I wanted a career where i could go to work every day and see something new.
as an aerial gunner, i figured that's exactly what i will get. I've been on an airplane about ten times in my life, and every time i have sat by the window. not once have i not had a window seat. this is because while some people have a fear of heights, i have a passion for them. i love being thousands of feet above the ground, watching it pass under me so effortlessly. every time you fly you see something new, or if you were unlucky enougt not to get a window seat you hear the captain announce that you just passed over the wolds largest spoon or something...
to become an aerial gunner isnt as hard as becomeing a pilot, but its no easy task either. from what i have leard from people who are in the Air Force, not aerial gunners themselves bare in mind is that to qualify to become an aerial gunner i would have to score an 80 on the ASVAB over all, and at least a 60 on the mechanical section of the test. to better put this into perspective for you, the highest score possible on the ASVAB is a 99 and if you get under a 50, they chose your career for you. now that would suck.
to learn more about the mechanical related carrers including aerial gunner follow the link below
www.airforce.com/opportunities/enlisted/careers/mechanical/
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
i thought i wanted to be a pilot
when i was looking at selecting a career in the United States Air Force, the biggest thing that i had in my mind was that i wanted to fly. the problem with wanting to fly is that it eliminates around 90% of the the enlisted career opportunities that i have to choose from. the three main careers that i was left to consider were the aerial gunner, load master, or the most difficultly obtained career in the entire U.S. military, i could become a pilot.
but as i stated before, becoming a pilot is extremely difficult. in order to become a pilot you not only have to have extremely high scores on the ASVAB, and at least a 3.4GPA in college with at least a bachelors degree. then you have to become an officer at the rank of second lieutenant
if you can manage that, you also have to have been born with almost perfect genes. your eyesight has to be 20/20 uncorrected and you have to be in peak physical condition to be able to operate under high G forces. only four percent of the Air Force is made up of pilots, and the majority of the rest are there to ensure that they can complete their mission quickly, safely, and effectively.
but as i stated before, becoming a pilot is extremely difficult. in order to become a pilot you not only have to have extremely high scores on the ASVAB, and at least a 3.4GPA in college with at least a bachelors degree. then you have to become an officer at the rank of second lieutenant
if you can manage that, you also have to have been born with almost perfect genes. your eyesight has to be 20/20 uncorrected and you have to be in peak physical condition to be able to operate under high G forces. only four percent of the Air Force is made up of pilots, and the majority of the rest are there to ensure that they can complete their mission quickly, safely, and effectively.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Basic Military Training
the air force basic training program is eight weeks long, each week consists of a different aspect of training. BMT starts with week zero.
week zero - orientation
after arriving at lackland air force base in Texas, all the recruits are issued their gear and given a physical and a shot by a military physician, after this every male recruit is to have their head shaved, the women however have to keep their hair in a short tight bun. after that you get your duty and flight assignments and the rest of week zero is learning a few of the basics, things like drills and entry control procedures as well as how you should speak to authority. in the United States Air Force when speaking to anyone who is of a higher rank than that of yourself you are to use whats called your reporting statement, the reporting statement is the way you address authority. for example my reporting statement is "sir trainee Haage, reports as ordered."
week one - fall in
after getting situated at Lackland Air Force base you start week one. week one consists of learning and applying all of the basic skills that you will use almost every day in the Air Force.
you will be educated on things like fitness and nutrition, chain of command/rank, as well as human relations and cultural sensitivity. during week one you receive your first weapon and be taught how to break down and clean your weapon. you will also be given your military ID card, these are very useful in the civilian world. with a military ID you will receive modest discounts at many different events and stores. your military ID also gives you access to military bases where you can find many of the stores that you see in big cities only the on base stores are much much cheaper.
week two - basic war skills
during week two you are taught basic fighting and surviving skills. you learn the different firring positions, how to defend yourself, how to move tactically and use camouflage. you will receive career guidance which means that an instructor will go over the different careers that the Air Force has to offer, and the requirements for each of those careers.
week three - combat life saving
week three focuses entirely on teaching you the medical aspect of being in the military. in the event that one of your comrades are injured, you are required to know what actions to take in order to save that persons life. you will be taught how to control bleeding, apply bandages, dressing and tourniquets, as well as how to treat burns. not only will you learn how to manage wounds but you'll also be taught how to deal with people who are in shock, and people who have spinal injuries.
week four - countering the threat
it is in week four that you start to get away from the basics and start to hone in on all of the specifics that you will need to know in order to conquer the BEAST. week four is where you learn the fundamentals of security, how you should handle different situations weather its apprehending someone or an obstacle that you've never seen before. the most commonly known part BMT in any branch of the military is the obstacle course, and it is in week four that you have to tackle the obstacle course.
for a tour of the 1.5 mile long obstacle course follow the link below
www.airforce.com/interactive/obstacale-course/
week five - ready to fight
so far the majority of your training has been to get you physically prepared for combat, week five is were you recieve the mental preparation that will prove invaluble to you durring your time in the military. some of the things that you will be taught include mental preperation for combat, situational awareness, and public relations. week five is also the week where you are taught the fundamentals of hand to hand combat throught the application of the pugil sticks.
week six - the BEAST
week six is know as the BEAST (Basic Expiditionary Airmen Skills Training). the BEAST is the closest thing to a real combat environment that the trainee will experiance without crossing the border into iraq. the point of the BEAST is to take you out of your comfortable training envriont and put you into an environment where your forced to make snap decisions and recieve the apropriat consiquence without actualy losing your life or your leg. it gives you a chance to take everything that you learned in basic training and put it into action.
week seven - airmenship
in week seven you can expect alot of acedemic classes that prepare you for every day life in the airforce. regular things like ethics and financeing financing as well as some other less common things such as STD preventon, suicide awareness and prevention, even sexual assault prevention and reporting. after week seven you will have all of the knowledge that you will require to stay mentaly and emotionaly stable in the emotionaly demanding environments thay you may find yourself in while in the airforce.
week eight - graduation
after everything youve been put through, you get to see the fruits of your labor. when you walk in the graduation parade past your family, and they get to see the transormation that you have made. that has to be the greatest feeling in the world.
week zero - orientation
after arriving at lackland air force base in Texas, all the recruits are issued their gear and given a physical and a shot by a military physician, after this every male recruit is to have their head shaved, the women however have to keep their hair in a short tight bun. after that you get your duty and flight assignments and the rest of week zero is learning a few of the basics, things like drills and entry control procedures as well as how you should speak to authority. in the United States Air Force when speaking to anyone who is of a higher rank than that of yourself you are to use whats called your reporting statement, the reporting statement is the way you address authority. for example my reporting statement is "sir trainee Haage, reports as ordered."
week one - fall in
after getting situated at Lackland Air Force base you start week one. week one consists of learning and applying all of the basic skills that you will use almost every day in the Air Force.
you will be educated on things like fitness and nutrition, chain of command/rank, as well as human relations and cultural sensitivity. during week one you receive your first weapon and be taught how to break down and clean your weapon. you will also be given your military ID card, these are very useful in the civilian world. with a military ID you will receive modest discounts at many different events and stores. your military ID also gives you access to military bases where you can find many of the stores that you see in big cities only the on base stores are much much cheaper.
week two - basic war skills
during week two you are taught basic fighting and surviving skills. you learn the different firring positions, how to defend yourself, how to move tactically and use camouflage. you will receive career guidance which means that an instructor will go over the different careers that the Air Force has to offer, and the requirements for each of those careers.
week three - combat life saving
week three focuses entirely on teaching you the medical aspect of being in the military. in the event that one of your comrades are injured, you are required to know what actions to take in order to save that persons life. you will be taught how to control bleeding, apply bandages, dressing and tourniquets, as well as how to treat burns. not only will you learn how to manage wounds but you'll also be taught how to deal with people who are in shock, and people who have spinal injuries.
week four - countering the threat
it is in week four that you start to get away from the basics and start to hone in on all of the specifics that you will need to know in order to conquer the BEAST. week four is where you learn the fundamentals of security, how you should handle different situations weather its apprehending someone or an obstacle that you've never seen before. the most commonly known part BMT in any branch of the military is the obstacle course, and it is in week four that you have to tackle the obstacle course.
for a tour of the 1.5 mile long obstacle course follow the link below
www.airforce.com/interactive/obstacale-course/
week five - ready to fight
so far the majority of your training has been to get you physically prepared for combat, week five is were you recieve the mental preparation that will prove invaluble to you durring your time in the military. some of the things that you will be taught include mental preperation for combat, situational awareness, and public relations. week five is also the week where you are taught the fundamentals of hand to hand combat throught the application of the pugil sticks.
week six - the BEAST
week six is know as the BEAST (Basic Expiditionary Airmen Skills Training). the BEAST is the closest thing to a real combat environment that the trainee will experiance without crossing the border into iraq. the point of the BEAST is to take you out of your comfortable training envriont and put you into an environment where your forced to make snap decisions and recieve the apropriat consiquence without actualy losing your life or your leg. it gives you a chance to take everything that you learned in basic training and put it into action.
week seven - airmenship
in week seven you can expect alot of acedemic classes that prepare you for every day life in the airforce. regular things like ethics and financeing financing as well as some other less common things such as STD preventon, suicide awareness and prevention, even sexual assault prevention and reporting. after week seven you will have all of the knowledge that you will require to stay mentaly and emotionaly stable in the emotionaly demanding environments thay you may find yourself in while in the airforce.
week eight - graduation
after everything youve been put through, you get to see the fruits of your labor. when you walk in the graduation parade past your family, and they get to see the transormation that you have made. that has to be the greatest feeling in the world.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Enlistment
the enlistment presses is not what you would call a cake walk. first you must know if you qualify, for qualification details you should contact a recruiter. once you know that you qualify, if you are under 18 and are still in high school you will be put into the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), the DEP program allows you to enlist in a reserve which is an inactive component of the Air Force and allows you to to pick the date at which you are ready to go through Basic Military Training (BMT) and soon after become active duty.
some of the major benefits of the DEP program are as followed:
some of the major benefits of the DEP program are as followed:
- it gives you up to an entire year to research and further decide weather or not you want to join the air force.
- it provides you with the opportunity to meet other recruits that will be joining the U.S. Air Force at the same time as you are.
- monthly DEP meetings with your recruiter help you to get familiarized with the Air Force before you go off to basic training.
- the monthly meetings also allow you to verify your qualification and inform you of any new policies added since your entry into the DEP.
- you also gain valuable information such as ceremony and drill, rank structure, chain of command, and other basic principles and platforms that you will use every day in the U.S. Air Force.
while in DEP you will go through have to go through the Military Entrance Processing Station(MEPS), there your physical qualification, aptitude and moral standards will be tested. MEPS is where they weed out the wimps, and boot camp is were they take the Strong and make them stronger.
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