During the last few years I spent in the USAF, my performance reports started having phrases like “#3 of 17” in them. That sort of ranking pretty well kills the ‘best’ rating. I don’t know what goes on now, but my impression from the outside is that the military has gone to hell since Obama took office. I’m glad to say my retirement date was 1 Oct 2008, before that POS bastard was elected!
I honestly never cared who signed my OPR. I worked at the OPRs of the folks under me and ignored my own. Maybe that contributed to my retiring as an O-5, but I suspect it had more to do with being a liaison officer with the Army during a drawdown & switching aircraft types frequently - and being a WSO instead of a pilot.
Still, I had fun, was honest and most of my 25 years were good ones.
As for honesty: I met more Marine officers who were liars than I did USAF officers. In my experience, the USAF & Army had the most integrity, the Navy was somewhere below that and the Marines would lie like dogs to save their reputation. That may or may not have been true of performance reports, but it was true on more important things: accident investigations & operational readiness statistics.
My last EPR had the Wing Commander’s endorsement but I was ready for retirement. When preparing for an IG Inspection stresses you more than incoming rocket and mortar fire there’s something very wrong.
I retired in 2011.
Really. I guess you forgot that there are more than a few Marines who read this stuff, huh?
I can give you this: I owe my life several times over to the courage of Marine Close Air and Medevacs. They came in where nobody else would through dense AA at altitudes that nobody in their right mind flies and they didn't hesitate. I'll take courage as a discriminator anytime.
When I did see USAF stuff, they flew high and safe and bombed the wrong treeline - and sometimes us. Put that in your pipe.