We agree.

No, the other bomb wings were also muffing the ORI. They were tossing bombs all over Nebraska and Kansas. But WAFB hit the targets and refuelings were complete. No argument there. The wing went down on military protocol and bearing. Not my assessment. The wing and squadron commander's.

The second ORI, as mentioned, there were some bad bombs and some refuelings missed and some bad nav legs yet we passed the second. You can assert, allege, assume all you want. That was the debriefing we got from wing and from our sq commander.

And, you will probably take this wrong, but it didn't matter to me if we got a passing grade or not. It didn't change my commitment to the crew and the mission. I got HQs (highly qualified) on all my check rides and my crew was often a lead crew on missions. The guys I worked with wanted to excel and did. It mattered to the upper echelon officers because their promotions were on the line. For me, I knew that I was not going to get the assignments I wanted, that I was locked into a command I didn't want to be a part of and knew I was leaving as soon as I could get out.

And I conceded I was not the best officer; that I frequently didn't wear my cap; called my crew chief Jake instead of Sargeant H-----. And yes I could have been a better example but the old SAC, like most organizations after a while, focused on stuff. Emergency procedures? VERBATIM. If it said, 'Engine cut-off" and you said/wrote 'Shut-off" it was a bust. ??


I later learned that 'selective compliance' (Kern's term) is often an indicator of culture but it is just that.. an indicator. It is NOT a absolute. In our case, our wing could fly. It just didn't salute that often. And that irked the IG.

I could relate lots of stories where guys got chewed for trying to do above and beyond. I sat on the curb of the OClub one night, at a dining in ( typical with probably too many toasts) with a 'full bull' who said he had just come back from a commander's briefing and the new boss had said, "I am just waiting for one of you guys to **** up so I can set the standard. I am NOT going to let you guys keep me from getting a second star." Not making this stuff up. The word came down next week, 'Nothing fancy. Just make the time line and make sure we're filling all the squares." ?? Leadership? No. That is CYA and mediocrity.

Anyway, it was an interesting period. I learned a lot about flying from some greats. My Ops Officer was a great aviator and incredible mentor. And it was 30+yrs ago so it is probably irrelevant today.

But enough about my problems. You say guys don't just follow the rules. CURRENT examples that lit your fire???