Originally Posted by Andy

Spanky, I never said that you didn't work harder than me. That's not what this thread was about. However, you also either had waivers approved to have a 42 hour duty period (I'd like to know who signed off on that waiver!) or you broke the regulations. I'd wager that it was the latter. It sounds like you pride yourself in breaking the rules to get the job done. But don't cry that you've had it tougher than everyone else just because you're willing to break the rules on a daily basis; they're there for a reason.

Since you're out there breaking regulations in the 'real world,' let me be the first to tell you that you're not the first one to do so. I've done the same to get the job done, as have my predecessors. Just don't screw up. Your bosses, who look the other way while you break regs, will hang you out to dry faster than a New York minute.

I now work in a joint DoD job that has nothing to do with operating aircraft; I've been out of flight ops for several years. I will not return to the military flying business; I won't even return to a 'blue' job. I now have security clearances that I never knew existed. I'll be the first to admit that I have no idea what currently goes on in the squadron. But I have no need to know that information. In the end, it's SSDD.

Thanks for the chuckle about the Rivet Joint being a cushy job. I find it humorous how every swinging dick thinks that he's got the toughest job on the planet; no one before or after has worked as hard as him. I have no desire to hijack this thread further by engaging in a stupid 'my shlong is longer than yours' contest.

Oh, not that it matters, but I've got somewhere around 25 ribbons; they stopped meaning anything many years ago. But I've never done the job for little pieces of fabric.

Spanky, tell ya what. If you stop hijacking this thread, I'll state that you've got it MUCH tougher than I ever did; I led a golden career that you can only look on in envy.