[OldMissileer]

Under other circumstances, I had a 3 striper working for me, when I was Ssgt. He had been a C-130 pilot, but the RIF got him.

One of my missile crew commanders was a Captain and then was RIFed. He started his career flying Jolly Green Giants then transitioned to C-141s. As Nam wound down he ended up in missiles.

He only had three years left to retire and the AF let him become an enlisted troop. The last time I saw him I was an E-4 and he was an E-3 getting ready to PCS to Hawaii to close out his career and it was weird being higher ranking to a man that used to be my crew commander.

[Mark17]

it was weird being higher ranking to a man that used to be my crew commander.

Yes, I am sure that was a trip. It must have been a little embarrassing, to be a 37 or 38 year old A1C. I was a Msgt, with 3 years time in grade by then, but I am sure he just put in his time, to retire.
Maybe it was different then, but right now, the USAF is 1,500 pilots short. The USAF told my son, if he wanted to get in as an officer, the only thing open to him, was pilot training, so when he finishes with OTS, he may end up in SUPT at Laughlin, where I was an air traffic controller for almost 10 years. He says he would love to be an instructor pilot on the T-1 Jayhawk. He likes the aircraft THAT much.

[Mark17]

I forgot to mention, I knew 5 pilots at Laughlin, that knew Sully, at the USAFA, and while he was flying F-4s on active duty. Later, we all know him, for the “miracle on the Hudson.”

[Mark17]

I also forgot to mention, another A1C, worked for me in the tower at Laughlin. He wanted to be an officer, so, just to get him off my back, I told him to apply for an appointment to the USAFA. I wasn’t even serious, when I said that, but he applied for the USAFA, and much to my surprise, he got it. Ronald Reagan was at his graduation. I ran into him in Base Ops at Travis, when he was a Captain. He was flying a C-140, service eval aircraft, out of Scott, for AFCC. As far as I know, only former air traffic controllers were qualified to fly C-140s. The next day, they needed to do an eval on some new nav aids, and they let me ride with them. It felt strange, to see him fly that aircraft, knowing I was his supervisor at one time. 👍