Originally Posted by Herc130AV8R
We are normal folk just like the rest of you all. We go to work in the morning and come back home to our families in the evening. Obviously flying can put us on different schedules but we do have lives besides the AF. The weekends are off (for the most part) and we spend time with family and friends and live just like any other civilian would. We get 30 days of paid vacation a year to go wherever we want.
Herc, what are you a Reservist or something? Weekends off! Go to work in the morning, come home in the evening! I'm in AETC and that's about the closest I've ever been to a "normal" life, but I still work at least 12 hours a day, every day, and then I'm in on the weekends a lot too.....then there's the "good deal" Cross-countries, where I get paid next to nothing (no such thing as Overtime in the AF) to fly around with students all weekend and find a hotel for less than $50 a night, cause the squadron is too cheap to pay the Government allowed rate.
When I was in the C5, we were gone all the time, and no 2 days notice, sometimes we'd get back from a two or three week trip, and while we were unloading our gear from the bus, we'd get the word that we were back on the hook 12 hours later for another two to three week trip.
30 days of paid Vacation! True, but not always true, I've lost more leave in the past three years then I bet you've used.
I know I sound bitter, I actually do like my job though. The flying is great! The "extra duties" (made necessary because Congress votes raises for themselves, while Military leadership claims we can continue doing "more with less" so we end up doing Finace's job, MPF's job, the Hospitals job, you name it) suck ass.