Hello,

I am 17 years old. I am DEP'd into the U.S. Air Force under an Open Gen contract departing for BMT 20091014. My recruiter said I should more than likely get my job (#1 choice of SF) in Jan/Feb with my new contract. I am still waiting....

I really want an SF job because I want to be a Phoenix Raven.

What is it that I need to do once past BMT, hopefully in SF and past Tech school to become a Phoenix Raven? Also, what are the qualifications?

First, and this is a big first step, you have to be assigned to a base that even has a RAVEN program. Now we can probably get into a real big discussion on how many bases even have a RAVEN program but lets just assume for the sake of discussion the number is less than 15, and that would be out of roughly, for the sake of discussion again, 120 total AF bases. So right away you're only looking an a little over 10% of the bases in the AF even having a RAVEN program.

Next, you have to get through basic, tech school, 5 level upgrade. So that takes you to the 1 1/2 to 2 year, or so, point in your career (plus the odd deployment or two thrown in).

Finally, and I don't want to burst your bubble here but there's nothing special about being a RAVEN...it's just another school. Guarding planes is guarding planes. You can go to RAVEN school and do a bunch of PT and beat the redman suit, but at the end of the day, you're still going to guard a plan like any other straight leg SF...the only difference is you get to wear a flight suit, you get a cool patch and a number...and if you're a real dill weed you can tell people how "special" you are.

Don't mean to burst your bubble here, but you need to concentrate getting through basic, then on learning the basics of your job first...shoot, move, communicate...then worry about the other stuff later. If you get to be a RAVEN one day then great. If not, then that's ok too, you're still doing the same job, you just didn't get all the cool stuff the RAVEN guys got.

Whoa... thanks man. Thanks for the info.

If you want to be a Raven ( ), firts, you had better make SURE you get SF. Lose the open general contract. If you want a particular field, you need to get a guaranteed contract. DON'T FALL FOR THE OPEN CONTRACT B.S. I went into the Marine Corps when I was 17, and I wanted Infantry. My recruiter told me if I went open, I would get it, and I did not need a guarantee. Well, I got something else, and it sucked. I finally got Infantry when I went in the Army...AFTER I learned my lesson.

Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by GeneSchubeck:
If you want to be a Raven ( ), firts, you had better make SURE you get SF. Lose the open general contract. If you want a particular field, you need to get a guaranteed contract. DON'T FALL FOR THE OPEN CONTRACT B.S. I went into the Marine Corps when I was 17, and I wanted Infantry. My recruiter told me if I went open, I would get it, and I did not need a guarantee. Well, I got something else, and it sucked. I finally got Infantry when I went in the Army...AFTER I learned my lesson.

Good luck.

Understood, my recruiter told me my guaranteed contract should come in about Jan/Feb. He hasn't lied to me yet, so I ain't worried.

(In my best Yoda voice)
Oh, but he will, young DEPer....He will....

What are you saying? Lol.

....oo Yoda you are so wise...


....what?

The only reason people become recruiters is because its a really easy job...All you have to do is lie to kids that don't know any better...Anyway now that I got that out of the way..lol...Like the other guy said, raven's are no differant than other SF other than they get some nice gear and a flight suit. They also get flight pay..When i get back from the sandbox, after my yr tour is done, Iam going to a base with ravens and a buddy wants me to do the raven program with him..I found out that they will make me deploy on a regular 6 month deployment before i can do that..Nevermind the fact that I have done a 8 month deployment and will have done a yr deployment, both to iraq, by the time i get there...apparently i wouldnt be qualified for guarding planes...see how "special" ravens think they are?

quote:

Originally posted by USAFSTRJAC:
The only reason people become recruiters is because its a really easy job...All you have to do is lie to kids that don't know any better...Anyway now that I got that out of the way..lol...Like the other guy said, raven's are no differant than other SF other than they get some nice gear and a flight suit. They also get flight pay..When i get back from the sandbox, after my yr tour is done, Iam going to a base with ravens and a buddy wants me to do the raven program with him..I found out that they will make me deploy on a regular 6 month deployment before i can do that..Nevermind the fact that I have done a 8 month deployment and will have done a yr deployment, both to iraq, by the time i get there...apparently i wouldnt be qualified for guarding planes...see how "special" ravens think they are?

Oh, wow. That's nice to know. So its pointless.....

Actually, recruiting duty is among the toughest jobs in the Air Force. You get a quota and if you don't meet it your EPR looks like a smoking crater. They work incredibly long hours, are actively discouraged from taking off duty education, and are always under the gun. This is why periodically they make it a mandatory special duty assignment.

As far as the requirements the Raven base would put on you, look at it this way: they know a bunch of kiddies want the Raven patch, so they're going to make you pay for it up front. It has nothing to do with your qualifications. It's a buyer's market and they're the ones buying. So they set the price.

quote:

Originally posted by FrankJamison:
Actually, recruiting duty is among the toughest jobs in the Air Force. You get a quota and if you don't meet it your EPR looks like a smoking crater. They work incredibly long hours, are actively discouraged from taking off duty education, and are always under the gun. This is why periodically they make it a mandatory special duty assignment.

As far as the requirements the Raven base would put on you, look at it this way: they know a bunch of kiddies want the Raven patch, so they're going to make you pay for it up front. It has nothing to do with your qualifications. It's a buyer's market and they're the ones buying. So they set the price.

great, great. thanks for the info

quote:

Originally posted by GeneSchubeck:
If you want to be a Raven ( ), firts, you had better make SURE you get SF. Lose the open general contract. If you want a particular field, you need to get a guaranteed contract. DON'T FALL FOR THE OPEN CONTRACT B.S. I went into the Marine Corps when I was 17, and I wanted Infantry. My recruiter told me if I went open, I would get it, and I did not need a guarantee. Well, I got something else, and it sucked. I finally got Infantry when I went in the Army...AFTER I learned my lesson.

Good luck.

Thats a good point. But, if you do go in with an open general contract and get a different job than "SF", than just fail out of whatever class you're in and I'm sure you'll probably get reclassed into being a cop. Then you can go guard stuff.

hey go back to the combat finance forum and hand out advice there......oh wait....

quote:

Originally posted by CombatFinance:

quote:

Originally posted by GeneSchubeck:
If you want to be a Raven ( ), firts, you had better make SURE you get SF. Lose the open general contract. If you want a particular field, you need to get a guaranteed contract. DON'T FALL FOR THE OPEN CONTRACT B.S. I went into the Marine Corps when I was 17, and I wanted Infantry. My recruiter told me if I went open, I would get it, and I did not need a guarantee. Well, I got something else, and it sucked. I finally got Infantry when I went in the Army...AFTER I learned my lesson.

Good luck.

Thats a good point. But, if you do go in with an open general contract and get a different job than "SF", than just fail out of whatever class you're in and I'm sure you'll probably get reclassed into being a cop. Then you can go guard stuff.

What's the point of bein' sarcastic? I just ask for serious advice because I'm going through stuff that people have already been through hoping to get truthful answers. No need for your pointless comments.

quote:

Originally posted by Mudvayne5160:
hey go back to the combat finance forum and hand out advice there......oh wait....

I was just trying to be helpful. He's new to the Air Force and I've been in for a little while and I have a pretty good idea what combat is. I've seen the faces of those who have been in the stuff. I spent 90 days in Al Udeid.

Animal Mother: You a photographer?
Private Joker: I'm a combat correspondent.
Animal Mother: Well, you seen much combat?
Private Joker: I've seen a little on TV.
Animal Mother: You're a real comedian.

A whole 90 days in Al Udeid...wow your a real killer...reminds me of a letter we got from a 3rd grade class in Wisconsin..kid said he wanted to be a soldier and he knew what it was like because he saw it on tv...haha what a joke ive spent longer than that on patrol....stop handing out "advice" on things you know nothing about.

quote:

Originally posted by CombatFinance:I've been in for a little while and I have a pretty good idea what combat is. I've seen the faces of those who have been in the stuff. I spent 90 days in Al Udeid.

I know I'm wearing AF blue now, but that statement has "typical Air Force" written all over it.

Qatar....?

If you're trying to be funny, don't because it isn't working.

If you're trying to dig yourself out of a hole, remember the first rule of holes -> Stop digging.

If you know nothing about the career field except for the jokes your blue-shirted buddies tell each other in your air conditioned office, then don't give (bad) advice to a kid who wants something different.


In short, if you have nothing useful to contribute, go count pennies or something.

quote:

I was just trying to be helpful. He's new to the Air Force and I've been in for a little while and I have a pretty good idea what combat is. I've seen the faces of those who have been in the stuff. I spent 90 days in Al Udeid.