Leaving for the Air Force

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Rocketry nut

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I know I don't do much on here like I used to(1000+ posts in the old TRF), but I sure will miss seeing all of those crazy rocket projects people put on here. I leave next week for basic training and there won't be rocketry for me for a while. It's too bad my local launches didn't work out as often as we had hoped:(
Not sure where I'm headed after basic/tech school, but who knows, maybe I'll meet some of you next year at a launch :)
 
Good luck and stay safe. The military is a great place to start. I will thank you in advance for your service.

I spent 6 years in the Air Force - as an officer. You can just call me sir. :D
 
Rules for survival in Basic training. (at least in the Army)

Never be first.
Never be last.
Never volunteer.
Never be different.
Never stand out.

Once the Drill Instructor learns a name (for good OR ill) he/she will use it on a regular basis for extra duty/push-ups/whatever.

After eight weeks of basic our DI almost picked me to be the honor graduate simply because he a) didn't know my name and b) couldn't remember dropping me for push-ups. I reminded him that I did get dropped ONCE so he picked someone else.

Best of luck to you and God Bless.

Oh, and Thank you.
 
I want to add my thanks to you for your service and wish you all the best as you go through basic and beyond.

May you be richly blessed and bless those with whom you come into contact.
 
...I leave next week for basic training ...

Well, at least you're going to see San Antonio in the better part of the year - I started my basic at Lackland in June, pretty much like sunbathing in the hottest swamp you can imagine. October - December's pretty nice weather.

You've already gotten your tech school assignment? What AFSC?

And, as others have mentioned ... thanks for your service!
 
Well, congratulations on your choice of services! The time will pass by quickly - if your TI allows it. ;) It's a great experience and I too would like to hear: a) what you choose or pull as an AFSC, b) where your tech school is at, & c) where your first assignment will be (as if you'll be given a choice in the matter).

I did my basic at Lackland in July and August. I was on the top floor and the a/c was out for one week, while there were red flags (too hot to march), and we had to still sleep under the green wool blankets.

Went to Sheppard AFB after than, then:

Sunnyvale AFS CA
Osan AB Korea
Hill AFB UT
Zweibrucken AB GM
RAF Croughton UK
Yokota AFB JP
Naples IT
Prince Sultan AB SA
Elmendorf AFB AK


My only advice would be to make it a career, plow through your formal education, retire at 20, and enjoy your lifetime pension and medical benefits, while starting a second career around the ripe old age of 40. Those retirement benefits are HUGE, HUGE, HUGE!
 
enjoy yourself you will have internet at tech school. and you will enjoy it too.
 
Rules for survival in Basic training. (at least in the Army)

Never be first.
Never be last.
Never volunteer.
Never be different.
Never stand out.

When i did basic, we used to call this "going grey"
middle of the pack is a safe place to be.

good luck n training
 
Rocketry nut, thank you in advance for your service. This will be the toughest job you will ever love. I have fond memories of my time in the Army. I am glad that those days are behind me, but I would not have missed them for the world. Here's to hoping you get your duty station of choice!

AK, are you serious - a/c in the barracks, too hot to march???? I heard that you fly-boys had it easy, but holy cow...:y:

(just a little inter-service ribbing there :neener: )




BTW - my dad retired from the Air Force and is a Vietnam vet.
 
Congrads on the Air Force. My son just started his paperwork for the same. He is going delayed entry till he finishes his last year in school.
Mr. Bob
Starlight Dude
 
Rocketry nut,

Congratulations and thanks for your service.

I devoted 30 years of my life to the United States Air Force retiring in 2007. When I look back I don't know how the time passed so quickly. I enlisted as an aircraft maintenance techician (crew chief) and spent my entire career in aircraft maintenance. It gave me the opportunity to visit 42 states, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Denmark, Africa, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Greenland, and Antarticia.

One suggestion; take as many pictures as you can to so you can look back as time goes on.

If you every have questions feel free to shoot me an email.

[email protected]

As someone already said this will be the best time of your life.

Marty
 
AK, are you serious - a/c in the barracks, too hot to march???? I heard that you fly-boys had it easy, but holy cow...:y

Geeze we did even not have hot water in the showers at Recruit Training Center Alameda (USCG)

Congrats on taking the step to serve your country. Sometimes I think it would not be bad if it were a requirement to do so. One thing you will learn, if you just pay attention, is that even though you are not in charge, you can be a leader at all levels in an organization.
 
Rules for survival in Basic training. (at least in the Army)

Never be first.
Never be last.
Never volunteer.
Never be different.
Never stand out.

Once the Drill Instructor learns a name (for good OR ill) he/she will use it on a regular basis for extra duty/push-ups/whatever.

After eight weeks of basic our DI almost picked me to be the honor graduate simply because he a) didn't know my name and b) couldn't remember dropping me for push-ups. I reminded him that I did get dropped ONCE so he picked someone else.

Best of luck to you and God Bless.

Oh, and Thank you.

Sounder advice was never given;) I would add a few more thouigh :)
Don't whine
Keep a good sence of humour.
If its hot and your doing a long drill period as subtly as posible ease up on one heel then the other. Kind of like isometrics but may avoid fainting:)
Always follow the chain of command and avoid officers like bubonic plague till basic is over.
Stay focused on the team. Help others and they will help you. IE if someone on a run falls down pick him up unless ordered not to do so.Don't expext thanks because ewverybody is too darn tired but they will remember.
Sleep whenever you can because you will never get enough.
When you hit a low point rein in your focus from eight weeks to the next fifteen minutes.
DI's are nasty people because they need to be. Its funny in the movies and some what amusing when they chew on others but don't make the mistake of giggling.Trust me on this one:)
My oldest brother just retired freom the air force. He had a great career. Good Luck with yours:)
Cheers
Fred
 
AK, are you serious - a/c in the barracks, too hot to march???? I heard that you fly-boys had it easy, but holy cow...:y:

That's the way it was for me too during officer training. I was there in June, July and August of 82 and the red flags were out quit a bit for us.
 
Thanks for serving. If you end up stationed at Buckley AFB in Colorado there several clubs that would be more than happy to have you launch with them.

Be Safe.
 
There is no greater honour than serving your country.
Like anyother experience in life, you will get out of it what you put in.
The person I am today has a great deal to do with my service.
 
That's the way it was for me too during officer training. I was there in June, July and August of 82 and the red flags were out quit a bit for us.

I was there in Feb of '78 and the red flags were out because they said it was too cold! In Maine, we had PE outside in shorts in that kind of weather.
 
Well, congratulations on your choice of services! The time will pass by quickly - if your TI allows it. ;) It's a great experience and I too would like to hear: a) what you choose or pull as an AFSC, b) where your tech school is at, & c) where your first assignment will be (as if you'll be given a choice in the matter).

I did my basic at Lackland in July and August. I was on the top floor and the a/c was out for one week, while there were red flags (too hot to march), and we had to still sleep under the green wool blankets.

Went to Sheppard AFB after than, then:

Sunnyvale AFS CA
Osan AB Korea
Hill AFB UT
Zweibrucken AB GM
RAF Croughton UK
Yokota AFB JP
Naples IT
Prince Sultan AB SA
Elmendorf AFB AK


My only advice would be to make it a career, plow through your formal education, retire at 20, and enjoy your lifetime pension and medical benefits, while starting a second career around the ripe old age of 40. Those retirement benefits are HUGE, HUGE, HUGE!

What time frame were you at RAF Croughton? I was at their OL/A, RAF Barford St. John from '76 - 79. I was a 304x4.
 
From '91-'97.

Went to RAF Barford-St. John countless times to do inspections. Of course, the history behind 12 O'clock High was well chronicled. Interesting story happened out there that no one would believe, involving people we know.

Miss that area a lot.
 
Thanks for all of the well wishes everyone! I am looking forward to starting my career for sure. As for my job, I was given "air transportation". When I picked my top 5 jobs there were only 4 I had in mind(meteorology, air combat apprentice, and 2 space and missile jobs) they told me I must pick a 5th so I kinda picked something just to put it down. Of course it's at the bottom of the list so I won't get it, right...wrong :rolleyes: We'll see how it turns out. At least there are some cool places I can get sent. Oh and I learned that I should think about all 6 spots on my location "dream sheet".

Tech school is also at Lackland. After that who knows. I should find out around the 7th week of basic.
 
...so I kinda picked something just to put it down. Of course it's at the bottom of the list so I won't get it, right...wrong :rolleyes: We'll see how it turns out. At least there are some cool places I can get sent. Oh and I learned that I should think about all 6 spots on my location "dream sheet".

You'll learn there's a method to the madness with dream sheets... guarenteed! Pick where you DON'T REALLY want to go for #1, where you wouldn't mind going for #2 and where you REALLY wanna go for #3. Out of 6 PCS moves, it worked 2/3rds of the time (and one of the other two was when I picked Europe instead of Vietnam, and you can guess how that worked out!) :eyepop:

"Air transportation"... is that loadmaster or aerial port specialist or what?
 
A sincere thanks for your service. Stay safe and check back in with us when you can.
 
AK, are you serious - a/c in the barracks, too hot to march???? I heard that you fly-boys had it easy, but holy cow...

So, BAR Daddy, I guess you've never been in Texas during the summer, doing any heavy work outside in the heat? (kidding right back)

It's a delight.

And sleeping w/o an operable AC unit is miserable. We have gotten to experience that one several times, when a storm takes out the electricity. It's bad enough to abandon the house, and sleeping on the floor at the in-laws' is better. It's almost bad enough to pay $$$$ to go rent a hotel room.
 
Aw, I already see the famous "Go in open General" recruiter line coming about.

I fell for the same thing, only I confronted my recruiter upon my return, because I got stationed near home.

When I chose the Air Force I specifically asked for a list of career fields to choose from. He said, "We're not allowed to do that. However, if you go down during this month, it'll be the best opportunity to get you into a career field you want." So there I am sitting at Lackland having to watch videos of career fields to choose from. When I saw the film of AP (Air Patrol; Security Police/Forces) I about freaked, having been warned ahead of time from my parents. Of course, 85% of the people in my flight had something they called "guaranteed" jobs.

So when I went home on leave, I let SSgt Steve have it.

As for the dream sheets, there's ways to work it - you just have to know the system. I ended up with some great assignments in the end and filled my desire to see the world.

Just remember, chances are you'll live in the states for the rest of your life - so go see the world.
 
So, BAR Daddy, I guess you've never been in Texas during the summer, doing any heavy work outside in the heat? (kidding right back)

It's a delight.

And sleeping w/o an operable AC unit is miserable. We have gotten to experience that one several times, when a storm takes out the electricity. It's bad enough to abandon the house, and sleeping on the floor at the in-laws' is better. It's almost bad enough to pay $$$$ to go rent a hotel room.



Didn't have the "pleasure".

I will tell you though, Ft McClellan (Alabama) is hot and humid in the summer. So is Ft Riley (Kansas). Although at Riley, winters can be just as bad. I don't know what is worse there, full MOPP gear in August, all buttoned up in an M113 or that sleeping in that same APC in the middle of a cold Kansas winter. Oh yeah, and then having to use the axe from your BII to chop the ice loose from the tracks before you can move out. Ahhh, good old Army life. There are still things that I miss though.
 
There is no greater honour than serving your country.
Like anyother experience in life, you will get out of it what you put in.
The person I am today has a great deal to do with my service.


I have to quite agree. And it does not matter which branch of service. I am proud of my father and his service in the Air Force during Vietnam. I am proud to say I have served, though I never left the states. I am also proud of my oldest son. He is an Army Reservist and it sounds like he will be earning his veteran's card this spring. His unit is scheduled to be activated and head for Afghanistan.

When we were tracing our family history, I discovered that I am the direct descendant of a man who fought in the Revolutionary War. Our family has a deep military tradition and I have raised my children to respect that and to be patriotic.

Rocketry_nut, once again, thank you for your decision to serve and may you keep yourself safe so that you can share all of the interesting stories that you will undoubtedly collect (and live out) over the years.
 
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Stopping because there's no a/c? Man that must be some bad butt heat. I can remember working down south on a very nasty course :) No sleep and the heat was amazing along with lots of critters who wanteds to sting chew on or kill ya Lol:) I can also remember doing 20 k forced marchs with the mask on and a full pack in 35C. Man when that was done I chucked up so much I swear I could taste the cake from my fifth birthday party :)
In Gagetown it got down to -35 and the only thing keeping ya warm was the parka :) After a week it kind of irritates ya:) Man things have changed. No wonder my brother in the air force called me an idiot for being a grunt. Still I would not change a single thing :)
Cheers
Fred
 
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Hey everyone I'm back for a couple weeks! BMT was quite the experience. I'll have stories that'll last for years. I hated while in it, but I'm glad I did it. It wasn't all bad either we had some fun...occasionally.
Tech school is the opposite of BMT and I only have 3 more weeks before I graduate. I'll be stationed at Travis AFB so launches such as MWP and ST will probably be out the window, but it'll open up new opportunities. BTW can anyone tell me about the Tripoli prefecture, SARG? That's the closest rocket club to me and their website is down.

One last thing, I'm curious to hear what BMT squadrons you AF guys were in(if you remember) I was at the 326th HOOYAH BULLDOGS!!!
 
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