Welcome to Omgili,
Omgili ( Oh My God I Love It ;) is a search engine for discussions. With Omgili you can find answers and solutions, debates, discussions, personal experiences, opinions and more... To learn more about Omgili click here.
This is a complete preview of the discussion as it was indexed by Omgili crawlers. Use this preview if the original discussion is unavailable.
Click here to view the original discussion.
[http://www.militarytimes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1569...]
Click here to search for discussions with Omgili discussions search engine.
 |
Service Before Self - Not At The US Air Force Academy - MilitaryTimes.com Forums
The 29 September Air Force Times "UAV Career Field Takes Flight" article gives us an eye opening view of the philosophy of our future Air Force officers.
"Academy Cadet 1st Class Ryan Rutherford, who will head to UPT after he graduates this Spring, said he wouldn't have attended the academy if he knew he was going to fly a UAV and to Quote: him, "that goes for a lot of guys I know.
It's a little disheartening, we came to the academy to fly." It's good to know that you are not interested in controlling the most requested and effective platform the Air Force has in the fight today.
I guess the fact that countless Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen have been saved by the men and women who control and maintain this platform is not important.
Your desire to fulfill personal ambiton is what matters and being a part of the UAS team that protects other Americans is beneath you.
After 18 years of service in the Air Force, I do have the comfort of knowing that for every future officer like you, there are 10 who join for the right reason.
Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence In All We Do -- hopefully one of our young enlisted heroes will teach you what it means to serve someone other than yourself after you are commissioned -- it's apparent that the leadership at the academy has failed to do this.
I've seen your type come and go quickly in the Air Force.
I just hope you don't damage the reputation of the rest of us in what will undoubtedly be a short and unfulfilling career.
In the meantime, buy the 29 September edition of the Air Force Times and read the article on page 13 -- you might learn something.
|
|
|
If the zeros don't want to fly UAVs, i say F*ck'em, let us enlisted do it.
|
|
You have to remember what type of officers the USAFA breeds: Bitter, cynical, conniving and careerist.
They turn the cream of America's youth into these pieces of work that either get weeded out or they stay in to haunt us as future CSAFs.
|
|
Gotta say I'm not surprised...
When I attended the SNCO Academy a couple of year back, we spent one week "mentoring" the ASBC LTs.
Unfortunately my classes timing was bad, because the majority of this ASBC class were all banked Academy grad pilots with thier noses in the air;
They had NO interest in learning anything from SNCOs because when they went to their flying units, they wouldn't have to deal with leading enlisted.
There were a few who actually had the right attitude...
But most of them (with all due respect) were snobbish a-holes.
|
|
Quote: : if the zeros don't want to fly UAVs, i say F*ck'em, let us enlisted do it.
Yup, perfect job for the Flying Sergeants, or dare I say it, Warrants
|
|
|
This is so true
|
|
Unless they've changed it (which I doubt), getting a chance to fly is the biggest piece of bait they use to recruit folks to the Academy.
They almost promise you'll get to fly.
They talk about little else.
I'm willing to give C1C Rutherford and Co.
The benefit of the doubt in that one of their dreams has just been crushed, and they probably feel inferior to their peers.
(Can you honestly tell me that the AF as an institution disagrees with their self-assessment?)
Was it the right thing to say--NO.
Should they have shared their displeasure in a public venue--NO.
I'm guessing most of them are just venting their frustration and disappointment, and that a lot of them will go on to do good things.
Crusty--Sorry you got a poor reception.
As a butter bar, I tried to be a sponge and was lucky enough to have a retired Chief in my section that was willing to show me the ropes.
|
|
Don't lump all USAFA grads into one bunch.
I have had 3 USAFA grads to be my boss at one time or another in 18 years.
2 of them are great leaders and good people;
The other was average and earned his pay.
I guess that would be 70-80% success rate.
What's the success rate these days on our enlisted BMT graduates?
|
|
Quote: : Unless they've changed it (which I doubt), getting a chance to fly is the biggest piece of bait they use to recruit folks to the Academy.
They almost promise you'll get to fly.
They talk about little else.
I'm willing to give C1C Rutherford and Co.
The benefit of the doubt in that one of their dreams has just been crushed, and they probably feel inferior to their peers.
(Can you honestly tell me that the AF as an institution disagrees with their self-assessment?)
Was it the right thing to say--NO.
Should they have shared their displeasure in a public venue--NO.
I'm guessing most of them are just venting their frustration and disappointment, and that a lot of them will go on to do good things.
.
Cadets who attend the academy are promised a world class, free education in return for serving thier country -- nothing more.
The young man is going to UPT -- at least according to the article -- and who knows what MDS, if any, he and other 2Lts will get to fly.
What was said to the Times reporter reflects poorly on the him and the academy.
They did nothing wrong by printing it.
To somehow justify this as acceptable because he and other cadets were "promised" a UPT slot and are now just venting is a sad indictment and flawed thinking (Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence In All We Do).
I'll give him this, he is demonstrating a line of thinking that too many of our leaders have promulgated over the past few years.
We are now playing catch up at the direction of the Sec Def and Congress.
|
|
Quote: : O Cadets who attend the academy are promised a world class, free education in return for serving thier country -- nothing more.
World-class? Perhaps.
Free? Monetarily.
My point was that the brochures (at least used to) imply more, and perhaps he was naive enough to believe it.
Quote: : The young man is going to UPT -- at least according to the article -- and who knows what MDS, if any, he and other 2Lts will get to fly.
What was said to the Times reporter reflects poorly on the him and the academy.
They did nothing wrong by printing it.
Agreed.
Quote: : To somehow justify this as acceptable because he and other cadets were "promised" a UPT slot and are now just venting is a sad indictment and flawed thinking (Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence In All We Do).
I wasn't trying to justify it.
I believe I said what he said was wrong.
So, how am I justifying it?
My point was that PERHAPS C1C Rutherford is human, and that he should not be judged a complete waste of humanity for making one comment.
I was also pointing out that perhaps the institution and culture played a part in shaping his thinking.
If so, we need to change the culture.
Oh, wait--I believe Gen Schwartz already said that.
Quote: : I'll give him this, he is demonstrating a line of thinking that too many of our leaders have promulgated over the past few years.
We are now playing catch up at the direction of the Sec Def and Congress.
No argument there.
|
|
|
|