I hate spineless people...

I am trying to return to my old civil service job since returning to the states, got all my paperwork lined up swung by my old job site and asked if it was ok to try and come back, and everybody smiled and said sure be glad to have you back etc... 6 months on I am still be strung along so I have decided to push on at a different location.


Its not that I am overly upset or even angry about it, but for the love of god if you don't want me back just say we would rather move forward in a different direction, or heck you suck why the F would we want you back.

Is being honest with people really that hard to do, at my current place of employment I sat down with a new guy and explained what he was doing wrong, and finished up with what he was doing right... occasionally unpleasant but certainly shouldn't be that hard for supposedly full grown adult males.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Here, have a cookie.

originally posted by: Irishhaf
I am trying to return to my old civil service job since returning to the states, got all my paperwork lined up swung by my old job site and asked if it was ok to try and come back, and everybody smiled and said sure be glad to have you back etc... 6 months on I am still be strung along so I have decided to push on at a different location.


Its not that I am overly upset or even angry about it, but for the love of god if you don't want me back just say we would rather move forward in a different direction, or heck you suck why the F would we want you back.

Is being honest with people really that hard to do, at my current place of employment I sat down with a new guy and explained what he was doing wrong, and finished up with what he was doing right... occasionally unpleasant but certainly shouldn't be that hard for supposedly full grown adult males.

Understand your frustration. Part of it is that I think people want to be polite and don't like saying no. So yeah, spineless.

I work in sales. The one thing that annoys me is when people waste my time, but don't have the courtesy to just tell me they don't want to proceed or maybe went to a competitor. It is ok. I am an adult and realize I can't win every deal. They literally just "ghost" you as millenials apparently call it. Basically means they stop returning calls or emails and never actually tell you no.

FWIW, they may not have a funded slot. I’m not sure how long you were overseas, but there has been tons of civil service positions cut, folks balanced to other career shreds, and early retirement offers. Could simply be a funding issue.

I retired from a civil service job in early 2017 but still stay in touch with some of the folks I worked with; they are still down sizing and planning more cuts the end of this fiscal year.

I doubt it’s personal. While your previous coworkers may, in fact, sincerely welcome you back, the boss has to have a funded slot available...and even then, no one available with more hiring preferences than you.

a reply to: Lab4Us


4 years, but I had been in contact with the civil service liaison to the reserve wing and she said they have open positions and I could either be direct hired, or brought back as a reinstatement.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Mmmmhmmm. Sounds like they were glad to see you go, and were like DAMMIT, this ass is trying to come back and jack stuff up again.

Just being honest.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I know how you feel but I must also point out that many times employers are very restricted on what they are allowed to say.
Honestly references are a joke today.
If you had a lousy worker you can tell anyone.
Yeah he worked here on these dates....
You just cant say why you didnt hire someone.

I dont know if this is your issue but it wouldn't surprise me.

I knew this was a possibility before I even put in the paperwork to rejoin the reserves, because before I left 4 years ago I saw bad maintenance being preformed on the flight line and when I brought it up to my bosses I was told Pfft its the way we have always done it.

So I took it up my chain till I found someone willing to look deeper and when things finally settled 3 long time employees were encouraged to retire while I was gone.

I just thought they would be honest that they wanted me to stay away, didn't even have to give me a reason just say no and I would have walked with no fuss.

a reply to: Irishhaf

JEEEZUS, even worse! A rabble-rouser! A boat-rocker! THAT-guy!(or Gal)


NEVER go back man. I never went to the same base twice. It is never-ever as good as you think it was.

Whats the ole saying, My next base is the best and the last one was the worst? Sumpin like that.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Pffffft, this is the US military man! You just line fools up and verbally assault them til they change or quit! Well, back in the nineties. Probably changed a bit.

a reply to: lakenheath24


May work out for the better, just got a call from another base asking if I would be willing to move and take a position with them, I still have to do an interview but I should be an easy fit.

a reply to: Irishhaf

See. It always works out. I once had orders to Camp New Amsterdam(Holland) to work on both F-15's. I was psyched! THEN, orders got cancelled and I got moved to fricken Knob Noster. KNOB feakin NOSTER. WTH!

Turned out to be the best assignment of my whole career. Worked B-2's, best peeps, best commanders, lived between two sororities(for whom I NEVER purchase alcohol), and got an all expenses paid "vacation" to Guam.


Your QA aintcha?

a reply to: lakenheath24

Nope just a guy that was trained by SAC trained killers in the late 90s, the most important thing for me to do was stop a flight if I had any doubts about its safety.

Its the way I trained every crew chief I was told to mentor, and I saw pro-super and expeditor telling new troops to down grade a red x condition so they could make a training flight and keep the MC rate in the green.


When I had the sit down with my SQ commander I found out 3/4 of the squadron were 3 levels and this had been going on for some time.

Another part of the reason I raised the flag was in my experience the longer you put off small issues when something major finally breaks a 3 or 4 day fix becomes a 2 week fix because those same people that had them down grade the X would them freak out about all the delayed write ups be fixed as well.

a reply to: Irishhaf

theres your problem right there. They don't want "troublemakers" or whistleblowers, as it usually makes the ones higher up the chain look bad.

originally posted by: lakenheath24
a reply to: Bluntone22

Pffffft, this is the US military man! You just line fools up and verbally assault them til they change or quit! Well, back in the nineties. Probably changed a bit.

I wonder what Boot Camp is like these days? I went through in 1998, so two decades ago, and I wonder if they are even allowed to yell profanities and insult the recruits anymore? Hell, I wonder if they (drill sergeants) are even allowed to YELL? I think about today's kiddos and how babied they are and coddled from anything at all which would offend them and I can't see any of them making it through one full night of boot camp.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I wish you the best. Knock em dead.

This is pretty standard behavior these days. I have found that even doctors are reluctant to tell their patients the worst of the bad news even when they know it. Like if you have a very slim chance of living more than 2-3 more years, they will not tell you that. IOW, if you have a terminal illness and you don't realize it, you probably can't count on your doctor to give you the unvarnished truth. You'll just end up in the ER dying one day and they'll act like they don't know why. And they probably won't even tell you or your loved ones you're dying.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Rule of thumb: If nothing's rolling in your favor after 1 month, move on. Not 6 months later.

You're bitching because you didn't have something work out after holding out way too long. IMO, the aggravation is ALL on you for fooling yourself into thinking there was a chance way past the general 1 month period, not them.

a reply to: Nyiah

OH I am aggravated with myself because I continued to believe in my "friends" in the unit.

Hopefully plan b works out and I'll move to a new place and start fresh.

a reply to: KansasGirl

I realize this is entirely anecdotal but I personally know well two guys who have joined up in recent years.

One of them? When describing boot camp said he and other guys in his barracks would literally scale out of their second story window using bedsheets, go hide out somewhere on base, and return later on to avoid PT or other activities they deemed BS during the day.

He said they got away with this the entire time basically too.


Now the other guy, he wanted to go for special forces and actually made it to like the 'final training group' or whatever.

That is where they broke him, and he has literally been on leave, in and out of mental hospitals for months now not right because of stuff he had to experience there apparently.

So yeah, there's that!


On an on topic note, I apologize for your situation OP. It really sucks when employers or potential employers string you along with no respect for your time or life basically.