Posted on Nov 19, 2015
I have heard the USAF is starting to have retention issues. Is this just an "urban legend" floating around, or is there some truth to this?
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The AF pushed to many people out when they did the down sizing a few years ago especially on the aircraft maintanance side. The 62nd at Luke is mostly civilians because they can't get the numbers. other small issues that are adding up is lack of training, workload, and increasig shorti missions. Flight line workes are making it happen and really thinking hard about staying in. You can only push so much to keep the jets flying before the workers break.
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MSgt Walter Thomason
This was done previously in the late 80's early 90's. I was stationed at Osan AB and had some SSgt cross-trainee trying to pretend he knew what he was doing with the weather radar. Screwed it up so bad, I had to wait until they were gone and put in two days of work to get it back running T.O. specs. After I was told to either cross-train or I'd be cross-trained or booted, I hear there were too many let out.
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Anyone who thinks that the lack of direction and some of the head-scratching activities that we've been involved in lately doesn't trickle down to the ranks is deluding themselves.
Lack of training dollars is a real threat to retention.
Lack of training dollars is a real threat to retention.
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SSgt Paul Esquibel
The only thing I'm never understood about retention boards is this, last year they began to allow people to separate or face the boards because they lacked Manning in specific career fields now to me the easiest way to fill those slots would not to of been to allow people to separate but to offer them the chance to cross train into those career fields which would allow you to retain the leadership you already have just doing a different job, not to mention I would think retraining someone is more cost effective then separating or having to train up someone new.
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MSgt Gloria Vance
While that sounds like a good idea. That was already tried a few years back and it but the AF in the butt and caused all kinds of problems. Example: You have a TSgt in an overfilled AFSC. They cross train into a medical field. Based on their rank they should be in a supervisory position but as a cross trainee they don't have the practical skill needed for that position. So you end up with a disillusioned NCO who hopefully won't be down graded on their performance report and you have disillusioned troops who have a hard time following an NCO who is lacking in practical knowledge. Either way both lose.
What is the answer? Higher bonuses for those fields experiencing shortages (either by career field or position). $$ always helps with retention.
What is the answer? Higher bonuses for those fields experiencing shortages (either by career field or position). $$ always helps with retention.
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MSgt Walter Thomason
I can't advise young men to join the military today because it is in so much of a mess. What I am seeing now is worse than the Carter years. Even more frightening is that the world is a whole lot more dangerous now than it was then.
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There is quite a bit of truth to this. From personal experience and hearing stories from friends still enlisted, the flight line side of things is looking very grim. With the large amount of people given the boot during the force shaping stuff and the lack of new blood to fill the gaps, the AMUs are having a hard time keeping up with the ever increasing flight tempo.
From my personal experience: I was one of 3 people who were able to troubleshoot problems with specific systems in the air frame the unit had. The level of work I was doing was that of a SSgt, and I was a SrA. This might seem like a way to get a lot of recognition and awards during my 3 years at this base. Unfortunately the 12-14 hour shifts, 7 days a week for months at a time at home station were never thanked besides a hearty pat on the back. This was a major factor to me getting burnt out, wore out and fed up. I was going above and beyond my pay grade for years but people who did about half the work I was doing got award after award because they had the time to do volunteer work, or take classes during their off time.
I was also very vocal about only having a couple of people able to do the work I was doing and repeatedly asked for people to train. The higher ups would always say that they would think about it or they couldn't afford to move people to the shift I was working.
I never received the pleasure of going TDY or even deploying. I was always left behind to work on hard broke jets, or train new people to the unit on how to do simple jobs properly. A lot of the time I was working the same, if not more, hours as the deployed folks with less days off. They might as well used the area around me as target practice and gave me deployment pay.
Doing more work than most of the people in my unit, getting less recognition, besides getting told "Good job" by the production staff because they got to meet their numbers, is a quick way to show someone they aren't appreciated, and an even faster way to make sure they don't stay around.
From what I hear the situation hasn't gotten any better at other bases. In fact in some places it's gotten worse.
From my personal experience: I was one of 3 people who were able to troubleshoot problems with specific systems in the air frame the unit had. The level of work I was doing was that of a SSgt, and I was a SrA. This might seem like a way to get a lot of recognition and awards during my 3 years at this base. Unfortunately the 12-14 hour shifts, 7 days a week for months at a time at home station were never thanked besides a hearty pat on the back. This was a major factor to me getting burnt out, wore out and fed up. I was going above and beyond my pay grade for years but people who did about half the work I was doing got award after award because they had the time to do volunteer work, or take classes during their off time.
I was also very vocal about only having a couple of people able to do the work I was doing and repeatedly asked for people to train. The higher ups would always say that they would think about it or they couldn't afford to move people to the shift I was working.
I never received the pleasure of going TDY or even deploying. I was always left behind to work on hard broke jets, or train new people to the unit on how to do simple jobs properly. A lot of the time I was working the same, if not more, hours as the deployed folks with less days off. They might as well used the area around me as target practice and gave me deployment pay.
Doing more work than most of the people in my unit, getting less recognition, besides getting told "Good job" by the production staff because they got to meet their numbers, is a quick way to show someone they aren't appreciated, and an even faster way to make sure they don't stay around.
From what I hear the situation hasn't gotten any better at other bases. In fact in some places it's gotten worse.
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CSM Charles Hayden
MSgt Lambert Larson - The good Senior NCOs that are constantly on the prowl to know what is happening do as you mentioned. The remainder focus on other 'important' matters!
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SSgt (Join to see)
This hits right on the nail of what I've dealt with and what I see countless of others dealing with.
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MSgt Walter Thomason
SrA Shipley. You had it easy. As a SSgt, I was the only qualified 1C6 in a 5 man shop. I had a A1C trainee straight from tech school, standby for 8 weeks straight and since I stationed at RAF Upper Heyford, living 25 miles from the base with no phone and outside of radio range, I was forced at one point to sleep in the supply room because the CoM became concerned that I had missed maintenance calls over night (I would stay within radio range of the base until I couldn't stay up any longer). Unfortunately, there was no room in billeting so I did what I had too. At Osan we got down to two of 5. That was good times there. At Upper Heyford, the up time rate of my equipment increased. At Osan, I received a letter of Commendation from the weather Commander for the status of his equipment improving. I even received a mention in the PACAF Commander communications letter for troubleshooting a satellite receiver called a polarimeter (I think) without a tech order or prior training. I got a weak 5 on that EPR. Combat Comm, there were times I'd get a call before I got back into garrison telling me not to unpack my bags because I was going right back out. At the time there were only two NCO's in the office, I wasn't the NCOIC so guess who was the team chief on taskings.
Burnt out yes. My reward was that I knew I made things better. Please understand that I am not speaking down to you because the situation isn't your fault. Doing more with less isn't new and will never be old because civilians rule our domain and cannot possibly see and often not care for what we do to carry out the mission. I got through by doing things my way, when possible, implementing changes that I thought would improve the job. Yes, there were times I had to answer for some of the things that I did but at least I had the results that spoke for itself. Lets see, I should have faced Courts Martial at least once, reprimand twice. But it was my way of getting through it. I also don't recommend that course of action because it was not necessarily career enhancing (the weak EPR at Osan for instance). I remember falling asleep one morning in the middle of the Air Field after completing a PM on a RSO wind sensor. F-111 taking off and landing for what had to of been 2-3 hours. That could have been a problem but that was just the way it was then. Hopefully our next President will be one that believes in a strong military and understand the threat we are under and build the military back up as it should be. I'm just sorry to hear that what appears to have been a promising career was cut short. I imagine the SNCO's and Officers are looking out for their own more than looking at the people that make them look good. Best wishes to you.
Burnt out yes. My reward was that I knew I made things better. Please understand that I am not speaking down to you because the situation isn't your fault. Doing more with less isn't new and will never be old because civilians rule our domain and cannot possibly see and often not care for what we do to carry out the mission. I got through by doing things my way, when possible, implementing changes that I thought would improve the job. Yes, there were times I had to answer for some of the things that I did but at least I had the results that spoke for itself. Lets see, I should have faced Courts Martial at least once, reprimand twice. But it was my way of getting through it. I also don't recommend that course of action because it was not necessarily career enhancing (the weak EPR at Osan for instance). I remember falling asleep one morning in the middle of the Air Field after completing a PM on a RSO wind sensor. F-111 taking off and landing for what had to of been 2-3 hours. That could have been a problem but that was just the way it was then. Hopefully our next President will be one that believes in a strong military and understand the threat we are under and build the military back up as it should be. I'm just sorry to hear that what appears to have been a promising career was cut short. I imagine the SNCO's and Officers are looking out for their own more than looking at the people that make them look good. Best wishes to you.
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