into an officer position that uses what they bring to the table. To me, that translates to security forces, intelligence, and Office of Special Investigations. Personally, my number one pick would be OSI over the other two, but will most likely get stuck in security forces since I heard it's hell on earth and worked a security contract along side them state-side. The reason why I want to join as an officer is to get the officer experience and responsibility that comes along with it. I want to be challenged, as my current rent-a-cop job has me deadlocked at a post where the most challenging part of my job is whatever android puzzle app I happen to be working on at the time. Job security is also a plus. Money and health benefits are a plus too. Right now, I'm not looking to make a career out of military officer, but I'll reconsider if the benefits to bullshit ratio is in my favor.
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Aug 13, 2013 00:22
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EBB posted:I have a bad habit of using NATO phonetics to spell things over the phone. That's fine. It's the hackneyed fake poo poo civvies do that's irritating.
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Aug 13, 2013 00:25
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holocaust bloopers posted:That's fine. It's the hackneyed fake poo poo civvies do that's irritating. 
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Aug 13, 2013 00:30
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My last name is 11 letters long and contains a B (as in Boy), an F (as in Frank), a D (as in David), and an N (as in Nancy). It sucks talking to businesses on the phone.
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Aug 13, 2013 00:33
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TheInvisiblePooka posted:The reason why I want to join as an officer is to get the officer experience and responsibility that comes along with it. I want to be challenged, as my current rent-a-cop job has me deadlocked at a post where the most challenging part of my job is whatever android puzzle app I happen to be working on at the time. Job security is also a plus. Money and health benefits are a plus too. Right now, I'm not looking to make a career out of military officer, but I'll reconsider if the benefits to bullshit ratio is in my favor. No clue what the Air Force is like, but officers in the Navy are basically paperwork signers.
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Aug 13, 2013 00:35
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TheInvisiblePooka posted:I want to be challenged, as my current rent-a-cop job has me deadlocked at a post where the most challenging part of my job is whatever android puzzle app I happen to be working on at the time.
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Aug 13, 2013 00:39
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What does the "getting your applicants jobs" process look like from a recruiter's perspective? I ask specifically for Air Force, but I am still interested in learning how it works for other branches as well.
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Aug 13, 2013 00:40
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Officer experience in the USAF basically amounts to: A. Well-liked amongst most everyone and treated with a sincere and genuine respect. (rare) B. a begrudgingly small amount of respect from the enlisted because we harbor an instant distrust of any officer C. being considered neither alive or dead, but somewhere in between the realm of "occupying space" to "literal moving object; sometimes sentient" (most likely) D. Made fun of behind your back E. Having methods of being murdered devised while you are and aren't around, sometimes within earshot. F. all loving nobles must loving hang
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Aug 13, 2013 00:46
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TheInvisiblePooka posted:I'd like some information on what sort of bullshit to expect and look out for when I go to the recruiter to start my application process into Air Force Officer Training School. You can't get picked up for OSI, you have to crosstrain later. Beyond that, it seems to be complete voodoo as far as how they assign OTS selectees. Put down what you want, IIRC you get five choices (I went for a rated board, and there are only three options). Seriously, apply for what you want. Security Forces is the bottom of the loving barrel and if you put it on your list YOU WILL GET IT even if there are better jobs available. See what's out there and PUT DOWN THE JOBS YOU WANT. I'd suggest some good letters of recommendation. It doesn't matter so much WHO they're from as long as they make it sound like you're the most responsible and trustworthy person they've ever met. For example, one of mine was signed by a coworker (I wrote it), but it was worded so it sounded like he was a supervisor. Seriously, that clip is what made me put Archer on the list of poo poo to watch.
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Aug 13, 2013 01:02
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Just swore in today as a USNR Yeoman. No Mediums so I have to wait to get my Baggie on Thursday. Only took 4 hours to clear my tattoos that have been cleared four times previously!
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Aug 13, 2013 02:11
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Godholio posted:You can't get picked up for OSI, you have to crosstrain later. Beyond that, it seems to be complete voodoo as far as how they assign OTS selectees. Put down what you want, IIRC you get five choices (I went for a rated board, and there are only three options). Seriously, apply for what you want. Security Forces is the bottom of the loving barrel and if you put it on your list YOU WILL GET IT even if there are better jobs available. See what's out there and PUT DOWN THE JOBS YOU WANT. I'd suggest some good letters of recommendation. It doesn't matter so much WHO they're from as long as they make it sound like you're the most responsible and trustworthy person they've ever met. For example, one of mine was signed by a coworker (I wrote it), but it was worded so it sounded like he was a supervisor. If you don't mind answering, what is/was your rate? Pilot? ABM? CSO? shyduck posted:Have you heard of a game called "Candy Crush"?
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Aug 13, 2013 02:42
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Now that I've got my BSN and some RN experience in a specialty, I'm going to be filling out the paperwork to commission into the USNR nurse corps soon. I've been in contact with my recruiter for a while, but can anyone tell me the stuff that she won't? I know I'll be deployed eventually, but I'd like to get an idea how they figure out where it will be. She just says there's a whole bunch of places that you may go to. I'd actually prefer to go AD, but I don't know if that's possible at my age (33), but can you eventually progress to AD after serving in the reserves? I've thought about telling her to take me and my wife (also a nurse) as a package deal. I'm guessing she'd probably get a sweet bonus.
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Aug 13, 2013 04:24
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TheInvisiblePooka posted:If you don't mind answering, what is/was your rate? Pilot? ABM? CSO? I was an ABM, got out last year. Unless things have changed, you can apply to both rated and non-rated boards. And I doubt things have changed...but obviously it comes down to whether you want/qualify for the rated jobs.
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Aug 13, 2013 04:50
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Cacafuego posted:Now that I've got my BSN and some RN experience in a specialty, I'm going to be filling out the paperwork to commission into the USNR nurse corps soon. I've been in contact with my recruiter for a while, but can anyone tell me the stuff that she won't? I know I'll be deployed eventually, but I'd like to get an idea how they figure out where it will be. She just says there's a whole bunch of places that you may go to. I'd actually prefer to go AD, but I don't know if that's possible at my age (33), but can you eventually progress to AD after serving in the reserves? I was a medic in the Army, and worked with a lot of nurses. In my experience, working in a CSH was a lot like civilian hospitals. Nurses are in charge of patient care, as directed by docs. Medics work as techs, but with a lot more freedom and are able to do a lot more themselves. Basically socially-wise, you'll find two main groups of people. Those who take the military poo poo to heart and those who just try to be as civilian as possible. I had some nurses who were fuckin control freaks, and micromanaged the gently caress out of everything, and some who were chill as hell and shot the poo poo with us. It's a weird setting, as they work side by side with enlisted folk. Age limit stuff is kinda sketchy when it comes to nurses/docs as well, so I wouldn't count yourself out at 33. Then again, I'm talking from Army. poo poo may be completely different in the Navy.
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Aug 13, 2013 04:57
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haha what they won't let you go AD outright? Or did you not try? You can join the Navy at up to 35 I think. And I assumed they always needed nurses... As a reservist a couple years ago you definitely would have done an IA (Individual Augmentee. When Navy people deploy with the Army) to Kandahar, Afghanistan, or something like that. Most the smaller medical facilities/BAS (Batallion Aid Station - Medical clinic whether in country or stateside) in country don't have nurses. It's pretty much Corpsman > IDC (IDC - Independent Duty Corpsman. A Corpsman who works kind of like a PA but can only see active duty)> PA/DOC and that's it. No inbetween really. Stateside most all the emergency/urgent care clinics are all civilian. So don't get too excited about doing emergency medicine. There are a lot of places you can go though. Not sure how they decide but probably somewhere on a ship, Germany, Guantanamo Bay (Both Germany and Gitmo would be IAs), and possibly a stateside hospital? Either way you'll have all your minions running around doing all the work for you and you'll pretty much just sit behind a desk inputting information for everything they're doing and serve as a knowledge resource for them. Yell at them for starting IVs without gloves, etc. You might have to get up to touch the narcs, just maybe. Make sure you buy us lunch and coffee all the time. I'm not sure if you know the exact role of a Corpsman but we don't really leave much left for you to do, especially in a deployed setting. If not we are restricted a little bit in what we can do. And in a stateside setting you work under your license and won't be able to do things like suture, I&D, anesthesia injections, minor surgical procedures, etc, like we can. You might also deploy with the Marines. Again, not really any nurses on smaller bases/FOBs/whatever. But the only greenside nurses I see are with the Combat Logistics Battalion or STP - Shock Trauma Platoon which I think is a branch off of CLB. It's some pretty cool poo poo. Patients are coming to you directly from the front lines and you're the 2nd or 3rd level of pre-hospital care after the line Corpsman or CASEVAC (life flight) crew. Doing really invasive poo poo in a tent with surgeons, etc. It's more of an expeditionary thing like if we invaded a county or something like that you'd go and set up shop if larger facilities like Role 3 Kandahar didn't exist or aren't close. Anyways my money is you'll go on ship. Whether it's with the Marines (MEU Marine Expeditionary Unit) or not. -edit - Went through and spelled some things out since you probably don't know what they mean Nostalgia4Dogges fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 05:19
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Yeah, I only saw nurses at CSH hospitals and up. (think MASH- 100+ beds, surgery and maybe even ICU/Xray/Dental/ICU). At the Aid Station I was at in Bah'qubah we had 5 beds, with a PA in charge of 4 NCO medics (a couple of them we the M6 variety, basically LPN) and 5 or 6 enlisted medics.
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Aug 13, 2013 05:43
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TheInvisiblePooka posted:I've heard mixed things about how it's harder/easier to get into the Air Force on a non-rate. As a rule of thumb, I don't trust anything a recruiter says unless it's in writing. How are your eyes? You have a better chance of being picked up for a rated OTS slot. Non-Rated OTS is really difficult to get into. They are only taking people to fill positions of need. These people are going to have technical degrees and speak different languages. Unless you led your SOF rent-a-cop team on multiple raids and have several letters of recommendation exemplifying your outstanding leadership ability, a degree in CrimJus isn't really going to help. The AF is always looking for pilots, navigators(for what, I have no idea), and ABMs. As long as you can pass a physical, have some hours in a plane, have a decent GPA and letters of rec, then you have a shot.
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Aug 13, 2013 06:30
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Godholio posted:I was an ABM, got out last year. Unless things have changed, you can apply to both rated and non-rated boards. And I doubt things have changed...but obviously it comes down to whether you want/qualify for the rated jobs. When you said apply for what you want, I went back and looked at officer careers and picked the following: CSO, Pilot, ABM, Space and Missile Ops, and Combat Rescue. Those would be my top five picks with the first three being rated, since my chances of getting a rated are more likely than a non-rated (except for SF because... well... stupidity). I bring almost nothing to the table relevant for those positions, but maybe they will look beyond my screaming "candidate for SF Officer" and give me something better. Honestly, I want nothing to do with SF. I worked alongside them for a couple of months on a private security contract and all I saw was a bunch of miserable gently caress-ups and borderline sociopaths. I don't want to do SF, Intelligence, or Munitions. From what I hear, and experienced with SF, those are miserable duty positions for everyone involved. By the way, I appreciate how straight you've been with me. TheOtherGypsy posted:How are your eyes? You have a better chance of being picked up for a rated OTS slot. One of the main reasons I'm looking into AF OTS is because the rent-a-cops are all former military and constantly get the better assignments, promotions, and leadership positions over me. It's a catch-22 because I can't get promoted without supervisor experience, and I can't get supervisor experience without a promotion. Honestly, I started flashlight-police work in college because the hours were flexible and it was decent-enough pay. I would love to get away from all of that and have some sort of analyst, planning, or operations career. That's why I started looking at Commissioned Officer careers because it gives me a way up, if not a way out, of my current dead end existence.
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Aug 13, 2013 13:10
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TheInvisiblePooka posted:They will issue me glasses, but I wont need them to see. I've heard that if you get issued glasses, you can't be a pilot. I'm a pilot and I wear glasses. During the application process, you'll get a physical at MEPS. Although it won't be a flight physical, you'll know if you medically qualify for a rated slot. I think vision needs to be 20/70, correctable to 20/20. I don't know I'm reading the current reg, so I could be wrong. If you're good and get a rated slot, then you'll get a flight physical, where you can still be DQ'ed for things like vision. If you make it through OTS, then you'll go to a training base and get another physical where they'll finally give you glasses to fly with. Anyway, you talked about not wanting to be miserable and then you said you wanted Space and Missiles. That was funny. And becoming a CRO is an insane process. Not trying to poo poo on your dreams, I just know a lot of dudes that have been in your position. PM me if you have any questions.
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Aug 13, 2013 13:57
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^That all sounds right to me. What do you fly? Pilot, nav, and ABM all have different vision requirements, with pilot the strictest and ABM the easiest. Look up the requirements for the different flight physicals for specifics, I can't remember what they are. If you get selected by a rated board, you'll get a flight physical before OTS...you might get DQed or they might be willing to issue a waiver (I needed a vision waiver, for example). Generally I don't think waivers are easy to get these days; there are plenty of guys just as qualified that DON'T need a waiver to get in. But in this case you'll have already been selected so it seems like they'd let it slide and grant the waiver. BUT, this is the loving Air Force, so logic plays almost no role in decisionmaking. I also don't know how seriously a rated board looks at the MEPS results. It was a whole different world when I went through in 2004. I probably could've slipped through there with a limb missing. Godholio fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 14:33
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Christoff posted:haha what they won't let you go AD outright? Or did you not try? You can join the Navy at up to 35 I think. And I assumed they always needed nurses... I had previously only spoken to my recruiter about reserve. For some reason I thought the cutoff was 31 and I hadn't asked about it. I'll see what she says. Thanks for all the info, that was more of what I was looking for!
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Aug 13, 2013 15:55
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Godholio posted:^That all sounds right to me. What do you fly? 135s
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Aug 13, 2013 16:15
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Cacafuego posted:I had previously only spoken to my recruiter about reserve. For some reason I thought the cutoff was 31 and I hadn't asked about it. I'll see what she says. Thanks for all the info, that was more of what I was looking for! A guy I went to boot camp with just turned 36 or 37 and had a waiver and just met the cutoff. Marines and maybe some other branches have a much lower cutoff. There's a lot of 30 something year olds joining the Navy. Cut-off is 35 and they're not eagerly looking for people but a nurse on the other hand.... I assume you're doing it for adventure (or can't find a job?) but just realize you very well may get stuck working as a nurse at family practice in a lovely Navy hospital. Also forgot to add. Not sure if you were joking or not but if your wife did join as well you guys would be stationed together most likely. I think you have to be within 50-100 miles. I don't know the exact policy on it but there is a spouse program. Nostalgia4Dogges fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 16:30
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TheInvisiblePooka posted:The only thing I can think of that is worse is munitions. Speaking as a munitions officer, I would eat a bullet before being forcibly cross-trained to SF. Seriously, if that dropped I would have my paperwork in so fast it would make your head spin. Like Godholio said, figure out what you want, and then put it down as long as it isn't being a cop or maintenance officer.* *You can put mx down if you really, really want to, but you'd better be goddamned sure you fully understand what you are asking for** **You don't fully understand what you are asking for. Fake edit...Space and Missiles are two completely different career fields now. Space is full of really smart people doing classified sci-fi poo poo that is important, missiles is full of bitter alcoholics that sit in a hole for 72 hours at a time in pajama pants and bunny slippers waiting for a call to push the button, also they love to fail inspections. You can see why they split the career fields.
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Aug 13, 2013 18:33
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Christoff posted:A guy I went to boot camp with just turned 36 or 37 and had a waiver and just met the cutoff. Marines and maybe some other branches have a much lower cutoff. There's a lot of 30 something year olds joining the Navy. Cut-off is 35 and they're not eagerly looking for people but a nurse on the other hand.... I assume you're doing it for adventure (or can't find a job?) but just realize you very well may get stuck working as a nurse at family practice in a lovely Navy hospital. Not for the first duty station, that shits needs of the navy usually.
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Aug 13, 2013 18:59
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Christoff posted:A guy I went to boot camp with just turned 36 or 37 and had a waiver and just met the cutoff. Marines and maybe some other branches have a much lower cutoff. There's a lot of 30 something year olds joining the Navy. Cut-off is 35 and they're not eagerly looking for people but a nurse on the other hand.... I assume you're doing it for adventure (or can't find a job?) but just realize you very well may get stuck working as a nurse at family practice in a lovely Navy hospital. We both work as nurses now. I've always wanted to join and we wanted to be travel nurses eventually, so we wouldn't have a problem moving all over the place, as long as it's not the same place for 20 years. The AD pay is also significantly more than we make now (sad to say).
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Aug 13, 2013 20:10
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That's weird. The contract nurses at my work in a fairly low-income area made something ridiculous like $40-45 an hour. Try to get a Military contract gig. I'm not sure how it is for officers but when you're AD you usually do a sea/shore rotation. 2 years on shore duty in a hospital or something and then 2-3 years in a deployable/fleet setting like a ship or with Marines. Techs like x-ray, lab, etc, get 4 years at one command for some reason. Keep in mind you can still deploy from shore duty. Less common now though. Nostalgia4Dogges fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 22:05
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Cacafuego posted:We both work as nurses now. I've always wanted to join and we wanted to be travel nurses eventually, so we wouldn't have a problem moving all over the place, as long as it's not the same place for 20 years. The AD pay is also significantly more than we make now (sad to say). If AD will pay you more than a civilian RN gig you're doing it wrong.
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Aug 13, 2013 23:06
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Yeah that doesn't sound right at all. Not sure if he's factoring in 30 days of leave a year and healthcare but even then... Do you have some fresh out of school lovely nursing home gig or something?
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Aug 13, 2013 23:11
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