Finishing "Conversations with Major Winters." Anyone read "Beyond Band of Brothers"?

Conversations is good. Read it in Afghanistan. Major difference between officers now and then. They were allowed to lead and be officers then...not so much now.

Back then, the ratio of officers:enlisted was about 1:10. What is it now, 1:3?

In all honesty, I don't think anything has changed officer "material" wise. You had your good ones and your bad ones just as you have today. The good ones got killed as readily as the bad ones. The good ones rose to the top a lot faster back then though.

In the AF today, there is this concept of "senior leadership" to include E-7/O-5 and above. Below these ranks, you are meh and considered not experienced enough or not important enough to matter...just do your job and shut up and color. Damn, just look at the signs posted on base..."You cannot get X done unless you have a signature by and O-5 or above." Since when do you need to be an O-5 to be trusted? Since when do people start getting smarter when they achieve the rank of O-5 or E-7?

I experienced this first hand at Bagram. We had CCs, but the group was essentially run by the 3 senior enlisted that ran amok. As an example, these three guys had the bunk assignments so that they had their own rooms. Three enlisted guys with their own rooms while guys like me (an O-4) and other O-5s had to bunk 4 to a room! These three guys went to BF/Lunch/Dinner everyday and didn't do jack. No medical skills whatsoever and just stood around when we'd have mass cals. I am willing to bet dollars to donuts they all three got bronze stars for riding a desk in the med group for 6 months. None wore aeronautical wings of any kind, so am willing to bet they have no idea of what the REAL AF was about. Hundreds of examples of this in my 15 years. I am out. Done Fine. Texas ANG here I come.

TalonDoc said:

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In the AF today, there is this concept of "senior leadership" to include E-7/O-5 and above. Below these ranks, you are meh and considered not experienced enough or not important enough to matter...just do your job and shut up and color. Damn, just look at the signs posted on base..."You cannot get X done unless you have a signature by and O-5 or above." Since when do you need to be an O-5 to be trusted? Since when do people start getting smarter when they achieve the rank of O-5 or E-7?

I experienced this first hand at Bagram. We had CCs, but the group was essentially run by the 3 senior enlisted that ran amok. As an example, these three guys had the bunk assignments so that they had their own rooms. Three enlisted guys with their own rooms while guys like me (an O-4) and other O-5s had to bunk 4 to a room! These three guys went to BF/Lunch/Dinner everyday and didn't do jack. No medical skills whatsoever and just stood around when we'd have mass cals. I am willing to bet dollars to donuts they all three got bronze stars for riding a desk in the med group for 6 months. None wore aeronautical wings of any kind, so am willing to bet they have no idea of what the REAL AF was about. Hundreds of examples of this in my 15 years. I am out. Done Fine. Texas ANG here I come.

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What you described is what the military has always been, and probably always will be. The ANG will not be any better. Just remember your feelings now when you become an O-6, or O-7 and can have real autonomy.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Back then, the ratio of officers:enlisted was about 1:10. What is it now, 1:3?

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Yes, it's something close to that. Unfortunately, most of the officer bloat is in the staffs. Companies are still 4 (sometimes 5 in companies with a FSO) officers and 100+ joes. After leaving command I spent 2 months on the brigade staff waiting to PCS... in this staff there were 90+ captains and majors. There were majors working for other majors who were working for another major.

ag-bq-seventy said:

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TalonDoc said:

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In the AF today, there is this concept of "senior leadership" to include E-7/O-5 and above. Below these ranks, you are meh and considered not experienced enough or not important enough to matter...just do your job and shut up and color. Damn, just look at the signs posted on base..."You cannot get X done unless you have a signature by and O-5 or above." Since when do you need to be an O-5 to be trusted? Since when do people start getting smarter when they achieve the rank of O-5 or E-7?

I experienced this first hand at Bagram. We had CCs, but the group was essentially run by the 3 senior enlisted that ran amok. As an example, these three guys had the bunk assignments so that they had their own rooms. Three enlisted guys with their own rooms while guys like me (an O-4) and other O-5s had to bunk 4 to a room! These three guys went to BF/Lunch/Dinner everyday and didn't do jack. No medical skills whatsoever and just stood around when we'd have mass cals. I am willing to bet dollars to donuts they all three got bronze stars for riding a desk in the med group for 6 months. None wore aeronautical wings of any kind, so am willing to bet they have no idea of what the REAL AF was about. Hundreds of examples of this in my 15 years. I am out. Done Fine. Texas ANG here I come.

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What you described is what the military has always been, and probably always will be. The ANG will not be any better. Just remember your feelings now when you become an O-6, or O-7 and can have real autonomy.

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I was handed tremendous responsibility and discretion as a junior O-1. I was frequently told to pound sand and stay inside the lines, but I was also encouraged/rewarded to find my own way. That responsibility & discretion only grew as I climbed the ranks. As a green tabbed O-3 I could basically do whatever I wanted.

As to senior enlisted running amok, I would expect a junior O-3 to rein in a rouge E-8 or below and an O-4 to keep an E-9 inside his left and right limits. I would expect an E-7 to tell even an O-5 to pull his head out if the O-5 was blatantly out of line (as you described). One team one fight, everyone works together, everyone calls everyone out, ect...

I do give fair latitude to new LTs getting told whats what by their NCOs. My first PSG was a former Ranger Regiment Squad Leader turned RI & started our initial meeting by telling me a Ranger tab was a GED & I needed to get my PhD in patrolling before I told him what to do. Learned a tremendous amount from him. We are still good friends, went fishing this past summer.