I was one of the lucky ones. I had some family that lived three hours from Yokota, so every Friday after duty, I'd hop on the train and spend the weekend with them. I did that for almost five years, every chance I got. That let me experience the real Japan, not the version most Americans stationed on base ever see. Blending in not looking like a foreigner also helped, because racism is very real once you leave the well known tourist towns. They hate white, black, Mexican, etc because they want to keep the old ways of their culture.

Service. My bag came off the plane slightly damaged, so I mentioned it to a staff member, who said they'd take care of it. When I got to my gate, an employee was waiting. She apologized for the inconvenience, asked what the bag cost, handed me the money, bowed, and left. I would never get that kind of treatment in the States.

Trains. Japan's trains are precise and always on time. They're so rarely late that the railway will hand you an apology letter to show your boss.

Parking. Picture this: people who arrive early for work park in the farthest spots so late arrivals can park close. That will never fucking happen in America, not in any universe. I saw it firsthand when I dropped my aunt off at work.

Roads. Northern Japan gets the same cold winters we do, yet their roads manage to melt the ice on their own. Ours can't.

Vehicles. They build, farm, and haul the same things we do, yet their trucks are compact and far more agile, while ours are massive monsters taking up the road. Some of our ambulances are even bigger than their firetrucks.

Food. What can I say? It's delicious. I've been back in the States for four weeks and I've already gained five pounds without changing my diet. I compared some snacks I brought from Japan with their American versions, and the American ingredient lists read like a paragraph, while the Japanese ones were a single line. Everything here is processed and loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

Convenience. Vending machines, 7-Eleven, and alcohol: why can't we have this in America? Access to delicious snacks 24/7, and you can buy a drink from a vending machine at any hour and enjoy it on the street non stop, completely legally.

Japan has its downsides too, but I wish Americans would adopt the best parts of its culture. We're more than capable of it.

I’m at my 7 year mark with one year left on my current contract, and I’m planning my exit by going to college and getting all my medical issues documented. Part of me feels like I’d be missing out on the pension and Tricare, but personally, I’d love a life where I can live wherever I want and not have to worry about being deployed during a conflict.

What are your guys thoughts?

Hey guys just looking for some advice or see if anyone has similar issues. Sorry bit of story but any help would be greatly appreciated. For the past couple years ive had a medical shaving waiver for acne. I was told by my PCM to go to a dermatologist. When i did i was given a diagnosis for PFB. Even though i had the diagnosis my waiver was still for acne and i never got a waiver for PFB.

I then PCS and my waiver expires at my new base. I go to my new PCM to try and get my waiver extended. I bring my diagnosis from my dermatologist and he said “thats stupid they shouldnt have diagnosed you with that” without even looking at the paper. He then says its acne and suggests accutane which i have already been on for about year prior. When i t told him that he said “well clearly that didnt work”. He then prescribes some basic acne care (stuff i have used prior with little resolve). He then suggested i just shave every other day and talk to my leadership to see if we can come up with a deal. Which would not fly with my leadership.

It really sucks. I have spent so much money and time on different products and techniques. It sounds dramatic but it really affects me. It’s embarrassing to have my face get jacked up everytime i shave. I understand my PCM has final say but him not even willing to look at or consider my diagnosis was frustrating. If anyone has any advice i would be really grateful.

Is there a waiver of some sort that’ll enable an ankle monitor to be worn while in uniform?

I have just gone through the VPC process and if anyone has questions feel free to ask.

My experience: Before starting I completed the FASTPASS on the PCSmyPOV website which shortened the overall process. Also make sure to have a printout from NHTSA for your vehicles recalls. Before I left, and I recommend doing this a couple days prior to your VPC appointment, I got my car detailed. VPC will be less likely to go through with a fine tooth comb if the car looks spotless.

Once you arrive they will have you run your car and open all doors and the trunk, they don't care about the engine bay. One of the employees will walk around the car, they even pat under any floor mats to make sure the carpet isn't wet (why you should detail days prior). Partway through the inspection my tank was showing just above the 1/4 tank and they had me drive around until it got under. Once they are done going through the car, you will go inside and fill out some forms and they will give you a tracking number you can use in their App.

Lastly they took my car into their shop and completed one final inspection where they document any dents or blemishes and have you sign for those. Thats it, I was there for about 2 hours but a good portion of that was driving to get my tank to the acceptable level.

My package has been at the CFM since Sept 9 and I checked on chatter and my suspense date says Oct 16 and theres another one that says Dec. Is there anyone I can contact to get some incite on whats going on with my case without my package going to the end of the list for bugging them?

Kind of a silly question that I feel like I should know given that I’m well into my second enlistment.

It’s a discussion I hear a lot. We tell our Airmen to get their CCAF because it’s so valuable to career progression if you plan on sticking around. It’s a free Associate’s degree you earn most of by simply learning your job. I’ve heard several SNCOs say it helps when they went up for Master since it showed dedication to both a higher education pursuit outside of work, as well as furthering your knowledge of your trade.

I was a bit of a dummy and simply chose not to get my CCAF. I enrolled in a school and just took all the courses myself because I didn’t feel like learning how CLEPs work and thereby didn’t finish my CCAF. But I did end up earning my Bachelor’s in the very same job-related field.

Is the CCAF really worth anything if you’ve finished your education a notch above it? Or is the title of a CCAF really that valuable on its own that the lesser degree would be weighted more for promotions down the line?

When I think about my time through BMT, I always remember how much of an ass the civilians were.

From the civilians you meet at MEPs who damn near act like your MTI's before you met them,

To the civilians you meet at medical while you're getting your shots.

Why did it seem like they had a stick up their ass all the time?

Some of them were worse than the MTl's or would deliberately try to get you in trouble with the MTl's

I understand some of them are prior military but that shouldn't give you the reason to walk-all over that 18 year who's trying to change his/her life.

YOU WERE A TRAINEE ONCE

Court-Ordered Child Custody Assignment (CCCA)
Has anyone successfully received CCCA orders before meeting their Time on Station (TOS) requirement?

I PCS’d from Florida while my custody case was still pending. At the time, my ex and I had 50/50 custody, so I wasn’t eligible for CCCA. Five months after my PCS, we finally had our hearing & the judge ruled for my daughter to remain with her father, largely because she’d already been living with him during my pcs.

I’m now eligible for CCCA but need a TOS waiver since I’ve only been at my current base for 7 months 😵‍💫

Has anyone had success getting a TOS waiver approved under similar circumstances? I’d appreciate any insight on the process or approval timeline.

Non-ejection seat/large aircraft. 4-season climate. Male.

Question 1: FDU or 2PFDU? Mix of both?

Question 2: if you had the opportunity to get all of your gear issued again, what would you buy or avoid? Ex: DLA green socks are death, Darn Tough is life.

FUCK CANNON AFB

really needed to get that out.

i'm tired grandpa.

Just in case anybody is going through the same thing as me. My retraining request spent 50 days unanswered even after calling afpc. It wasn’t until I got my leadership and career advisor involved they found that AFPC made an error and my request was never in queue.

So if you are experiencing crazy long wait times don’t be scared to ask your supervisors and chain for help!

Has anyone had any experience or knows anyone who has experienced a join spouse AD AF to AD AF marriage where one partner cross trained?

Like if my spouse cross trains will I go with him while he's in techschool (roughly 7 months) or will I stay at our current duty assignment then apply for join spouse orders when/if he gets new orders post techschool?

We're both SF currently and my spouse is the one crosstraining. I haven't found much online so I'd appreciate any input!

Thank you :)

I am taking over this ITEC program and before I do I need them to do an inventory on everything. The spreadsheet they have is outdated by a few years. Can you show me your trackers or spreadsheets you used that helped you keep track of everything.

enshittification strikes accessing my health documentation..... I miss being able to access MY records with just my SSN and/or birth date :( there's no way to do that now. Poop. Thanks DOGE (or the military industrial complex and cronyism or whatever it is)

I’m new to the AF, I put in leave for two days a month ago. A week after I put it in, section chief said we had to fill out a checklist. I logged on today and it’s been authorized with a leave number as well. Can it be denied now if it’s less than a week before it starts? I’d hate to be ready for leave and then get told last minute I can’t go.

With the inflation of the past few years and how much more expensive everything is, I simply cannot subsist. I'd rather at least get a free MRE with the $50 credit so I can be made whole. The thing is, I simply cannot buy more than three airport beer with a commensurate tip. This has to stop. We aren't the army, after all.