Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

I was going over the article re the 90th FS participation in exercise Combat Archer and noticed that Lt. Col. Mike Shower is no longer the squadron CO. Just curious, does anyone know what he's up to nowadays?

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He retired

Hmm... would it be a fair assumption to say that it was a "forced" retirement?

Raptor_DCTR wrote:

He retired

Seriously? He seemed to be on the fast track so this is a surprise. Anyway, I'd just like to say I really appreciate his sharing his experiences on the Raptor.

ChippyHo wrote:

Hmm... would it be a fair assumption to say that it was a "forced" retirement?

If by forced you mean the security blight on his record showed he no longer walked on water and therefor was not meant for general officer rank, then you're likely correct. Whether or not it was a real leak of sensitive information, having the incident used in a presentation of what not to do made it real enough to be damaging to a career.

That's an excellent interpretation of what I was saying.
To me the worst part of all of this is that Dozer "in theory" was sanctioned by AF higher ups, to be a champion for the Raptor. I wonder if he didn't step on his own privates by being a bit too enthusiastic a supporter.

I recall Dozer stating that he had once been responsible for OPSEC earlier in his carreer so I believe he knew where to draw the line. I think it was a real injustice that he became a poster boy for OPSEC.

Quote:

If by forced you mean the security blight on his record showed he no longer walked on water and therefor was not meant for general officer rank, then you're likely correct. Whether or not it was a real leak of sensitive information, having the incident used in a presentation of what not to do made it real enough to be damaging to a career.

In fact, people like you played a part in his decision to retire. People like you making accusations without ANY of the supporting facts. Everything that Lt Col Shower shared in the public light was reviewed by his bosses and through the proper security channels. If at ANY point there was a breech in security or OPSEC he would have been pulled from the Raptor program and his clearance possibly revoked. He was absolutely sick and tired of being a accused of OPSEC violations from morons like you even though he had every detail of what he talked about cleared through the proper channels. You make me sick that your "kind" caused a man like that to leave a career behind like the one he had. He was my commander for a year and was a very good dude. Go troll somewhere else. You to ChippyHo, you guys clearly don't have a clue

Easy there Raptor... I'm not throwing him under the bus and I'M certainly not accusing him of anything untoward. I agree that he did not give out any information (at least that I saw on the few sites I noticed him on) that was not already available through other means released throughout the years. I know I've been eagerly absorbing every scrap of info I could get a hold of without getting anyone in trouble since the program's inception in the 80's.

It's a sad state that even going through the steps I'm certain he did regarding conversing with enthusiasts like us, and with the background relating to OPSEC, he was still sited as a negative example in an OPSEC briefing. That kind of notoriety cannot possibly be good for the career. That's all I was saying. I believe with all my heart he is a good person and commanding officer that was put in a bad situation through no fault of his own. I've met many personable people like him growing up in the USAF that would take the time to talk to this sandy haired kid sitting on a flightline dumpster watching the planes fly the pattern for hours and cherished every conversation with them. I'm certainly not sitting here perusing this board and others like it with OSI on speed-dial hoping for the chance the bag an officer.

Raptor_DCTR - if you would learn to read and UNDERSTAND the English language you would clearly see that 1) there is no accusation against the Colonel. I do not see anything except empathy (look it up) towards the Colonel. 2) I clearly stated - "To me the worst part of all of this is that Dozer "in theory" was sanctioned by AF higher ups" - you tell me how that knocks Dozer. If anything it points a finger of disgust at his chain of command for having sacrificed a good leader and a fine pilot.
If you are p%ssed off at the world for what happened - hey what can I say, except maybe that you should read more carefully!
Chippy Ho -

ChippyHo wrote:

Raptor_DCTR - if you would learn to read and UNDERSTAND the English language you would clearly see that 1) there is no accusation against the Colonel. I do not see anything except empathy (look it up) towards the Colonel. 2) I clearly stated - "To me the worst part of all of this is that Dozer "in theory" was sanctioned by AF higher ups" - you tell me how that knocks Dozer. If anything it points a finger of disgust at his chain of command for having sacrificed a good leader and a fine pilot.
If you are p%ssed off at the world for what happened - hey what can I say, except maybe that you should read more carefully!
Chippy Ho -

I "UNDERSTAND" the English language perfectly. I read it right and meant what I said. I am far from pissed off at the world.

Last edited by Lightndattic on Nov 11, 2010 - 03:51 PM; edited 1 time in total

-edited because what you're objecting to was pointed out.

ChippyHo wrote:

That's an excellent interpretation of what I was saying.
To me the worst part of all of this is that Dozer "in theory" was sanctioned by AF higher ups, to be a champion for the Raptor. I wonder if he didn't step on his own privates by being a bit too enthusiastic a supporter.

I think what's winding folks up is the last line "I wonder...."
Dozer was doing his job as instructed..I don't think "Too Enthusiastic".

That's all - We lost a great aviator for no reason IMHO.

rpgrynn wrote:

ChippyHo wrote:

That's an excellent interpretation of what I was saying.
To me the worst part of all of this is that Dozer "in theory" was sanctioned by AF higher ups, to be a champion for the Raptor. I wonder if he didn't step on his own privates by being a bit too enthusiastic a supporter.

I think what's winding folks up is the last line "I wonder...."
Dozer was doing his job as instructed..I don't think "Too Enthusiastic".

That's all - We lost a great aviator for no reason IMHO.

Agreed. That last line reflects the kind of speculation w/c the Af already investigated and found to be without basis. With his honor impugned, Dozer likely felt he had no other recourse, really sad for someone who loved his job.I wish him success in his new carreer.

I think what's winding folks up is the last line "I wonder...."
Dozer was doing his job as instructed..I don't think "Too Enthusiastic".

That's all - We lost a great aviator for no reason IMHO.[/quote]

I complete agree with you in that the USAF lost a great aviator. If my comment about "wonder if...." is off base I apologize. It was never my intention to "step upon" the honor or integrity of the Colonel.
That being said I still feel that Raptor_DCTR is misdirecting his anger.
To be honest if I lost a great "Boss" in the same manor I'd be pissed.

Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

Dozer inquiry