Quoted: Quoted: I wonder how long it will take the USAF to pass that one down (if they ever do) to those of us in their Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol).  I can't wait to see how we would bastardize it with our gaudy full color patches, nametapes, and grade insignia. Civil air patrol, is that anything to do with the USAF???? I see em strutting around base in "uinform" but they never do anything. However, I did stumble on a CAP Major yelling at one of my A1C's for not saluting him Needless to say I went ape shit on that "major" and I doubt he ever pulled that power hungry trick again.

Hold on a sec.  I agree that ass-clown needed brought down a notch or two but some CAP squadrons actually do things.  In the Pacific Northwest in what seems a world ago we were out on forest fires each summer and search and rescue for everything from idiot hunters to lost kids the rest of the year.  

Quoted: Very funny.

+1

Them are some tough-looking PJs, I must say.  Tougher than some of the PJs I've met in real life.

Quoted:Hold on a sec.  I agree that ass-clown needed brought down a notch or two but some CAP squadrons actually do things.  In the Pacific Northwest in what seems a world ago we were out on forest fires each summer and search and rescue for everything from idiot hunters to lost kids the rest of the year.

So edjumacate us that only see them swagering around base looking like a 1/2 empty dufflebag never doing anything except going to the chow hall & BX.

What do they really do, what is there purpose and where/how do they fit in with the active duty AF.

I'm being serious here as in my AF career I never saw them actually do anything constructive or important such as search and rescue.

S&R here is handled by active duty guys in hueys.

Quoted: Quoted:Hold on a sec.  I agree that ass-clown needed brought down a notch or two but some CAP squadrons actually do things.  In the Pacific Northwest in what seems a world ago we were out on forest fires each summer and search and rescue for everything from idiot hunters to lost kids the rest of the year.   So edjumacate us that only see them swagering around base looking like a 1/2 empty dufflebag never doing anything except going to the chow hall & BX. What do they really do, what is there purpose and where/how do they fit in with the active duty AF. I'm being serious here as in my AF career I never saw them actually do anything constructive or important such as search and rescue. S&R here is handled by active duty guys in hueys.

I am speaking from having not been near it in close to 18 years or since I enlisted.  I will have to agree most do next to nothing in terms of what we would think of as a military mission.  Their mission is essentially to provide a civil aviation capability to assist in search and rescue and disater relief.  Their cadet program is a youth leadership program.  The level of a units ability really depends on who is in it.  Back in the bad old days of WWII my grandfather worked in aviation at Wichita and was not drafted.  His squadron guarded airfields and the plants they worked at.  There are some mega slugs in the organization as prior regular military service is not a requirement.  Just wanted to let you know that there is more than you may see on the surface to it.  Like I said location and the quality of the people is quite varied as is how useful they are as an organization.  The youth program does more good than the adult in general. They also do not get paid for it so that is also a factor.

http://level2.cap.gov/index.cfm?nodeID=5181

Personally, I'm looking forward to the new uniform.  We has the command Chief from AFMC come by the squadron this week.  Chariborne is correct on this one. The uniform is much lighter than in the picture. The new uniform is supposed to be issued this fall in basic training.  Availability will then be based on which bases have significant AEF commitments.  Then available for purchase at the MCS by the end of next year. Time will tell.

Chris

Quoted: Personally, I'm looking forward to the new uniform.  We has the command Chief from AFMC come by the squadron this week.  Chariborne is correct on this one. The uniform is much lighter than in the picture. The new uniform is supposed to be issued this fall in basic training.  Availability will then be based on which bases have significant AEF commitments.  Then available for purchase at the MCS by the end of next year. Time will tell. Chris

They need to issue ya them & not force ya to purchase them at MCS. When they went to the BDU's we were issued 3 sets right out the get go.

However, nothing like issuing them in basic and not to the troops in the field

Yeah. It definately sucks.  I'd much rather be issued new uniforms than to be given money and have to buy them.  It's a total pain in that ass.

Quoted: Kadena 89-92 we had 72 F15's, C130's, F4's, AWACS, RC-135's, KC-135's and they almost never ever flew on weekends or even came in to work. Not to mention on Fridays ya almost never saw anybody on the flightline except Fire and the SP's. Go to a ICBM base, see how dead things are on a Friday, 3 day weekends are the norm & if ya wanted/needed to get work done on a Friday you were SOL and had to come in on you're break/down time to take care of things cuz they were off and could not be bopthered to take care of ya. From what I saw in 20 years of being a USAF troop, the majority of AF members work office hours and lazzy ones at that. Hell, deployed to Saudi and elsewhere it seemed only the flyboys & support worked when flying missions and everybody else was only open 3-4 hours a day except for cops, fire and cooks who never got a day off or when they did it was only here and there instead of all the time. INHO the AF is more a blue suited company than a military, but what do I know, I was just a SP troop.

Kadena 97 - 99. Crew Chief. Working swings meant many 12 hour days with the occasional 18 hour day. Weekend duty (about every 6 weeks) you could count on 12 hour shifts. At most of my assignments I worked swings and many a weekend.

The only base I had it easy was at Hahn AB, Germany working back shop as a Jet Engine Mechanic.

SPs, Cooks and Flightline people all get to work the fun hours.

Quoted: www.maxandmaudes.com/images/products/1757x.jpg

OOH-funkin-RAH,    JAMMYPATS!  I love it.