Zoomie said:
Some of those natural-ingrained actions will never leave you. Still, to this day, I come to attention at the door way of my superiors office. I get the scowls, smirks, etc. I deal with it. I constantly get teased or whatever you want to call it for being "too army". Yet I know that if I were still in a green environment, I would be "too slack". So where am I? I'm stuck in the middle, trying to conform to my workplace, yet still holding on to my view of the military.
A year ago I came across a situation where an NCM failed to salute - his hands were in his raincoat, his head turned against the driving rain. My initial reaction to jack this airmen up was squashed with an uncertainty of whether that would be considered "over the top". I instead did the air force thing - I wrote an email to the respective Chiefs involved. Two days later I was in the Chief's office being jacked for not jacking up the Corporal. So lesson learned there - go with your initial reaction.
I find that our Squadron Chiefs (CWO's) are trying their hardest to run a tight ship. The last couple of Wing Chiefs and Squadron Chiefs have been notorious ball breakers. They come aboard anyone with sloppy deportment, tell Captains to get their hair cut. Our Chief's latest battle has been side-burns and enforcing their length.
I find most NCMs still address me as "Sir". The FE's usually don't - they are a crusty bunch. As Euro-Wing can attest, there is still a military decorum between the maintainers and the aircrew - it may be relax compared to the Army, but it still exists.
Habits. I have some. Some good, some bad.
During an Air Force posting of mine to an Air Base that shall remain nameless ... my green uniform worked well if I wanted a tour. Also worked well for keeping me away from my actual place of duty and on tasking as often as I wanted it. They had to send someone, of course, and I was quite willing. DART/JNBCD stand-up? Vern wears green. Weapons? Vern wears green. Ice Storm? Vern wears green. Exercise is the States? Vern wears green. 9/11? Vern wears green. Refugees? Deployment? Vern wears green. I had a blast. It was great. It wasn't that they were tasking me because I was green ... it was just because I had actually seen and done some of this "stuff" before ... and the AF can get hit with just as many last-minute fast balls as the Army can dish out.
But, my army ways never left me despite the more social atmosphere of the Air Force. I don't say that in a bad way. I had a great time with the Air Force. I'd come to attention when entering the Wing LEOs office, the W SupOs office, the WChiefs office, the Senior Techs Office, my Sergeants office (who was actually a PO) ... it's just the way I work -- I even salute before entering appropriate offices. This irritated some people, but not others.
But, there came this one time when the army in me just
had to be used ... in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, I was the MCpl they put in charge of heading up the Op Apollo deployment -- after we had packed up all the MAKs and fly-away kits along with the 30pers/30 day sustainment kits, water, etc ... I assigned all the chalk numbers to our assorted loads.
Went in to give the briefing at WOps and all went very well and we were good to go. THEN -- someone above my rank, but from Supply piped up with a "but I only see one problem and it's quite serious". What is that says I? "Well, you have ammo and water slated for chalk one." Yes, so what exactly IS the problem Sir? "Well, you're moving million dollar aircraft spares too, and you have modular floors slated for chalk XX on your list." Yes, Sir, so what exactly IS the problem? "Well, they need to be chalk one because you can't just be sitting million dollar aircraft spares on the sand in the desert." SIR!! The spares are crated ... the floors can wait!" "Well, in my deployment experience ..." Vern cuts him off with "And, exactly WHAT deployment experience is that Sir??" He had a CD with clasp on his chest. He got up and departed the room ... and every eye turned to look at me. I then said something to the effect of: Ooops soory, but Mother of gawd ... we were deploying to a war zone and water and ammo is going to get bumped for modular floors (do you guys in the Army even know such a thing existed!! >
) !!?? ...
The response was an overwhlming: "Oh no it's not getting bumped anywhere."
When I got back to work, I just headed upstairs as I knew I'd be called to go up there anyway (go figure ... ;D) ... I was greeted by a very loud: "That's it XXXXXX, I've F'n had it with you -- I'm posting you to ATESS!!" I just said, good enough Sir and went downstairs to my office.
But, every morning after that immediately upon arriving at work, I'd walk upstairs through the Customer Services section and the OR and would lean in his office door and say "Hey Sir -- you got that posting message yet??" It came 2 years later ... but alas it was not to ATESS, rather it was back to the Army.
Heck, I can't complain -- I enjoyed my time served with all three enviornments ... and the Air Force even promoted me -- twice.
I figured ... this was a good place to tell that story and to lighten the mood ... it ain't all bad folks. There's good and bad in all three elements. And it's all in your attitude whther or not you're going to make the best and the most of it ... or have a shitty time.
Look after you, look after your troops, don't sweat the small stuff, understand that there are factors at play well beyond some members realm of control.
People don't promote themselves. People don't post themselves. People don't deploy themselves. If you're bitchy or itching at them for them being the beneficiary of those things -- you're bitching about the wrong person. Shit like that causes aneurysms. It'll all wash out in the end --- and credit will come where credit is due ... and despite my extreme irritation of a certain Sir in the Air Force --- I can say that I did get the recognition for that which I had done ... he didn't make it personal. And the Air Force -- is VERY good at recognizing an individuals accomplishments/good work, they make a habit of it.
,and to put me in a better mood, I was just told that the deployment physical requirement for the Air Force is now the BFT. I don't have the reference yet, but as soon as I do I'll post it. Just to prove an other fact of life, even if your Air Force, the minimum standard always come back to the Army one...or should we call it the CF one...we all wear the same uniform don't we?
