To maintain or not to maintain...

[wink]

That has to be the single dumbest comment I have ever seen on AW...hands down...

Being a maintainer sucks...big time...

Comparing that to the lifestyle of an aviator is like comparing apples and oranges...better yet rotten apples and oranges.

Is that what you said at your STA-21 board? If you really believe that then what does that say about your former shipmates that stayed enlisted and are busting their asses to make E-7? Are they stupid? Do they have no personal drive or motivation? Have they missed the boat? Are you really better then them? What about the really crappy job of enlisted naval aviaton maintenance do they not understand that you have been so enlightened on? Makes me wonder if your shipmates weren't happy to see you make the STA-21 program for reasons you didn't comprehend.

There isn't a fleet guy on this board that doesn't think that being an enlisted guy, regardless of rate, is a tough and relatively thankless job. There is a great deal about enlisted naval aviation that is awesome. Having to work your tail off doesn't make a job crappy. Not getting your d!ck stroked for a good job doesn't make a job crappy. Not making a boat load of money doesn't make a job crappy. Thousands of guys happen to find a great deal of satisfaction in enlised avaiton maintenance. They carry on performing outstanding with less then they deserve. Maybe that is one of the things some guys find awesome? The pride they take in a job well done for the most powerful naval aviation in the world. That every jet that flies and every bomb that strikes its target was becasue they desided that money wasn't everything, that a coffin rack was good enough, that a plane returning from a strike with a slick wing and no gripes was thanks enough.

You should want to become an officer because you want the challenge of leadership. Not because you want out of a job you hated.

 

[A4sForever]

Call me crazy... ...what would you rather be, an ....enlisted maintainer or an officer/pilot? ..

I was an enlisted Reserve while still in high school .... and NROTC .... and an Officer.

What do YOU think ????

 

[Gatordev]

Respectfully to the seniors (in more ways than one), take the discussion here and leave it out of the other thread.

 

[Jay610]

You should want to become an officer because you want the challenge of leadership. Not because you want out of a job you hated.

I was an enlisted maintenace technician, and one of the most rewarding parts of my job was the pilot's feedback. I loved my job. It helped me pay for college and get selected. Being an officer wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for that job. I really think a job is what you make of it, and I tried my best to make it fun. I hope FMRAM wasn't trying to put us maintenace guys down, so much as he was trying to say being a pilot would be or is better, and I'm not offended. Me and my boys in the air wing always knew how the pilots appreciated our work. Nothing sucks worse than a red tag! Thanks for sticking up for us Wink!

 

[A4sForever]

I was an enlisted Reserve while still in high school .... and NROTC .... and an Officer. What do YOU think ????

Since this has been "transfered" to a new thread ... and the "original intent" of my post has been lost as a result .... let me make it perfectly clear:

I would rather be an Officer than an Enlisted Sailor ...........

I have all the respect in the world for Enlisted Sailors .........

Enlisted Sailors saved my butt on more than one occasion ......

........ even once in a bar fight in Wanchai .... I love Sailors ....

 

[feddoc]

I did my Enlisted time as a maintainer as well....6+ years working on radar and electronic countermeasures for the A7 and A4. Wouldn't trade that experience for much of anything, including the dart thing in Thailand. :icon_smil

In many ways I had more fun as an Enlisted guy.

During that time I promised myself that IF I ever became an officer, I would treat my staff as I wanted to be treated. I am indeed thankful for my time as an Enlisted guy. It taught me many things about leadership.

Being an Officer is better however, for many reasons beyond salary. I am lucky to be where I am.

 

[Brett327]

There are a lot of awesome things about enlisted aviation maintenance.

I don't necessarily want to pile on here, but I loved fixing airplanes and loading weapons onto them. Had I not (by the grace of God) been given the opportunity to continue as a commissioned officer, I have no doubt that I'd still be doing just that, so instead of being a cantankerous, generally unpleasant LT, I'd be a cantankerous, generally unpleasant Maint. Chief or MMCO. Never forget where you come from, nor denigrate those who are still there.

@ FRMAM: I know this wasn't your intent, but you wont realize until you get back to a squadron and are in a DIVO position, just how much it means to the maintainers that one of them "made it." The intensity of that sentiment was a very surprising and humbling experience for me and served to reinforce the following theme: "Don't fvck this up."

Brett

 

[wink]

I don't necessarily want to pile on here, but I loved fixing airplanes and loading weapons onto them. Had I not (by the grace of God) been given the opportunity to continue as a commissioned officer, I have no doubt that I'd still be doing just that, so instead of being a cantankerous, generally unpleasant LT, I'd be a cantankerous, generally unpleasant Maint. Chief or MMCO. Never forget where you come from, nor denigrate those who are still there.

@ FRMAM: I know this wasn't your intent, but you wont realize until you get back to a squadron and are in a DIVO position, just how much it means to the maintainers that one of them "made it." The intensity of that sentiment was a very surprising and humbling experience for me and served to reinforce the following theme: "Don't fvck this up."

Brett

Better said then I, and by a guy that has been here and there and should know.

 

[FMRAM]

I don't necessarily want to pile on here, but I loved fixing airplanes and loading weapons onto them. Had I not (by the grace of God) been given the opportunity to continue as a commissioned officer, I have no doubt that I'd still be doing just that, so instead of being a cantankerous, generally unpleasant LT, I'd be a cantankerous, generally unpleasant Maint. Chief or MMCO. Never forget where you come from, nor denigrate those who are still there.

@ FRMAM: I know this wasn't your intent, but you wont realize until you get back to a squadron and are in a DIVO position, just how much it means to the maintainers that one of them "made it." The intensity of that sentiment was a very surprising and humbling experience for me and served to reinforce the following theme: "Don't fvck this up."

Brett

Well put...

 

[FMRAM]

Did you express this sentiment when you sat for your STA-21 board? I have to ask, if it sucks so bad then what does that say about your shipmates that have decided to work their asses off to make E-7? Are those guys stupid or blind, what is it? What are they missing that you have been enlightened on? Are you just that much better then they are? How is it that you have escaped such a misserable existence and they are not motivated to do so? I have to wonder if your shipmates were happy to see you make STA-21 and move on for reason other then the obvious. You should want to become an officer for the challenge of leadership, not to get out of a job you hate.

It's funny how people can read so much into a couple of sentances...and I guess that I did come off as a bit snoody in that post.

You couldn't be more wrong about my intentions...

I worked my ass off and got really lucky...

There are plenty of maintainers that a happy doing what they do...more power to em. Naval Aviation would come to a screeching halt if they weren't there getting the job done.

There isn't an officer with fleet experience that doesn't respect the hard work of enlisted sailors. They are sometimes underappreciated, and work hard. But that isn't to say there isn't something "awesome" about enlisted naval aviation maintenance. There are thousands of enlisted maintainers that don't need the glory. Hard work does not make for a crappy job. Low pay does not make for a miserable job. Not getting your dick stroked for doing a good job doesn't make for a unmotivating work place. Maybe what some of our outstanding enlisted maintainers find awesome about a tough job is seeing a slick winged aircraft return from a strike without any gripes. Maybe some guys get satisfaction from knowing, with out a shred of doubt, that the ejection seat or parachute they prepared will save a life. Some guys just are proud to spend a day working in an environment that is unlike any other in the world, dangerous, mentally, technically, and physically challenging. There are a lot of awesome things about enlisted aviation maintenance. And thank God so many see that and find the pay adequate, a coffin rack good enough, a fly by exhilerating, the thumbs up from the pilot after landing fulfilling and a subordinate making rank or earning his EAWS pin satisfying.

Right on the money...well said.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Why don't you start your own thread about how swo sh!t is important too...

Actually, that's been talked about quite a bit on these boards. No, not in recents months, but over the years the topic has come up on multiple occassions. Let me guess, you probably have a preconceived notion of what "SWO sh!t" entails and it just isn't for you. You (and you wouldn't be alone) think that SWO sh!t is all about driving ships. This is most likely based on what you've heard or read (here maybe) regarding QOL of your typcial SWO JO. I used to think the same thing when I was in your shoes....and probably for many of the same reasons you do now. This is all just conjecture though.

 

[MIDNJAC]

for what its worth (derived from my extremely limited "fleet experience") I gained a whole new level of respect for enlisted sailors on my last summer cruise. Those guys (I won't call them kids, but many of them were younger than I) seriously humbled me. I have never seen people work that hard in my life......or with the same level of teamwork or professionalism. Sure there were lazy folks, and $hitbags, but overall, the enlisted "team" thouroughly impressed me. Though I am glad that I am on track to become a comissioned officer, I think it would be an honor just the same to serve alongside those sailors........*end of young, idealistic midshipman rant.....*

 

[Gatordev]

This thread keeps spawning... Moved the SWO talk over here: http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16588 since Steve is currently handicapped and couldn't do it.

 

[HAL Pilot]

This thread keeps spawning... Moved the SWO talk over here: http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16588 since Steve is currently handicapped and couldn't do it.

You'll make a fine Admin Officer someday.....

 

[Gatordev]

Been there, done that. <shudder> And yet, I still am owed flight deck pay from over a year ago. Guess I'm not that good....