Observations and Questions

[Covid 22]

Over thirty years, I have worked with a lot of different officials.   I was thinking back on some of the great ones and some of the very bad ones.   All of my experience has been in public or private school officiating but I have called with SEC officials all the way down to guys that never made it to high school varsity.   In my opinion, the best officials came from:
1) Guys that played high school football and maybe some small college.  It gives them a feel for the game.
2) Guys that once they started, called for the team experience of working with a group of like minded officials, the chill bumps you get at the playing of the National Anthem, that would call for free if ever needed and cared if the game they called could have been better.

In the opposite corner you have:
1) Military or ex-military (not across the board) because they as a rule were stiff and know it all.
2) Those that never played football. 
3) Those that thought they had the right to be on a varsity game because they had been doing it longer than the 2nd year guy that was out there doing a great job.
4) Off season coaches because they were just the opposite of the coaches on the sideline.   The coaches on the sideline wanted to tell you how to officiate and the off season coaches on the field wanted to coach.

This is just something I was thinking about and decided to see if anyone wanted to give their two cents.

[AlUpstateNY]

2) Guys that once they started, called for the team experience of working with a group of like minded officials, the chill bumps you get at the playing of the National Anthem, that would call for free if ever needed and cared if the game they called could have been better.

In the opposite corner you have:
1) Military or ex-military (not across the board) because they as a rule were stiff and know it all.

Sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience with Military/ex-Military.  Usually they seem to fit very well into your positive, #2 description.

[Covid 22]

To be fair, living in Central Texas, the effect of Ft Hood on the officiating community is huge.   There is a large percentage of active and retired military in all sports officials (more than 75%).   It would probably be the same if the percentage was any group from one livelihood. 

On my last crew, three of my guys were ex-military and I would not have traded them for any one.   We were not the number one official at any position but as a crew we graded out as the top crew in the chapter. 

[SJ3205]

Definite agreement on your #3
I've heard it explained like this: Its better to be a 3rd year official than be the guy who has spent 20 years repeating year 3!

[Ralph Damren]

IMHO, former coaches often seem to make excellent officials. The reasons are :

(1) Football sense, observing his duties during the play, not following the ball;
(2) Most are educators with strong tools in dealing with kids;
(3) Not the time expense of daily practice or drawing up game plans;
(4) Interested on clarifying rules that, as a coach, he didn't understand.
(5) Unknown to most fans, reduces PMS (parental meddling syndrome).

If you hear of a coach leaving football, ask if # 3 & 5 were the reasons. If "yes" ,ask if they would like to stay active in the game they love.

[HLinNC]

The two guys that I have worked with that I know for sure had a military background had a lot of time and distance between their service and my work with them on the field.  I imagine in your area their "freshness date" is a lot newer.

[yarnnelg]

There are some guys who are absolute book wonders. We have multiple stories in "War Stories" about this type of guy. The guy that year after year scores 99-100 on the test, yet complains because no Varsity Crew will pick him up. Book wonder, but a terror on the field. This is one game, one half.

Pile at the scrimmage line right in front of me .....He is at Back Judge .....Whistle full and loud  ....hustles to my side and asks "Why didn't you stop because of the tackle?" I dropped my bag ....walked up, picked the ball up off the ground and put it in his stomach. "No one has recovered the fumble yet." Later ....just before the end of the half. Interception and field flip ....Remember, he's at Back Judge ....he trails ...Right in front of me a OHHHHHHH moment by the crowd , fullback knocked out of his sock, a genuine slobber knocker, but a legal block chest to chest. Return down my line I'm trailing ......15 yards out a clean block on the side to take the last possible tackler out. In we go. I signal TD and look back....There is a flag at the first block and a flag at the last block......and this guy is front of my bench yelling and screaming at the coaches.

White Hat comes to me after I get the Back Jude away from my sideline....."What do have?" "The first and last blocks were legal. Pick the flags up. I have no clue what the argument was about  in front of the bench." "Go talk to them, I'll tell the Back Judge there were no fouls."

We had a Evaluator in the Press Box that came down when we left the field. "What in the hell was that?" I replied "Get him off the field. I'm not dodging rocks to my truck and out of the parking lot because of this." Almost to the end of our halftime meeting, replacement ref comes in .....I'm the new Back Judge .....make up an excuse."  Sideline asked me "Where's your buddy?" "Pulled a groin muscle." "Thank God."