Originally Posted by
F4E Mx
A good friend of mine, a retired KC-135 squadron commander and decorated Vietnam veteran, says he has stopped recommending active duty USAF service to young people who seek him out for advice.
Could it be that most -135 bases are in choicest garden spots? Just kidding!
It's definitely different times and even more so, a different generation of folks; you can take it for what it's worth. I had this exact same thing told to me by a friend's dad (Vietnam era fighter pilot), who was retiring after 20+ years of service, just as I was signing on the dotted line. Yes, it's a different military than xx years ago. Yes, at times it's going to suck (deployments, ops tempo, family life-lack thereof, PCSing, PME, additional duties, ground training, etc.). But, where else can you make life long friends and fly cool turbine powered things with wings, if you want to fly. As discussed before, ANG or AFRes is the way to go but if active duty is your only option, there are much worse ways to put food on the table. It's all in the attitude!