What comes next after 9 years of active duty in the Air Force?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the transition of a participant, SSgt Drakkith, from active duty in the Air Force after nearly ten years to a potential reserve role and pursuing a degree in Optical Engineering at the University of Arizona. Participants share their congratulations, reflections on military service, and inquire about Drakkith's experiences.

Discussion Character

  • Meta-discussion
  • Exploratory
  • Personal reflection

Main Points Raised

  • SSgt Drakkith shares that today marks the end of his nearly ten years of active duty in the Air Force and expresses mixed feelings about his service.
  • Some participants express support for Drakkith's decision to move to the reserves and pursue education, noting the University of Arizona's strong optical program.
  • Several participants thank Drakkith for his service and wish him luck in his future endeavors.
  • Drakkith reflects on his relatively uneventful career, mentioning his long stationing at Barksdale AFB and limited deployments, while sharing details of his travels and experiences during his service.
  • One participant notes the irony of missing both good and bad moments from military service and reflects on the differences between military and civilian mindsets.
  • There is a question about the terminology used for Air Force personnel, with participants discussing terms like "flyboy" and "airhead." Drakkith is asked to share his military specialty.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on expressing support and gratitude towards Drakkith's service, but there are differing views on the terminology used to describe Air Force personnel. The discussion about Drakkith's experiences remains personal and subjective, with no consensus on the broader implications of military service.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal anecdotes and reflections, which may depend on individual experiences and perceptions of military life. The discussion does not resolve the subjective nature of military experiences or the terminology used within the community.

Drakkith
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This is it. 9 years, 11 months, 16 days of active duty Air Force and today is my final day. It's been good and bad. I'm looking at going reserve and moving to Tuscon to go to the University of Arizona to do Optical Engineering if everything goes well. Off to my final out appointment! SSgt Drakkith, signing off. MR. Drakkith, please report to the stage.
 
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Drakkith said:
This is it. 9 years, 11 months, 16 days of active duty Air Force and today is my final day. It's been good and bad. I'm looking at going reserve and moving to Tuscon to go to the University of Arizona to do Optical Engineering if everything goes well. Off to my final out appointment! SSgt Drakkith, signing off. MR. Drakkith, please report to the stage.
Wow, you're in the Air Force for 10 years? I thought you were in college. Definitely a good idea to stay in the reserve, imo. Well, best of luck!
 
Drakkith said:
This is it. 9 years, 11 months, 16 days of active duty Air Force and today is my final day. It's been good and bad. I'm looking at going reserve and moving to Tuscon to go to the University of Arizona to do Optical Engineering if everything goes well. Off to my final out appointment! SSgt Drakkith, signing off. MR. Drakkith, please report to the stage.

Congrats, Drakkith! And thank you for your service :approve:!
 
Congratulations! And good luck with your future plans!
 
Congratz Drakkith! Have a prosperous future !
 
Drakkith said:
MR. Drakkith, please report to the stage.
http://beatsplanet.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/before%20you.jpg
 
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Drakkith said:
This is it. 9 years, 11 months, 16 days of active duty Air Force and today is my final day. It's been good and bad. I'm looking at going reserve and moving to Tuscon to go to the University of Arizona to do Optical Engineering if everything goes well. Off to my final out appointment! SSgt Drakkith, signing off. MR. Drakkith, please report to the stage.
Congratulations! Well done! Good luck with Uni. UA is a good school, and Tucson is a nice town.
 
Good luck, Drakkith! You are headed to a college with perhaps the best optical program in the US. They make (sometimes very large!) mirrors for observatories that we can only dream of visiting.

And thank you so much for your service to your country. In this volunteer-only age of military service, people should pay more attention to our service-members because they were not conscripted, and joined and served willingly.
 
Congrats, Drakkith! And good luck.

Ten years is a long time. Would you care to list a few of your most interesting experiences as a flyboy? [Is that term still in use?]
 
  • #10
Ivan Seeking said:
Congrats, Drakkith! And good luck.

Ten years is a long time. Would you care to list a few of your most interesting experiences as a flyboy? [Is that term still in use?]

Isn't it "airhead"??
:confused:
 
  • #11
Thank you all!

Ivan Seeking said:
Congrats, Drakkith! And good luck.

Ten years is a long time. Would you care to list a few of your most interesting experiences as a flyboy? [Is that term still in use?]

Honestly my career was rather boring compared to some. My career field is small and I have been stationed at Barksdale AFB for 9 years. I went to Guam for 6 weeks and to Diego Garcia for about 4 months, but other than that I was at Barksdale the whole time.

That said, my trip to and from Diego Garcia literally took me around the world. Flew out from Shreveport to DFW Airport in Dallas, then from Dallas to Tokyo Japan, then to Singapore, then to Diego. On the way back we went from Diego to the middle east, then to Ireland, then straight back to shreveport. I don't think you can get much further away from the U.S. than Diego Garcia. (South of India)

I've done Cruise Missile maintenance, which is basically doing to a cruise missile what a mechanic does to a car. I've also helped the Ammo career field by building JDAMs in Diego.

I've met some great people, some not so great people, pulled weeds in the rain on a Friday night to make our storage structures "look pretty", scared the crap out of a C-5 crew in flight (our missiles did at least, not me), been yelled at because guys 8 years younger than me with 3 less stripes can't keep from getting DUI's, and more.
 
  • #12
As Obama said, thanks to those who are out there fighting on my behalf
 
  • #13
You will reflect on those times in service for the rest of your life. I know I have, and it's ironic that I miss both the bad moments as much as I miss the good times. One factor, I never realized until I got out of the service was the constant change you always experienced (where you're stationed and the multitude of people you meet from all backgrounds and nationalities). When your indoctrinated into military service, it happens so quickly-you quite don't have time to realize it. The mindset in military disciplines is so different from the civilian sector. Even the mindset within the branches are very different.

I would of never changed a thing...except I wish I wasn't hung-go...Army life was uncomfortable...wish I was SMART and gone air force:smile: (air conditioning is a big plus). Either way, I wish you all the best.

What was your military specialty?
 
  • #14
czelaya said:
What was your military specialty?

Specialty? My career field was 2M0X1B as the AFSC. Not sure what the other services call it.
 

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