U.S. Air Force Asks Retirees to Come Back
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- Mover, Gonky, and guest host Daniel Flores discuss the Air Force's plan to offer retirees a Voluntary Return to Active Duty (VRAD): www.airforceti...
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Every Monday at 8PM ET, Mover (F-16, F/A-18, T-38, 737, helicopter pilot, author, cop, and wanna be race car driver) and Gonky (F/A-18, T-38, A320, dirt bike racer, author, and awesome dad) discuss everything from aviation to racing to life and anything in between. Featuring Daniel Flores!
Chief Warrant Officer (Ret.)Daniel Flores is a native Houstonian who started his military career as an infantryman with the 4th Infantry Division, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He flew the AH-1 Cobra, AH-64 Apache, and later became a Customs and Border Protection Air Interdiction Agent. He is the author of "South of Heaven: My Year in Afghanistan"(www.amazon.com... )and currently flies EMS Helicopters. The film "Above the Best" is based on his book and available on Amazon.
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The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
Views presented are my own and do not represent the views of DoD or its Components.
For more info on the Voluntary Return to Active Duty Program: www.retirees.af.mil/Portals/53/documents/VRRAD/Officer%20VRRAD%20Fequently%20Asked%20Questions%20(FAQs).pdf
www.retirees.af.mil/Library/Return-to-Active-Duty/Rated-VRRAD-Program/
My dad is willing to go back
But they will have to dig him up. LoL 😂
My dad also. Radar tech on B-47. Topeka, Ks. He also had his stories. He is in the same place.
I have news for you. I was asked to come out of retirement from the AF to go back into military air traffic control. It does happen, and it has been happening since 2000. The military draw-down of the 90s wreaked havoc on the military in certain career fields. The ripple effect in the civilian side is devastating, even today. The military is an enormous source of trained and talented people.
This is what happens when you fight a war for 20 years where you win all the battles yet still lose the war and not one General was relieved for cause. Shit was able to rise to the top.
Well said.
And politicians impeached,thrown out of office and investigated.
We lost politically along ago.
It's not always the generals. The civilian "leadership" and policy makers have a lot to do with it, for a lot of reasons.
The hospitals did the same thing to nurses, they forced out all the highly qualified nurses durning the Covid era and now there is such a shortage they are trying to offer insane amounts of sign on money to try and bring them back.. 30 yrs as a RN and I’m staying retired and flying my RV4.
The book and website "What the nurses saw" explain what you principled nurses and doctors went through. Decisions made by WHO and the hospital conglomerates forced from above. New protocols k1ll1ng patients and ICU nurses who brought it up were dismissed. Not even fired, since that would allow unemployment but considered voluntary separated.
At least they are offering something to entice people back. What the Air Force is offering here is a turd sandwich.
Smart you are!
My wife is also an RN. 18 plus yr's @ the largest medical employer in Iowa. She went to work under the weather & sucked it up. Health care is not about health care. She was let go thankfully before Covid hit. She lost her working family. Her health was on the decline before termination. The sad thing is the black shirts pick them off one at a time. The newer nurse are run ragged I sure with a little less pay. I have heard similar stories from other health care companies in this fine state. Treat them then street them. Rich S. USAF 81-85
What minds they have running things!!!!
Retired maintenance, not a pilot, but here's my 2 cents:
A smart way to bring back retirees would be as dedicated trainers. No PT Test or Uniform, uphold technical proficiency standards, and train the new guys on that standard.
Let the time count for retirement calculations and keep them on retirement pay.
I'm retired AF MX. This sounds good on the surface IF the AF would take you as an instructor on a GS pay scale. If they want you back in uniform and subject to all the BS that goes with it, I can't see many takers. There's a reason I retired - too much BS.
I wasn't bagging on those that apply for this if it happens. My best wishes to those that do. @@ryanward10
I wasn't bagging on those that do apply for this if it happens. My best wishes to those that do and it I hope it works out for them. @@ryanward10
Can’t pay retirement pay and active duty pay without Congress changing JUMPS. Same with accruing time for retirement while taking retirement pay. Same with all other retirement benefits.
Although the executive branch doing illegal and questionable things with taxpayer dollars all the way round is kind of the new default mechanism of running the nation, legitimizing your proposed solution would open up massive graft in the personnel system in all services.
Much easier to use the Guard or Reserve system to bring on to active duty in short shifts that talent. Problem is, this military is so over tasked there just is not the pool of qualified personnel to affect the problem left. There is a retention problem, the boat is sinking, this military just is out of gas.
“This military is bleeding out,” is one of the bevy of really accurate assessments made in this video. These guys are spot on, they are being very professional in how they say it, but as a nation we no longer believe this government is grounded in love of country, and the military is now in an ideological and bureaucratic tailspin.
Hmm, all the inclusion and DEI bs has really turned the AF around...be nice to hear the CMSGTAF offer an excuse on this...told you Chief!
Why would anyone come back if the people who put the military in this position in the first place aren't fired?
USAF loves to preach accountability until Top Brass fk up.... then it's nowhere to be seen.
that is the problem. change the culture to promote the best people with out racial preference or sex. if they can do the work then let them. the standards have to be the same for all.
@@davidvogel6359 Meritocracy....what a concept!
@@davidvogel6359 nope, let them hire the worst... leave the best to live peacefully in the US and see all the problems go away.
Don’t fight for someone who despises you.
That is the sentiment of young straight white men and it is killing us.
Retired MSgt here. This is not a serious offer from the AF. It's actually kinda ridiculous. If they were serious, they would offer bonuses, base of preference, exception from PT test for at least 6 months to a year to get in shape. I'm really curious to see how many people take this, especially people with any type of VA rating.
I would guess any VA rating is an unpublished disqualifier. The PT test is a pet program and will always be in effect. As you said, they're not serious.
It's probably all theater to make us think they did everything they could... when they send you into another debacle.
Jummeyer939.....my thoughts exactly. What we if can't meet physical standards??? Would some a-hole throw paper at a 57 yr old retired for 13 years for not being able to run with the 30 year olds????? There is that potential.
For all of the maintainers who have said that they were treated like garbage during their AD time, I'd like to say that I, and almost all of the flyers I flew with respected you and what you did. We trusted you to bring us machines that would take us into the air, and sometimes into combat, and get us back home alive. How you kept some of the airplanes we had flying, I'll never know, but I just know that you did.
During my twenty years, of which about fifteen were flying, I ran into one flyer who mouthed off to a maintainer. We gave that guy a $hit sandwich, and subjected him to "stuff" that we couldn't get away with today.
In all of my years of flying, I never met a Crew Chief I didn't trust. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't tell you nearly enough back then.
As a retired maintenance officer, prior enlisted Crew Chief, thank you sir. That means a lot.
I was a civilian employee of the USAF for 23 years, My experience at Altus AFB (5 years on C-5) and Dover AFB showed me that the USAF treats flight line people badly. The flight crews were good to us but the bases as a whole treated flight line people as trash.
I'm still enlisted. Nothing has changed on that front. We miss a line for MX, we get longer hours and work through weekends. If we rush to get planes fixed and it doesn't go to plan, we get told that life is more important than making a sortie. That is until me miss one, then the long hours are back on the menu. Also, in more recent years, budgets have been so tight that we can't get issued gear unless we're filling a deployment. Not even all the deployer's get gear either. I know of a few dudes that were sent on a 3 month trip, and were told to only pack a 72 hour bag.
@@stephenbrady7173i retired in 88 and from reading your comment im shocked that nothing has changed. Your description of working the flight line is pretty much the same as it was back in the day. No matter where you were stationed the flight line and Security Forces always worked weekends and holidays when all other personnel were off.
I flew a civilian plane off Elmendorf for radar site logistical flights, since C-12 crews never made it in if there was weather. What a goofed-up system. Everything we asked for was impossible to get, like a step ladder to clean windshield while we wait for two hours, proper fuel filler nozzle (I can see it hanging on the side of the truck, but fuel truck driver isn’t certified to switch out single point nozzle, and won’t let me touch it), and no idea how to resolve the problem.
But you better not try to walk off the ramp anywhere but where they tell you, or start an engine without asking the lames in the tower first. WTF are we doing? It’s no wonder we haven’t won a war in 80 years. They put politicians and hall-monitors in charge of everybody, and harass people for trying to solve problems.
All the chickenshit, and now they’re woke on top of it? I’m glad nobody wants to be part of their foolishness.
I did 26+ years as Federal DoD Aircraft Mechanic working at Depot on the MH-53J PAVELOWS and AFSOC C-130 program.
I would come back as long as they take care of their people like Robin Olds did with his people.
When the Air Force asked us to put our nose to the Grindstone, we did.
But when we asked for help with our families, we were told by some that we nothing but DAMN Civilians...
You be amazed at how we been treated and people be shocked at what has happened.
Robin Olds mentioned, thumbs-up deployed.
@@shayjohnson5830 Thanks.
The way they treated you is why nobody is joining up. Word is out.
Recruiting woes are treatment woes. Not woke.
Yup, gave them everything for decades and got shit on. I'll keep my retirement check, they can kiss my ass.
For those that don’t know who Robin Olds is…look him up. He was one bad a$$ fighter pilot/leader.
It's comical that for the past 2 years, the USAF has cut promotion rates for NCO's to an all time low. Now they don't know why people won't stay in, but still ask retiree's to come back? This whole scenario is a slap in the face to those of us that are currently enlisted. Additionally, they have extended high year tenor for E5/6's to 22/24 years respectively. I for one, can't see doing a day past 20 years if this is the leadership that we are supposed to rely on. The current Air Force isn't a sinking ship, it's more like the Hindenburg.
The Hindenburg, nice analogy, I like it!!! Me, retired Army here. I then did 16 years as a DAC. I fully retired in 2017 and I'm so glad it is so far into my rearview mirror. When I saw BHO re-elected, that was when the disintegration really began.
State the obvious: this offer has all the earmarks of a female HR officer. Does that make me sexist? I don't think so.
@jerryg4183 Who knows. Nothing surprises me anymore. For example, look at the Montana Army Guard's recent recruiting poster debacle (showing WWII German troops marching behind the smiling state CSM). I mean, look how the military, especially the Army, is trying to woo people back who were discharged for refusing the Jab.
All across all the branches. It's run by a bunch of ass clowns and we have just Begun to see the shit show they've created.
@@jerryg4183You should not be scared of being called "sexist" in the first place.
Drawing on my past interactions with military leadership, I can see them being totally serious about this idea, then being totally perplexed as to why there are no takers.
Correct. People aren't as stupid as they are.
You guys hit the nail on the head. That offer is on the checklist before they can pull the trigger on stop-loss. Not being appealing (read, expensive) is a feature of the offer, not a bug.
As soon as you retire, we have to get the actual story as to what you and Gonky did to piss everybody off lol.
Mover also has medical issues that might be pushing him to the bottom of the stack. It seems to be a sticking point with this drive that if medical gets in the way, your ass gets cut.
When one wakes up to the BS and sees it from a detached position and living a life of gratitude and grace, going back is never an option.
Amen!
You should see that they pay retired teachers who want to come back and sub. Some places it is $350.00 day and still most people say no. You cannot treat people, no matter what profession, like garbage and expect them to come back.
My current unit kicked me out and basically told me not to drill even though i have 6 months left at age 58. They just extended the age to 62, but they did it anyway. You can be a completely senile senator, congressman etc and work until you're in your 80's, but a highly skilled IT tech, etc who is in better shape than 90% of the people in my wing, nope, sorry get out lol.
In the Guard after you hit 20 year mark your year to year. I had a year and 1/2 left on my contract. I was done @ 49 years old. Past pt test yada yada.Now I hear now things are a little different currently. It's not the best and brightest that moves to leadership positions. Still the good ole boy and ole girl network. Earlier years better times before Soviet Union collapse; now things are so woke. My anology is we did 10 hours worth of training in a 8 hour drill period for important issues such as don't ask don't tell. It was mandatory; I played the video with the audio off.
I spent a night thinking about it. And it isn't a good deal. Most of us on the E side retired at 20 as E-6 or E-7. Most of us who retired were near our last base and stayed there. What the program needs to be is to have us come in to bolster the jr personnel management and training side of our career fields for 2-4 years. We cover for those E-6/7s that need to deploy, or train, get a higher degree so they will be better for their Airmen when they get back. Pay is fine. Give us a list of places to choose from to fill in. PT test? No... I don't even think we should deploy. We should be used like an old experienced GS/contractor who wanted to put the suit on again for a few more years and train new guys while management goes off to get better.
Didn't make major in 1983 so kicked out. USAF spent $1 million to train my replacement. Morale will improve when the punishment stops, and not much chance of either happening.
I retired in 99 as an E-7, 2A3 AFSC (crew chief). After 9/11 the USAF was taking retirees back for a 2-year contract. I went back in from 02-04. I simply went back in like I never left. My retirement pay stopped of course but I was paid at the current rate for my rank and time in service. When my contract was up, I just returned to retired status but at a higher rate. I retired in 99 with 21.5 years at the 99-pay scale, when I re-retired, I had 23.5 years at the 02 scale. My retirement pay went up quite a bit. I was living in Phoenix but when I went back in I PCSed to Shaw and returned to Phoenix. Of course, the AF paid for everything. Believe it or not I'd go back in if I could. I'm 64, 65 in May, dropping the weight is a showstopper. If they waivered that and the PT test I'd go back
Hell, I’d become a pilot right now if I wasn’t separated from the navy with an REK-4 (i.e. banned for life) for disrespecting a petty officer. They’re kicking people out left and right for small things (just like the SEALs who refused to take experimental injections) and wonder why they don’t have enough people.
The navy must have so pretty rigid rules regarding NCOs. Your statement reminded me of an incident many decades ago while stationed at Charleston AFB. A relative of mine in the navy was assigned to a ship homeported at the Charleston Naval Base. He looked me up and we met in the barracks. While having a conversation a NCO walked in and asked me a question, I answered him, and he left. My relative turned to me and said, 'I never would have spoken to him like you did." He didn't elaborate, and talk turned to different subjects. I was professional with the NCO and showed him the respect due him as an NCO. I never found out what scared my relative, whom I haven't seen or spoken with in 60 years.
The Army and Marines had a similar problem in Iraq - a critical shortage of active duty combat convoy drivers. Most of these capabilities resided in the Guard and Reserve forces, but within a couple of years they burned through them and had to rotate them home for a break in service. The Army was also stripping ADA batteries and armored units of drivers, but it wasn't enough, so the USAF and Navy were asked help out. We retrained many of our personnel for the job and stood up special flights for such deployments. This went on for several years until a lot of combat drivers discovered they could make more money as contractors performing the same missions. That was nearly 20 years ago.
That perspective as a young aviator v once you've got some time is a key point. My F-111 RTU squadron commander told me that when he was a fresh young fighter jock, it was so much fun that "I would have paid the Air Force to let me fly fighters". But that wears off as the BS accumulates. It did for pretty much all of us.
Well, 22 years as a legacy C-130 crew chief, retired out in 2005. I’m currently unable to eat solid food due to an esophageal issue, and don’t have the ability to work for longer than about 3-4 hours a day due to the lack of eating anything more solid than mashed potatoes. Yep, there’s no way I’d be allowed in, and actually I wouldn’t even entertain it, especially with the current “leadership”.
Look into eating carnivore. Lose the potato's and gain your life back. Dr.s here on YT are really helping a lot of people. I am 73 and have been mostly on beef,butter,eggs and bacon for 2 years. Lost 40#s of fat and kept it off. The joints,allergies,digestion,sleep apnea are all better or gone. Sugar,plants,vegetables and veg oils are the root cause of most diseases we humans have inflicted upon ourselves. The solution is to stop eating them. It amazed me to wake up after only a few days with no pain. The toxins are stored in our fat and in our bones so as they are put back in circulation they can and do cause rashes and such.Our body that is not fat adapted will have to transition from carbs to the fat and it takes getting used to not eating carbs and all that fiber. The bad bacteria that resides in our gut that is responsible for toxins responsible a lot of our degeneration doesn't like it when we stop feeding it. Dr.Ken Burns MD,Anthony Chaffee MD,Dr. Paul Masson. The beef and butter gang provides coaching as do others.My brother who went on carnivore a year ago has lost almost 100#s and went off most of his meds.He retired from the USN with 23 years and was in danger from heart disease after having bypass open heart surgery and 2 stents as well. He will never eat another carb. Take this info and start researching it. It might seem extreme at first but consider this FACT: Did anything your doctors have prescribed reverse your condition?
I was one of the last mechanics trained for the AH-1, right as they were permanently grounded (Army). My unit sat me on my thumbs for 6 years because they had limited funding and seats to send us all back to school, and the higher time in service guys got the preference (understandable). Transfer requests just weren't being processed either. (Found out 12 years later that my units admin also never filed separation orders. I had a dd214, but nothing else was filed with the army when I left).
Being stuck in limbo is mentally ugly.
I would not be surprised at all if one day, in the near future, we see a military ad "if you have a lot of experience flying simulators, the Air Force might want you"
Big Blue ads in 2025:
DCS? More like D C YES!! ✈️
Fly, Fight, Win for real!💪
They’ve already made that ad.
@@unbrandedindustriesincorpo1701 I figured so, but haven't actually seen such an ad. It just makes sense.
Air Force is fishing with no bait. You don't have to be Bill Dance to guess the outcome.
They don't even have a bare hook on the line.
As a former Air Force recruiter, I can tell you that I’ve plenty of fish on a bare hook. The intent of this program isn’t to fill all current and future vacancies. It’s about using the least amount of effort and cost to attract talent from an untapped market demographic. All the AF has to do is make up a tiny percentage of what its current market demographic has lost to be considered a success. Adjustments to re-entry can be made later if the metrics show the viability of the retired AF market is worth persuing. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to keep the door open for passive talent capture.
Cause who doesn’t want to be cannon fodder for an admin who never saw a war they didn’t want.
At the onset of the Korean War, my dad tried to volunteer to fly fighters. He was asked how many hours he had and replied a Combat Tour, no, no how many hours flying jets. So he did something else.
"Once you've tasted the free life..." - Daniel
Interesting! You echo the sentiments of my son. He’s a squadron IP with 2 yrs left on a 10-yr comm. He’s done! Sights set on airlines. Too bad for the service, like y’all on the panel, a sharp and great guy. (But maybe brass likes to keep the status quo which you’ve eluded to).
"There are a lot of jobs where they say they need an aviator... but you're not aviating." - Gonky nails it in one. P.S. Separating before 20 years (as I did) is not retirement.
Right. I shouldn't have brought up "it doesn't count toward retirement" for Guard/Reserve either. It muddies the water, but my point was that it's not a good deal for someone that was close to retirement either (and got out) because they can't get there using this program.
And as you say, that's exactly the point. (BTW, I wasn't trying to nitpick with you, CW, only mentioning it for the wider audience.)
The Army did this for Apache pilots a while back (2010’s?) but did it differently. It was for Warrant Officers mainly CW4. The guys didn’t get regular OER’s but a different eval, couldn’t get promotion but the time counted toward their retirement pay when they retired again, they didn’t have to take PT tests and I’m pretty sure they were able to pick their duty station out of a few options. I don’t remember about the PCS issue. We had quite a few guys jump on it. I also don’t remember about any bonuses. The guys went to their unit and depending on how long they had been out of the aircraft, went through refresher training at the unit, then started doing their jobs as whatever they were (instructor pilot, maintenance test pilot). Not sure how long the program lasted.
Seems very sensible
Warranty Officers…? lol
@@francisschweitzer8431 haha. Auto correct. Warrant Officers. I’ll fix it. Thanks!
From the picture Mover is painting, every link of the chain is broken.
I’m 39 now and tried to go Guard/Reserve 10+ years ago, I couldn’t get a simple waiver for previous back surgery with no hardware inside me. Now I hear stories of all branches where people are treated bad and get screwed over from sorry leadership. No Thanks. I can understand the poor retention and recruitment.
In order for the DoD to fix retention, the generals would have to see what the problem is. For them to see the problem they would have to go in front of a mirror and understand what is seen. Not going to happen, they are the smartest people they know.🤬
Gonky you look so dashing in your, to quote Mover, WW-NAM uniform and helmet!
I would pay good money to see the staff officer that came up with this idea stand in front of somebody like WOMBAT and say "The Navy needs you back. You give up your benefits. You’re never getting promoted. You may have to move to Fallon or do a 6 to 9 month sea tour but luckily you’ll be on CAG staff as a non-flying air wing ops officer. The time spent doing this will not get you to your 20. Also we will pay you 20% of what you’re making now to do 400% more work. And the food still sucks." In fact, next time WOMBAT is on, please show that slide to him. We could all use the laugh.
It is a shame that they are never offering bonuses to work in the Department of Bad Ideas Department, I have plenty of bad ideas, but there never seems to be a shortage there.
They might actually make Tom cruise a captain at this point
He is a captain.
Hiring sergeant. Enlist now and get a signed photo with maverick himself!
Tom C. could fly his P-51
I was going to Reenlist in the military and switch from army to navy spent on night in a military barracks and just told them to give me my bus ticket and send me home. I was done.
There is absolutely no benefit to the individual to take part in this. None. All of the requirements individually would be a turn off, but all together is a huge turn off. USAF retired here.
With offers like this, it makes you wonder why they’re having problems signing up or retaining people…
As an enlisted aviator, that’s about to retire I can kind of see the different points made here. I just took an Air Force retention survey for enlisted aviators and I can say that the higher calling especially post 9/11 a post war mission is part of it. It’s also the uncertainty of aircraft and you kind of touched on it with the F 35 transition. Some of the airplanes are getting old, and like you said there’s some plans in the works for certain aircraft, but not so much in others. This puts us in a weird transitory period. People still have to feed their families and they want to make sure that they have some job security so until the fleet gets figured out, aircraft wise and people know that they have some longevity available to them to continue to fly. I think we’re gonna have retention and recruitment problems as people don’t really have, a good vector on what the future holds.
All the bonus money they would have offered has already been earmarked for Bosnia with 10% going to "The Big Guy". Priorities.
Pop Corn... I mean Corn Pop, was a bad dude.
Go back to work for one-half pay, even though it updates your retired pay baseline? You can guarantee that, unless you have a high powered AD sponsor, you're going overseas on a deployment, likely for at least one year. Zero chance for promotion... No, thank you, even if I weren't too old for this.
When that USAF did this in the early 2000's, I was still active, and a lot of what came back in were personnel RIF'ed or passed over and not retained in the mid-90s, who weren't able to get good jobs on the outside.
For many, it all comes down to the Sergeant Hulka quote from Stripes: "I'm getting too old for this $hit!"
I was a 70250C (Unit Orderly Room Clerk). I was kicked out because I was a white conservative male in 1983. Everybody was either black or liberal. I was SrA at Lackland AFB working for the Security Police. They kicked all the white clerks out.
I'm looking forward to the AFPC announcement of "Inmates to Airman" recruitment program.
That’s more of an Army or Navy thing!
Russia has the same program.
I often go past the recruiting booth at the air show and joke "how many waivers do you want to sign?" Although my actual profession is as a physicist so it would probably be both less hassle and more valuable to work at AFRL as a civilian, though it pains my delusional daydreams of being a fighter pilot to say so.
This program exists to free up current and qualified 11- pilots to go fly. The ones who come will get every crap job, location imaginable. Uh, not no but f*ck no!
Good stuff. In New York, retired members of the state police can be *ordered* back to duty. As in you can't say no. It happened after 9/11. Apparently, NYSP is not a regular police department, but some sort of division of the state militia. The retired IDs don't even say retired, just have a different color on them. Apparently, you can get thrown in the cooler if you refuse.
I don't know how it is now, but after I retired from the USAF, I was subject to involuntary Recall to Active Duty (RTAD) for ten years as an inactive reservist. It wouldn't surprise me to see some sort of RTAD in the immediate future is the recruiting shortfalls continue. I am fairly confident that DC will do everything they can to avoid reimplementing the draft.
@@phillipbanes5484 I retired in Dec 2007.
Of course, a few months later, I got a call from the commander of the squadron I retired out of, wanting to know if I was willing to RTAD. No promotion potential, 100% guarantee of a one-year deployment.
On top of that, as soon as I returned, I would have had to pass a flight physical and a PT test, which due to on-duty injury and poor medical care during my last years of active duty, there was no way I could pass.
I declined, although if I had returned, my retirement paycheck would have gotten bigger.
That assumes you're still in NY... Hawaii and Texas are lovely this time of year. So is the Bahamas.
@@TechDealsThis is true. Come get me!
So catering to the rainbow guild did not work out so well...bada bup bup buuh you're not McLovin' it!
Sounds like you get a MRE and a cot 😂
Come back to THIS military? Are they nuts? Do they not know what they are doing to THIS military?
As long as I can remember the military have asked retirees to return.
I remember enlisting in the military decades ago in peacetime. There was an enlistment equilibrium at the time. All the military services were actively recruiting with the exception of the U.S. Air Force.
At that time the Air Force was the most popular military service in terms of total number of interested prospects walking through the door. As a result, the Air Force did not have to spend advertising money. It's recruiting sergeants were under no pressure to pound the pavement looking for recruits. All they had to do was stay in their recruiting offices and wait for young people to enter. I learned that out of every three people that approached the Air Force, only one was selected.
The other services actively recruited and at that time enough people entered the military every year to satisfy recruitment quotas. So whatever all branches of the armed services needed each year, they found it in new enlistments. In my time the U.S. military still offered a viable employment and career option, even if one didn't intend a 20 years or more career. The nation was still undergoing the effects of a years-long recession that limited civilian job opportunities and thus proved a boon to the Armed Services recruitment needs.
That was then. This is now. Even the U.S. Air Force is feeling the squeeze of insufficient new recruits every year. I'm not expressing Schadenfreude at the Air Force. It's just ironic how over time the Air Force itself went from feast to famine.
Only the U.S. Marines are achieving their yearly recruitment goals. But this is because the Marines are a much smaller branch of the military services and the mystique of the Corps 'Semper Fei!' is still a big draw for macho young men. This might still change in the future as Generation Z young people get lazier, fatter, and softer.
In my generation, obesity and overweight were relatively rare among young men. Even if young men were not actively exercising, they were well within their age/height/weight ratio. I still remember my high school graduating class from an all-male high school. Not everyone was a jock or involved in intramural sports. Yet looking at all my fellow high school graduates, only a few were what I would even describe as somewhat overweight. Unless someone had a secret medical issue, everyone in my graduating high school class could have enlisted in the military that summer.
I was in the Army, most of the 12 years, in the airborne, but probably the greatest feeling, was being part of something greater than one’s self!
I kinda can talk for the younger generation. I am GenZ, No one wants to go to the military anymore unless u really need the money and cant find something else. No one, really no one wants to get tangled up in a war or fight for some stupid idears of the guy with the title of president. We have learned that going in to a war even when u belive in the right things and win the war and come home alive. You wont get anything for ur service, other then some fancy medals that dont pay any bills.
The new generation is smarter, atleast when it comes to things like fighting for belives, or go work more hours we are a family.... all that chit chat dosent really work anymore.
That is why older people think we are lazy but in reality, we just learned from all the bad things you taught us. And when we have a look at our current economy, there is not really a silver lining for our generation. We will work till we are 70 and wont get any retirement benefits to be able to life from. So why even work that hard when there wont be a bright future.
Then of course dei. Wht males were always the backbone. Now, bust your azz to perform and some other person is promoted over you. Sure, females can do the job, but not in the numbers required.
I am 53, but I completely understand your generation's take on this specific matter. I always said that children will feel all the tiredness, pain and despair of their overworked parents. You are perhaps the first generation who readily refuses to be exploited, forced into debt and consumerism. My advice is to learn multiple languages, study other cultures, be ready to escape in case the system decides to get harsh on you for disobedience.
“We tried to bring personnel back, but they aren’t interested.”
I wanted to fly when i was in the AF but i worked on electronics instead. I wonder if the AF would reconsider? I'm only 69 years old. 🤪 I got an EE degree in the mean time, if that helps.
You can applied for Drone pilot
Retired pay is reprogrammed for the active duty time served. But the requirement to take a PT test and receive annual ratings will be enough for retired personnel to issue the USAF the single finger salute.
What’s the matter isn’t the DEI people working out for them?
Looks like I gotta polish up my my spats ... and update my bi- plane license.
That whole thing after Desert Storm wasn't just the Army. I had 10 years in and was looking forward to completing at least 10 more but they kept forcing people out. Even made me pay back part of my re-enlitment bonus because I wasn't fulfilling teh contract they wouldn't let me fulfill. LOVED the Air Force but still a tad bitter at how I was forced to leave.
The DoD turned their back on active duty, retirees, and combat veterans. The answer is a resounding NO. Some of us fought in multiple wars, peacekeeping operations, and revolutions and moved dozens of times. We left and will not come back unless involuntarily recalled by an Act of Congress. If you want to find us, we will be at DVA.
They can find me @ the local watering hole. I am still willing to tell stories of my USAF days serving during Pres. Ronnie Reagan years when you were a little round & they called you a fat boy(no feelings were hurt then) & your back was a little more covered!!!
😧
This really isn't new, the over do it when they feel the need to "purge" and cut back...then go into panic mode when they realize they just let a bunch of key highly skilled, and experienced personnel walk out the door (if not forced them out).
I remember that some years back, they did one of those purges where they kicked out everyone they could, even for things that would have previously been considered trivial, or could be remedied. I know a guy who got booted out for 2X PT failure. He wasn't pushed into a "fat boy program", nope, just kicked out.
What fix everything? No federal taxes for military members period
That's always been something I said should be done.
That will never happen. DC would exempt taxes on all Social Security benefits first.
Vote out the confiscators
Just a sign of the times. Not gonna have enough pilots for the foreseeable future decade.🇺🇸
Pound sand.....
Just because something has happened before, doesn't mean it was the same people involved. Government service is a merry-go-round of new people learning old lessons, over and over again...🤦🏿♂️
And every one of them have a plan to make it better for less money.
The military mucked themselves during Covid-19.
Now their willing to let bygones be bygones.
I think it’s too little too late.
My niece and nephew are in the navy, and both of them are counting the days to get out. Neither one of them are going to re up.
Wow. It's almost like all the money needed to fund the military went somewhere...else... i wonder where?
Little Hats...
Not me. LOL. I retired to get away from constant deployments and frustrating whiners.
Nope. Not going back.
That 60 billion dollars that they are going to send to the Ukraine would probably pay for some incentives and training.
They aren't planning on bringing 11F's back to fly. They need you to fill CAOC jobs in South Carolina or Qatar or Mission planner in Djibouti.
Much easier, faster and for the USAF cheaper,.to simply try to get some film exec in LA to green light an updated Iron Eagle movie in oder to meet recruitment goals.
And,..um,.as far as the whole "congressional budgetary challenges " go,...and the specific detrimental effect that aspect has on military planning & and training budgets.
Well,.Youve got Congressmen like Senator's Tommy Tuberville ( whom never served )and many of his cronies constantly and consistently using the DoD in their absurd stunts and political gamesmanship and all of which, has a massively detrimental effect on readiness and retention. AND thats not even the sad and pathetic thing,..the sad and pathetic thing is tht Tuberville does such absurd BS with the FULL SUPORT of a base that mostly has never freaken served either ( yet are super quick to tell each of us Vets how they "almost joined the USMC or have uncles whom served .LoL)
I was Navy. Had a herniated disc in my back, missed a scheduled deployment due to surgery, absence from Squadron jerked around with my FitReps. I'm grateful to the Navy for patching me up, and getting me back in the cockpit, but the missed deployment got me passed over for O-4. Fortunately due to enlisted service I was able to retire as an 0-3 with 20. Go back? No thanks.
my skill set is far far more extensive then what it was when i was in. However they wouldn’t pay me what i make now.
I can fly. I'm pilot
There is nothing this country's government could offer me to want to join up for its military at any branch.
20 years ago? I seriously considered it.
Today?
There is literally nothing they could offer me.
The current government simply isn't one I'm willing to place my trust in.
"Part of the reason why Gonky and I have not graced fighter communities once more-besides the fact that they hate us..." 😂😂😂
It’s all about money. They want to stop paying retirement benefits and put you in a job . Isn’t it that simple?
Nailed it! No one wants a staff job wearing a flight suit.
That last point from Daniel about what happened in the army in the 90s...That was me in the USAF in 1992. They offered me....I dont remember how much...maybe $30k to get out early. Then about 9 months later they called and said I made the grade for promotion to E-6 and could have my old job back. It would be like I never left but with a promotion. OH,Wait. You have to pay back that sep bonus. Yeah, too late. already spent most of it so no thats not happening. And that part about getting my old job back, yeah no thanks.
They aren't trying very hard...🙄
They’re asking for volunteers from retiree communities because if they involuntarily recall you, they have to pay you a 25% bonus and the time accrues to add to your current retirement
Dont worry yall im im civil airpatrol with like a 500k others we gonna make sure you veterans rest after your service to this country
500,000 CAPs, 5,000 planes…
True bro I gotta be the best
Same remarks about shifting focus could be applied to LE in the current state of things. People are leaving because the focus has shifted away (in a lot of places) from actually policing to pandering and placating. People have lost the love for it and are doing anything and everything else for personal satisfaction and fulfillment in life.
Maybe that's why that cop lost a gun fight to an acorn a couple days ago. 🤔
@@Salty_Balls that was a wild video. I've never been more bewildered.
Out of morbid curiosity, I read the list of AFSCs they want back. No C-130 flight engineers, so I've got immunity. But they do want PA officers. Yeah, cuz those are the people who win wars.
Given the current administration, I'm not surprised at this nonsense. USAF MSgt (ret) C310 Loadmaster
Love you guys.
It cracks me up hearing you talk about your previous life in the military and how you enjoy the freedom of retirement and civilian life.
Never made it as you have yet if I had done I think they would never have got me to leave the military.
Seriously though I do understand how it is a career for young people when it does give you a buzz to fly a hot aircraft until eventually you become more circumspect about life and the things that matter to you which is why you move on to a career outside the service.
Keep up your good work.
I'm a retired C-130 aircraft mechanic, no thanks once was enough.
Given the current political situation that exists in the U.S. military, why would anyone, including a pilot ever go back in?
Retired USAF E6 (1 Jan 1984). They probably don't want me. 😁
It is not worth it at all, i am not former military but i have worked for the DOD in recent years, the military is pivoting back to what it was, now discovering they are short in many areas that also include dealing with retention that is WAY down and it is a GRIND i had seen. There are far more contractors because they don't have civilian or military personnel, it is so heavy with contractors, i have never seen it this heavy.... The other thing, is that the DOD in general are attempting to pivot, while also reforming, which means more reform, to adding Warrant Officers and where are you going to get those from? You just had the Space Force stand up, they took a lot of ppl from the other forces, you have a lot of things going on to attempting modernize some really old systems on top of it, you have ppl that are no longer around that know those systems while attempting to decommission and bring online new system to replace the old.... The list goes on and on....
All the downs none of the ups.
The ONLY draws will come from two types. Ok, maybe three.
1. Individuals that have various levels of transformation troubles from Service to Civilian.
2. The lowest grade of performance while in, that just clicked all the checkmarks to retire.
3. Lastly, those that are awarded, but only b/c the juice wasn't worth the squeeze to not allow in (retirement) The Club.
None of which would meet the ultimate pie-in-the-sky goal of Numbers & embellishments to service of LOST fine tuned positive tuned training only possible via extended hands-on experience, that only can come from long Service Years (OJT).
* * * THIS ENTIRE PROGRAM IS ONLY SURE TO ACCOMPLISH ONE THING WITH CERTAINTY: The implementors of an old idea 💡 will either directly, or indirectly skim the majority of extra money from a "NEW" program which will entirely miss all stated Goals. 👏
Gonky & Mover did a very fine job to make it clear:
The Juice IS NOT worth the Squeeze.
The only possible mission of the pipeline would fail out-the-gate. Due to insufficient "alternatives" when compared to it's obvious (civilian available pipelines for set qualifications) competitors. Vice benefits (it's a joke I tell ya, a joke). Which screams the question, where will the money be redirected, or what will burn it .. The majority of the program money be disbursed in the upper atmosphere of invent, design, & deploy. Only proving to flatline another terrible idea invented for the shear purpose of skimming money that otherwise would never be on the table for the taking. Also, limiting available funds for necessary programs.
When the worst enemy of success of anything is found from within 😮. Parasites be damn.
If I’d have to go back to Minot there’s no way
Standard...But if you think of the off-shoot movie potential this could have..... Grandpa heads back to the to the Sq to teach the kids how to fight...
Soooo... TOPGUN Maverick?
brahahaha- Shack- @@CWLemoine
Grandpa wouldn't last a month. The social actions helicopter would sweep in and pick him up in the middle of the night.
@@waynej1883 indeed , that , or he would get up and leave after the 3rd or 4th DEI brief.
I think you guys are missing something very important -- The Drone Industry. People who flew some time ago don't need to go into pilot training again for health. Instead, pilots just sit behind a console and fly a joy-stick. Why not. I've been flying drones since I was 14 when we called them radio controlled aircraft. I'd love to fly today's military drones. What a kick.
You can. One unit in Iowa & another in New York. Maybe others.
retired army truck driver here,88-m,1988-2008,ide be glad to go back on my own terms as a trainer