Gift ideas for brother going into the USAF

[Luke49783]

My youngest brother (24) is getting ready to go to USAF Officer Training School this fall and then on to training to become a UAV pilot. He doesn't have previous enlisted experience, so this will be a completely new world for him. I'd like to get him a going away gift of some sort, but I'm having trouble coming up with ideas. I'd like to hear what you guys have to suggest, particularly veterans.


Thanks guys!

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

(Not a veteran.)

A really, really nice compass. It's a nice metaphor - finding yourself, use this if you've lost your way, this will show you the right direction, etc. It also might be useful, as well. (Maybe?) They look cool, too.

 

[Luke49783]

It also might be useful, as well. (Maybe?) They look cool, too.

I'll keep that in mind. I feel like this would be a lot easier if he were going to be a manned aircraft pilot.

 

[Hunter]

If you can find his favourite book, that would be a start, my one friend that joined the Canadian Forces has read a lot since he started. Another thing you can get him is a good sturdy lighter, even if he doesn't smoke, some women do wink wink nudge nudge. If you feel like spending the cash a good laptop also helps, as he will save a lot of money with Skype over calling people long distance. Also be sure to give him a rowdy send off from all of us here.

 

[MrMurphy]

First...... if he's a UAV operator, he'll either be on-scene (like in Kyrgyzstan) or operating out of Nevada when he graduates and gets into an operational squadron.

If he's going officer.....he'll have to buy a lot of his own stuff (uniforms, etc). As a UAV guy he won't need any tactical-type gear. He'll be wearing a flight suit a lot.

Advise him to get good, comfortable boots (Converse desert boots work well, so do Oakleys).

As a graduation gift, I'd suggest a good quality, non-fancy shaving kit/dopp kit. The North Face makes one which works very well, if they'd been out when I was in (2005-2008) I'd have gotten one. It's the waterproofed PVC material, with loops on the outside so he can snap it to things or hang it in places and has more than enough room.

A good quality military messenger-type bag would likely be useful but that will depend on what he's actually doing. Most pilots use a helmet bag (around $40) for their helmet and another for random stuff. I had one in my Humvee for a year or so but it had no stability (fell over) since it's not designed to stay standing up.

HSGI, Tactical Tailor, Eagle, and quite a few other companies make bags along those lines without spending a fortune which would hold all his paperwork, pens, etc and things. If you need more info or other ideas (I know some UAV operator types and can ask what they'd want at graduation), throw me a private message.

A good folding knife or multitool is never a bad idea either. I like Spyderco or Benchmade for folders, Victorinox or Gerber for multitools.

Edit: not graduation related, but with his laptop, get a good portable scanner and a terabite detachable hard drive.

Have him digitally copy 'everything' as well as make 2-3 copies of everything physically, any kind of paperwork. Military, USAF especially, loves to 'lose' stuff that matters. Have him digitally copy everything, and have a firesafe for a copy of the physical paper...and if possible, another complete set of all of that, occasionally updated, at your parents house. Weird stuff happens during PCS's (moves), having more than one copy is wise. Along those lines a decent cheap point-n-shoot digital camera to record all of his stuff and the condition it was in prior to a move. Stuff can get broken during moves, and they'll replace it or fix it if you have proof, thus the pics.

 

[strop]

Congratulations to your brother. My son completed OTS a little over two years ago. Not easy, but I've never seen such an incredible change in someone in such a short time. He really won't "need" anything there, but you've got great suggestions for a graduation gift, or a going away gift to be used after grauation.

 

[Shaving_CHENG]

Out of pure inter-service rivalry I would say the best gift you could give would be the phone number for his local Navy officer programs recruiter.

Out of decency I would recommend a nice journal and a good talk. There are lots of hours of loneliness and doubt in an officer's life, and having somewhere to examine and recenter oneself
is vital.

Sail safe.

 

[jkingrph]

I was in USAF OTC back in the first half of 1969, so I know many things have changed. Don't buy boots, unless you are absolutely sure they are approved for the dress code there.

Your best bet will probably be a dopp kit. When I was there it was 3-4 cadets to a room and the common bath/latrine area was down the hall, so a dopp kit might be needed. One of the newer dorms had semi private baths.

The best thing will probably be a few extra dollars so he can purchase what is required there.

 

[MrMurphy]

The boots suggestion was for 'after' graduation.....


These days even in tech school for enlisted it's 2 guys to a room shared bathroom with the next room over. I've bunked 3-4 to a room deployed when necessary, but USAF officers will never have more than 2 guys to a room except in emergencies.

 

[jkingrph]

The boots suggestion was for 'after' graduation.....


These days even in tech school for enlisted it's 2 guys to a room shared bathroom with the next room over. I've bunked 3-4 to a room deployed when necessary, but USAF officers will never have more than 2 guys to a room except in emergencies.

Strange, when I deployed to the UK for Desert Storm we had six officers in a room. That room was a combination living dining room. We were actually billeted in RAF housing, small two bedroom apartments that were unfurnished. We had cots initially, and finally got single beds with a mattress( absolue heaven after a couple of weeks on a cot) no refrigerator or stove, just a bathroom with tub and toilet. We actually had ten officers, or enlisted personnel to an apartment, no discrimination that time. The bedrooms were so small only two cots would fit.

 

[ketsco101]

Out of pure inter-service rivalry I would say the best gift you could give would be the phone number for his local Navy officer programs recruiter.

Out of decency I would recommend a nice journal and a good talk. There are lots of hours of loneliness and doubt in an officer's life, and having somewhere to examine and recenter oneself
is vital.

Sail safe.

Had you said the number to the ARMY recruiter, you'd have been right... but truth be told, the AF does have much nices facilites... On a serious note though, for a 24 year old guy going to school to learn to be an Officer, I'd be careful of bags and boots and other items that could interfere with uniform policies and regulations. Either go full practical or complete practical joke. Not sure what your budget looks like, but iPads are pretty sweet for notetaking and pulling up diagrams, and he can play Angry Birds when he gets bored. On a lower end it may sounds silly, but there are some microfiber towels out there that are great for not only the dorm, but to throw in a bag when your buddies pull you away for a weekend. I've got three. A nice pen may be another option if he has learned to appreciate some of the small finer things in life. Just some thoughts...

 

[OldAF]

I'm a bit surprised nobody has suggested a good watch. He will have to be on time for multiple things. I'm sure many things have changed but I had to run 1.5 miles in a certain amount of time. I had to give a briefing of a certain duration and it had to be spot on for time. So stopwatch, multiple alarms, 24 hour clock (military time), at least 2 time zones (where he is and home) etc. Well, as I said it has been many years but hard to go wrong with a good looking and functional watch.

 

[Luke49783]

Thanks for all of the great ideas, guys! A knife would have been one of my first thoughts, but my parents got him a nice Benchmade for his college graduation (his degree is in Criminal Justice and he originally planned to go into law enforcement, so it made perfect sense). A watch is a great idea for an OTS graduation gift. I've been reading online trying to get an idea of what pilots tend to prefer. The one I've seen mentioned the most is the Casio G-Shock, so I'll keep that in mind. I was hoping for something a bit fancier, but if that's what works best...

The dopp kit is a tops on the list for a going away gift right now. I'll probably fill it with other smaller odds and ends. Along those lines, what is and isn't allowed into OTS in terms of personal effects? I would guess that the rules are less strict than BMT, but I could be completely wrong. I'd like to get him a handful of things to help get him through his 9 weeks of training.

 

[MrMurphy]

From BMT and deployment experience.....

Toothpaste in the hard container with fliptop lid. They don't explode over your bag when it gets dropped 20 feet from the nose of a 767...
See your PM on most of the rest. A G-shock is a good general watch for overall use, and tough. Uniform/boots and etc, don't vary away from the issue while in school. Once he's in an operational unit, he can change things.


Jking, you are correct, also remember DS was a bit of a surprise. In a bare-base operation, you live where you have to, 20 guys to a 10-man tent or whatever. But in typical conditions unless under direct fire, USAF officers tend to be 1-2 per room, and enlisted, no more than about four to a room unless it's in tents (then all bets are off). If you're living in pods (portable buildings) it's usually as described above.

In his case, he'll be in school, and knowing the base he'll be at school in, you can almost guarantee 2 man rooms, probably shared bathrooms. If they do it for enlisted tech school, you can guarantee a bunch of wannabe LT's get better than that.

 

[Luke49783]

I'll keep that in mind. I feel like this would be a lot easier if he were going to be a manned aircraft pilot.

I like the lighter idea! I might look into an engraved Zippo.

 

[Miles Xavier]

My sister and I got our cousin a USMC fire pit from Burning concepts after his last little trip to Afghanistan.

(edit i just noticed this post was from 4-5 years ago)