I’m sorry that this took so long to get out to everyone, as I’ve had a lot of really good questions that took some work to answer. That, along with shipping out to the Middle East, has kept me very busy. So, without further ado, let’s get after it!
We have an NCO in our squadron who claims we can not take a day of leave on Fri then a seperate day of leave on Mon to give ourselves a 4 day weekend for 2 days of leave. He says it’s called “Leave Bracketing” and prohibited. Is this true and what is the referance?
As much as it would be AWESOME to be able to do this, I’m afraid your NCO is correct. Leave that starts before a weekend and ends after a weekend must include that weekend, with certain exceptions for unforseen emergency situations. Reference: AFI 36-3003, Military Leave Program, para 6.1.7.
Is there a regulation that prohibits AF members from doing operator maintainence (i.e. headlights, oil change, simple things) to GSA leased vehicles? And if such a reg exists does it prohibit the addtion of career field specific markings like security forces, safety, fire,etc.?
According to AF 23-302, Vehicle Management, para 1.17.1.3, Air Force personnel are not authorized to service, repair, or modify GSA-leased vehicles in any way, shape, or form. Any servicing, repair, or modification deemed necessary for a vehicle, such as markings or decals, must be done through the base’s Fleet Management personnel, such as Transportation.
I am working in my shop with an airman, we’re tearing a computer apart, and had our blouses off. I was wearing a TShirt from my guard unit, small logo on the front left breast and larger logo on the back, when a 2LT decides to tell me I’m out of uniform.
The shirt worn beneath the BDU is allowed to have organizational insignia, as long as it meets certain criteria. Specifically, “installation commanders may prescribe unit designation, and cloth or silkscreen emblem to be worn on left side of chest not to exceed 5 inches in diameter.” In the strictest sense, the LT was correct when saying that the shirt you were wearing did not meet the requirements spelled out in the AFI. However, there are quite a few instances of commanders authorizing organizational shirts that were outside these guidelines, so whether or not the LT was correct in this instance depends on local guidance in effect at the time. Wish I could give you a more specific answer. Reference: AFI 36-2903, Dress and Appearance of Air Force Personnel, table 2.2, item 13.
I had a lot of great questions, and as much as I would like to answer more, I’m afraid that I have to get back to work. Keep the questions coming, and I’ll get answers!
what? weekend counts as leave also? well that SUCKS!
Like your thread, Marcos!
It doesn’t count as leave, per se, unless you take both the day before AND the day after. So, if I wanted a four day weekend, I could take Thursday and Friday and not have a problem. But if I tried to take Friday and Monday, I’d have to take Saturday and Sunday as well.
Yes, I concurr with the “that sucking” sentiment. Up here in the Dominion of Canada, weekend and stat holidays are perfectly valid inputs on a leave pass. Heck, during the Christmas holidays, a given leave pass will typically have 5 types of leave on it; Stat holidays, Annual leave, Special (Bonus days granted by the Chief of the Defence Staff), Short (Bonus days granted by the CO), and weekend. I think I used 2 days of actual annual leave last year to get a week and a half off.
I really like the format for your new ‘Corner’ of AFBlues, Marco. While I’m sure something like this could have been started in the forums (or probably has, now that I think about it), it’s so much cooler to just shoot our questions to you and see them answered on the main page!
Keep rockin’ the Search Ninja skillz! Can’t wait to see the next edition!
Marco, Out of curiosity, on the shirt question, does the Guard have different regulations, ie: wear of a guard unit shirt, while the individual(s) in question are acting on drill duties?
Any variations on the uniform would have to be approved by a higher authority, and fit within the general guidelines, or at least the intent, of what variations are allowed in AFI 36-2903. For example, the ABU doesn’t allow designs or markings of any kind on the t-shirt (to the best of my knowledge!), so there aren’t any authorized variations. That would make unit insignia or designs of any kind unauthorized.
Which I think is a crock…
/agree
A few more specifics on that question, I was TDY to an active duty base for a couple months and the LT was active duty, I am rather certain the base commander there hadn’t authorized it, but my wing commander had. I’m reasonably sure local base commander policy rules in this case and the LT was probably right. The way he approached me about it was a little too, “You damn guard,” toned was all.
I thought there was also a reg in the AFIs stating 2LTs are always wrong…
AFI E7-O1… If they haven’t read that one, introduce them to the Army Field Manual 22-102.
Farva, will you be doing a strip about recalls? I am SO tired of getting a phone call for my husband at 8am for a recall, when my husband has been at work for 2 hours.
Me: “Ummm, it’s O-8-hundred, and he’s at work.”
They, sounding lost and confused: “He’s at work?”
Me, slowly and clearly: “Yes, he is at work. With you.”
Usually those type of things are done based on a calling list, and they go right down the list.
Tell the LT he’s a tool and to go shut up and color.
a 1LT, I can’t believe that LT said that. But, some people are tools no matter what their rank.
Wow…that LT is on a power trip I guess. He needs to loosen up. If he’s an Academy grad then I’m ashamed to be attending the Academy right now.
unfortunately, that’s the trend I’ve seen from USAFA grads with few exceptions
I have a question. What’s the regulations about SF members carrying their weapons into the BX or Commissary loaded? This past week I have seen 5 SF members on separate occasions with the magazine in their weapon. One of them had their 9 in the holster and it was unclipped. Only one member was told they had to take their magazine out but it’s happened too many times and I’m just curious on the regs for that.
From what my SF buddies told me, only SF members ON DUTY will carry loaded and their cover will remain on their head, but as far as I know they’re allowed to… hell, they’re cops.
I’m assuming you are talking about Security Forces and not Special Forces?
Sf members that are armed are On-Duty. That means that we can go into any establishment with the weapons being loaded. Now alot of Base CC’s will ask the SF CC to have us not take in the long guns unless were are on actuall official business i.e responding to and alrm, not getting food for ppl. Now that being said also remember that even if we are just getting food we are always observing whats going on around us.
Packer01fan: Been out a few years and it may have changed, but it had been that you removed magazines from rifles, but NOT from the pistols. Removing the mag from the pistol would not do much, as there is also a round in the chamber which can only be removed at a clearing barrel.
I have a ? i had my Super come up to me and tell me that i can’t have a United States Air Force sticker on my car and have a bumper sticker that says “get off your cell phone and contratge on your shitty driving”. where is it that it says i cant have both on my private vehicle.
Thanks SrA Kutzor
It’s just maintaining professional image. Plastering a profane bumper sticker on your POV is your own business, but then adding a USAF logo is what makes it “wrong.” You may have your own opinion, but having the USAF logo makes it appear as if we’re all crass and angry about cell phone using drivers… I hate them too; but it’s for the same reason we can’t show up to a political rally in uniform… does that make sense?
Jonathan is correct. You can’t represent the Military and then have profane and/or obscene logos on it. The same way that you can get in trouble if you make obscene gestures while driving in uniform.
This basically is a variation of the same reason you can’t go to a political rally in uniform. By having the AF sticker there it puts forth the view that the other sticker is the “official view” of the USAF. Same thing goes with a political rally. If you show up to a rally in uniform, it puts forth the view that the politician or political party the rally is for is supported by the USAF