Can't speak for everyone but it was my pleasure. I loved it and would do it again if I wasn't too old and didn't have all the back and neck issues/pain. I had some great jobs, saw some great places, and had things happen to me or around me that would be enough to write a book - although some of the stuff couldn't be put in there. Most could though. My last 3 duty stations should give you an idea - NORAD, Turkey during Provide Comfort, and the Pentagon.
Besides - Bethesda Naval Hospital (now part of Walter Reed) provided infertility services for my wife in 1995 and it worked, so we had our first child in 1996 at Andrews AFB. They wanted to try a new surgery and she was a match for it. They basically burned holes in both ovaries to kind of force them to stop overproducing and "take a break" while they healed. Once healed we had a 6 week window before they would start overproducing again - and that was enough time. Military hospitals often do stuff like that - or even boob jobs - so they are proficient at it when our troops come home wounded and need those types of surgery. It's a great idea and helps a lot of wounded troops returning home. I'm grateful.
I liked that aspect. The first time I saw a full-bird Colonel pushing an ornamental coffee cart I realized how much that sucked for him. Overseas in the USAF a Colonel had serious power. They were either a base commander or a wing commander.
I worked in the comm center briefly at the Pentagon (before getting moved to a better position). We would process messages (mostly classified) and either send them to the correct office by pneumatic tube (yes - like a bank) or a designated person would come up to our window and sign for them. One day a full-bird Colonel came to my window and asked for the messages for his office. I looked him up and he wasn't on our list as an authorized person to pick up - even though one of the TS messages was for him. I told him he wasn't authorized to pick up and he started just screaming and cussing at me - an E-3. I shut the window in his face. He started ringing the bell over and over so I answered the window - and he started again. I shut it again. It went quiet for about a minute and then it rang one time so I answered it. He calmly asked me what he had to do to get his messages, and I told him to send his assistant, and to take a form I handed him, fill it out, and he can pick up as well once it is processed. He then apologized for being an ass.
When I went to my new position I helped found the network security shop for Army, Air Force, and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). We had an AF LtCol as our boss, and an AF Lt as the person that would go explain to everyone what we did (later replaced with an Army Major). We not only used a VERY early IDS to monitor all unclas traffic, but we did penetration tests on one of the 3 organizations we supported every quarter. Me and my NCOIC would hack the crap out of them, write a report, and brief them on what we did, how we did it, and what they needed to do. Most of the sysadms were LTs to Majors, and we developed great friendships with them. Once word got around at the Pentagon our commander gave us a budget to make our office more functional, cool, and flashy. I put up hacker movie posters. Our furniture was replaced with something purpose-built to where we could have our second monitors slide over to allow guests to watch. We started having guests all the time - usually Generals or our commander. Even General Powell visited a few times. Those Generals liked to bring their guests in to have us show off a little. We got invited to parties, the lower officers would invite us out, and we even shot with them at a range.
One of the weirdest things we did was stop what we were all doing and play network Hearts on Windows. If my co-worker or I were getting burned out trying to root some Unix box and were wracking our brains we would stop and yell out that we needed to play Hearts. The LtCol, the Lt/Maj, and me and my co-worker would just sit and play until either me or my bud would have an epiphany, and we would tell the officers we were done and get back to work. Whenever we needed it they would drop what they were doing and oblige us. They realized that we were hacking serious places and we wanted to do things right - the Hearts games helped us clear our heads. One time Gen Powell came in, saw us playing Hearts, smiled, and asked us where the LtCol was. We told him he was in his office. When he came back out he told us "good job guys, carry on". The LtCol told us Powell understood immediately and told him to keep it up.
The Pentagon WAS brass-heavy but your position - whether it was higher rank or a prestigious position - went a long way with how the brass treated you.
What an interesting and fun comment section. Thank you all for your service and entertainment.
Can't speak for everyone but it was my pleasure. I loved it and would do it again if I wasn't too old and didn't have all the back and neck issues/pain. I had some great jobs, saw some great places, and had things happen to me or around me that would be enough to write a book - although some of the stuff couldn't be put in there. Most could though. My last 3 duty stations should give you an idea - NORAD, Turkey during Provide Comfort, and the Pentagon.
Besides - Bethesda Naval Hospital (now part of Walter Reed) provided infertility services for my wife in 1995 and it worked, so we had our first child in 1996 at Andrews AFB. They wanted to try a new surgery and she was a match for it. They basically burned holes in both ovaries to kind of force them to stop overproducing and "take a break" while they healed. Once healed we had a 6 week window before they would start overproducing again - and that was enough time. Military hospitals often do stuff like that - or even boob jobs - so they are proficient at it when our troops come home wounded and need those types of surgery. It's a great idea and helps a lot of wounded troops returning home. I'm grateful.
Most people i knew in the military hated the Pentagon. Too much brass (grin).
I liked that aspect. The first time I saw a full-bird Colonel pushing an ornamental coffee cart I realized how much that sucked for him. Overseas in the USAF a Colonel had serious power. They were either a base commander or a wing commander.
I worked in the comm center briefly at the Pentagon (before getting moved to a better position). We would process messages (mostly classified) and either send them to the correct office by pneumatic tube (yes - like a bank) or a designated person would come up to our window and sign for them. One day a full-bird Colonel came to my window and asked for the messages for his office. I looked him up and he wasn't on our list as an authorized person to pick up - even though one of the TS messages was for him. I told him he wasn't authorized to pick up and he started just screaming and cussing at me - an E-3. I shut the window in his face. He started ringing the bell over and over so I answered the window - and he started again. I shut it again. It went quiet for about a minute and then it rang one time so I answered it. He calmly asked me what he had to do to get his messages, and I told him to send his assistant, and to take a form I handed him, fill it out, and he can pick up as well once it is processed. He then apologized for being an ass.
When I went to my new position I helped found the network security shop for Army, Air Force, and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). We had an AF LtCol as our boss, and an AF Lt as the person that would go explain to everyone what we did (later replaced with an Army Major). We not only used a VERY early IDS to monitor all unclas traffic, but we did penetration tests on one of the 3 organizations we supported every quarter. Me and my NCOIC would hack the crap out of them, write a report, and brief them on what we did, how we did it, and what they needed to do. Most of the sysadms were LTs to Majors, and we developed great friendships with them. Once word got around at the Pentagon our commander gave us a budget to make our office more functional, cool, and flashy. I put up hacker movie posters. Our furniture was replaced with something purpose-built to where we could have our second monitors slide over to allow guests to watch. We started having guests all the time - usually Generals or our commander. Even General Powell visited a few times. Those Generals liked to bring their guests in to have us show off a little. We got invited to parties, the lower officers would invite us out, and we even shot with them at a range.
One of the weirdest things we did was stop what we were all doing and play network Hearts on Windows. If my co-worker or I were getting burned out trying to root some Unix box and were wracking our brains we would stop and yell out that we needed to play Hearts. The LtCol, the Lt/Maj, and me and my co-worker would just sit and play until either me or my bud would have an epiphany, and we would tell the officers we were done and get back to work. Whenever we needed it they would drop what they were doing and oblige us. They realized that we were hacking serious places and we wanted to do things right - the Hearts games helped us clear our heads. One time Gen Powell came in, saw us playing Hearts, smiled, and asked us where the LtCol was. We told him he was in his office. When he came back out he told us "good job guys, carry on". The LtCol told us Powell understood immediately and told him to keep it up.
The Pentagon WAS brass-heavy but your position - whether it was higher rank or a prestigious position - went a long way with how the brass treated you.
Well, that explains a lot. The folks I heard complain were colonel/commander rank.