How has your branch of service changed while you served or are serving?

SCPO David Lockwood — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 08:21:44 -0400

Response by TSgt David L. made Jul 28 at 2015 8:23 AM

TSgt David L. — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 08:23:32 -0400

Why yes! The USAF does nothing but change. Our heritage is "68 years and NO tradition"...

Response by LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 28 at 2015 8:28 AM

LT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 08:28:56 -0400

Mind sharing your experiences on the topic Senior?

Response by Col Joseph Lenertz made Jul 28 at 2015 8:41 AM

Col Joseph Lenertz — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 08:41:37 -0400

USAF has been carried along the liberal blowing winds of US society at large. I see better IT skills and lower fitness, better inclusivity and less celebration of exceptional performance. I see a great deal more time and money and training spent to ensure no one is ever offended. I see less emphasis on determination and resolve to get the job done no matter what.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Jul 28 at 2015 9:01 AM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 09:01:21 -0400

Constantly evolving. I saw LOTS of little changes which would make the service appear massively different over the several combined years.

Shortly after I joined, women started going to MCT. The female PFT standard was modified to include a 3 mile run (increased from 1.5). About two years in, we switched removed "Momentum Assisted" Pull-up/Chin-ups (increasing the difficulty).

We swapped from the Entry Level KD (5 point system) to the Hit/Miss Qualification Course for Rifle.

We swapped gear incrementally to the point where if you look at the stuff we were wearing in 1990 to the stuff wore in 2000, it was just a completely different set. From 2000 to 2010, there additional changes, and it's like just crazy to think we ever wore stuff like that.

And then we get into technology. I came in when when we still took "typing" tests (min 40wpm), and there was 1 computer per shop, and maybe 2 dozen in the battalion. Email was a luxury, as opposed to a necessity. When I got out, we had ruggedized laptops mounted in HMMWVs which allowed Platoon Commanders to see a near realtime image of the battlespace.

The changes were little, but constant. Some didn't seem like they would be a big deal at the time, while others ended up having massive effects or were building blocks for other things, like MARPAT.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 28 at 2015 11:22 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 11:22:58 -0400

There have been HUGE alterations to things in the Army since I joined. One topic of interest is one we used to joke about early on in my career, NJP. The joke was you couldn't get SGM without at least 3 A15s and a divorce. Now, a mistake made early in a rank can end a career. For example, a 13 year SSG who has been that rank for 6 years may be removed from service due to a company A15 within their first year as a SSG. This is something hanging over my head as well as others I know. The sad part is the majority of these people, myself included, have grown drastically since that point. I can only hope that the boards see the growth, not solely the mistake.

At the same time, standards for new trainees has been lightened. For my MOS, the standard was 3 total failures or a double failure of any test meant elimination 12 years ago. Now it's 6 total failures, 3 failures of a single test or failing a Terminal Learning Objective test twice. So we are loosing potentially good leaders to pave the way for the inexperienced.

Additionally, and on a more positive note, there seem to be more Joint ventures available. The number of personnel who have never worked with another service seems to have gotten fewer and fewer and I think that is important. Regardless of which branch you are in, we all rely on each other as a Military. That feeling becomes more ingrained and personal when you have actually worked alongside the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.

Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell was a thing that happened, but didn't change much (least not in my occupational area). The day it happened, one of my Soldiers said "By the way, I can say this now...I'm gay." The response: "We know, get back to work." In other specialties, there was a bit more tension, but that was to be expected. The same tension arose with allowing females in Combat Specialties.

To end off my wall of text, I came into the Army knowing there would be change. My father retired from the Army and told me that the culture changed, almost entirely, every 7-10 years. Simply put, the Army I joined won't be the one I leave.

Response by SCPO James W. Bradford made Sep 4 at 2015 1:26 PM

SCPO James W. Bradford — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 13:26:55 -0400

After initiation to Chief in 1998, I immediately became involved in the positive process of preparing future Chiefs that came after me. This was very rewarding in giving back to the community. A couple of years ago, I gradually fell out of the process. It is my opinion that the making of a good Chief today has been lost. A couple of PTs, an indoc, and then a pinning. The real meaning of the process has been lost. The Chief results are released; the winners are congratulated and welcomed as Chiefs without really earning it. Last year, I was invited to a Navy Counselor’s meeting on the Naval Air Station near me. I attended a complaining session regarding superiors and subordinates with no solutions contributed. Juniors in the group just sat in silence. I tactfully told a Senior Chief to stop bitching and start finding solutions. She looked at me as if I was from Mars. I started giving the group solutions to some of their issues and the Chiefs got up and walked out of the room. The First and Second Classes in attendance rushed up to me and asked for my business card. They were hungry for solutions to problems they were facing in their jobs, command, and the Navy. Maybe I am just negative or maybe I am just concerned on how things are progressing. Heaven forbid I attend a Chief’s Mess meeting on the Base. Am I wrong or am I just an old fuddy-duddy? NCCS(AW/SW/SCW) Ret.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2020 9:59 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 09:59:19 -0500

we have a dedicated "lactation room" in our armory. Despite the fact that there are only 6 females in the entire unit and they are all 40+ with grown/semi-grown children. So we have a room that sits empty because no one ever uses it.