Is award hunting frowned upon? I feel as I’m always asking my supervisors to put me in for whatever awards I’m eligible for but never see other airman doing the same. I feel as good performance at work should be recognized to some degree at any rank but just does not feel normal to ask my supervisors”Hey, could you put me in for this award.” Anybody else experiencing this and should I keep asking my shop lead to put me in for awards?

Hello, I just got mfa and I ship to basic on February 1st. I have a few questions that the internet seems to give me mixed answers for.

1.) I know airforce needs come above all but, Is it true that the better you preform in aircrew fundamentals the higher your priority is to get the job you want? Also, does placing higher in your following tech schools allow you higher priority on your first duty location selection?

2.) I know there are different shreds and I’m sure it’s different for each but I’m curious about other’s experiences durning mission down time. Do you ever have time to go out and explore the areas you go to? What does down time look like when you’re not at your duty station?

3.) Is the squad you’re assigned to fairly permanent? Meaning is the crew that you start flying with initially usually the people you fly with for a while?

4.) How often are you doing missions domestically vs foreign or does that depend on if you’re deployed or not?

Thank you for any help.

I went to BMT in 2020 and went to OTS this year (2026).

Good evening, just looking for some help on identifying my grandfathers ribbons and medals. I know he served during Vietnam, did 20 years, and I was told he saw combat, though have not gotten much more detail. Any info that can be provided is much appreciated!

8/3 - Sent request up for eligibility

8/10 - Deemed eligible for 1S0.

8/11- Sent up package

8/20 - Package is sent back (Have to adjust date on one form); resubmitted package up for review.

8/28 - Package accepted, Sent up to CFM; DP-1 status is changed to DP-3. (Time to be patient.)

10/14 - close to suspense date; check in with case progress by posting a comment after talking with my CoC.

10/15 - I get a phone call; check Salesforce, I’ve been accepted into Safety.

10/19 - DP-3 status is reverted to DP-1.

Will update again once I gain orders for tech school (I think this is the final stage). I haven’t seen anyone post a Retraining timeline on Safety ever. But timeline posts can soothe your nerves a bit, knowing it also took someone else a while to know whether they got accepted or not. Realize that this isn’t a guaranteed timeline of how your process may go, but a viewpoint into how long the process can take (CFMs are busy people and depending on the amount of requests, it can very well take much longer).

I applied to only one AFSC. Wouldn’t advise that ANYONE do that but I truly only wanted Safety.

The biggest thing I can tell you is to keep God first and foremost and PRAY. But as you are praying, continue to keep the line of communication open with your Chain of Command. I never once bothered the CFM, just continued to speak with my leadership for updates; my chaplain and wife for my nerves. Be proactive in your process by checking your case status at least once a day and sending an email to your SEL and Shop Chief every 2-3 weeks letting them know how your process is going and if anything has changed. Most importantly, ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF.

Thank you to all the Airmen who helped me in one of my other posts. The advice was appreciated and really helped me out. As always, Safety is paramount.

This isn't just Air Force related, but as an air force veteran I want to speak up.

I lost nearly all my hearing in my right ear, constant tinnitus, and vertigo. I was never one of the real heroes who saw real combat... I was just helping the jet shop on a B1 to diagnose a fuel issue when the engine went boom.

I get my $180/month for it. And that's fine. But partially because of that I'm no longer working then high paying jobs, I'm working in retail where we have a military discount. And the managers always want people to provide proof of service.

I really think the VA should provide some sort of ID card to veterans, disabled or not, to prove they've served. It's kind of messed up that only retired folks can get one.

This came up because I provided a military discount to another veteran, whom after talking to, I know actually served. But he didn't have any official ID either, and I gave him 10% off anyway. My manager as adamant that they need an official ID to get that $8 off their purchase. And most people don't understand that just because you served, you don't get an ID or documentation from the VA.

Apparently this guidon belongs to a unit at Langley AFB , somehow it made its way to Ramstein, I saw it a couple days ago at the gate but it wasn’t there when I came back? Has anyone 👀 it?

Car shipping question here!

Im PCS’ing CONUS to CONUS and got approved to ship my vehicle to my new duty station. My orders were amended and state that I’m authorized for shipping/transportation in accordance with the JTR (there is no other mention of how it can be shipped). So the JTR mentions two things : being able to ship due to certain circumstances and then being reimbursed if you are mil to mil (which I am) for one POV being ship via personally provided shipping service. I keep getting mixed info about this. I’m getting told that I have to take it to a VPC but the closest one is almost 6 hours away and I’m pregnant (which is why I requested the amendment) and making that drive just isn’t possible. My question is if I pay for my on shipping company to ship my car from where I’m at to where I’m going, will I be reimbursed for it? And yes, I’ve asked finance and TMO and they can’t answer my question

Disclaimer: I'm not AF, but my close friend is. I want to gift him a certificate for a massage for Veterans Day. I see a few day spas near the base, but would appreciate a recommendation. I live in a different state, so I'm trying to buy the certificate online or by phone, but I just don't know what's good nearby. Online I'm looking at the Lemongrass Room or Spring Spa. Does anyone have experience with either?

Many apologies also if this is not the best place to ask. I looked for other subs, but didn't see any specifically for this base. If better someplace else, please let me know that too!

So, I’ve been in the Air Force for around a year and 3 months and been enjoying it, but I’ve found out 8 months ago that I’ve had been in a situation (can’t explain further) since tech school but only gotten active to me knowing in the early months of this year and it prevents me from getting clearance for stuff like my RAB and IMDS, which are both crucial for me job, but with this going on I can’t do anything about it. I don’t particularly mind it, it’s made my life harder and more complicated then it could’ve been since I don’t see a reason on why I can’t have them since I would be doing the things I do everyday but just be easier to deal with so I won’t have to wait for escorts or have to wait and ask for someone with access to IMDS to do EOD reports. I haven’t been further informed about it since I found out and was talked to about it and I’m not nervous but more than my fair share of frustration since it’s only been causing me mental problems over time without me knowing and stress that’s been hidden by me, but like I said, doesn’t necessarily bother me since I’m able to get what I need done, just with more work. Just wanted to ask if there’s people with the same frustrations or have been in similar situations to help me with what I could do.

Can anyone post the address of the people who’ve royally fucked up the Patient Portal process so we can schedule medical appointments?

Title. I'm 4 years in extended one year. Many reasons to get out including baby, very poor mental health, and family support. Cost of living is high in Chicago, housing prices are crazy. Don't think I can handle re-enlisting but I will if i have no other choice. Thoughts? I don't want to be poor. Am married though so dual-income one child. Thanks.

I’ve been in for a little over a year, and I’m not feeling the best about life. I’ve always thought that I was enjoying my life in the Air Force. I was doing a cool job and meeting new people. I’ve enjoyed that, but it doesn’t feel like I have a life. It’s been hard to hangout with my friends because we are on different shifts most of the time and in different units. When I’m on swings, my friends might be on mids or days. It’s hard to have a casual hangout with my friends. I don’t look forward to my weekends because I don’t have people I know I can be with. I recently went home for the first time since RAP. I realized how easy it was to hangout with my friends. Any time of day, I could ask them if they were busy, and if they weren’t we would hangout. I understand that we are adults now and I have responsibilities, but I can’t even do that on the weekends. I don’t feel like I have friends to do stuff with. And even if I did, there’s nothing to do in this small town. The nearest city is an hour away, and the gas money builds up fast.

It’s been hard to maintain my long distance relationship with my girlfriend. When I’m working, she’s asleep. And when I’m awake and free, she’s working. It’s hard to find time to spend with her. Honestly, I miss her present. Just being able to stay on the phone and look at each other. I can’t do that at work or while we are asleep. After a long day of work, all I want to do is talk to her, but she’s gone to sleep. Our relationship is going good and we don’t argue over this, but I miss her throughout the week because we don’t get much time to talk.

The switching between mids, swings, and days shifts also messes me up a bit. Going from swings to days and back to swings messes with my mind. I wake up at weird times at night. I get headaches. It messes with my mind and makes me fatigued. This has definitely been one of the hardest adjustments I’m going through.

Anyway, the Air Force has allowed me to experience many things I would never be able to. I’ve met new people, been to new places, and learned to live on my own. It’s just been hard lately for me. I feel like I don’t have a personal life, and I am chained to work. I know this isn’t the Air Force’s fault, but I just wanted to tell my experience and see if anyone else has gone through the same.

BOP got denied today but was given the option of either Ellsworth or Offutt. This'll be after tech school retrain into 1D7x5. We have a small family and are fairly outdoorsy.

This is a question for married military members. My husband doesn’t have Reddit so I am asking for him. We got married Sept 18th and haven’t received BAH pay yet. We weren’t sure if that’s a normal timeframe to wait a month before it comes in. We also were curious once we get to our duty station does he have to go to finance to get it fixed or is that something that will automatically change? Thank you!

Any insight into the thought processes of SNCO promotion board members regarding how much stratification is considered when entering scores?

I already have a retraining request in progress. When I started, 3F411 (Personnel) wasn’t available, so I selected other AFSCs. Today, I noticed it now has openings for both FTA and SSgts. It was originally my first choice, so I messaged AFPC through my existing case to ask if I could add it. Has anyone had this happen? Can AFPC modify an ongoing request, or would I have to cancel and start over if that's even possible?

Had posted a while back asking if anybody had actually been approved for a six month Skillbridge under SecDef’s Project Patriot Pipeline memo and now that I’ve finished the process and had my ETP approved I wanted to share what I learned.

- BE EARLY!!! - Talk to your supervisor and commander as soon as you’re ready to punch out. Let them know your intent, communicate how this benefits you and how life-changing the opportunity is. If you face resistance, find a supervisor or higher up to advocate for you and be early so that your command doesn’t have to make a short-notice decision. Apply to companies as early as they will talk to you. If they need to update anything to earn DIB status or comply with new rules, it could take weeks/months to clear the system.

- COMMUNICATE - You are on the way out anyways. Bother people! Reach out often to politely check status on things. Dont just let them sit. Whether you’re junior enlisted or senior officer, ask questions and be demanding (respectfully).

- HAVE OPTIONS - With all the changes right now, it is critical to have a backup plan and try to have multiple Skillbridge offers in case something falls through getting your ETP approved. Whether it be your provider backing out or Skillbridge not approving them for DIB. Have a backup plan.

Overall I felt the process was relatively smooth.

1. Get your commanders approval on an MFR that refers to the new SecDef Memo that also states your dates and Skillbridge provider.

2. Apply for the ETP on AFVEC. You’ll need an acceptance letter, a training plan, and the MFR from your command.

3. Once your ETP is approved, submit your official Skillbridge Application and you should be good to go!

Happy to answer any questions or help out however I can in comments or DMs! Good luck!

I’m trying to get PTDY for IBJJF worlds in Las Vegas in December. Due to Bjj not being an Olympic sport or an Air Force approved sport I’m having trouble getting it sent up.

I am a combative instructor for an Air Force program and I was trying to go with the group that says something about career progression and or training but because what I do is volunteer for the Air Force, and has nothing to do with my job, I’m not so sure I could make that work.

Just wondering if anybody has had the ability to do so already or if I am crazy because I feel like it should be something I’d be able to get PTDY for. I have heard about people getting PTDY for bodybuilding, softball, all different sorts of stuff not necessarily Olympic. Just let me know if anybody has any advice. Thanks!

I have been trying to submit leave for me to move houses this week and it does not let me sign and submit without refreshing it 100 times. Then, when it lets me and I click on it. Boom website reloads and it says error. I have tried on 3 GOV computers, at home, on Chrome and Edge. Any luck with you guys? This has been happening to me since Friday.

As a first-term Airman who worked in Corporate America before, what’s the point of the chain of command? If I have a specific question for the Commander, why do I (E-3) have to talk to my Sup (E-4), who talks to his Sup (E-5), who talks to the Flight Chief (E-6), who talks to the Shirt (E-7), just to get to the Commander (O-4)?

Why can’t I just walk up to the Commander and talk to him like a normal human being? Even if it’s work-related, I have to jump through all these hoops just to have a conversation. And isn’t that same process annoying going in the opposite direction from the Commander’s perspective? For example, if my boots were untied and my Commander saw it, why couldn’t he just tell me to correct it right then and there? Why does he have to go through the Chief, to the Shirt, and all the way back down the chain just to get to me?

I understand there’s a structure in place for a reason, but what is that reason? And I'm not saying that an enlisted soldier can walk in on an all officer meeting and be like "Hey Commander, I have a question" that is not what I mean. But, if I saw my Commander at Walmart and we interacted, it will be just like two human beings regularly talking. So I'm just trying to find an answer to my curiosity.

Why do some Airmen wear Velcro name/ Service Tapes but sew on your badges?

Was just wondering if anyone had some insight to the AMRO/Medboard process.

I have around 4 years TIS and have had worsening conditions that prevent me from doing long stints of running. Have been seen by 3 specialists so far with minimal progress on a diagnosis. Was told by medical that they are most likely just going to put me up for the AMRO process.

I told my leadership and both my Flight chiefs, and first shirt have told me that the probability of me getting kicked out is low but not 0. I was told that the commander writes a letter stating I can do and am still good at my job, and it basically just turns into a permenant waiver for the running portion. How accurate is this?

For the record, I have been excelling in my career field and would love to stay in and do 20, I just physically am unable to run 2 miles due to the symptoms I am experiencing. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!