Yes, I was AF active duty and my resume was better than average I guess. So I was on their list, received an email explaining the job a bit. I declined because it required a 4 year extension and I was months from getting out and joining the FAA. In retrospect the experience would have been worth it I think.
The experience of possibly seeing aliens and/or the most secret aircraft the US is working on? In that sense yes, it could have been worth it.
My bro just had to do one for the police department here as part of the hiring process. I was surprised too.
No, absolutely not career-wise. But now that I'm looking at spending the next 20 years in the same facility doing the same thing, I wouldn't have been upset delaying my FAA career 4 years in order to experience something like that.
I definitely get your hard decision getting out. I had the same thing but a good shot at being OSI (although they’re just a bunch of narcs so the FAA was the better decision.) In your case though, I think a crack at DML could’ve been worth it. Some would look at it as just working a bunch of Janet flights in/out. Others would’ve wondered what you would’ve seen on those scopes, briefings you would’ve gotten to sit in on or the different forms of conventional technology used in air traffic that’s been modified/re-configured for “special use.” That kinda stuff is super intriguing to me. Not that I think you made the wrong decision either way. But though demanding, I think some do miss the beauty of assignments like these.
Unless things changed a lot recently, you don’t see anything cool. Airfield goes uncontrolled and controllers leave the room during airspace usage. TS clearance doesn’t mean you get to see everything. This aspect changed the allure quite a bit
