Is QMP the right or just answer for those selected that have 16 or 17 years? The past month has been rough for many senior NCOs.

For 16 years you where 'acceptable' for service.....and now you're not - really? I saw it happen in the roll back after Vietnam and then after the Berlin Wall came down...and now, well we just don't need 'Tommie' any more.......these honorable men and women deserve better......

I believe that these boards are necessary, but the means used to get to the end result is what I question. A mistake in your current rank? I know it's not that simple, but if you took every Soldier, NCO and Officer and lined them up and asked "who has not stepped on his/her crank at some period in their career take one step forward". All you would have left are either liars, or people still in MEPS or Reception. Weeding out the bad is one thing, but from what I've been reading on here and other sites, it's a "clique system". If you CoC likes you, they'll fight harder to keep you, and if you're not someones "favorite" then you're gone. I hope it's just upset NCO's that are saying that, but some of the ranks aren't some Staff Sergeant's who's bitter, these are the top 3 and many are saying the same thing. I know we need to thin the herd, but at least Clinton gave them a "reward" for punching out early, and many jumped on it. I'd bet lunch to anyone here if that was offered now, a fair number of NCO's and Officers would see the writing on the wall and voluntarily leave with a reduced retirement, than leave in debt and not even know it's not their faults yet. My biggest issue with this is the loss of experience. Not so much battlefield experience, but the intangible experience that cannot be "shared" or rank would be lost, or the Garrison Army that MANY in today's units never knew. They hear stories of it, but don't really know it. It's those intangible experiences that are going to be needed soon and there will be no one to show them.

I don't know an answer. But, when I was forced out on a board never held before in the hisotry of the Air Force, I went to everyone in an effort to make it on the next round. Every expert went first to my command picture. A three star general told me he know of folks eliminated because they had an oak leaf turned the wrong way on his ribbons.

I am not bitter and I was lucky to salvage a retirement even though I had to wait until I was 60 to draw pay.

But, isn't having an oak leaf cluster on backwards a great excuse to end one's career with no retirement? Frankly it is not right.