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Granted I often thought that certain things in the modern USAF weren't as good as the old USAF, but I never felt the need to piss in the young'uns Cheerios about it. I mean it's their Air Force now, not mine. Sure I help pay for it so I should have some say, but not in their day-to-day business.
Another thing, if you ain't livin' that life, what do you care?
I've seen the same thing with Navy Facebook groups, and Army, but, surprise, surprise, not with the Marines. They have always been high on tradition, and it shows. But I don't view that as either a "good thing" or a "bad thing." It just is.
The title of this post is from the French saying, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." Things change, but not really.
I remember seeing things change while I was on active duty, sometimes it was change for the sake of change, nothing actually changed (the Air Force in my day loved to rename organizations or shuffle them off to a different named command or change the nomenclature of the rule book that was being followed). In maintenance the goal was still to max out the number of serviceable aircraft (I mean actually fix them, not lie about the numbers in the reports to higher HQ, not that that ever happens, wink, wink).
I eventually left that group, I was not the target audience, it really was for those still on active duty.
I still see the old guys carping and bitching about how "things were better in my day." Okay, I rather doubt it, they were just different.
Dudes, it was once in a lifetime.
And you may ask yourself, “How do I work this?”
And you may ask yourself, “Where is that large automobile?”
And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful house”
And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful wife”
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Yup, same as it ever was ...
Yep, "Both now, and ever, and unto ages of ages"
ReplyDeleteEvery once in a while I dig this up to chuckle about it:
Tuscaloosa Independent Monitor, Saturday, Feb. 18, 1860, page 1, col. 5 --GIRLS, DON’T DO IT – There is a practice, quite prevalent among young ladies of the present day, which we are old fashioned enough to consider improper. We allude to their giving daguerreotypes of themselves to young men who are merely acquaintances. We consider it indelicate in the highest degree. We are astonished that any young girl should hold herself as cheap as this. With an accepted lover it is of course all right. Even in this case the likeness should be returned if the engagement should by any misunderstanding cease. If this little paragraph should meet the eye of any young girl about to give her daguerreotype to a gentleman acquaintance, let her know that the remarks made by young men when together, concerning what is perhaps on her part but a piece of ignorance or imprudence, would if she heard them, cause her cheeks to crimson with shame and anger. “Were it a sister of ours,” we have often said, with a flashing eye – were it a sister of ours! But that not being the case, we give this advice to anybody’s sister who needs it, with our best bow, and most anxious desire that she should at all times preserve her dignity and self-respect.
As relevant today as it was when written.
Not sure how relevant this is outside of Amish communities.
DeleteJust change "daguerreotype" to "selfie."
DeleteStill not seeing the relevance.
DeleteThe more things change the more they stay the same. 164 years ago young ladies were being warned against sharing scandalous photos, in part because of the way boys show them around.
DeleteToday girls are warned against sharing scandalous photos because of the way boys show them around.
Boys no longer have to show them around, the knuckleheads who take those sort of photos post them on the Internet.
DeleteI believe Confucius was complaining over 2500 years ago about the state of the youth of the day. As has virtually every generation and society/culture since then. It is certainly fair to say that things can sometimes really change for the worse, but a lot of it is simply folks seeing that things have changed at all.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it speaks volumes that the young cannot see that they, too, will eventually be in the same position as those that they scratch their heads about today.
Did we see it when we were that tender (and disingenuous) age?
DeleteWhen I was a teenager, I marveled at how out of touch my Dad was, when I hit 30, I was amazed at how much wisdom he (actually I) had gained.
TB The Elder had the same character arc in my life in about the same amount of time. And now I find myself very much missing his wisdom.
DeleteYup, same here.
DeleteThe Army change that bothered me the most was going from the "Ridgeway" style fatigue cap to that stupid Babe Ruth baseball cap. Yes, that dates me. What was the reason? Was it Fidel Castro wearing a Ridgeway? Berets? Blah.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't even in the Army and that bothered me too. Even though I didn't really care for the Ridgeway style cap. (The Air Force had them at one time, Buck had a picture of himself wearing one when he was a new recruit. Might have been a daguerreotype, now that I think of it.)
DeleteWhen I find myself bitching about something that was different "back in my day" I stop to wonder if I'm bitching because it's not as good today or am I bitching because I'm an old man & that's what we do?
ReplyDeleteI have that exact same problem.
DeleteI think it’s partially because a lot of us see it as change for the sake of change with no improvement in anything.
DeleteBut mainly we see it as a sign that we have gotten old and are no longer in the middle of everything. We're being replaced and deep down resent being passed by. Emotionally we believe we are still in our mid-30s and still in our prime. As we change our distance glasses for our reading glasses, and listen to all our joints imitate breakfast cereal when we stand up or sit down.
I definitely think that's part of it.
DeleteI was the NCOIC of the data center at Al Jaber during the buildup prior to OIF. I was told that I was a dinosaur in the Air Force by my 2nd LT. She had been in the Air Guard for 10 months and I was approaching 20 years.
ReplyDeleteSounds very much like your typical, snot-nosed, wet behind the ears, 2nd lieutenant. Now that hasn't changed since the Roman legions.
DeleteA month before the end of my tour she fired me and put me on night shift network Help Desk. I got fired because I was dressing down one of my Female E-4's that was using her gas mask carrier as a purse. At that time we were required to carry our gas masks at all times. The LT did not understand the enlisted were mine and not her's. I was the only one reporting to her and the enlisted reported to me. When all of the base's E-8's and E-9's, including the Marines and Army, found out I was on night shift in the data center, daily business shifted to night shift. I got things done. The O-6 noticed and I got my second Meritorious Service medal at the end of my tour. I also smoked cigars with the other top 3 and the commander every Saturday night.
DeleteSo she was dumber than most.
DeleteAs an Old Guy I'm going to disagree. I got out of the Air Force in May of '73, just after the Paris Peace Accords. The difference in morals, ethics, intelligence, leadership and performance are down in all categories. Of course there are always exceptional people that carry more than their fair share of the load, but they are the exception. O Bummer FUNDAMENTALLY changed the US Govt AND the leadership of the military all the way down to Lt. Col., maybe lower. If we get into a shooting war with Russia, we're gonna get our clock cleaned. There is no defense against hypersonic weapons. We have none, they have enough. Thanks to our "agreement incapable" condition regarding Russia, pre and post start of the start of the SMO, Russia has gone from "running out of missiles" to using many dozens of hypersonics every week. They didn't allow traitorous crony-capitalists to send their industrial base overseas to boost profits and put Americans out of work. They kept their industrial base and are producing all the munitions and support gear they will need if the Deep State, Commie, pedo, Satanic, rulers decide to escalate beyond Russia's clearly stated red lines. If you don't have"alt" sources and are depending on mainstream media for your information, then what I've put to print will sound outrageous. I don't mean to piss anybody off, but almost no one seems to understand how far we have been sold out, hollowed out.
ReplyDeleteThere is no voting our way out of this and no one is coming to save us.
AND finally, with that rant out of the way, I can't express how much I appreciate your site and content, you truly represent the the best of Legacy America, thank you.
The head is certainly rotten.
DeleteTrue, but we used to be concerned about warfighting. Nowadays we've been forced to focus on other things that our civilian overlords direct. Those complaints are worthy.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point.
Delete100% concur with your observation Sarge -
ReplyDeleteYour observations reminded me of 1970 when newly installed CNO Admiral Elmo Zumwalt began issuing
Navy ops messages " Z Grams " directly to the fleet. - The primary goal of these new policy directives implemented by Adm Zumwalt greatly improved the quality of life & morale for all Navy personnel as well as improving retention & enlistment opportunities.
Many of the "new" policies caused some reflux & a common complaint to a few old school lifers whose common lament was we are devolving into the reciprocal of the days of wooden ships & iron men....lol
Admiral Zumwalt's modern vision & concern for his sailors was among the reasons I re-upped / extended another four years active.
Anyway - I still subscribe to the tried & proven mantra, Evolve, Adapt, Improvise or become extinct .
Evolve, Adapt, Improvise - words to live by.
Delete