Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with airforce

Help me bring my fabric design idea to fruition!

orrnyereg — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:55:58 -0800

An enthusiastic but unskilled n00b needs help putting together a Spoonflower fabric design. I have [what I think is] a terrific idea for a fabric design to be printed on Spoonflower. I want to put an array of roundels from various national air forces on a steel gray background.

The problem is, I have zero design experience and no access to design software except for MS Paint. Can the designer cadre of AskMe point me in the direction of web-based software or apps that will help me put this together? Please halp!

(I mean, look at Brazil! Isn't that awesome?)

Appealing ELS discharge with the USAF?

FriscoBowie — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:54:36 -0800

Just over three years ago, I was discharged from the US Air Force during basic (a month in). It was classed as an ELS, but my code was 2c. I've since worked through the issues that caused said separation, but I have absolutely no idea what I should do. I guess my question is, should I appeal my discharge? If so, how would I do that? (the AF Board of Records says to file paperwork with them only when all other avenues have been exhausted) If I were to look at another branch (say, US Army) would I even have to appeal? (Info I found says that you can potentially get a waiver, but I don't know how to approach this with a recruiter, especially now with looming defense cuts.) I'm honestly not sure what I should be doing. Any help is appreciated.

Bipolar civilian on a military base overseas?

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:45:48 -0800

Will my bipolar (unspecified) interfere with getting a civilian job with the American military overseas? I have been tentatively accepted for two civilian jobs at two American military bases overseas, one Air Force, one Army, and am filling out a great deal of pre-employment paperwork. Neither job is classified or specialized -- pretty ordinary civilian work, focused on customer relations and working with young children, respectively. I was diagnosed with bipolar (unspecified, non-psychotic, hypomania-not-mania) a couple years ago by my general practitioner and am taking medication for it that works supremely well (lamotrogine). While bipolar disorder is not interfering with my life the way it did once, I am concerned that it may interfere with me gaining employment with the Department of Defense, if only as a civilian.

I do not currently have all the paperwork information for the Army Job, but part of my pre-employment paperwork for the Air Force job includes "Self-Identification of Handicap" and "Statement of Physical Ability". In the first, I fit the bill for "Psychiatric Disability" and would have to fill in the appropriate code. In the second, it asks if I take prescription medication and to "give additional details" in a later section. I am extremely hesitant to be catty about information instead of just saying "lamotrogine, dosage, bipolar-unspecified" -- generally, lamotrogine is only prescribed in the case of epilepsy, seizures, or bipolar disorder, and I am supposed to fill out the paperwork to the best of my knowledge. I am unaware what my rights in this situation even are. I signed a release for the Army job to investigate my psychiatric background (I can't find the form), and while they seemed more concerned about alcoholism I imagine that my bipolar disorder will turn up. I may have to do something similar for the Air Force job.

So: what can I expect? How should I fill out the paperwork? Will not being forthright do more damage than being forthright? Should I start packing my bags already?

How to celebrate a major promotion?

TrixieRamble — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:36:54 -0800

How to celebrate an Air Force promotion from afar? My brother is about to be promoted to Major in the US Air Force. No one from my family will be able to attend. I'm looking for creative ideas for how to honor him and show him how proud we are. I've thought of the obvious - flowers, balloons, Edible Arrangements, etc. - but I'd like to do something more personal. I don't know much about military culture or customs at all and I'd love your ideas for wonderful, surprising, but not-too-expensive ways to send love from a distance.

I do live near the Air Force Academy, if that opens up any options. My brother is married with young children. Teddy bears have some family significance. He likes beer very much.

How to find dates of U.S.military service?

Tullyogallaghan — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:59:57 -0800

My 82 year old brother can't recall his dates of military service. He was in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950's and left with an Honorable Discharge but he can't recall the dates. Can anyone give advice as to how these dates could be ascertained? What agency should be contacted and can it be done online? Thanks.

What's your experience with ROTC/Corps of Cadet?

enroute888 — Sat, 28 May 2011 19:33:04 -0800

What's your experience with ROTC/Corps of Cadet? I've been admitted to Virginia Tech under the Corps of Cadet as a Civilian Cadet. So honored. Anyways, this question applies to both ROTC students and Civilians in the Corps of Cadet, not particularly at Virginia Tech only but at Texas A&M and/or other universities with ROTC.

What did you like about being in the Corps?
What didn't you like?
Did you study abroad?
Did you do research?
Did you every take a semester or two off?
How has being in ROTC/Corps of Cadet as a Civilian helped you OUTSIDE of school, in say, the "real world" when looking for a job or applying to graduate school?
What were some "traditions" they do to freshman? or in general?
How "intense" was it?
Any tips for me?

I've done my research, but what was your experience?
I'm looking for honest reviews and experiences OUTSIDE of guidebooks and university representatives.

How do you become a veteran?

SlyBevel — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:57:45 -0800

How do you argue to become a veteran? Years ago I joined the Air Guard and served with my unit for six months before going to basic training.

At basic, I became very ill (and my illness was their fault), and I was given an honorable discharge, but not veteran status.

Is it possible for me to dispute this? I thought I'd found a veteran's office that could help locally, but when I told them what I wanted, I never heard from them again.

Does an expunged arrest prevent me from entering the Air Force?

ilovehistory — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 03:33:32 -0800

Will I be rejected by the Air Force due to a charge that was "expunged"? I am aware that the criminal background check by the military is the most thorough out there. This happened over five years ago and I was found not guilty. Does this matter or does any spatter on your past have implications?

Does it matter what the charges were? To be more specific, the charges are non violent and non drug related. I laugh about it now, but at the time it was a nightmare: I was at a party where a prostitution sting went on and I was mistaken for a lady of the night. Ha-ha.

My lawyer said that although these charges are "expunged" ... anyone who wants to really find it can. That is not reassuring to me.

Booted from the Air Force?

unlucky.lisp — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:18:10 -0800

Will the Air Force really kick him out for a failed physical fitness test? My boyfriend, who has nearly 10 years in the AF, failed his last PFT and had 45 days to get everything in line. he has to lose some weight, and a bunch of other stuff. he is convinced that if he fails he will be booted because he has failed PFTs in the past (although in recent history has passed all of them, until this one).

i'm new to the whole situation - he's had false alarms before, because he's naturally an anxious guy.

will they really kick him out for this?? he has an awesome record otherwise and is considered a super valuable sgt...

What would the USAF do with a guy with an engineering master's?

mnemonic — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:28:12 -0800

If I joined the US Air Force Reserve with a master's degree in aerospace engineering from a good school, what kind of work would they put me in? I'm a practicing aeronautical engineer with a BSE and MSE in aeroE. I'm comfortable, but am considering entering the US Air Force Reserve for personal reasons. I want to know what kind of work they would have me do when activated. I have almost no interest in being a pilot (believe it or not), and I'm aware that their scientists/engineers are civilians. If I just told them to put me where they need me, what's the most likely duty I'd have?

Also, as a longshot addendum: What would be the odds I could become a russian linguist/translator, with the military providing for the language training?

Help me Understand my Grandfather's Military Funeral

SlyBevel — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:52:03 -0800

Help me Understand my Grandfather's Military Funeral My grandpa died in early January. He was a Korean War combat vet, so we had an Air Force honor guard at the graveside, and they really did a wonderful job.

It was a beautiful service, and the whole family is really grateful to the Air Force for providing that service. I've been wondering a few things about it ever since, though.

1. They had three riflemen, and they each fired three shots. Why nine shots? Why not twenty-one?
2. Their rifles looked like Garands but I'm not sure. They looked like they had blank shredders on the muzzles. Is this a standard use for the Garand rifle? I had a hard time finding info on the use of blanks in Garands when I googled.
3. As they fired, they moved their hands in a peculiar way. It seemed like they would pull the trigger and jerk their hands away from the rifle, and hold it up in the air for a while. I don't understand why they'd do that.
4. Do these guys have the honor guard gig full time? Is it a privileged position? Or a grunt job?

Please don't worry about condolences; my grandfather was a great guy who lived a great life, and I'm celebrating that, not mourning it. And thanks!

(The Military Funeral Honors web page didn't answer any of these questions.)

Military Bratology

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:05:54 -0800

Military Brat Filter: Explain a military brat childhood to someone who grew up in a touchy-feely liberal household that never moved once. I’m looking for either long-form articles or personal stories. How often did you move? What were the things you learned? Did you have coping mechanisms? What were the bases like? How has it affected you as an adult? I’ve just started dating a bona fide military brat who has lived all over the world (Osan, Izmir, Taif, Aviano, etc), and her stories have tickled my interest. I’ll definitely ask my new lady many questions if dating pans out, but in the meantime my curiosity must be sated and I fear she'll be scared off if I spend the whole date grilling her. She says the Air Force bases were dreadfully anonymous and boring, and that her schooling was mainly meant to instill a sense of American-ness in kids who had few roots in the motherland. She declines to be associated with Third Culture Kids because, in her experience, children of military parents didn't engage much with the host country.

I'd love to hear accounts, minor details, anything you've got. Apologies if this sounds stalk-y. I like this woman and all, but I'm really more interested in a culture I know nothing about.

Help me prepare for nomination interviews!

pyrom — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:40:24 -0800

I'm applying for the Air Force Academy. I have interviews with my senators today, who will hopefully extend me a nomination. What can I do to make it the best experience possible? What questions should I be prepared for? What should I wear? General interviewing skills I should know? Any other tips about the process that I should know?

Thanks!

Will taking medicine for ADHD prevent me from joining the Air Force?

pyrom — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:14:36 -0800

Will my short history of taking medication for ADHD prevent me from entering the military? A year and a half ago, I took myself to get tested for ADD/ADHD. My condition was diagnosed as very mild, inattentive but not hyperactive. Medication was an option, but by no means necessary.

I ended up deciding to try the drugs to see if they would help with schoolwork. After all, my mother had been diagnosed recently, my doctor advocated the drug, and hype around the disorder made it seem a likely diagnosis. I saw it as a sort of cure-all, which I really regret at this point.

I was prescribed 36mg of Concerta, which I took daily for around 9 months. It was more trouble than it was worth, didn't help my grades (which were good even without the drugs), and led me to believe that the problem was mostly in my head. It seems pretty clear now that my issues getting schoolwork done were mostly because of a lack of discipline.

After several months of frustration, I've begun to taper off the medication. So far there've been no ill effects and I plan to be completely off within a month or so.

I'm also planning on joining the Air Force. Ideally, I'd do AFROTC during college and serve a number of years afterward. Is this possible considering my history with the medication? What barriers will it pose in the application process?

Thanks so much!

What is the military's stance on Celiacs disease in the service?

isopropyl — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:14:06 -0800

I'm considering enlisting but was unsure how a gluten intolerance would play into it all. I'm interested in the navy but any info would be great.

Is the military my oyster?

Mr.Encyclopedia — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:44:19 -0800

I'm planning on enlisting in the armed forces and I just scored a 97 on my ASVAB. Now what? First, some background. I went to one year of community college before I gave up on it and signed up to be a plumbing apprentice with a local union. Given the housing market's current slump I can look forward to getting laid off each winter, so I'm seriously exploring my backup plan: the military.

I talked to an Air Force recruiter last friday, and after getting an 84 on her mock test she scheduled me for the ASVAB. I scored a 97. So, assuming this puts me in a good position, what should I do? A Navy recruiter gave me his card, saying I could be in the Nuclear program in the Navy. I'm also a deft hand at IT, but I've never particularly wanted to make it my career. What can I realistically ask for at this point? Which branch and what jobs offer the best signing bonuses? Does this score better my chances on getting into officer candidate school should I decide on it, or am I overestimating what this means?

Current and former civilian DoD employees, are/were you treated as second class citizens?

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:11:58 -0800

Current and former civilian Department of Defense employees, are/were you treated as second class citizens? I've got a line on a well-paying job in my field in an area of the country I like. Only one minor issue: it's a civilian job on a US Air Force base. I'm former Army myself, but really didn't recall much, if any professional contact with civilians while I was a soldier. I realize that bases vary, and probably treatment of civvies varies according to what job they have, etc., but what was your experience? (This job is in a library setting, by the way.) Thank you.

rschram — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:49:31 -0800

I need to research the copyright holders and original authors of a famous slogan... You've all seen it: "It Will Be a Great Day When Our Schools Get all the Money They Need and the Air Force Has to Hold a Bake Sale to Buy a Bomber" Who wrote it? Who owns it? How does one research it?

US Armed Forces

Dr. Wu — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 14:33:55 -0800

I would like to know about the rationale behind the splitting of the US Armed Forces into its four major branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. [more inside, soldier] To refine the question: What I mean is that (as I understand it, which is, admittedly, minimally) all of the branches have, for instance, significant air capabilities: air-based attacks are not the sole domain of the Air Force. Do, for instance, Army pilots and Navy pilots perform significantly different tasks? Is the training different? Are different branches called into military action for different reasons and occasions?

I'm not suggesting that it doesn't make sense that there's not just one big TEAM AMERICA, comprised of all four branches and then some. I appreciate that each branch has its own history, and were initially designed for specific purposes (i.e., Navy for sea battles, Air Force for air battles, etc). And I realize that the immense bureaucracy of the military-industrial complex militates (ha!) against this possibility, anyway. The thrust of my question is: what are the different responsibilities of these branches? How and why do they overlap and/or interact, and to what degree are they entirely separate entities?

I realize this is a large and complicated question, and I ask it for no other reason than to satisfy a recent curiosity. (And I wasn't sure which search terms to use in Google.) Thanks in advance for your answers.

Should I join the Air Force?

MrAnonymous — Thu, 25 Nov 2004 10:25:09 -0800

MilitaryFilter: So I'm thinking about joining the Air Force. [MI] I'm a college junior right now (history and political science) and am struggling to decide what I am actually going to do with my degree. The plan has always been to be a high school teacher, but I've lost interest in that. One idea that I have debated and previously rejected was the military. Specifically the Air Force. Specifically their Officer Training School. Specifically as an intelligence officer.

As appealing as this sounds to me right now, there are a couple things holding me back. (1) Technically, I'm a conscientious objector...which the Air Force does not permit (in non-draft times). I'm very religious and have no interest in killing anyone. But I do want to serve my country and this would also be something I think I would enjoy and find very interesting. Does it really matter if I lie and say I have no qualms about killing people? It's not like (as an intelligence officer) I'll ever have to. Right?

(2) I'm still not sure if the military is for me. I mean, I could probably get a civilian government job doing the same thing. Does anyone have any experiences with the military that isn't fed by a recruiter? Is it worth joining the military just to "serve my country" when I can do it as a civilian?

Also, I've yet to actually meet with a recruiter (I'm trying to arrange that now), so my biggest question is: how many years am I obligated to serve after going through OTS? Six?

Anything else you can share would be appreciated.

Are there any veterans making money from patriotic songs?

mischief — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 16:18:05 -0800

Among musicians making more than a few bucks from patriotic songs (like Toby Keith and the current lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd), who are actually veterans of the US military? ... and who definitely are not?