ALO Interview Yesterday

ZoomingFalcon said:
My answer to the F-15 question was that I would definitely not engage. I don't have clearance to attack, and there may be women and children, and that kind of collateral damage is not acceptable. He said my wingman and I could potentially come back to base, having killed 4 enemy soldiers and wounded 7. wingman would buy the beer (he actually said that).
It was a bit of role-playing too. He was my wingman trying to get me to engage, and I told him we would not engage. We're in F-15s. We can get the heck out of there instead of attacking a target we know nothing about.

After 'radioing' back and forth, he told me that the tracer rounds were coming from Canadian soldiers.

The pay grade question really hit me. I probably should have said I didn't know. I may have given a little of a canned response. I said that a Senior Master Sergeant with 20 years in should be payed more because they have more experience than a 2nd Lieutenant. But officers have a lot more responsibility than NCOs.

He told me about a few airmen he knew who had said they wished they could have become officers instead of enlisted. But I told him that a lot of people say that because they want the benefits of officership (pay, rank, etc.) without the cost (added responsibility). So I think I corrected myself with what I said earlier about senior NCOs' pay. And that some have a difficulty leading others and would prefer to be given a specific task to complete.

The situation questions were definitely difficult. Thinking back on it now, I may have BSed a little, but it wasn't atrocious. I didn't want to say 'I don't know' to a combat or human relation situation.
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I wonder if your ALO was an F-16 or A-10 pilot? The situation he gave you actually occurred several years ago and the AF pilots engaged...and killed some Canadian soldiers. Tragic case of fratricide.

I like your answers. They come across to me, seeing them here, as fresh and honest.

Sounds to me like you had a good interview and a good ALO.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Has anyone else who has had their ALO interview encountered similar questions?
 
OK, I don't expect the young person to know this. But Flieger! You should know better!

The obvious answer is since someone is asking for an F-15 to attack something on the GROUND, it obviously is an F-15E! Therefore, the correct answer is (and always should be): "I'll ask my WSO". :)
 
I had my ALO interview a few weeks ago and it was entirely different, which should be expected. No scenarios, no hypotheticals. He asked me a lot about my experiences so far. He really stuck to questions on a packet he had in front of him along the lines of:

Give an example of dealing with a coach/teacher over an issue. How did you confront them? Why were you right? Why were they right? How did it get resolved?
(My favorite part of that was "Why were they right?")
dealing with a peer.... same questions.

Least favorite teacher and why?

Give an example of a time you organized something.

The rest was really casual in terms of what position I played in football, lacrosse, how's the team looking, etc.

Don't practice any set of questions. Practice speech. Practice saying sir and "Yes" instead of "Yeah". Minimize "you know", "like", and "um". Eye contact and a firm handshake. Then allow yourself to answer the questions truthfully and you should be just fine.
 
Thats a good answer, but let me give you my answer which covers the other side of the spectrum.

My answer would be to engage. Why? I'm assuming my wingman is an AFA Graduate, which means they can make precise decisions while under pressure and at the same time review the entire situation. That being said, I trust my wingman with my life as i would with any AFA Grad and would back his decision(s) up with everything I've got.
Ive got my interview tomorrow and if this question comes up ill answer is with poise thanks to you, good luck with the rest of your app
 
My answer is simple: "What time is it? Happy hour is over at 5:30. Can I get back in time? I can't!!!! Sorry sir, I can't attack that target".

laiboxer224: Nothing personal; but while I respect your enthusiasm, that type of answer is one of the "Ate up, sounds like you're trying to tell me what I want to hear" answers. Simpler terms,,,, "Too Gung-Ho". And what would you do if Bullet on this forum was your ALO & your Wingman. He was an F-15 pilot; AND he went through ROTC!!!! Doh!!! My son's ALO; who happened to by my C.O. once upon a time, was OTS. Sorry, but your answer would have been a "Kiss-up" answer to me.
 
That's something I tried to avoid during my interview. My ALO used to be enlisted, then went to college and earned his commission through ROTC.

I tried not to say anything that would 'bash' ROTC. Absolutely no disrespect to anyone who is ROTC, and I told him this: A conventional college has never really interested me. I think that statement struck him as odd because he kind of raised his eyebrow. He asked why, and I told him that the academy's atmosphere is so much better, in my humble opinion. At a college you have all kinds of distractions, whereas at USAFA it's a complete military environment where everything you do compliments your goal: becoming a better person and the best officer you can be.
 
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Bullet said:
OK, I don't expect the young person to know this. But Flieger! You should know better!

The obvious answer is since someone is asking for an F-15 to attack something on the GROUND, it obviously is an F-15E! Therefore, the correct answer is (and always should be): "I'll ask my WSO". :)
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Oh Bullet...I was being nice :rolleyes: ...I mean, in a fighter we don't ask anyone in the jet since we're alone and unafraid...but in a bomber, well...crew coordination IS critical!:thumb:

I can attack things on the ground...modern tank with a jet turbine engine...I'll bet I could get a heater to growl...not that it'd do more than chip the paint, but...

And think of all the paint you can peel with the 20mm...it'll LOOK fancy; especially at night!

Hmm...yeah, guess I should mentioned that it would have to be a mudhen...finest ground attacker flying. :thumb:

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
(BIASED "C" Model Driver)
 
Your right, the way I said it was kind of displayed in a "Kiss Up" way. What I really was trying to get at though is the trust issue with your wingman, it seemed to me by not engaging you do not fully trust your wingman decision and therefore would not back him up if he decided to engage. From what I've seen first hand at the academies trust which is centered around the Honor Code is one of the biggest reasons for my decision to attend the academy. So thats why I said it the way I did.
Christcorp said:
My answer is simple: "What time is it? Happy hour is over at 5:30. Can I get back in time? I can't!!!! Sorry sir, I can't attack that target".

laiboxer224: Nothing personal; but while I respect your enthusiasm, that type of answer is one of the "Ate up, sounds like you're trying to tell me what I want to hear" answers. Simpler terms,,,, "Too Gung-Ho". And what would you do if Bullet on this forum was your ALO & your Wingman. He was an F-15 pilot; AND he went through ROTC!!!! Doh!!! My son's ALO; who happened to by my C.O. once upon a time, was OTS. Sorry, but your answer would have been a "Kiss-up" answer to me.
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Laiboxer,

This may be true, but they are also looking for leaders! When you are an IP/IWSO you will be looked at for quick decisions in a stressful situation. This might not be a war zone, it could also be deciding on flying into weather.

As far as your wingman being an AFA grad
Why? I'm assuming my wingman is an AFA Graduate, which means they can make precise decisions while under pressure and at the same time review the entire situation. That being said, I trust my wingman with my life as i would with any AFA Grad and would back his decision(s) up with everything I've got.
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Hate to break it to you, but CC is correct, the majority of officers are not AFA grads. In Bullet's TX course for the Strike. Out of 16 guys, only 3 were AFA grads, the rest were ROTC/OCS. In our social group of peers that we went to the club, dinner and camping with, it was statistically the same. The OG and VWK at SJAFB were ROTC and wait for it UNT grads. These are the number 2 and 3. The current WK is ROTC, the VWK is ROTC and the OG is ROTC.

Off topic, but the last part of your statement is a single seat mentality. It was offensive. FYI, single seaters believe that the only person in the AC that matters is the pilot, the rest are just taking up space. They are usually also the pilots that are not as successful because the AC was not designed to complete their mission with only one person. FWIW I take that comment from a youthful standpoint and no experience in the military world, so I do get what you are saying. I am just trying to enlighten you how, the simplest of statements by saying I assume my wingman is an AFA grad can hurt you. You do not know your ALO, thus he/she may have believed the best pilot they ever met was a ROTC grad, or they could have had a crewmate like Bullet who was an AFA grad that was FEB at RTU.

I do not mean to be rude or condescending, but making that decision IMHO has nothing to do with honor and much more to do with leadership. Making the hard decision while doing the right thing.

FYI, as a spouse, I would say that you do not engage, because of the ROE (Rules of Engagement) and that you need to trust the intel that has been given, since no military member lives in a vacuum when it comes to training or war. Every action and reaction has an effect..

Finally, entering an ALO interview is something that they expect your youth and ignorance, so don't go insane over not having the right answer. They know you are 17-18 yo and cannot make a tactical decision. IMHO, it was more about you as the person...are you a team player, or are you all about you? Or as Bullet would say, would you make a great prison warden :eek3:
 
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laiboxer224 said:
What I really was trying to get at though is the trust issue with your wingman, it seemed to me by not engaging you do not fully trust your wingman decision and therefore would not back him up if he decided to engage
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From my ALO's tone, I knew it wasn't a matter of trusting my wingman. He 'played' my wingman, and from his voice, was not being serious. It reminded me of kids wanting you to do something bad on the playground. Not so much the 'They're attacking us, and I'm not going to die' dialogue but the 'C'mon let's kill these bastards and look good for the CC'

BTW Pima, I had to use a glossary for all the acronyms:biggrin:
 
Get use to it, after a while you can speak in full sentences using only acronyms. I.E. Bullet did SOS PME as TDY enroute for AGOS, after that we PCS'd to Pope AFB for him to be an ALO (not the AFA kind). Our DLA was messed up because we were sent CONUS and our TLA was boffed because they PCA'd us to Bragg off of Pope and we were staying in the TLEs. He went to A&F after PT to get our LES straightened out.
Don't even get me started on how TMO messed up!

TRANSLATION

Bullet went to capt school (SOS PME) on the way from our prior base to our new on as temporary duty(TDY). They moved us(permanent change of station ---PCS) to Pope to be an Air Liaison Officer (ALO---jumped out of perfectly good airplanes). Our moving allowance (dislocation allowance ---DLA) was messed up because we came back state side (Cont. U.S.). Our Temporary housing allowance (TLA) was messed up because he was transferred from Pope to Bragg (PCA) while we were staying in the hotel on base (Temporary living). He went to accounting and finance(A &F) after he had physical training (PT) to fix our paycheck (leave and earning statement---LES). TMO is your movers...Transportation Mgmt Office.

If they makes your head spin just wait until you get married and everything she signs is AFAD-03...that means Air Force Active Duty first spouse. 04 is your 1st child. 13 is second spouse.

FEB means Flight Evaluation Board.
FTU means Training Unit in other words where you go when you get your plane from UPT
LIFT is Lead in Fighter Training.
 
Pima said:
Get use to it, after a while you can speak in full sentences using only acronyms. I.E. Bullet did SOS PME as TDY enroute for AGOS, after that we PCS'd to Pope AFB for him to be an ALO (not the AFA kind). Our DLA was messed up because we were sent CONUS and our TLA was boffed because they PCA'd us to Bragg off of Pope and we were staying in the TLEs. He went to A&F after PT to get our LES straightened out.
Don't even get me started on how TMO messed up!

TRANSLATION

Bullet went to capt school (SOS PME) on the way from our prior base to our new on as temporary duty(TDY). They moved us(permanent change of station ---PCS) to Pope to be an Air Liaison Officer (ALO---jumped out of perfectly good airplanes). Our moving allowance (dislocation allowance ---DLA) was messed up because we came back state side (Cont. U.S.). Our Temporary housing allowance (TLA) was messed up because he was transferred from Pope to Bragg (PCA) while we were staying in the hotel on base (Temporary living). He went to accounting and finance(A &F) after he had physical training (PT) to fix our paycheck (leave and earning statement---LES). TMO is your movers...Transportation Mgmt Office.

If they makes your head spin just wait until you get married and everything she signs is AFAD-03...that means Air Force Active Duty first spouse. 04 is your 1st child. 13 is second spouse.

FEB means Flight Evaluation Board.
FTU means Training Unit in other words where you go when you get your plane from UPT
LIFT is Lead in Fighter Training.
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Don't forget CRUD...

Oh wait, that's not an acronym...

It's a way of life! :thumb:

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Steve,

As an avid Crud player, don't even go there! Just the thought of explaining how to play the game I can already see them having a mental melt down.

I will say there is one cadet that will be a ringer when they get to UPT and FTU, not once did they get called on the 45% name, they were able to lift bodies and throw them, they did not plant, their ball never left the table, shot with one foot down, even won their lag, and best yet they didn't hit the refs drink while running around :thumb: When they get to UPT they need to learn how to finesse for double kiss and not to get called on a no 6:biggrin:

PS they were also taught real quick that they would be killed by their teammate if they read the rules in the crud room! Bullet and I ingrained that into them!

FWIW they will tell you I play the old school crud since Bullet taught me...I have no problem hip checking or doing the slut crawl, now if I could be able to do the round the world serve, I would be a true force.
 
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Pima said:
Steve,

As an avid Crud player, don't even go there! Just the thought of explaining how to play the game I can already see them having a mental melt down.

I will say there is one cadet that will be a ringer when they get to UPT and FTU, not once did they get called on the 45% name, they were able to lift bodies and throw them, they did not plant, their ball never left the table, shot with one foot down, even won their lag, and best yet they didn't hit the refs drink while running around :thumb: When they get to UPT they need to learn how to finesse for double kiss and not to get called on a no 6:biggrin:

PS they were also taught real quick that they would be killed by their teammate if they read the rules in the crud room! Bullet and I ingrained that into them!

FWIW they will tell you I play the old school crud since Bullet taught me...I have no problem hip checking or doing the slut crawl, now if I could be able to do the round the world serve, I would be a true force.
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LOL!

I'm just laughing thinking that "they" are going to read your post and wonder "...what the heck is she talking about???" :confused:

And there is NOT enough space here to explain!!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
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