Billy Pilgrim

After not thinking twice about signing the ten year ADSC after UPT I am now 180 out approaching the ACCP. $1,200 or whatever it works out to a month is chump change compared to having options. But to each his own. For those committed to twenty, enjoy the money! From a friend of mine at Sheppard - he mentioned that everyone who signed it found themselves with a "good deal" 365 within the next 6-9 months. Coincidence?

Between seeing TAMI21 firsthand as a Lt in a fighter squadron, tons of dudes getting non-vol'd to non-flying gigs or worthless deployments (not talking about MC-12 or flying related stuff!) it seems signing is playing with fire.

EVERY 0-4 I personally know in my MWS punched to the guard at the end of their ADSC. I literally don't know one who's stayed.

It's really too bad too. I absolutely love my PRIMARY job as an 11F and I plan to stay as long as they'll let me fly fighters. Doesn't look like it'll be twenty years but I'll try.

rickair7777

I don't think copay changes anyone's career decision on a month-to-month or year-to-year basis. That decision is a longer-term process.

But I think cumulative copay over the course of a career can influence someone's decision to "Stay Navy" or AF or whatever. The catch here is that the copay has to be fairly consistent....if it's subject to wild swings every time the economy or force structure hiccups then folks won't feel comfortable planning a career based on a certain income level and I think senior leadership knows this.

crewdawg

It must be pretty bad. It's like a revolving door of AD guys looking to rush the squadron, I can't keep them all straight. Some of the stories about how bad morale is, are very telling. One of our fairly new AD hires, was the 4th guy to 7 day opt the same "good deal" assignment. He had been hired but ended up getting out earlier than expect due to his 7 day opt. When asked what it would take to keep him in (by someone in his squadron leadership), he said the bonus would have to be $100k/yr for 5 years... Turned out good for him as he got into an AGR spot pretty quickly and is now on the 25k bonus!

A good number (there are a few I haven't heard from) of my AD B-course IP's are either now in or about to be in the Guard/Reserve. Many of them we're at the 12-13 year point when they got out...and most of them had gone Ops-Ops-Luke-Ops!

Ha, reminds me of a story from my last deployment. Never knew there was so much hatred toward airline talk (of course I work in a squadron full of airline pilots). I spent a few weeks working a "staff style" job with mostly AD guys. One day I was talking with a guy about the airlines, when an irritated Lt Col type made some comment about my discussion. Quite confused, my response was, flying for the airlines is my full time job... I guess he didn't realize I was a Guard guy. Even more funny, the guy running the shop was a United guy (voluntary furlough), that had picked up a year of orders to get him closer to his retirement.

On another note, one of the dudes that worked in that same shop had his time extended a little. When I left, there had been 8 (yes eight!) people 7 day opt his assignment.

Grumble

I heard a rumor (I'm paraphrasing), that a certain Flag Officer recently said to a room full of pilots "everyone thinking about getting out, leave. We don't need you."

I never understood leadership crapping on guys wanting to move on. This is still a volunteer force right?

Most guys I know had the same number in their head. If it was a retention tool, they would have adjusted it for inflation at some point in the last 20 years.

crewdawg

What a piece of work, I think I would have gotten up and walked out. Then again, I'm a Guard guy who isn't worried about my next promotion, assignment or being non-volled to another "exotic" location.

I will never understand that either. A simple, thanks for your service and goodluck would suffice.

Grumble

BDGRJMN may be able to elaborate further as I wasn't there, but I've heard the same story from more than a few guys.

webecheck

Yes, correct...and I am living that dream. In fact, when I called the porch to discuss said dream they verbally noted to me that I had recently signed bonus. Win some, lose some. 6 years til paycheck for life is what I keep telling myself.

Hilltopper89

That is just sad. You know they have to know who signed the bonus before they give you the non-flying 365 to Djibouti.

thrust

It's not just the 11Fs. It's all 11Xs.

Big Blue's solution: stop loss and 15 year UPT ADSCs.

Also, for those who use the AD check-of-the-month club membership as their sole justification for staying... best of luck. Stay because you love the job, you love to serve, you love the people, you love the BS, etc... but don't stay only because of the retirement, because it WILL be changing. It'll start small- increased TRICARE copays, delayed pension payouts for AD retirees until age 60, etc. But it will change. Hopefully we'll all be "grandfathered" in...

BDGERJMN

I wasn't personally there, but know the story to be anecdotally true. I think in this particular case, this Sr leader's direct and straight to the point personality coupled with a genuine passion and love for the service and the dedication it takes to make it successful was misdirected.

This same Sr leader also told a room full of us on another occasion that he too at each point in his career considered 'getting out'. I tuned him out after hearing him say the word quit. Many of us who got out at our minimum service requirement of '10 yrs' know we didn't quit and each time I strap into a jet, albeit in a reserve capacity on a Friday night or even moreso when I board my plane to Afghanistan in September for 330 days BOG, will know I haven't quit. I agree a simple thank you and best of luck in this case is the more prudent way to address a JO who's making a life long decision for his own reasons, public or private.