I fly into challenging areas in Central and S America & SW Asia...like CAL. I find the C-17/C-130 guys particularly sharp! They have been there before and are used to flying places far from "Mom & Dad" (dispatchers). They are able to make decisions w/ out calling home.

The "challenged" ex-mil FOs you have probably fall into several categories:

1. Pass themselves off as ex-mil AVIATORS/PILOTS when in reality they were enlisted MPs and got their ratings/degrees at ERAU online.

2. Screw up a radio call and you roll your eyes at them...then, they roll their eyes at you because you attempt to land on the wrong runway after setting your instruments up incorrectly.

3. After flying F-16s the past 10 years the nuances and extreme difficulty of flying pax around EWR and IAH gets the best of them.

Just a guess, what did you fly in the service?..or do you fall into category #1 above.

THERE ARE SHARP PILOTS FROM BOTH CIVILIAN AND MILITARY AND DIRT BAGS FROM EACH...