I admit I was not the best officer. I got 8-3s on my OERs but was in the first launch for all ORIs and often flew the HHDs as well as with the wing brass. But you're right in inferring I wasn't the best officer. No argument there but it was not to show anybody anything. I had come from a FAC assignment where you were given a task and told to go do it and try not to screw up. It was a very fluid job and SAC was the very opposite. Everything was supposed to be scripted. My Ops Officer told me one big secret to getting along in SAC. "IF you paper work looks good, you must fly good." Granted, a non sequitur but back then we flight planned using the Boeing charts and it took a half day to plot out a flight plan. I would then copy the initial worksheet so there were NO erasures and no mistakes. I NEVER got a no-notice checkride. ??

But the point was our mission was to refuel bombers and the bombers to put bombs on the targets. Most other wings had muffed the ORI and Wurtsmith bombers had tossed multiple shacks. The tankers hit all refuelings. My Ops Officer advised the Command Post he was landing with number 3 shut down. When asked when he lost it, John said "enroute home" What John didn't mention was it blew right after getting the flaps up but since the flight recovered at the same base it launched, technically he was on the way home. And had the horn actually gone off, what would a crew do in war time? Declare and emergency, miss the refueling and RTB? Right...

But the IG was upset because they saw officers without hats, officers not being saluted, etc so the wing, in spite of accomplishing its simulated war mission, had to replay the down. Silly... and you, like the IG missed the point. We should have passed and in the critique mention there were items that needed attention like military bearing. But the IG wanted to show everyone. And they did.. dipsticks.