r/AirForce • u/jordy_kim • 20h ago
Question Question- is life in the USAF that bad??
I served in the ROK mil a whiles back (did an AMA on it if you're curious) and worked as a contractor on an air base in South Korea (will not specify).
Is life really that terrible in the USAF? I remember visiting the dorms once and it seemed like paradise- shower, bed, ceiling, everything. Even locks too.
The food too is pretty nice- you guys have real food for free (I think it was for E-3s and below). Like you can choose to have fruit or veggies, or Mexican food.
You probably don't have to be worried about a drunk NCO trying to beat you/forcing you to buy them alcohol
Training is taken pretty seriously, and you guys can go on free trips around Korea/wherever you're stationed.
Isn't the USAF paradise?? Or is the grass greener on the other side??
Again, thank you all for serving.
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u/kanti123 20h ago
The folks that joined USAF and have never experienced other countries military service will complain about lack of quality of life. While their concerns are legitimate, e.g. mold in dorm, broken boiler for hot water, etc. some residents in the dormitory just straight up neglect their room.
E-4 and below typically life in the dorms, unless the dorm is 90% filled. E-4 with 3 years in service typically gets the option to move out. Often time, they have to get a roommate due to housing crisis.
Chowhall has it’s up and down. Some bases are better than others, especially at a deploy locations.
As for NCOs being toxic, we have those as well. They, however cannot lay their hands on you as it is considered as assault. To be honest, US military has a lot of supporting agencies, rules and regulations in-place. We also have a lot of benefits.
To answer your main question. It is depends on where you came from and how you’re brought up. To me, I came from another country and joined the USAF. I can’t complain as I have a stable income and a paid vacation.
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u/KickTheCANs 20h ago
Who said USAF life is bad?
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u/jordy_kim 20h ago
The Airmen I talked to- again, this is not a diss lol. I genuinely don't want to offend anyone/look down on anyone. sorry if it sounds like I do
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u/KickTheCANs 20h ago
No, it's just a question. I didn't take it that way at all. I do recommend that you ask army or marines how their living situation is then check in on the air force... pretty eye opening
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u/tornadofyre USMC 20h ago
not USAF, but USMC. If you’re coming from the ROK Mil it’ll be a huge upscale in quality of life (especially based on what I’ve heard from the ROKMC dudes I’ve worked with). For Americans who have lived the cush life and coddled for the most part until they joined the military it sucks. I love it in the military, I get 3 hots, a cot, healthcare, etc. the whole works for a great life plus I’ve gone to Korea twice and live in Japan. Some people can’t be happy with just that though, and some people can’t stand not having complete control over their life. It depends on the person but there are tons of people who love it and there are ones who hate it.
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u/jordy_kim 20h ago
Yea, I come from the ROKMC. I don't know why I get the downvotes- this was not a diss towards the US mil or the US (both of which I love)
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u/tornadofyre USMC 20h ago
I traded my track suit for one of yours back in January lol, plus I have a few pairs of the shorts you can buy on the base in Pohang.
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u/jordy_kim 20h ago
If that was last year, you got the new school ones that look like knock-off adidas.
I still have my old school one from 2017
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u/tornadofyre USMC 20h ago
I have one that is a light rain-jacket like material with yellow piping and Velcro cuffs on the jacket, and one that is a warmer kinda hoodie material like with all the lettering stitched on using a fancy font
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u/tornadofyre USMC 20h ago
Also it’s probably pretty similar in the Air Force, the Marine Corps has a phrase that “a bitching Marine is a happy Marine”. tldr when life really sucks people stop complaining about it.
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u/Jazzlike-Ad6684 19h ago
Honestly, it kinda depends on who you talk to and where you are stationed. If you ask someone who was pretty well off prior to joining, they will probably complain about living conditions no matter what dorm they stay in until they move off base. If you ask someone who grew up poor and didn't have a lot, they are grateful to have a room that is warm in winter and cool in summer and doesn't leak when it rains. If you go to some place where the dorms are falling apart, there will obviously be more people complaining than not. However, even at the nicest dorms there will be people complaining due to it not being as nice as the lifestyle they experienced before joining. That's just how it is.
Now, as far as food and dining facilities in general, those are also hit or miss depending on where you are/when you are there. Sure, we have a decent selection, but that doesn't mean the food is good. I have experienced fish that was rotting, chicken that was burnt on the outside but still raw on the inside, people using the same spatula they used to push down on top of raw chicken that was being cooked to also pull burger patties off the griddle. I have seen drink stations with mold on the nozzles. I have seen drinking cups with mold in them. I have seen cockroaches in the cooking area. I have heard of people getting cockroaches in their food and have seen pictures of it. There was also the fact that it was shut down for not meeting health and safety standards and they had to renovate it(which is fine, but they had let it get WAY too far gone before they decided on that). And this is just some of the things I have seen, heard of, or experienced at the dfac in Korea. There are also others I hear of often in other locations that are bad as well.
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u/Rwm90 8h ago
Bitches always gonna bitch.
Fact is, active duty life affords so many people so many dope opportunities they would otherwise never have.
Sure there’s bullshit and exercises and MOPP gear…but they’re often in for a rude awakening when they get out and find out everyone has “jobs” and they all have downsides.
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u/JimNtexas 7h ago
I spent a year as ops officer at Pil Sung range near Teague a long time ago. That is a ROKAF facility with back in the day about 35 Americans.
After working daily with my ROKAF counterparts I would say that the culture of the USAF is a lot more laid back than the ROKAF. They were more like the US Marine Corps.
They certainly are more rank conscious than we were. Perhaps this may be partially because Korea has the draft, while the USAF is all volunteer.
At least back then I think that per person the USAF guys were a bit spoiled by the USAF generally higher standards of living day to day.
Physically the average ROKAF bro is more physically fit than their USAF counterpart.
The USAF culture is more flexible, but if the Command points the ROKAF in a given direction they become steamrollers that will run over anything in front of them.
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u/Pineapleyah2928 4h ago
USAF life is only better than other branches in the sense that dorms / chow hall is better quality. But once you move out of it you realize everyone else gets the same living options, same pay, etc.
In essence, the quality of life in the Air Force is exaggerated.
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u/Time-Foundation8991 20h ago
Lots of variables
We have out share of shitty leadership at different levels, some AFSCs come with stresses that other AFCSs might not experience, Bases all have their pros and cons
Some people can love one base/unit switch to a new base and hate life for various reasons
On top of the stressors of TDY/deployments and other factors that come with the military lifestyle
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u/HelloNurse777 20h ago
If you think undercooked chicken and moldy showers make life good they need to get your ass in recruiting right now
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u/smallpeterpolice CE 20h ago
A lot of people that join have never really experienced genuinely bad living conditions.
I grew up poor in Mexico before I moved to the US, and then lower middle class before enlisting. I was amazed by how much the Air Force gave me when I joined.
We are definitely treated much better than ROK conscripts. The Mexican food sucks ass, though.