“So Much Worse Than People Realize”: Never-Before-Seen Images Reveal Damage at U.S. Bases as Troops Describe Being Abandoned

For me, I remember joining in to pack sandbags with a lot of base personnel before the water reached us. Then eventually the sad signs that the water was rising too fast and sandbags wouldn’t work. It turned into a “save what you can” mission. Heading back to the Sq and loading up computers, files, anything of value by the truckload! Then over the next few days watching our building, and many others become submerged. Then setting up temporary shop in another Sq’s building pretty much indefinitely. I’ve since PCS’d. But man, those were crazy times, especially after the 2017 tornado we had as well!

I was one of the lucky ones. I had some family that lived three hours from Yokota, so every Friday after duty, I'd hop on the train and spend the weekend with them. I did that for almost five years, every chance I got. That let me experience the real Japan, not the version most Americans stationed on base ever see. Blending in not looking like a foreigner also helped, because racism is very real once you leave the well known tourist towns. They hate white, black, Mexican, etc because they want to keep the old ways of their culture.

Service. My bag came off the plane slightly damaged, so I mentioned it to a staff member, who said they'd take care of it. When I got to my gate, an employee was waiting. She apologized for the inconvenience, asked what the bag cost, handed me the money, bowed, and left. I would never get that kind of treatment in the States.

Trains. Japan's trains are precise and always on time. They're so rarely late that the railway will hand you an apology letter to show your boss.

Parking. Picture this: people who arrive early for work park in the farthest spots so late arrivals can park close. That will never fucking happen in America, not in any universe. I saw it firsthand when I dropped my aunt off at work.

Roads. Northern Japan gets the same cold winters we do, yet their roads manage to melt the ice on their own. Ours can't.

Vehicles. They build, farm, and haul the same things we do, yet their trucks are compact and far more agile, while ours are massive monsters taking up the road. Some of our ambulances are even bigger than their firetrucks.

Food. What can I say? It's delicious. I've been back in the States for four weeks and I've already gained five pounds without changing my diet. I compared some snacks I brought from Japan with their American versions, and the American ingredient lists read like a paragraph, while the Japanese ones were a single line. Everything here is processed and loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

Convenience. Vending machines, 7-Eleven, and alcohol: why can't we have this in America? Access to delicious snacks 24/7, and you can buy a drink from a vending machine at any hour and enjoy it on the street non stop, completely legally.

Japan has its downsides too, but I wish Americans would adopt the best parts of its culture. We're more than capable of it.

He was a bombardier in a B-29 out of Tinian. Flew 26 missions, I believe? Didn't talk much about it, but I know he was very proud to be one of you. Retired a Lt. Colonel and went on to become a teacher in the SF Bay Area and eventually the Dean of Boys at Balboa High School. Much love to you all and thank you.

The technical issue bas been going on for 2 weeks now.

I’m at my 7 year mark with one year left on my current contract, and I’m planning my exit by going to college and getting all my medical issues documented. Part of me feels like I’d be missing out on the pension and Tricare, but personally, I’d love a life where I can live wherever I want and not have to worry about being deployed during a conflict.

What are your guys thoughts?

As in, are they under our vision insurance?

I recently got approved to retrain into 6C as a SSgt. Please rate my BOP list and let me know if you have any insight on the likely hood of me getting one of my top choices. If you know any of these squadrons please let me know your experience.

Assignment list:

JBSA Lackland, TX

Luke, AZ

Eglin, FL

Tyndall, FL

JB Andrews, MD

Macdill, FL

Patrick, FL

JB Lindsey Gram, SC

If you have any questions please let me know.

Does anyone know generally how long it takes to receive an approval or rejection from AFRC for a flight physical?

Has this happened to anyone else? I am 8 months past my 2 year mark and only getting the auto 1% still.

In short, I call TSP customer service and they say it is a local finance problem. I go into base finance and they say TSP should fix the problem. I’m getting the run-around treatment.

I finally got finance to open a CMS case, but it has been stuck/open for almost 5 months now.

I’ve informed the squadron’s first sergeant of the situation.

Any advice?

Currently attempting retraining into 5J011 Paralegal. After submitting my docs on myFSS, it got sent to the CFM and now it’s currently at AFCC for review. Could someone tell me what AFCC is? How long does it take for them to review? If it’s at AFCC after being sent to the CFM what does that mean? Just feeling anxious right now, any help would be appreciated!

Is there a waiver of some sort that’ll enable an ankle monitor to be worn while in uniform?

Can someone explain to me how it works when the airman gets a short tour? Do they still get to choose a follow on? What happens with the dependents during that 1 or 2 years? Do they get to stay at current duty station, move to follow on duty station, or will be sent back to home of record? Any info helps, thanks!

Kind of a silly question that I feel like I should know given that I’m well into my second enlistment.

It’s a discussion I hear a lot. We tell our Airmen to get their CCAF because it’s so valuable to career progression if you plan on sticking around. It’s a free Associate’s degree you earn most of by simply learning your job. I’ve heard several SNCOs say it helps when they went up for Master since it showed dedication to both a higher education pursuit outside of work, as well as furthering your knowledge of your trade.

I was a bit of a dummy and simply chose not to get my CCAF. I enrolled in a school and just took all the courses myself because I didn’t feel like learning how CLEPs work and thereby didn’t finish my CCAF. But I did end up earning my Bachelor’s in the very same job-related field.

Is the CCAF really worth anything if you’ve finished your education a notch above it? Or is the title of a CCAF really that valuable on its own that the lesser degree would be weighted more for promotions down the line?

I was told through Vmpf but it is not loading for me no matter what computer I use? Anyone having the same problem or know a way around this?