The new "softer side" of our military....

[TheGrey]

Pansies? Sissies?

Sounds to me like someone's jealous.

USAF has always catered to the less 'roughing it' crowd. Hell, USAF was known for its chow halls and fancy jets- really, what did you expect? A step back to C-rats?

Frankly, it's kind of astonishing that it's taken them this long to update to something that's a bit more modern. When I was in, everything was 1940s-1950s era. hell, when the other services were getting rid of scopes and modernizing their equipment, USAF was right there with both hands out, saying, "We'll take them!" Imagine working on technology still run by tubes, and then having to go up three floors to work on computers. I'd say that the people IN the USAF have very little to say about where the money gets spent.

And if that's your criteria for 'pansy' and 'sissy'...

[cstone]

I went to Basic Training at Ft Knox, right after they filmed Stripes, with Bill Murray. I feel very nostalgic when I watch that movie. Some of the people issuing clothing were used as extras, issuing underwear in the movie. The guy running across the log on the obstacle course brings back great memories.

[theGinsue]

Once upon a time, the USAF had more than 1 BMT training base - sorta like the Army, Navy & Marine Corps have even now. This hasn't been the case for the USAF for a very long time. Long since before I joined the USAF in 1985, ALL USAF basic trainees were sent to BMT @ Lackland AFB. The facilities were kept shiny with elbow grease, but they were old and needing repair back then (in '85). The beds were pre-Vietnam era as I'm sure were the lockers (we didn't get chests like I've seen in movies). Now consider that since before 1985 through now, EVERY trainee has been using the same equipment/facilities on 1 single base, unlike the other branches who have more than 1 BMT station. Those facilities & those bunks/lockers must have been plumb worn out & beyond repair. I can see why getting new/updated facilities was needed.

As as said earlier, aside from the water bottle filling stations, the soap dispensers and toilet stall doors (we never got that level of privacy) in the bathrooms & the upgraded communal showers (okay though, whats with the handicap shower station?), it all looks pretty much the same except with the shine of newness to me. Oh yeah, the dayroom looks bigger too.

One other new change was the training ampitheater. It's larger to accommodate more trainees, has tiered seating so everyone can see - and the TI's can see everyone, and they now have computers (come in, in this generation EVERYONE is using computers for training).

When I attended BMTS, each squadron had 4 laundry facilities where those tasked to do laundry had to compete with the other 20+ flights for the washers/dryers. They had X amount of time to launder the entire flights clothing and it was a battle. Because of broken equipment, the resources were even more fought over between flights. More often than not, I got my clothes back 1/2 dry. When you've got all those wet & wrinkled clothes and only 5 irons for 50 guys to get their items in inspection order, there were failures all over the place. It's about time they provided each flight with their own laundry facility.

So, the bunks are black and not chipped-paint gray & the lockers are fancier. Probably difficult to find shitty gray lockers like they used to have.

All in all, I say that it's about time. If you provide adequate facilities to the trainees, less of their time has to be provided to general facility upkeep and fighting dilapidated equipment & more time can go to actual troop training.

As HoneyBadger pointed out, the base we're on spent millions to landscape a small parcel of land which still looks like crap & makes the routes between buildings less direct. For those of you complaining about our current budget situation & the dollars spent on this, I know from direct personl experience that before the first shovel of dirt is lifted on any USAF building project (including parking lots), there is a minimum 3 year planning and approval process. In fact, I'm dealing with this very thing right now - for the second time in my career (first time as a contractor). The unit I'm with now is well beyond maximum capacity on our facility which we share with another unit. For instance, we utilize our 5'x8' comm room as a comm rm, minor storage room, and housekeeping supply rm. When I need to perform troubleshooting/maint on the unclass router I have to move everything into the hall just to get to the comm rack. We've got 6'x8' cubicles shared between 2 or 3 people on the same shift. we've got people using 4' wide consoles with 4 pole-mounted monitors, 2 telephones, 2 keyboards/3 mice on the console desktop & 1 keyboard stashed below - and these are the people running the primary mission. We've got plans for a new facility - which have been in the works for over 10 years. Every time we get the go-ahead, it's followed almost immediately by a cancelation order. Each cancelation requires us to re-evaluate our current needs with projections for growth and expected necessary upgrades for 10-15 years into the future. This covers considerations for mission growth, personnel growth, equipment updates, future electrical/comm/network requirements, ADA requirements, etc. etc. The point to this whole paragraph is that the new BMT facilities have probably been in the works since the early Clinton years.

So, to say those USAF BMT trainees are pansies and have royal accommodations.... well, just how dilapidated do the facilities/equipment need to be before it's okay to upgrade? Maybe we should just put them all in GP Medium canvas tents (circa 1968) with canvas cots. While we're at it, we'll have them learn about deployment toilet facilities and make them dig their own latrines & burn the barrels of human waste each day like we did in the desert.

Considering these new facilities will probably still be in use for EVERY USAF BMT trainee for the next 50 years, I'd say it was probably time to get it done.

[pepito]

Wonder if they know what a "blister bag" is.
Jealous? Kinda of, but its nice to be able to say, " eh, I've had worse."

[HoneyBadger]

Good post Thomas. I will point out that Mrs HoneyBadger works in the contracting office at Pete, and she's in the sabre flight, so she does all the construction contracts for Peterson, Schriever, and Cheyenne Mountain AFS, new and old. Some of the stories she tells about where money comes from and why certain projects get the green light are just astounding and frustrating.

Appropriately (or maybe ironically), the building she works in was one of the first buildings constructed at Peterson Field (as it was called back then) and it is starting to crumble, but they can't fix it because they are pretty much at the bottom of the list for renovations and repairs.

[Geology Rocks]

AKA... the Chair force. This just pisses me off! Here we are worried about budgets/taxes/fiscal cliffs. But this spoiled little pansy's get brand new BMT (boot camp) places. BMT is meant for a "Rough" lifestyle... it's only 8.5 weeks as it is. Give me a Raise, not soften it up for the sissy's!


http://imgur.com/a/5qhtb


/rant

Dont be mad that your ASVAB score was't high enough to get into the AF. Thats not our fault.

[Sharpienads]

Dont be mad that your ASVAB score was't high enough to get into the AF. Thats not our fault.

I hear a lot of excuses from Joes about why they joined the Army instead of the AF. My personal favorite so far is "The AF recruiter was out of the office playing golf, so I went next door to the Army recruiter."

Still, I enjoy working with Joes more than I enjoy being around AF people for the most part.

ETA: We were doing a squadron ruck years ago when I was at Ft. Hood. We past a bunch of Joes who were also rucking and they started trying to be funny, saying something to the effect of "You guys must have your rucks filled with pillows, hooah!". I yelled back and so "No pillows, just high school diplomas, hooah!"

[HoneyBadger]

Dont be mad that your ASVAB score was't high enough to get into the AF. Thats not our fault.

Well played!

[RonMexico]

What a joke.
I think everyone should have to go through USMC bootcamp and sleep under the stars for a few weeks.

[theGinsue]

While we didn't have this when I went through BMT, the Air Force does have the trainees out in the field for a week now. It may not be as long as the Army or Marines, but I guess we (the Air Force) just learn more quickly.


For what it's worth, my LOW score on the ASVAB was an 85.