Air Force Guy (am I more than that?)

heroes

2006-07-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what a real hero looks like?
You can see a few of them. They all have my respect.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/
This site makes me want to cry.

helping others

2006-06-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

The older I get in life the more things I see. Not only do I see changes in the world around me, I also notice changes in myself.
When I was younger I thought about material possessions and getting more things, but the older I get the more I realize that this is not what matters to me. I see now that things are not what matters but it is people that matter, helping one another. Now this comes in many forms. This can be as simple as helping someone whose car is broke down on the road, or as complex as traveling far away and doing work to rebuild a community. It can be something simple as buying a homeless person some food.
In saying that I remember about a year ago, my wife, son, daughter and myself went to Jack in the Box to eat lunch. As we drove in I saw a man with a sign that said will work for food. I remember my order for that day, it was a double bacon cheese burger with a large drink and fries. After my meal was done, I went up to the counter and ordered the same meal again. On the way of driving out of the parking lot I stopped my truck got out and gave him the meal. The exact same type of meal I had ate. He thanked me. I got back in my truck and started to drive away, I glanced in my rear view mirror and he was gone. This makes me wonder if this was some kind of test for me, as a person from God. Now I am not saying the guy was an angel or anything like that. But at times I wonder.
Through out my life I try to help people, but lately I think that there is always more I could give. I think how I could help someone in even more than what I did. I also think about those times when someone needed help and I did not stop to help.
Just take a minute to think about all the times you could have helped someone and did not. Think about how this effected them. Now the real question is what will you do?

A new Idea?

2006-06-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Ok myself and Chancy( a friend of mine) Have started construction on a hydrogen cell. I have researched the internet for designs that can be used, and made a few modifications. Our goal to run a Lawn mower engine off of hydrogen ( from water) then if this works I want to convert my dodge ram 2500 8 litter v10 to run off water. If we get this to work, were going to start converting peoples cars. With the rise in gas prices this would be an excellent alternative. Not to mention you could use this instead of propane in many other applications

PS2

2006-06-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went out and bought a play station 2.
Now i am not saying that it is a bad thing, but i find the costs of the game systems today way to high!
Ok first i spend 129 for the station, comes with no games and only 1 controler.
Well I have 2 kids so 2 controlers are needed.
So I buy another contoller, $24.99
I have a system now and 2 controllers.
Now we need some games.
1 sponge bob game $29.00
1 nick toons game $29.00
Arg the system has no memory card.
One memory card $28.00
I want a game as well!
1 Medal of honnor game $29.00
Total cost $268.99
Am I wrong in thinking this is WAY to much?
I mean 268.00 for a game system and 3 games?
I think I will go back to the nintendo 8 bit system or even better the old Atari system. They had good games for a low low low price!
I am going to go to my happy place and cry now.

by the way the games are fun, kinda hard to play and I think for the price the graphics could be better.
Where is my computer games at?

poweriser WWWS (what would the wife say)

2006-06-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

I saw this device the poweriser (some spell it powerizer).
Now this looks like fun, and I would buy one but I know what the wife would say. She would say "you better get off that before you hurt yourself" then wham! I would hurt myself.
Back in 1999 I was roller blading, I had just finished and was getting ready to come to the house to take them off when my wife says "you better stop before you get hurt". Well do you see where this is going? Right after she says that I slip and fall. Now falling would not be so bad in and of itself, however I threw my left arm back to catch myself. Now that is not bad either. However when your feet are above your head it is bad. So I dislocate my shoulder the bone is sticking threw my shirt as if I had stuck a 3 inch pencil straight up from my shoulder pointing up in my shirt. So I go to the ER and they knock me out to get my shoulder back in place. I was out for all of 30 seconds and when I woke up, I jumped up and started singing in the ER. Go figure.
I am seriously thinking of getting this device. I will have to be careful unlike the time I was cutting tree branches in a tree with a circular saw and wearing cowboy boots :)

Yard work VS sleep

2006-06-14T04:05:00.000-07:00

First off I would like to apologize for not updating my blog, I am definitely not as good of a blogger as my wife. However that is what makes us work so well together, her strengths are my weaknesses and my strengths her weaknesses.
Anyways, as you may have read on my wife's blog I am now on mid shift and man I tell you it is not fun switching shifts. Right now I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open!
So I got up this morning and did some yard work. I fixed some boards in the fence and replaced 2 boards in the gate, realigned the locking device so it works without having to lift the gate itself up. I also leveled out the ground by the gate to remove the gap under it and allow the gate to swing open all the way. And chicken wire. I hung chicken wire on more of the fence so the little pugs cant run away! MHAHAHAHA, oh wait that is a good thing.

I think I want more pugs in the house, some how both pugs we have bonded with me. I think Sandra is upset about this hehehe. I just love the little pugs! It is not my fault they want to sleep in the bed with me when the rest of the family is downstairs hehehehehehe.

Anyways I need to get some more work done, have fun all

The big inspection

2006-05-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

So the big inspection comes and guess what....
the inspectors said that legally they can not say this, but they have called the MOC section the best in the Air Force, with a few programs being highlighted. My program was one of these. This goes to show you that even if you do not know what your doing and have no idea how to do it you can become the best.......Now that I think about it that is a horrible thing.

a nice day

2006-04-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today it is a nice day outside, the sun is shinning. At times like this I really miss working outside on the F-16 :(

Don't you hate the ESP boss?

2006-04-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I come into the office to sign my training documents.
While I am in the office I am informed I am the new training monitor for the section I work in.
GASP!
I am also told that in May we have an inspection coming up.
GASP!
So ok I figure, I will get with the current training monitor and learn how to do this....
One problem the current training monitor does not know her head from a hole in the ground...(guess that is why she does the snack bar runs) So nothing is documented anywhere and if it is noone knows what it is.
So now I have this complex extra duty that noone knows how to do... grrrrrr
So I come to work the other day...
Boss "Have you sent out the training for the month of may yet?"
me "Huh?"
Boss "Did you not read the email I sent you"
me "email?"
Boss "Yes the email I sent you on the 19th of April"
me "You sent me an email?"
Boss "Yes I put a read notification on it."
me "A what?"
Boss "A read notification, it says here you have not opened it."
me "Uh oh I just deleted all my junk emails"
Boss "I don't send junk emails.."
me thinking oh no I am in trouble......
Boss "I will resend it to you. Why did you delete it?"
me "My mail box was full, I delete tons of emails a day, like the pie in the face contest, and emails from the Major." oops wrong thing to say
A Tsgt in the office "You deleted the Major's emails?"
me Gulp!
A Tsgt in the office "You need to read his emails they are not trash"
me thinking yeah I don't understand what he sends me why should I read it "ok"
Boss "Have you done the training books yet?"
me "the what?"
Boss "The training books, you are the training monitor.."
me "I will get on it sir." ARGGGGGGGG NOOOOO
Boss "Ok first I need you to go through everyone's training records and make sure they are correct."
me "everyone's?"
Boss "Yes everyone's"
So I go to do the training records, now I am a crew chief we can barely talk much less do any administrative skills.
Now we have crew chiefs, weapons and specs in the area I work and they are from F-15's and
F-16s. I have no clue about any of this. And it seems everyone's training records are messed up or missing. So I am printing out new training records for those missing. This is a big pain. Normally the training monitor does only training and is removed from normal duties, but no I have to do this on top of everything else.
One step forward two steps back.

Don't you hate it when your expected to read minds at work?
Anyways back to work. I will figure out how to do this some day :(

Fully functional artifical limbs

2006-03-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

I have thought of many things over the last few years.
As being an F-16 crew chief I see technology in work and I wonder how easily this could be applied in medicine. Artificial limbs that move like the organic. In theory it is very easy, I have even devised a blue print for such a device.
It is not to hard to envision provided you understand the terms.

Using a bone graft you can apply a titanium plate to the bone mass and use this to graft an artificial limb on to a body. Using the latest in technology you can implant a micro chip onto the brain ( see cnn.com under technology). The chip can read brain waves to move the arm.

The arm (or leg) itself is a very simple device using either titanium or aluminum to function. Using a hydraulic pump and reservoir it would be no problem to mimic the movements of the organic body. Using a titanium bar to simulate the bone, one could mount an actuator to it. The actuator takes fluid movement and transfers it to mechanical movement. The rod end of the actuator is attached to a rotating device ( we call them bell cranks in F-16 maintenance) this is attached to another bar that acts as the other bone.
This can be used to make bends in elbows and on a smaller scale fully functional fingers and thumbs. Of course the arm or leg would need an internal power source to operate. This could be done in the way of rechargeable batteries. I think if we ever decide to apply the aerospace technology to artificial limb replacement the world would have a lot more people leading a fuller life ( not saying that people with disabilities lead a less full life, look at the author of a brief history of time, He is no doubt the smartest man alive)

I will have to talk to my wife about scanning a drawing I have to put on here, so that I may show you all my ideas.

Faster Than light is possible

2006-03-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Ok here are some thoughts for you:

According to relativity, nothing can move faster than the speed of light in a vacuum.
This speed roughly equates to 186,000 miles per second.
However in looking at the laws of the universe and relativity, one could exceed the speed of light from the view point outside the vehicle in which you are traveling.

Now to understand this theory you must understand a few basic principles.
First if you are inside a car sitting in the back seat, while traveling 90 miles per hour.
You throw a ball to the front seat at a speed of 35 miles per hour, the total speed of the ball is in fact 125 miles per hour.
Now let us say you can not see outside the car…..To all inside the vehicle the ball is only traveling at 35 miles per hour.

Now since nothing in the universe can go faster than the speed limit of 186,000 miles per second we would have to use a “piggy back” effect.
Think of this almost like when you put a stick in a stream. To the stick it appears that it is not moving, however outside the stream one can see that the stick is in fact moving very fast.

To do what I propose would take several vehicles of great length.
First the outer vehicle would have to be massively long as the next vehicle will be placed inside.
The vehicle inside the outer vehicle would also have to be massively long, about ½ the size of the first.
This continues until the calculated speed of the innermost vehicle travels to the speed of light.
So according to any observer inside this massive monument of vehicles the speed of light would not be reached, thus not breaking any rules of the universe, However to any observer on the outside, the speed of light will have been achieved.

Further notes to consider on this subject:

1) If time slows down as you reach the speed of light would it stop when reached?
2) If you pass the speed of light would time in fact reverse itself? If this happens how could the pilot turn it on, when the time would reverse and he would turn it off.

Please feel free to contact me.. curtis.bourland@mountainhome.af.mil or Bourlandcs@adelphia.net

Medal goes away

2006-03-01T03:37:00.000-08:00

Here is something I worte after learning that the AFGCM was being took away, It will be published soon in the Stars and Stripes: (note this was published in Stars and stripes pacific march 1 2006)

The day has come where we as Airmen in the military are no longer honored to do what is right all the time. The loss of the good conduct medal is a horrible injustice to all who have served with honor over the years. The medal has stood for doing what is right, it was the reward for faithful service and self sacrifice. Now they take away the one advantage to doing the right thing all the time. I for one am opposed to this outrage. My family has served in the military and kept America safe for over one hundred years. I shudder to think what they would say when doing what is right is not rewarded in some form. Over 90% of Airmen get this medal for doing what is right. Those who do not do what is right, do not receive this medal. It is not an insult to receive this award, but it is an honor.

In the following post it is said that the Air Force Achievement Medal recognizes outstanding Airmen. However I have seen Airmen who work their fingers to the bones, make the sorties happen with their blood. I have seen them work in the freezing cold and the blistering heat with out a word of complaint and not receive this medal. I have also seen the Achievement medal awarded for remembering to bring a piece of equipment on a TDY. So the real question is does the Air Force Achievement medal show outstanding Airmen? I am afraid my answer is, no it does not recognize this. All the Achievement Award recognizes more often than not is the ability of a good supervisor to write a good paper.

So the real question comes into play. Is this medal needed? The answer is sadly no. It is not needed for Airmen, NCO’s, and Officers will do the job no matter what the personal sacrifice that is demanded of them. Good conduct is expected out of every person who servers in blue, everyone is expected to live the core values. Most people do not stray, and when they stray I agree with the options commanders have for disciplinary action. I also feel that this medal should not be awarded as well. I do not feel that this medal should be took away so lightly. The uniform we wear is a sign of our willingness to defend and protect this country, the ideas of freedom and the belief that all men are equal, that justice is for everyone, and that keep this safe for all. The medal is a sign that we did it honorably.

Please feel free to pass this up to whomever you see fit Sir, if you see fit. This is just one NCO’s view of something I feel is wrong.

"Tui Fideles Facio Servitium”
"Yours in faithful service. “
SSgt Curtis Bourland

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Good Conduct Medal award elimination explained

by Master Sgt. Mitch Gettle
Air Force Print News

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Air Force Uniform Board announced Feb. 6 that the Good Conduct Medal will no longer be awarded.

The Air Force director of Airman development and sustainment recently explained the reasons behind this decision.

"The quality of our enlisted personnel today is so high, we expect good conduct from our Airmen," said Brig. Gen Robert R. Allardice. "It begged the question, 'Why do we have a Good Conduct Medal?'"

"Having a medal for good conduct is almost to say we don't expect Airmen to do well, but if they're good we will give them a medal," he said. "It's kind of insulting in our Air Force today."

One must look at the history of why the medal was created in the 1960s. The military was using the draft and involved in the Vietnam War. The Air Force didn't have any other method to recognize Airmen. Today, the Air Force Achievement Medal recognizes outstanding Airmanship.

"When we looked at that history it was clear that the Good Conduct Medal has outlived its usefulness," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray. "Today's all-volunteer force is committed to serving honorably, and good conduct is what we expect from every Airman -- officer and enlisted."

"We live by our core values," Chief Murray said. "When members of our service stray from those values, they do themselves and all Airmen a disservice. When that happens, commanders have the tools they need to evaluate the situation and the individual's worthiness for continued service.

"If a commander deems their conduct does not warrant discharge, then they remain a valuable Airman to our Air Force, and we expect them to continue to serve honorably," he said.

General Allardice said that it is the uniform, not the Good Conduct Medal, that represents what Airmen are all about.

"In today's Air Force, our Airmen understand that the uniform they wear represents good conduct," he said.

Airmen who have previously earned the Good Conduct Medal are still authorized to wear it.

I am (nice to meet you)

2006-03-01T02:31:00.000-08:00

Who am I?
Well as this is my first blog post I shall try to tell who I am.
My name is Curtis and I live in Idaho. Well I am stationed there at least.
As you may have guessed I am in the military. I have been in the Air force since I was 18, some 14 years ago. I actually come from a long line of military members.
My Father was in the USMC and was in Nam- retired
My Grand Father was in the Army and was in WWII- retired
My Great Grand Father was in the Army and was in WWI- retired
I also had an Uncle in the Navy on my mothers side. He did not serve 20 years.

As for me, my job in the military is a harsh one. I am a Crew Chief (crew dog) I work on the F-16 aircraft. I have done this job of over 14 years in the blistering heat and freezing cold for shifts mostly 12-14 hours a day. However I just transferred for a tour in the MOCC as a Weapons System controller.

Ok so what does that mean?
Well let me help you out a bit. The life of the crew dog revolves around one thing and one thing only, making the next sortie (flight). It matters not if it is Monday and your hung over or it is Christmas day in some God fosaken country. The job is to work work work till the aircraft can fly. Basically your a mechanic, and could one day be working on a landing gear problem, the next day you could be removing and replacing an engine. You do all the maintenance and you do it right the first time.
Now my new job ( for at least a year) is to monitor and report aircraft status to the commanders of the base ( basically how many jets are broke satus ect ect) I work in conjunction with the Expediter and Production Super on the flight line to get who is needed, to the aircraft, to help fix it. I also record everything that happens out there. I do emergency check lists to make sure who needs to be told something is told it. Basically my job is to ensure "the health of the fleet" (whatever that means)
At least this job is inside, and keeps me out of the cold. I am getting to old for the flight line. LOL.

Ok that is my job but really who am I?
Some of the things I like doing in my life..... Well for one thing I love watching Star Gate. While I was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Qatar I met most of the cast. I even received signed photos of them. I had watched the show a bit at that time and liked it. However in the last 3 months I have become a fan of the show and own the first 2 seasons, looking for the third now.
So what else do I like? I also like playing online games, so does my wife and daughter.
Together we all three play Dark Age of Camelot, City of Heroes and City of villains. My wife and I also have accounts to Lineage2 and Guild wars, However we don't play them much if at all any more.
Another thing I like to do is read. I love the Terry Pratchett books. I also love Space, looking through my telescope(wife has her own hehehe) thoughts of Quantum Physics and how the universe really works, I read a lot of books on the subject:)
Here is something I have thought of as well.....If nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, and the Universe is 13.7 billion years old. Their is roughly 31,536,000 seconds in a year (60 seconds time 60 minutes time 24 hours time 365 days) (I am aware that there is a 1/4 turn in the rotation of the earth every year hence the leap year and no I did not factor that in)
The speed of light is 186,000 Miles per second.
So you take the speed of light, times the seconds in the year, times 13.7 billion and you get....
80,360,035,200,000 billion miles.
or with out the billion 80,360,035,200,000,000,000,000 miles
That is the maximum number of miles that the universe can be, at this point in time can be ( minus the leap years for 13.7 billion years) So I see this a big universe.
But this is not who I really am.

I will tell you who I am.
I am a Father first to two wonderful kids:
My oldest is my daughter Jasmine, she is 6. In her I see the potential for someone great. She is a very smart little girl. She is in the first grade and knows how to read and write. She knows mathematics. How to add and subtract and numbers. I can give her any numbers, decimals and fractions not included, and she can solve it ( most the time). She loves dinosaurs and can name a lot of them. She even has her own fossils (shark). She is full of life and Love and has a special place in my heart that I did not know I had.
My youngest is my son Nicholas, he is 2. He is very funny and I see in him the ability to make people laugh. He is almost always happy and love to be hugged. He knows how to talk and understands many things I would not think a two year old could understand. He is a selfless person and does not want everything he sees in a store. Case in point the other day we went to Wal Mart, I wanted to buy him something. He would pick out something hold it for awhile and say " Put it back Daddy" he did this many times and did not pick out anything until we had a toy for Jasmine as well. He likes Dora the Explorer and Loves the dolls ( I am not to worried about this, or at least keep telling myself that HAHAHA). He is my joy!
I love spending time with my kids and they are the true meaning to life on earth.
I am also a Husband to my wonderful wife Sandra. She is a wonderful and caring person. She has taught me how to love. She taught me the meaning of love and has my heart. Sandra loves her coffee in the morning, she loves to read and she loves the kids and myself as well. She speaks many languages and knows how to spell better than I. Sandra and I met in 1997 in an internet chat room on IRC (mirc pirch). Her family lives in South Africa and in 1998 I flew there and we got married! Sandra has taught me so much about myself and about life in general! I love her for who she is and who she has helped me become!
So who am I?
I am first and foremost a father, second I am a husband! In all that is all it really boils down to.
I just want to be the best father I can, and be the best husband I know how to be!
No, I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be. I make mistakes and in hind sight I regret them. But I have always stayed true to my wife and true to my kids. Grated I may be a bit strict with my kids, but in this day and age you have to be.

May God grant me the ability to be a loving husband and father, may he bestow upon me wisdom to know what to do and what to say. Please forgive me for all my imperfections, and keep my family safe. Please bring an end to the war in the middle east, be with our troops who are deployed and help those around the world who suffer. Please bring understanding and peace to all your children. I pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

This is all I have to write for now.... Thanks for reading and keep posted for more!
Curits