Who is up for the bonus in '08? In 2000 the ADSC was upped to 10 years, so initial UPT commitments are only either going to be up in FY '07 (for someone who graduated UPT in '99) or FY '10 (for someone who graduated in '00)...

 

I graduated from pilot training in summer 2001 and have an 8 year committment.

 

Same here...

 

I got commissioned thru ROTC in 1990. I had a 8 year ADSC letter.
A few months later they sent us a new letter forcing us to sign a 10 year ADSC letter if we wanted to go to UPT.
A few months later they sent us a new letter changing back to the 8 year ADSC.

Rumor Begin....Supposedly, the 10 year ADSC violated some Indentured Servitude Law from back in the 18th Century!
Congress had to remove that law for the 10 year ADSC to come into play?....Rumor End

I talked to an AFPC leader about this being an awful large committment for a 21 year old to make.
He said "We will never run out of the demographic of young men who want to fly jets in the Military. What we run out of is 30 year old men who aren't burnt out!"

The 10 year ADSC after UPT wings is their way of getting you over the half-way point. Hoping that a higher percentage will want to stay for 20...If it meets the "Needs of the AF"

 

I had to sign a crossed out 6 or 7 year on my ROTC contract and inital but (can't remember) 7 r 8 year contract...back in 1986-87. Went to UPT in 1988.

Then went to OV-10. About the time I was going to F-15 they changed B-course requirement from 3 to 5 years...basically pulling me over the line another 2 years.

I was mad--but signed it. I ended up staying until 14 year point active. However, some of guys caught in that same window signed "do not promote me" letters and got passed over for Major and got out in 96-98 timeframe. I remember some old guys saying "that ain't right...that's gaming the system..." However, I remember thinking that if the AF could change the rules anytime in mid-game those guys wanting to leave had to do what they had to do...

Not signing one of those letters--accepting promotion and the committment--probably led to me being "stuck" in the AF until late 2001...just in time to get hired by FedEx and join the team after 9/11. Had I bailed at original exit target, I'd probably have gone to Delta (if hired) and would still be furloughed. Sometimes when you think you are getting screwed--somebody is doing you a favor--you just don't kow it at the time.

In any case--I wish these young dudes the best--staying in or getting out....

 

The commitment is what it is (to use an extremely overused sports term), and should be decided on by the government. Any time put in by guys after that is bonus time. Always irritated me when guys served their commitment but still got grief for leaving "early" once their commitment was up. Somewhere along the line, the AF determined that 8 years was a fair exchange for going to UPT, so that should be good enough for the rest of the guys. At any rate, I would've signed 20 year commitment at age 22 if that meant I could've gone to UPT. Of course, I'm glad that wasn't it, but I still would've signed it.

 

If they would offer early retirement, I'd be *gone*. $40K/year might make it worth it to stay, though.

 

Wow, the AF's re-enlistment bonuses sound pretty complicated. I'm seperating from the Marines (Tommorrow!) and they told me I would have received about $45,000 lump sum for a four year contract. They got that number from the current bonus multiplier for my MOS and a current blanket $10,000 bonus for any Marine that re-enlists this year... I guess they didn't take me seriously when I said I wouldn't do it for any less than a million.

 

I left the USAF AD in 2005 and joined UPS. If the USAF offered me $10 million per year to go back to active duty I would not take it. Money isn't everything and you have to do what makes you happy--at least not do something that makes you miserable.

There is a lot to be said for not worrying about a PRF, OPR, your next assignment or if your commander knows how great you may be. Not to mention being deployed half the time and having your kids not recognize you when you return. The USAF is a strange animal right now and all you have to do is look at the crop of new BGs. CC from McConnell circa 2004-2006 is soon to be a general YGTBSM!!

 

Hacker, when are you up to re-enlist? Have you taken the bonus yet? I think you were one class ahead of me at RTU. I'm separating 1 Jul 07 and palace-chased the last 11 months of my comittment.