Bryan,
I think your friend is pretty close to how it is. I am next to an Air Guard base here and the young air men tell me that at Lackland, they are issued what amounts to a 'get home free" card and anytime an instructor speaks harshly to one of them, they can pull out their get home free card and that is that. What a deal. I see some of them in their class A uniforms and they have been in maybe a year and they will have three rows of ribbions or so. I like to kid them about getting medals for showing up on time and eating all their vegetables, etc. :) Frank