Warbird Information Exchange

My daughter, who is 18, suprised us the other day with the announcement that she has decided that she needs more discipline in her life.

She's a really bright girl and has a pretty stubborn streak, so this announcement really got our attention.

My wife and I are both AF Vetrans, and she decided that she wants to continue the family tradition of military service, and she announces that she is considering joining the Army National Guard.

So she goes and takes the ASVAB, gets the highest scores you can get to qualify for whatever jobs you want. A couple of days later, she meets with the recruiter/ career counselor and chooses.....

drumroll please...

wait for it, its great.....

she's going to be an Air Traffic Controller

needless to say, we're excited.

B

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documenting restored B-17s and those undergoing restoration to flight:

As a fellow ATC, let me be the first to say congrats.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Thanks!

I was a ATC Radar Tech, and my wife worked on NAV Aids, so we'll have lots of stuff to razz her about.

B

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documenting restored B-17s and those undergoing restoration to flight:

At age of 16, I was in some of the the final meetings with the recruiter. After a similar ASVAB score, I was asked what I wanted to do. He mentioned aviation, intelligence, or Licensed Practical Nurse, and that I could do whatever I wanted. Unfortunately, my heart was set. I asked him what the MOS was of the guy's running around with the machine guns on the jeeps. He said they were scouts. I said that's what I want to do. So he said, that's great, I'm putting you down as a 11B scout. So off to infantry school I went. It was not the best way to make the decision, but I've never regretted it. And I'm not embellishing- it pretty much went like that. Despite a choice people would have frowned upon, I eventually became a medic, learned a few languages, and am now living aviation.
My grounding in the infantry definitely helped me on my way to those directions.

Good luck to her. Good MOS and very useful after she gets out.

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REMEMBER THE SERGEANT PILOTS!

Good on her!!!

As far as her career choice, to each his own. I never worked with any ATCs when i was USAF but I did when I was in the USN.

I hope they're better in the AF, because they were nothing but headaches in the NAVY. Of course I guess that like any career feild. There are some good ones but also alot of rocks too.

I hope she enjoys it and takes advantage of every oppurtunity availiable. Is she planning to be a lifer? I'd trade places with her in hot minute to do it all over again. I had a blast

Shay
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Semper Fortis

She'll be attached to the Helicopter squadron (?) at Ft. Bragg. I didn't realize the Army National Guard had ATCs, I figured they would share with the AF.

At the moment, they are guaranteeing her the job, a stupid huge bonus, and she'll be non-deployable for her 4 years while she finishes college. At that point, she can decide whether or not to go AD, stay in the Guard, or get out.

Lots of good options, and with the current recruiting situation, they are making some killer deals.

We'll see.

B

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documenting restored B-17s and those undergoing restoration to flight:

You FOOL! What were you thinking? This must have been before they changed the MOS identifiers. But heck I can barely remember al lmy own skill identifiers. Knowing yorus would be too much to ask of a knucklehead like me
*looks down at...muddy boots*

I loved every minute of being an infantryman. It was the other military crap I hated. Whaterver you do, make sure you love it. I had a friend years ago who became an air traffic controller for the Army, and he's still doing it, as far a I know. Good duty, relatively little mud in your future, and all the coffe you can drink. What more could you ask for?

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"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."

Uhhh, I'm trying not to be a pr-ck here, but I think the only thing they are guaranteeing is a seat in class, at controller school, knowing full well a significant number of students will end up in other jobs, without that huge bonus. A very old recruiting trick to bring in more recruits.

As a high school Junior, I took the tests for the Navy's nuclear power program, years ago. There was about a hundred college-level physics/calculus questions, which I couldn't even begin to answer. The recruiter graded the exam, conferred with a cohort and said "congratulations, you passed". I knew immediately he was lying thru his teeth, and later discovered his motive.

I wish you daughter the best, but having a plan-B certainly couldn't hurt.

Yeah, we warned her about what happens if she washes out. The walls of the ATC classrooms at Keesler are lined with pots and pans to remind the students of their destiny if they wash out.

The bonus isn't tied to a particular job until reenlistment time, but our main concern is that she not end up is a "transportation specialist" in Baghdad. She knows the risks, however, there aren't any misconceptions.

B

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documenting restored B-17s and those undergoing restoration to flight:

UGH!!!! Not KEESLER!!! I feel sorry for her now

I was stuck there as an instructor for three years....would have been much longer but I mistakenly allowed my now ex-wife to talk me into getting out after Desert Storm.

I too was proud when my oldest Son decided to do something with his life and joined the Air Force. He is now stationed in Japan at Yakota AB doing Logistics.

I also know of the recruiting tricks that they play and also the mistakes they make. When I went to join the Army (because it was the only brance I could fly something without a 4-year degree), I took the ASVAB and scored an overall 99. Then I went through the medical testing. For some reason the person performing the hearing test put a 2 in my profile instead of a 1. When I talked to the person that helps you pick your MOS, it was "with that score you can do anything you want" I said, I want to go to warrant officer school and fly helos. Her reply was "unfortunately with the 2 in your hearing profile you can't do that job, how about driving a tank?" I told her where to put the tank and walked out. Shortly after that I joined the AF and went into communications. After my tour in the UK, I was selected to be an instructor and assigned to Keesler. Before I PCS'ed I had to have another physical and the AF doctor looked at my original hearing test and said "hmmm this should be a 1 not a 2". I was SO pissed. If the Army testers had recorded my results right, I would have been an Army helo pilot pilot during Desert Storm instead of being stuck at Keesler teaching people going TO Saudi how to set up mobile comm vans.

actually hearing can fluctuate pretty severly at times. Mine has been everything from 30% to 100% depending on weather, health, and of course, how much I'm having to fire a rifle with no ear protection...You may have had wax in your ears or something. So try not to blame them for a screw up. Nature has a way of sneaking up on us when we don't expect it, eh?

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"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."

The Army school for ATC is at Ft. Rutger, AL. I was just referring to the "Air Force" ATC school that I am more familiar with. I didn't even realize that the Army had their own controllers until last week.



As a RADAR tech, I spent a YEAR at Keesler for school...ugh.

completely off topic, I'm also a sound guy for a rock band, and I can vouch for people's hearing fluctuations, especially lead singers.



B

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documenting restored B-17s and those undergoing restoration to flight:

I understand that it fluctuates but unfortunately for me they didn't retest my hearing. The AF Dr. looked at the ORIGINAL test done by the Army people at the MEPS station and that's when he said it was recorded incorrectly as a "2".

I didn't realize that the Army has their own ATC folks or their own school either.

Keesler was in interesting place. It was so humid that by the time you walked from your front door to your car you were soaking wet. Then you had to go to work inside a windowless building that was kept at about 65 degrees because of all of the electronic equipment. So we had a lot of students getting sick from going from the heat/humidity to the cold building several times a day.

It was fun going out on the pier after work and catching fresh shrimp for dinner though

well, she signed up today, its official. There's an "oath of enlistment" hanging on the fridge. She heads for basic on Feb 2nd.

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documenting restored B-17s and those undergoing restoration to flight: