Another Tormented Drone Operator

[DA SWO]

@Freefalling one thing to remember...Pred/Reaper pilots get paid the same and get same promo points as front line "fighter" pilots. Why the hell would they deploy?

No, officer promotion rates are lower than the rest of the line officers, that's one reason they are all bailing.
The drone guys do deploy to Bagram (and other places), control may happen from NV but takeoffs and landings are better if done line of sight.

I forget when, but it was pre-2011, that our airmen started telling us how stateside performance and deployed performance were viewed the same. While there's still a deployed block to check for promotion, it was less of an event because of the new focus or thought that everyone is a warfighter (or some such nonsense). It was around that time that I began receiving calls or email from PMEL* asking about our mission, sorties supported, bombs dropped, etc..... over DSN and NIPR. Moving past that WTF moment, we were told this was for various awards and decs for those at their home station.

I'd be more troubled by the award if we weren't already doing this in some capacity and have for at least 5 years now. BS or not, the horse is gone so good luck closing the barn door. Trophies for everyone!

* - Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory, the folks who calibrate instruments and test equipment.

Surprised (not really) that the pendulum has swung again. I had a Capt who was stationed at Mildenhall during OAF, and was told by AF Personnel Center that didn't count. We ended up deploying him to Iraq inorder to get him a deployment that counted (mind you, the guy across the hall deployed to England (for oAF) from Barksdale (IIRC) and that counted).

The PMEL guys shouldn't have been using your sortie count, but I am not surprised by them any more.

 

[CDG]

With the USAF, it's not just the drone pilots either. We were at a bar one night, with some people from other units (Red Horse, admin flight, etc.). One of our guys was talking about a situation where he had to drop a GBU-31 inside of 200m from himself and the infantry dudes he was with. Some female Major rolled her eyes and says, "You know, other people deploy too."

 

[DA SWO]

With the USAF, it's not just the drone pilots either. We were at a bar one night, with some people from other units (Red Horse, admin flight, etc.). One of our guys was talking about a situation where he had to drop a GBU-31 inside of 200m from himself and the infantry dudes he was with. Some female Major rolled her eyes and says, "You know, other people deploy too."

Was she hot?
Let me guess, admin or intel?

 

[pardus]

With the USAF, it's not just the drone pilots either. We were at a bar one night, with some people from other units (Red Horse, admin flight, etc.). One of our guys was talking about a situation where he had to drop a GBU-31 inside of 200m from himself and the infantry dudes he was with. Some female Major rolled her eyes and says, "You know, other people deploy too."

Yes bitchface, they do...

 

[CDG]

Was she hot?
Let me guess, admin or intel?

Lol. Admin.

 

[Brill]

With the USAF, it's not just the drone pilots either. We were at a bar one night, with some people from other units (Red Horse, admin flight, etc.). One of our guys was talking about a situation where he had to drop a GBU-31 inside of 200m from himself and the infantry dudes he was with. Some female Major rolled her eyes and says, "You know, other people deploy too."

My signature block at work includes:

"There is a significant difference deploying to a combat zone and being in close quarters combat."

Holy smokes it pisses off the civvies who talk mad shit about OIF and OEF...There I was, Afghanistan on Salsa Night at the Clamshell with my Glock in a drop leg...

 

[AWP]

The PMEL guys shouldn't have been using your sortie count, but I am not surprised by them any more.

Everyone in Comm uses the sortie count as will Red Horse/ CE if they are doing airfield repair/ upgrades. That is THE metric to have on your eval(s) in the self-esteem challenged comm world.

Holy smokes it pisses off the civvies who talk mad shit about OIF and OEF...There I was, Afghanistan on Salsa Night at the Clamshell with my Glock in a drop leg...

At least my war stories involve the COD server crashing.

#Betterthansalsanight

 

[Grunt]

I'm still trying to find out exactly where they have to "embrace the suck" whether they deploy or not.

Oh well, maybe it's just me and I'm wrong!

 

[Gunz]

My signature block at work includes:

"There is a significant difference deploying to a combat zone and being in close quarters combat."

Holy smokes it pisses off the civvies who talk mad shit about OIF and OEF...There I was, Afghanistan on Salsa Night at the Clamshell with my Glock in a drop leg...

Can't remember the exact percentage but something like 10% to 15% of the men who served in Vietnam were actually engaged in the day-to-day trigger-pulling. I suspect it's still the same. For every guy on the sharp edge there are 8 or 9 others in support of him. And yet....everybody's a "hero" and a "warrior" now. :wall:

 

[Marauder06]

JSOC is pushing these guys so hard, now the drones themselves are committing suicide.

This latest tragedy comes on the heels of recent reports published in the Washington Postwhich note “more Air Force drones are crashing than ever,” yet offering no explanation as to why. Are these crashes merely “mysterious” incidents, or is something more sinister at play? Might the drones, driven by the relentless demands of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), be killing themselves?

Washington Post article
original ShadowBlog article

 

[8654Maine]

Which drones are getting PTSD?

 

[Totentanz]

Which drones are getting PTSD?

The drones who have had their gender identity repressed. The answer is more classes for the supervisors on why everyone else is superior to white cisgendered males.

For 40 hours.

In powerpoint.

On Saturdays.

In dress uniform.

And each block will be preceded by a minimum of 1 hour of trust falls and team building exercises

Once complete, it will be followed by a similarly-structured block for all Airpeople* on suicide prevention.

(*hat-tip: @Freefalling)

 

[8654Maine]

Did I mention I'm glad I got out decades ago?

 

[DocIllinois]

Did I mention I'm glad I got out decades ago?

In the process of reinforcing a Company SOP of always keeping your weapon secured, I had my guys give their weapons a name.

My first thought, being in an all male unit, and old school, was to have them give it a girl's name. My subsequent thought was, "Can't do that; don't wanna go through EO re-indoctrination."

My Memorandum of Resignation is now on standby.