Ahh you're a Bruin.

 

I loved my job, but despised my employer.

I can relate. I actually did well enough, got some honors, that kind of thing, but there were just too many senior enlisted who were nothing more than overgrown schoolyard bullies. The only one of them who was in my chain of command was originally my section NCOIC, later promoted to squadron first shirt. I put up with his crap at first because I didn't know how things really worked, but once I got that figured I gave the punk fair warning. He took exception to my audacity, failed to heed the fair warning, and resumed his aggression the very next day. I guess he thought I was bluffing.

That made him the lucky winner of an all expenses paid 18 month trip for one to fabulous Thule Air Base, and ended his dream of making Chief before he retired. It made me something of a hero among the first-termers and those who appreciated backbone, but it also made the senior enlisted punks angry so they redoubled their efforts to shoot my happy *** out of the sky. They failed at it perfectly consistently, but I'd just as soon that they'd succeeded and run me out. I had better things to do with my time than putting up with badly behaved children. More than once things got bad enough that I went to the CO and told him that he could fix things, throw me out, or watch me go over the horizon.

In spite of all of that I was still extraordinarily successful for a first-termer, but I hated the Air Force long before I got out. An organization that will tolerate the mistreatment of its members is not worthy of the membership of self respecting human beings.

I suppose that's why we always nod knowingly when another vet says that the reason he separated was "I just got tired of the bull5h17".

 

You want to talk about a joke, go to the new basic training in the Army. That is a total joke.

That's why I got out of the Army after 14 years on active duty. I was totally fed up with all the BS. But then I missed it so much I did what I said I would never do................................................ ................................................





























































I joined the National Guard. Man did they think I was the biggest Ahole in the world. I was so use to the active Army doing the weekend warrior thing was just foreign to me. I expected people to show up and do their job for the weekend. And to show some discipline too.
Funny thing though when we got activated to go to Iraq all of a sudden I was the go to guy. They made me a 1SG right away and I had to take 100 screw-ups and turn them into a good enough group to guard the main gate of the base I was at. I did a pretty good job of it too. I had a few that couldn't figure it out but all in all they were a good bunch of soldiers. I ended up getting "F"ked over by my unit in the end. They covered up the circumstances of how I was wounded. Anything to protect the reputation of 81st Infantry Brigade.

I have been out for over 10 years now and still miss it. If I was physically able I would have gone back in a heartbeat.

 

I heard a while back that Air Force TI's aren't allowed to yell at basic trainees any more. That was the most entertaining part of the whole experience and the TI's I encountered were some of the funniest standup comics ever to live. Our Team Chief (the rankest of our TI's) put that R. Lee Ermey dude's very best to shame. If I'd known then what I know now I'd have pegged him with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but when he wasn't being excessively cruel about it he was downright hilarious.

I'm sorry that happened, but hope you weren't too surprised by it. They call 'em battle buddies because they're the first ones gonna do ya from behind.

 

Fun fact: If you bore a 5.9 Cummins out .040 over, it goes from 359 cubic inches to 367 cubic inches.

So I now have a 6.0 liter Cummins...

 

Sure is active round these parts

 

Yup.

Seems like the 2nd Gen section has been slowing down a bit.

 

Seriously? There are at least 5 new members a day I direct here. Maybe the OT section is dying, but the tech forum is alive and well with people searching for fixes. You guys should venture out of here sometimes and help these new folks.

 

I help people all the time if I know how

 

Thank you. Dodge Forum is alive and well. There's a whole world out there besides 2nd gen Rams. Knowledge and experience are welcome in any section any time.