19 and shipping out for Airforce bootcamp on tuesday. Going in as an E1 and have a contract for ground radar systems. Got a 96 on the ASVAB.
Can any airforce bros give me any tips before I ship out?
For the non military Sup Forumsack, what's your opinion on it?
post here
ex-army, so I have no advice for chair force specifically, but just in general
1) it will be what YOU make of it
2) pay attention to detail
3) They tell you to never volunteer, but one day I did when I was bored. I got to see something amazing
4) dont fuck up
5) dont get involved in drama. usually that means women, just ..jesus, watch it
You'll do fine. With that ASVAB did you get WHAT you wanted? Job you wanted, station you wanted?
I wouldn't EVER have re-enlisted under Obama's military, and I only regret Im to old to go back in under Trump and that damn fine cabinet. Its all going to be WIN
This is pretty accurate. Retiring E-4 here.
Also don't make friends in basic. Hope you don't have females in yours.
Also thinking about joining AF in the summer, my college degree has basically gotten me fucking nowhere plus airplanes are pretty cool.
Why don't you just go enlist in pre-school it's literally identical to the chair force.
>Australia
Wow great input I'm sure you know tons aboit non combat positions in the American military
Yeah they teach the same damn thing in kindergarten
I ship out on the 28th of March for Chair Force basic, fucking sucks because I didn't get the job I wanted. Getting stuck being a mechanic, I've heard that is suffering in this branch in particular.
Good luck famalamadingdong.
Airforce is the branch for smart people. Good luck
Clean yourself clean, don't take any pills. Seriously. Other than that, stay safe, good luck and thank you for serving your Country and the God Emperor.
Retired Marine 2000-2006 Cherry Point AB, NC
I do have a question about job selection though
I pretty much got put in a contract for electrical aptitude and have been told that I wll have to give them my top 5 electrical job choices at boot camp and I am likely to get my top picks. This idea sounds fine to me because I enjoy the idea of all 5 jobs I have picked. I just want to know if I've been jewed.
keep yourself clean* excuse me
Sounds legit. You are on Sup Forums ... you will know when the jew is after you. Think smart.
af user here, basic is easy now, your job will secure you with a cash ass job when you get out
gl user you're going to san antonio at a good time of year
>96
Good shit dude. I only got a 94, but I'm joining the Marines, so ASVAB is pretty moot.
Best of luck in the Armed Services dude.
There comes a time when you realise that not only do Air Forces have it better for virtually every job, no civilian really knows or cares about the difference between any service or branch.
I was in the Army Infantry and had a brilliant time, but I joined without even high school qualifications. If I had then what I have now I would go RAF or maybe RN. Less bullshit, less phys, a desk, treat like an adult from day one, better pay, better conditions and better living arrangements. Perhaps I would go for a support role in the Army, Intelligence or Signals. I wouldn't go Infantry again if I had other options.
Enlisted Infantry is great but if you're a normal person you will detest it, or regret not going in as an Officer.
>Can any airforce bros give me any tips before I ship out?
>Went radar mx instead of ATC with a 96
Well you already fucked up, but here is what you actually do.
Keep your head down, study hard, learn your shit and get through tech school.
Then Get your qualifications on the system at your first base. AS SOON AS YOU HAVE YOUR 5 LEVEL - put in for PCS (change of station) to a place with a different radar system.
Repeat, collecting qualifications for radar systems of many different types.
Do this as many times as you can in your 4 years. If you are lucky you can get two different bases in that time, plus a deployment under your belt.
Get qualified, and GTFO. You are in the AF for one reason only -- to learn how to fix radars, so you can then become a GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR AND MAKE $150,000.00 A YEAR, $100k TAX FREE BY WORKING OVERSEAS FIXING RADARS. (read: doing nothing 99% of the time)
The more radar systems you know, the more attractive your resume. Just be professional, don't get caught up in retarded 20 y/o stuff it doesnt matter.
Get in, maybe get a degree from the air force community college while you are not too busy, and then GTFO when your 4 years are up.
Then you are set for life. Radar systems are going to be around forever, and every growing economy in the world installs more and more of them. Go work in war zones for the big bux, or in shitty places for medium big bux.
>likely to get your picks
That is what I was told, too. Then BOOM, mechanic probably condemned to go off to some airplane graveyard to scrap to his grave. Man this sucks dick, good thing I don't intend going career.
>I got to see something amazing
what was it tho?
Thanks based Marine bro, I actually have a marine buddy in Iwakuni and he's the best person I've ever met.
As for staying clean and avoiding women in the forces, well that's just my life after years of r9k horror stories and a strict upbringing
Was grind radio.
Ground radar is for fags
Ama
>shipping out for Airforce bootcamp on tuesday
Ayy, me too. I'll be doing Munitions.
6 star general here. Can confirm this is accurate.
Oh and let me add some more.
Under no circumstances attempt to do well on an NCO test. You do not want to be an NCO for any reason, if you are only in for 4 years.
There is no reason, none, absolutely not a single reason to ever take on the responsibility of an NCO if you plan to gtfo (and you should, because military career is retarded).
Enjoy your free time. You will have an enormous amount of it once you are qualified, because the radar does not break all the time. You will do your mx checks for a couple hours a day, then chill. This means you will be expected to do PT and volunteer, but its just dumb easy shit so don't sweat it.
You can get swole and get educated while you are on the job, with radar mx. Imagine literally being paid to go to the gym or go to class. Use the fucking opportunity, you will never have another time in your life where some dumb assholes will pay you to piss away time in the gym.
>ATC
I can't deal with that kind of pressure to be honest, that is no job I would realistically want to do.
Other than that thanks for the advice, I didn't know about different qualifications but I'll look into that now.
Why is it for fags?
See you in texas mah nigga
Your first part of text school will be at Keesler Air Force Base. Electronics principles class is easy. But Biloxi is a horrible stinky town in the locals will hate you.
Don’t drop the soap in the shower.
That will get you a great job when you separate
Sounds like he didn't fuck up if he can get a do nothing job later on that pays well.
Air Force guys take many pills, or coke, as they typically take MANY tests. That is what I mean by stay clean, you could get drug tested after a year, and your wasted a year of your life.
I'm fucking with you, radar is fine. Radio got to fix everything from telephone to computer networking, etc...
Radar is just radar.
Don't focus on that yet though. Just get through basic.
First day don't wear anything that will make you stand out. No shirts with logos, normal haircut etc...
>Set yourself up for a life of constantly traveling on the road
In basic. Volunteer for KP when it comes up. You'll be glad you did.
>I wll have to give them my top 5 electrical job choices at boot camp and I am likely to get my top picks.
wOAH FAGGOT HIT THE BRAKES. I DIDNT READ THAT SHIT BEFORE I POSTED.
I thought you had a contract? if you 'have to give them your picks' at boot camp, that means you SIGNED A FUCKING OPEN GENERAL ENLISTMENT.
Enjoy security forces, dipshit. You should have asked for advice before you signed anything.
You jewed yourself by not educating yourself. You are young so let this be a learning experience. Nothing is real until you sign it. You should have held out for the exact job you wanted, or settled for a SURE THING. If you have 'picks' it means you are under a general selection and that means you are going to get powerfucked in the bootyhole.
Especially with a 96. They will either put you in something that is soul crushing, with enormous expectations, or they will dump you in military police because they think you have autism and you are more likely to get washed out there.
Don't mean to scare you, but its the truth. Stay attentive. Explore all options to take the route you want.
Good jobs (translates to fuckhuge money on the outside) with a 96:
ATC (go tower, radar blows dick and has fewer opportunities)
Cryptologic Linguist (fly around and listen to arabs talk about molesting their kids)
Intel (any type)
Radar MX
IT/Network (then work overseas with your secret clearance, $$$)
Anything that gives you a security clearance means money on the outside. Good luck.
I was ground rat also. I hated the text school and I hated the career. It ruined my Air Force career. Were you in the 338 squadron at Keesler Air Force Base also? What year?
During basic they will give you a few hours of base lib . It's a trick.
Go to the BX get what you need. Down a candy bar and a coke and get your ass back to the dorms because their will be an inspection immediately after base lib.
Most guys will be totally unprepared and get their shit pushed in
I avoid putting drugs in my body to an Alex Jones level of paranoia but I definitely see where you're coming from. I won't let the stress get the better of me.
Got my hair cut yesterday, and I don't plan on standing out. As for basic is it better to step up and help lead or is it better to just coast on through. I've had conflicting opinions on this.
This.
Coffee was awesome there for some reason and it's all the ice cream you can eat
>Joining the chairforce
Have fun getting paid less to answer phones than you would back home
Quiet child, an adult is sharing his vast knowledge on an important subject.
Learn how to March. Do it right now so that you won't mess up and get called out by the drill instructor
>Enjoy security forces, dipshit
Not OP, but I joined the AF and am set to ship out March 28th. I requested Security Forces and was told there was a 99% chance I'd get it... Then I got fucked with mechanic. I think security forces is just a meme, EVERYONE that I know didn't get hit with SF either despite being told it was more than likely gonna happen.
Aaayeee ammo is life bro. Grea job just depends on where you get stationed. Been doing it for a year and a half now and love it so far.
Ground radio ATC is boring AF but you learn a lot that you can use on the outside.
Best paying job hands down is inside plant telephone. If you can get that, you're golden
Also biomedical equipment tech, but good fucking luck getting that on an open general
Navy vet here.
Always wear hearing protection, double if you're around planes taking off. Even if people call you a faggot. You will be wearing a hearing aid when you are 45 if you don't.
Go to medical for everything you have. You are not a "tough" guy if you suck it up.
Get medical shit documented--everything. When you get out, you need this shit documented to file a VA compensation claim--occasionally called VA disability.
IBS due to shitty food and stress, you can be compensated $400+ a month for IBS alone.
Knee surgery, sleep apnea, tinnitus (make sure you go to the doctor and say you have ringing in your ears when you are in)-- this alone gives you 10% VA compensation.
When you have a successful VA comp claim, you are considered a disabled vet as far as the VA home loan is concerned. This makes you exempt from the VA funding fee and private mortgage insurance.
GO to medical for fucking everything. You will be asked to do shit which a "normal" person would never have to do. Your will get fucked up, you might get depression, you might get any number of things.
When you get out and file the va comp claim, they look for conditions caused or exacerbated by military service. Some if you have something now, and it gets worse, you might get paid.
When you get out, the DAV will help you with your claim.
Don't be a retard and smoke pot--it's the only thing I've seen people pop on a drug test on--you will get an OTH discharge, which isn't bad persay, but with an OTH, you have to prove that your service was honorable to the VA to get certain benefits, which can be done, it's just a pain.
Don't throw people under the bus to make yourself look better--stand out on your own merit and character.
Don't drive drunk.
Don't do dumb shit some faggot can send you to NJT for, like fucking someone elses wife or getting in fights on base..
Take advantage of tuition assistance if they still have it.
Take advantage of travel opportunities and see the world.
Take advantage of free lodging and food to save your money. Most of your peers will waste money on stupid shit and end up broke.
I got out with a 4 year degree without touching my GI Bill, a TS/SCI clearance, and 100,000 in savings. Enlisted with nothing to my name and no experience. It is what you make of it.
>Airforce bootcamp
My brother said it was twice as easy as a Summer Drumline program he went to in highschool as part of his marching band experience.
Take the experience, and remember that even bad experiences are better than no experiences. Get out after your tour of duty - take the money for school, blah blah. It looks good on a resume, but it won't make you special.
>Best paying job hands down is inside plant telephone
Yeah I bet it pays well, but its also an installation job, not a maintaining job, which means you will always be working on the outside.
The idea IMO is to get something where you get paid be on call, usually means a somewhat smaller amount, but massively more free time.
No no no not fucking open general enlistment. I'm going in as electrical aptitude
Yeah, I'm old fat
Went through in 94'
Special Ops at Hurlburt Field was fun but then I went to Korea which sucked balls and ended up in ATC at Tyndall which made me want to kill myself
Did 8, got out 10 days before 9/11
> don't make friends in basic
Why's that?
Don't volunteer for anything except KP in Basic.
It's a hassle and won't get you anything extra
Any attaboys or accolades you get there mean exactly dick when you leave.
Leadership in techschool has perks. I volunteered for dorm leader so I could get my own room. That was mostly because I like to jerk off while laying down
What exactly is tech school?
I went to tech School at Keesler Air Force Base before they split up ground radio and ATC. It was 8 fucking months
This guy knows his shit
What is KP?
AF Basic is a cakewalk now, anyone can pass; but it's always difficult at the time.
I always wondered what was so tough about rolling shirts and cleaning toilets when I finished.
Remember, the secret is to work together. Everything is designed to we tackled as a team. Everything.
Your training after basic, where you'll learn your actual job.
SF is for absolute fucking retards.
You picked out with mechanic.
When I was in Kuwait I had to leave my air conditioned office to go fix hand held radios for retarded SPs in non air-conditioned bunkers. It was 115 degrees. Dumbfucks would always chew the tips off of the antennas. They were out there bored for hours on end and weren't allowed to read anything.
I would go back to my office and surf the internet
This is dangerous advice. Sometimes you can wind up with too much disability to qualify for a career in your job on the outside. You've gotta be smart about it.
Ostensibly companies and gvt agencies are supposed to hire disabled vets, but all of them have a cutoff point to where they will take a 'less disabled' over a more disabled.
A good example is air traffic control. Many people take the route you describe and grab all the disability they can, then they get out, and try to get a job in the FAA and the FAA goes
> ...what's thist? You have sleep apnea, your eyes are fucked, and you can't walk up stairs? Sure we will take your resume...just don't expect a call back :^)
Even going in for 'depression' can disqualify you from many many jobs on the outside, if you have EVER gone to a doctor for it in your life, and you won't even hear about them if you have it.
If you get injured for real, go. If you want to kill yourself for real...go. Don't bullshit medical symptoms and don't try to load up the disability for no reason, or it might actually bite you in the ass someday.
It's easy in the sense that 99% of people can do it, but it is intense and it requires 100% of your effort
Wrong. No employer can discriminate based off disability status and you do not have to disclose it to anyone ever.
It's not anything like social security disability.
Think of it as vocational school for your career filed.
They ease you into Airforce life so it's strict for the first few weeks but gets easier as you go.
Still, you'll be getting up at 4:30 to eat and March in formation to school where you learn electronic theory for 6 hours straight.
Yeah and no boss can discriminate by race but my boss at pizza hut in highschool told me he wouldn't hire Indians
Goddamn. It was 6 went I went through
>Your training after basic, where you'll learn your actual job.
That makes sense. I'm none too thrilled because I'm going to be a mechanic, I have absolutely no interest in the job. I'll probably have to find a way to keep from blowing my brains out over there. I've heard mechanic is absolute shit in the AF.
>You picked out with mechanic.
Everyone I know says mechanic in the AF is a non-stop workload of shit, and it can be even worse depending on where you go.
Basically you just help serve food. You get out of training for the day and get to eat more.
Kitchen duty. Peeling potatoes and shit.
They leave you alone and you can eat ice cream.
Not a big deal now. Huge deal in basic though
worth saying again...PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL. Literally. 3/8 inch, means precisely that. Not almost. Not nearly. Exactly. Do precisely as you are told. Pay attention. Don't be first. Don't be last. Have your shit squared away, always. Never cut a corner in boots. It's cake, as long as you don't do stupid shit.
Okay shit when exactly do I get the opportunity to volunteer for this, I feel like some dude is going to try and grab it first
>AF is a non-stop workload of shit,
So fucking what. The more you do the more you learn.
If you're only doing 4 years stay busy as fuck and become the best at your trade.
I volunteered for every TDY and training class I could get
This is exactly what people will tell you, but don't believe a word of it.
Specialized career fields, especially ones military related usually have specific certifications that must be renewed occasionally.
And guess fucking what? Your health conditions ARE studied for those certifications. Can't get certified? Guess what, you can't get the job because of your certificate status.
Lie in the certificate process, then fuck up at work and get sued? Well now you're not just out of a job, but you might also go to jail.
DO NOT BULLSHIT YOUR MEDICAL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS IS A #1 THING THAT COMES BACK TO BITE PEOPLE IN THE ASS DECADES LATER.
I am speaking from experience.
Nah, everyone will be scared to speak up and don't want to volunteer for shit.
It's not guaranteed, and they won't tell you what it's for. They'll just say I need volunteers. It's most likely KP or yard work. Either one isn't bad. Hopefully you luck out and get KP
>So fucking what. The more you do the more you learn.
I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to be a mechanic of, be it ground vehicles or aircraft, but either way it sounds like it sucks. I've got no interest in it. That's why I was bummed when I got the call a week ago and was informed I'm getting stuck with it.
Don't get married in Tech School.
It is what it is. You definitely don't want Security though. You'll understand when you see what they do.
You can usually swap jobs once in your tour, but it's almost always for a worse job.
By worse, I mean SP or MWE
This.
SO form what i'm gathering here, IT/Networking or ground radar are the two to aim for if you actually want a solid career after you get out? If i can do 4 years and procure a some sort of govt. contractor position i feel like that's the real way to go to good money.
So I am in the process of losing weight to join and things are going well but I was wondering how bad does my vision have to be to not let me in the air force?
I can't read green overhead road signs at any distence without my glasses so you get an idea of where I am at. I am putting a lot of work into training for it and have read online they give free lasik if you are enlisted on someone says yes to it. If I fail the eye exam am I permanently banned from trying again? It would all add up so well if I could get in, get vision surgery, and do my 20 years of serving.
>96 asvab
>radar operator
You're a failure.
Sounds about right.
I was making 120k in Afghanistan rebuilding their ATC towers.
Not alot for the danger I was in, but fuck it
Get a TS clearance if you can. Lots of money for that on the outside
You have to clarify what you mean by "mechanic". There are several different types in the AF. Each plane has different systems that all need maintenance. Some are more electrical (avionics), others are involved with more chemicals (fuels), and some are mechanical.
(I'm not on the flight line, so anyone please clarify if I'm wrong)
For some AFSC's, you'll be on the Flight Line, working directly on the planes,12 hour shifts that sometimes turn into 20 hour shifts, sometimes you'll have a few hours of work and can watch YouTube/ shitpost till the end of your shift. In other AFSC's, you'll be in the back shop with the heavy machinery; these are more 9 to 5 blue collar jobs.
The great part of the flight line is that you can have an instant job once you're out, in most cases.
Also, this
>Radar operator
Wrong
I'm going to electric the radars
>I got the call a week ago and was informed I'm getting stuck with it.
Your recruiter lied to you. There is no such thing as 'getting stuck with' something, unless you accept it.
I mean, you might have wound up waiting several months for the job you actually wanted, but nobody is ever 'stuck' with something unless they are impatient, or they were lied to and pressured into signing a generalized contract.
It's probably too late, but if anyone asks you for advice about joining in the future, make sure you warn them about what happened to you.
Don't worry, you will come to understand just how you were fucked in the days to come after you get a chance to compare notes with people who didn't have a shitty recruiter.
>It is what it is
Who knows, maybe I'll like what I do. But I doubt it. I'm honestly still surprised I didn't get SF though, I scored pretty average on the ASVAB and I requested it personally on my job list. I guess I must've hit MAGE just right on the ASVAB to tick me over to mechanic.
It sucks especially though because the whole point of service in a non-combat role is to get experience/training for a job later, so it defeats the purpose if I have no interest in being a mechanic.
1u0 here. Dont fucking be a chow runner. In fact, for the first week of bmt, called 0 week, dont volunteer to do shit. Other than the Air Force is nothing like bmt or tech school and bmt is a joke.
You can't get a job on the outside if you are an SP.
Give that up, it's for retards. I can't stress that enough.
Don't think about what your job will be for the next 4 years. Think about what it will be when you get out.
Security is grunt work and you won't have time to attend college courses even
I didn't sign up for the job yet, I was just called by my recruiter and told MEC44 (mechanic) was what popped up on the available jobs.
So I can say fuck that and not sign up for it and wait for what I want?
Well that just goes to show how much I know about this stuff, I assumed mechanics just worked on planes. I had no idea there were lines. Line work doesn't sound terrible, I bet I could stomach that.
120k is more than good money, i feel like private security contractors don't even get paid that. So did you go to school for Ground Radar or ATC or what's the specific name? My brother works for the state dept. (former marine) and has TS clearance and can't even tell me exactly what he does.
If you can get heavy equipment mechanic you can make bank on the outside
>You can't get a job on the outside if you are an SP.
I aim to become a police officer when I get out, I figured a job in security would look better.
Pic is the all-woman SEAL Team put together by Little Creek under Obama edict.
Practicing stealth and getting ready for submarine lock-in / lock-out operations.
9 star rank 7 space marine here, can confirm
I was ground radio. Kind of like cousins but radio has to take care of alot more shit.
Like all things though, the more diverse your job is the less you get paid.
Why would anyone want to wrestle drunk niggers if they didn't have to?
It sounds like fun, also I've heard it can be comfy.
I was offered $200k by the same company to go to Iraq but I told them to eat a dick
They put me in too many hairy situations and we're negligent with my travel and safety arrangements
I'm 23 and thinking of joining. Basically because I have ADHD and feel the structure they provide could help me.
Are you still allowed to carry firearms with you overseas even as a govt. contractor? do you stay on the nearest base? my god 200k is some serious god damn cash.
Is there no other folks with bad eyesight in the military who have any advice?
I have ADD, it works very well with the military life