Another one for the bloated Air Force bureaucracy files…
Received a phone call from the Squadron this morning, but I was in the shower so I missed it. This was the voice mail:
Lt Noonan this is Capt XXXX, informing you of a format five recall due to Hurricane Dean. (My immediate thought “Ok. I live in the Rocky Mountain northwest“). Please report to the squadron in uniform and inform your flight commander if you have any relatives in the Caribbean. Thank you.
Huh?
A group wide recall was instituted over this?
Color me a bit frustrated. I don’t have to work today until 10pm, so visiting the squadron in the morning is a bit irritating.
Common sense would dictate that if anyone (a) had any family stranded and (b) needed the Squadron’s help with emergency leave, funds, etc… that person would be intelligent enough to…you know, ask for help.
We make too much work for ourselves in this business.
Ahh, the joys of being in the big machine. I’ve worked nothing but offshifts for the last three years.
Yet another group wide standup that could have been handled with a simple email. You really gotta love those. I wander if my base is going to wind up covered up in FEMA trailers again?
Navy changed its procedures after Katrina (which beat down the reserve centers and bases in NOLA). My guess is the change may be for the same reason–but Navy’s method is likely better. Last reserve unit I talked to did a phone tree “where you at and do you got troubles” process that worked pretty well to ensure nobody’s kids were trapped in the floodwaters or whatever.
Curt is correct. This could have been solved with an email. Unless you are in ops and don’t get to your computer often.
Some things never change. Many years ago my buddy and I came in out of a driving rain
to be met by the asst ops officer, Majorxxxx.
“Lt xxxx, have you read the bulletion board this morning”? “No, sir” my buddy replied. “Well, I suggest you read it right now” Out into the storm my buddy went to the
HQ where the bulletin board was located.
When he got there the first thing he saw on the bb was a note: “Lt xxxx, see me. Maj xxxx”
LOL Possum!
There are many things I sincerely miss about the AF. Beign the MPF NCOIC/Readiness responsible for tracking base wide recalls is not one of them. I was a cog in the big machine. No, I was a toner cartridge. Y’know: use it up, burn it out, throw it away and put in a new one. It’s those moments of pure stupidity that years later make us shake our heads and chuckle ruefully.
Still, I’ve sat down with enough Army buddies to know we’ve got NOTHING when it comes to pure, unadulterated bureaucratic screw-ups and power plays.
Go ARMY! (and take Navy with you). -cp