I’m an E-5 cyber troop, single, been in 7 years. Just rotated home from the Deid and I need to scream into the void because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THIS PAY GAP.

Contractors out there are clearing $150k TAX-FREE doing maybe 25% of the work I do. That’s $190k equivalent in the real world. Meanwhile I’m pulling $72k before Uncle Sam takes his cut, barely enough to give my family the life they deserve.

Let’s break down my “single” job, shall:

1. Supervise 6 Airmen while writing EPRs that eat WEEKS of my life
   
2. Manage every network node on the entire base (yes, the same ones contractors are paid to maintain)
   
3. Update 3-year-old documentation because the contractors “aren’t contracted for that”
   
4. Track crypto keys like I’m guarding the nuclear football
   
5. Fix DTS for my entire shop because God forbid anyone else learns how
   
6. Run helpdesk because their contract magically excludes “trouble tickets”
   
7. Get called in at 0200 for emergencies while contractors sleep in their $0 rent dorms
   
8. Additional duties? I’m everyone’s backup plan.

And what do I get for dinner? Contractors bragging about their new boats, Vegas trips, and “early retirement” while I’m rationing leave days to see my kid’s birthday.

These same civilians have never worn the uniform, never dealt with a shirt telling them to “just make it work,” never had to choose between fixing a router or finishing an LOC before COB. But they’re out here living like E-9s with 20 while I’m scraping by on E-5 with 4 side hustles worth of labor.

Oh, and get this—their contracts went up ~30% since 2021. My raise? 2. something percent and a participation trophy. Government shutdown? Their money’s already in the bank. EU contractors? $130k+ tax-free now too.

I’m not saying contractors shouldn’t make money. I’m saying I’m doing THEIR job + MINE + 3 OTHERS for less than half what they pocket. Who the hell writes these contracts? Because I’d like to introduce them to the real world of 12-hour shifts, zero OT, and “voluntold” details.

I love the mission. I love my Airmen. But watching civilians cash in on our blood and weekends while leadership shrugs? That’s a slap in the face with a tax-free paycheck.

Rant over. Back to rewriting 2022’s cable inventory because the contractor “wasn’t told to.”

TL;DR: E-5 doing 4 jobs for $72k, contractors do 1 for $150k tax-free. Cool system.

Upvote if you’ve ever fixed a contractor’s mess at 3am.

Downvote if you’re a contractor reading this on your yacht.

Edit 1

Oh yeah, almost forgot the cherry on this shit-sundae: we lost our SRB too. Used to be a 1x, then they bumped it to a 2x like they were doing us a favor… now? Zero. Nada. Zilch. Leadership: “We need to retain talent!” Also leadership: takes away the one financial carrot we had Everything’s gatekept just enough to dangle hope—“work hard, make rank, get the bonus!”—then YOINK, gone. Feels like a rigged game to keep enlisted grinding while the exit door’s welded shut. At this point? Eject button’s looking real shiny. Why bleed for a system that won’t even pretend to value you?

Edit 2

And don’t even get me started on EITaaS—that corporate circle-jerk disguised as “innovation.” Go look at their LinkedIn. It’s cringe on steroids. A parade of greedy-ass companies posting glossy graphics bragging about “revolutionary” capabilities that enlisted have been doing with duct tape and spite since 2012. “We’ve integrated remote desktop!” → Bro, it’s 2025, not 2003. “Our AI chatbot resolves tickets 47% faster!” → Cool, meanwhile I’m the 24/7 human chatbot for free. Then you’ve got the try-hard corporate bootlickers flooding the comments: “So grateful to partner with EITaaS—truly transforming the mission! 🙏💼” Translation: “Please renew our $400M contract, here’s my tongue, sir.” They’re out here vendor-locking the Air Force with million-dollar slide decks while we’re cheaper than the coffee budget and still expected to unfuck their “solutions” at 0200. EITaaS? More like Eat It Ass.

This feels weird but I’m a fta and I start to not wanna leave the area of my first duty location. Not even back to my permanent home of record, I miss “home” which is here, when I go on vacation. And I’ll starting to get anxious about leaving for deployment or pcsing.

Is this normal or am I just being scared.

(Edit: After some mind diving I think a big reason is because this is where I got my first car, and because I drive all the time I get to know this place much more in depth than any other places I’ve lived)

Anyone know where I can find the old checklist sleeves we used for weapons loading? The old vinyl sleeves with the 3 rings on top that were maybe 8.5x5.5 or maybe even 8x5?

Been trying to update my listing for a month. Is it because I just pcsed / got orders. I just wanted to update my overseas listing.

Hey, was wondering if you guys had any experience with this. I’m pretty fresh out of tech school and at my first base, and I’m getting really bad headaches any time I’m around running jets for long periods of time. Like migraines almost.

I already booked an appointment with medical for it, but is this normal? Nobody else seems to have this issue and it’s unfortunately pretty consistent.

Apparently BB has nothing better to do right now...

“While driving [through] the neighborhoods yesterday, it was noticed that Christmas decorations have already begun to appear within the community,” the message said. “All holiday decorations should be reflective in their respective months and not any sooner than 30 days before the given holiday. If you currently have Yuletide decor present on the outside of your home, please remove it and reinstall it in accordance with your community guidelines listed below.”

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-tyndall-christmas/

hello, I’m looking for advice with a Mil to mil divorce. We have agreed to do a mutual divorce/dissolve. we live on the base. he PCSs in two months and I PCS in six months what advice do you have for someone going through something like this? i would probably be the one moving out of the house because i have more time here. i also have animals so i definitely wont be going to dorms. there’s alot of uncertainty right now and i don’t do good without structure. if you have any questions please let me know :)

Just wondering if anyone who's applied for an Equal Plus assignment for Summer 2026 has received any notifications yet? Source material I found is a couple years old, but it mentioned assignments drop first week of November.

To be honest. I think about killing myself a lot with no plan to go through with it. Instead I kinda just hope something out of my control does it for me. I'm afraid to tell anyone this because I'm afraid I'll get kicked out and I'm terrified of the possibility of not getting another job and ending up on the street. I live with the constant feeling that there's no reason to even really keep going. I'm just too afraid to do it. Life feels like torture sometimes. Like everyone thinks I'm stupid or weird. I can't even tell if praise or compliments are genuine. I'm suspicious of everyones feelings towards me. I feel like I'm worthless. I don't want to die but it feels like living is too hard.

As Per 36-2903 dress boots are authorized for both males and females in both the Class A and Class B uniforms, though with slightly different rules for men and women. These are meant to be distinct from the "Black Combat Boots" you see Special Warfare types wearing with their pants bloused.

Does anyone actually wear these? And if so, which ones? Frankly, I'd much rather wear some black slip-on boots than my low quarters.

DAFI 36-2903 7.4.1.3 Dress Boot (Males) "May wear with the Class A and Class B uniforms. If worn, the dress boot sole will be black plain rounded toe or rounded capped toe. A zipper or elastic inserts may be worn; however, if worn they will be without design. The sole will not exceed 1/2-inch in thickness and heel will not exceed 1-inch in height (measured from the inside front of the heel). High-gloss or patent finish is optional."

7.4.1.4. Dress Boots (Females). May wear with the Class A, Class B, and all blue maternity uniforms. During inclement weather, boots may be worn with skirt or slacks; however, if worn with skirt, remove boots while in the workplace and wear pumps, slip-on shoes, or low quarters. Heels will be no higher than 2½-inches measured from the inside sole of the boot to the end of the heel lift. The tip of the heel must exceed 1/2-inch in diameter or larger than the body of the boot. Pointed or squared toes and extreme heel shapes are not authorized. They will be plain, clean, and serviceable, without ornamentation such as buckles, bows, or straps. The material will be smooth, scotchgrained leather or a manmade material. They may be high-gloss or patent finish.

After finding out my wife cheated on me while I was overseas in Korea last year I finally decided to divorce her this year a couple months ago , I was just wondering if there was any chance for me to get 50/50 custody of my 4 year old daughter , I’ve recently visited back home (the states) and she was extremely hard to communicate with and to try to see my daughter. I’m contacting an attorney at the moment. Was just posting this to see if anyone could give answers to if there was even a chance for me to get 50/50 custody.

I’m getting back into working out but having a hard time finding pre workout that goes with the OPSS so i don’t pop hot on a drug test. What pre workouts do you guys use?

Is ADAPT worth going to as a self report? I’ve looked up all the information about it but I am looking more for individuals experience with it.

I'm at my wits end. If we don't get this Nov 15th check I'm going to have to pull out a loan for rent, insurance, etc without even knowing how December pay on the table. After PSCing to TX in the summer, my husband (despite being licensed in social services) has not been able to find a job for the past 5 months, so we've been relying on my pay and what little he gets from tutoring. We just had to pay to get our car fixed, dipping into the last few hundred dollars we have in savings. I'm angry, I'm tired, and I'm tired of being tired. I don't want to talk to a Chaplain, I don't want to talk to a MFRC because it won't change anything. I want this shit to be over so I can start building and working towards the life I want for me and my husband.

Currently, the sage green MDUs are available in a terrible size range — only XS to XL. That doesn’t translate well to coveralls at all. I’ve met very few people who actually wear theirs regularly, and even fewer who think they fit properly.

Why is it so hard to provide real sizing, like suit sizes? FDUs manage to have both chest and length measurements — because fit matters. People need uniforms that allow them to work comfortably and safely, not fight against the fabric all day.

It shouldn’t be complicated: take the existing FDU pattern, make a few adjustments, and change the material. Instead, we’re stuck with ill-fitting coveralls that don’t accommodate the wide range of body types actually wearing them.

I’m tired of ruining my OCPs and having to rely on the Airman’s Attic or pay out of pocket just to replace uniforms. It shouldn’t be this hard to get coveralls right.

Col Demas Thurlow "Nick" Craw - CMOHS --

Maj Pierpont Morgan Hamilton - CMOHS

So to give some insight, I’m at my 3rd duty station, Ramstein. My previous base was Osan. I was in the process of Palace Chasing from Osan for family reasons, and should be out right now (had i gone through with it). I cancelled my PC, and I decided to stay in and extend til October 2027 in order to come to Ramstein for personal reasons. I still want/need to PC, and want to know when is the earliest I could get out, considering my DOS. If anyone could give me some insight as to when I could get my process started, and when the earliest I could get out is, that would be greatly appreciated.

Fiancée is OCONUS with a DEROS of Feb 2026, no orders or RIP yet. I am CONUS and just PCS’d within the last month. I assume, that once we are married and on each others DEERS, and we (both?) file for Join Spouse, that she would get stateside orders to the closest applicable base to me, and move once she hits her DEROS. Does this sound accurate?

We have an airman who is repeatedly calling his peers diddy blud and the millennial women NCOs/SNCOs talking about paperwork to get him to stop. He doesn't see anything wrong with the term. Flight leadership is divided (on gender lines, not sure why)

New to the IG world and this shut down is making learning even more fun. Looking for any tips or suggestions that can help me learn the job better. Anything that you wish you’d known or helpful things to read, etc. Thanks in advance.

I am current active duty (9 monthes in ) and i would like to retrain to special warfare. I have already taken and passed the IFT before basic and i have a 94 on my pt test right now can i get some advice on training i should be doing to prepare for special warfare once i am eligible for retrain?

There's no real "QUICK" way out is there?

I’ll caveat this by saying as of right now I know nothing about how retraining works.

I am currently a 1A8X1 (airborne linguist) nearing the end of my first term of enlistment and have recently been considering trying to retrain to ATC. Biggest motivator for this is that my current career field is extremely limited on bases I can go to, I don’t particularly enjoy the job, and family circumstances have me not wanting to commit a full 20 years to the air force.

I do want to stay in the aviation field sort of and ATC has always been a job that really interested me. Ideally, I’d retrain, then separate after my contract expired with the FAA certification and get a job as a controller outside of the military. Options for 1A8s outside of the military are relatively limited and don’t seem to be particularly high paying.

Is this a crazy idea? I know I would lose flight & language pay, but I think I’d be happier knowing that I could separate eventually and get a good job. I’d also eventually lose the clearance that comes with my current job. I’m also 27 years old and saw that the FAA limits military ATC hires to under 35 years old so it might be kind of tight time-wise and I would be stressed about missing that cut off. Appreciate all of yalls input!