More than half of the airmen you know were born after you enlisted.

All of the lieutenants you meet were born after you enlisted.

You’re older than half of the Chiefs (E9s) in your unit.

The Chiefs you deal with on a regular basis are still jockeying for position.

You get briefed on new upcoming official Air Force policy changes to the network by a contractor instead of a military member from the Comm Squadron…and there were two in the room.

Your career field is cut by 50% across the board and yet still, no one is willing to admit that they’re phasing you out.

You call another Master Sergeant in another shop to to get some clarification on a policy, and they tell you that what you’re reading in black and white in an Air Force Instruction, doesn’t really say what it says.

Every contractor you meet realizes you’re retirement eligible and quits working the issue at hand and starts actively recruiting you. Flattering, yes, but I killed an hour yesterday getting a rundown on the benefits of being an investigator for security clearances.

Every time you work out to stay “fit to fight” something new begins to hurt…in places you didn’t know existed on your body.

You have to stretch your feet first thing in morning so you don’t gimp around for the first two hours of the day.

You haven’t gone more than a couple of months in the last three years without a waiver for some part of the physical fitness test.

You watch Military Fear Factor and two zoomies, a geek from AFRTS and a gal from Combat Camera beat two Marines in a physical challenge. This to me is a sign of the apocolypse. From the look on the Marines’ faces, they’d concur.

You realize that you yourself aren’t afraid of going to Iraq or Afghanistan, but that your family is absolutely terrified by the idea.

Some airman writes the Air Force Times to comment on the new t-shirts for the new Digi-Cammies and wins himself a four-day trip to D.C.. Somehow this is considered punishment. When is leadership going to realize that maintainers have no shame and that anytime out of the shop is a holiday?

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