The USAF is a rotting fish. Those in who are of any quality count days until they can get out and are just clipping coupons until then. It is not worth the effort to do anything else.
I have to agree. I know of many who are counting the days.
I just saw an 18 year officer walk this year.
Not worth staying in for the 20
Her sister resigned a few years ago.
Her brother will most likely resign at 20 next year
I remember after Vietnam, during the middle '70s into the Reagan years, we called it the hollow Army because our units were sometimes 60% full. I was in a East-West German Armored Cav Regmt back in '71-72 pulling border patrol. We had a Troop (they call companies troops in the Armd Cav) strength was about 120 men. We had less than 70-75 at most times. When it came time for each of our three platoons to go up to the border for duty, we were supposed to take turns pulling the duty. So, instead of going up every three turns for our troop, we had to go each time. We were severely short Sergeant (E-5) squad leaders. When it came time to go, 10 had to go. We had 15. So, with various excused absences (on leave, sick/injured) we had to go every time. The duty up there was fairly routine, we had to man an OP right at the border, watching the East German farmers plow their fields with 1935 style tractors or animals and the East soldiers patrolling up and down the mine strip. We also had a roving patrol that rode in Jeeps and made stops at various sites to glass the East side and see what was going on. I loved border duty. Once glassed a Russian general and snapped a photo of him with a long-range camera we had to take photos of what we might see over there. But we were very short people for years. So, appears the Army is back to the Hollow Army days.