Expert: James Bell - 7/13/2009

Question
James,

First off, thank you very much for your assistance. It's
very helpful to have someone other than a recruiter as a
knowledge base.

A little bit about myself: I am a 24 year old male in good
physical shape with a strong interest in aviation. I've
spent a few years working a typical "9-to-5", and I am now
absolutely positive that it is not a lifestyle I want to
lead. The various recruiting tools of the Air Force have me
very interested, but I need a real-world perspective.

A few questions:
I would very much prefer a job as an aircrew member.
However, that phrase "needs of the Air Force" is daunting.
In your experience, how often do new recruits (assuming they
do well in training) get the AFSC they request?
How does the typical day of an aircrew member go, as far as
time spent on aircraft vs. other activities?
What are the realistic odds that I would be able to get my
bachelor's degree in time to apply for OTS (I have about a
year and a half of college completed)?
Finally, if you had to name some reasons NOT to go to the
Air Force, what would they be?

Thank you very much in advance for your help!

Nick


Answer
Nick -

You have asked many good questions, I hope my answers do justice to your quest.  The catch-all phrase "needs of the Air Force" is one that we all live with.  I'm sure your current job description lists a bevy of tasks, with the phrase "and others as assignment by your supervisor" tagged on at the end.  That basically gives your boss the option to give you any job they want you to do.  It's the same with the military.

I understand the process has changed since my day.  I came in with a guaranteed job, and I knew from day-one what I was doing.  There was an opening on a particular day, and I took it.  I understand now that you make a number of selections, and you get what they give you.  If you want to put in for an aircrew position, I would suggest you look at loadmaster or boom operator.  Both of those jobs are excellent.  Don't sign on the dotted line unless your recruiter can show you that there are unfilled slots available.  This may need to be done at the MEPS.  Again, I can't be sure ... procedures change.

When I was a young E-1, still in Basic Training, I filled out my "Dream Sheet", the form that I detail my list of places I would PREFER to be assigned.  It's not called the Dream Sheet for nothing.  If a job becomes available, at the base I request, and it meets my current "specifications" (i.e., qualification level and rank), then I get put into a queue for that position ... along with everyone else that wants that job.  The Air Force racks-and-stacks you according to time on station, seniority and several other categories, and a choice is made.  Since I already had the job guaranteed, the next hurdle was to get a base I wanted.  Ironically, the needs of the Air Force were diametrically opposed to my desires.  I put in for a base on the East Coast, hoping to get assigned to C-130's close to a cousin in the Army, but instead was assigned to C-5's on the West Coast.  Go figure.  But in retrospect, I think it was a much better assignment.  One that paved the path of my career, introduced me to my wife, and made me the person I am today.

I can't speak as to your college education or chances of getting into OTS.  I never went that route, so I have no experience.  I do know there are educational and commissioning programs available.  The Boot Strap program has been replaced with the Educational Leave of Absence (ELA) program.  The ELA allows Air Force members to attend college, full-time, for up to two years, in order to complete a degree program (bachelors, masters, Phd, etc.), while remaining on active duty. In exchange, the member agrees to extend their active duty commitment.  It does not promise you a commission, just that you may still be on active duty and going to school full-time.  The "extending" of your active duty commitment is usually 1.5 to 2 times the time you are in college.  If you need the full two years to complete your degree, then you would need to extend your ADSC (Active Duty Service Commitment) by 3 to 4 years.  There are also commissioning programs available to help you get promoted to an officer.

The typical aircrew day changes depending on what you are doing.  I had an "additional duty" or office job, from the time I was promoted to E-3.  These jobs fill the gamut of things needing to be done within the squadron: Safety, Awards and Decorations, EPR's, etc.  When I wasn't flying, I was in the office, 8-5, M-F.  When you are flying, you kick into that mode.  You get anywhere from 12-24 hours prior to departure to pack, sleep, and take care of those things needing to be done prior to your leaving.  

When the time comes, you get alerted and normally have an hour to report to the squadron.  You do your mission briefing, then head out to the jet.  Once the preflight is completed and cargo and passengers are loaded, you take off into the wild blue yonder.  Once you arrive at your destination you offload your passengers and cargo, and go into crew rest (a minimum of 12 hours to eat, sleep and be merry).  A normal crew duty day is 16 hours but, if longer is required, you may be "augmented" with extra crew members so you can switch out in flight and rest.  Then you can go up to 24 hours.  If your day is short, your itinerary may have you doing "quick-stops".  This is where you land for only a short amount of time, then takeoff again to your next destination.  When I was on C-141's, we had a mission call the "Super Kimshe" run.  We took off from Japan, visited five bases in Korea, then went on to Okinawa.  Our ground time was very short ... roughly an hour, as we didn't refuel.  We just moved cargo and pax (passengers).

Once we got back to home station, we received post-mission crew rest.  This is time off to readjust your body clock to home station, take care of those things that didn't get done in your absence, and take a breather from the mission you just completed.  The amount of time you get is calculated on a formula based on how long you were away (a three week mission obviously give you more time off than a three day mission).  Again, those have changed as a result of our war-time pace, so I can't give you exact details.

Today's pace is very hectic, especially to units who deploy a lot.  My tanker squadron in New Jersey is typically away from home 200 days a year, leaving only 165 or so at home.  This works out to a 55% TDY (temporary duty) rate.  I could fill volumes about all the other nuances of aircrew life, but I would suggest you just look over my past responses.  There is a lot out there.

The last question is tricky: Reasons to NOT go into the Air Force.  If you don't like to deploy or see lots of hot desert sand, don't go into the military at all.  If you want to carry a rifle and shoot at the bad guys, then I would suggest the Army or Marines.  I spent many years in tents at one of our standard bases.  Now those tents have been replaced with "hard billets" ... real buildings with real bathrooms and showers.  A hard cement floor under your feet instead of gravel and a tarp.  They have air conditioning that actually keeps you cool, instead of just teasing you down to 95 degrees.

If you have a girlfriend, or find someone you want to marry, she will need to be tough and independent.  I met my wife when I was already four years into the Air Force.  She only knew me as a flyer.  I went away on many trips and, before there was such a thing as e-mail, she was completely alone when I was gone.  She was more single-mom than wife during those months I was deployed.  She had to manage the house and finances as if I weren't there -- or ever coming back.  Many military marriages fail because the wife does not understand that the "needs of the Air Force" come first.  Many women don't like their men to put other things ahead of them.  

I work with a lady who's son is in the Army.  He married his wife and they were stationed in Germany.  He got orders to deploy for 18 months.  The Army delayed his deployment so he could be there for the birth of his son.  Two weeks later he left.  By the time he came home -- 9 months later -- for his two week mid-deployment vacation, she had already moved back to the states and filed for divorce.  In her mind, he abandoned her in a foreign country with a child.  Today's military is not an easy life, and even more so if you want to make a career out of it.

65 years ago we had hundreds of thousands being drafted into the military to fight World War II on two fronts ... Pacific and Europe.  When the war was over, the men left the military and came home.  Only 1 in 20 stayed to make it a career.  In todays era it's different.  We are in a war that has no defined borders for the enemy, no national affiliation.  They rally to a religious cause and not around a national flag.  There will be no formal surrender documents signed to define when the war ends.  This will go on for a LONG time.  If you want to make a career out of it, there will be plenty to keep you busy.

I hope this gives you a little bit of an idea of what you are want to get into.

Sincerely,
James Bell