Feeling my Age & Some Envy

[Webstral]

Originally Posted by Kellhound

On the topic, I really feel my age when I see sergeants or captains younger than me

Tell me about it. I've been approached about going back to the National Guard as an officer. I strongly doubt there would be any openings in MI, so I'd have to go to a different branch as a lieutenant (although they say as a first lieutenant). I can just picture myself at Engineer or MP OBC standing in formation with butterbars 15-18 years younger than me. I'd be the same age as the battalion commander, or at least the XO. Ugh. No, thanks.

Webstral

[weswood]

If I'd stayed in, I could be retired with 24 years in...But then I'd be looking for a job in a time when jobs are tough to find.

[Ed the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Webstral

Tell me about it. I've been approached about going back to the National Guard as an officer. I strongly doubt there would be any openings in MI, so I'd have to go to a different branch as a lieutenant (although they say as a first lieutenant). I can just picture myself at Engineer or MP OBC standing in formation with butterbars 15-18 years younger than me. I'd be the same age as the battalion commander, or at least the XO. Ugh. No, thanks.

When I moved from North Dakota to Oregon, I found myself attached to a National Guard unit in which I was the same age as the battalion commander and technically outranked by virtue of date of rank. Since it was an Infantry battalion and I was a Cavalry officer, we decided that I would act as a (VERY senior) platoon leader for a separate "odds-and-sods" platoon that would serve as a home for those random misfits that always seem to somehow make their way into the National Guard...I wound up with, among other things, two ex-Navy submariner Sonar Technicians and a Military Intelligence sergeant who spoke Japanese and Russian. As an added bonus, however, I did inherit the battalion's single Vietnam War-vintage M113 ACAV and all five of the enlisted 19Ks scattered throughout the battalion.

[SSGMike]

Originally Posted by Ed the Coastie

When I moved from North Dakota to Oregon, I found myself attached to a National Guard unit in which I was the same age as the battalion commander and technically outranked by virtue of date of rank. Since it was an Infantry battalion and I was a Cavalry officer, we decided that I would act as a (VERY senior) platoon leader for a separate "odds-and-sods" platoon that would serve as a home for those random misfits that always seem to somehow make their way into the National Guard...I wound up with, among other things, two ex-Navy submariner Sonar Technicians and a Military Intelligence sergeant who spoke Japanese and Russian. As an added bonus, however, I did inherit the battalion's single Vietnam War-vintage M113 ACAV and all five of the enlisted 19Ks scattered throughout the battalion.

Interesting... In my guard unit in SO Oregon we had colonel come to our unit as an E5. I believe that when he put in for his retirement he found that he was short a year or so. It was funny seeing him trying to boss around other senior NCO's and lieutenants. I think our Ranger XO put him in his place one day, and he chilled out finally.

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Ed the Coastie

When I moved from North Dakota to Oregon, I found myself attached to a National Guard unit in which I was the same age as the battalion commander and technically outranked by virtue of date of rank. Since it was an Infantry battalion and I was a Cavalry officer, we decided that I would act as a (VERY senior) platoon leader for a separate "odds-and-sods" platoon that would serve as a home for those random misfits that always seem to somehow make their way into the National Guard...I wound up with, among other things, two ex-Navy submariner Sonar Technicians and a Military Intelligence sergeant who spoke Japanese and Russian. As an added bonus, however, I did inherit the battalion's single Vietnam War-vintage M113 ACAV and all five of the enlisted 19Ks scattered throughout the battalion.

Sounds like a really good starting group of PC's to play the Kalisz scenario with!

[Ed the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Sounds like a really good starting group of PC's to play the Kalisz scenario with!

*chuckling* Yeah...the battalion commander (who was also an old-school T2K player) made a comment to that effect, and he and I were laughing about that very thing when we set up the Odds-and-Sods platoon*. We even looked kind of like one, with an elderly M113ACAV, a Deuce-and-a-half that was nearly as old, and a pair of HMMWVs.



* We had an actual name for it -- something like Headquarters Support Platoon -- but I don't remember what it was anymore.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Ed the Coastie

...all five of the enlisted 19Ks scattered throughout the battalion.

For the benefit of us non US people, what the hell is a 19k?

[JHart]

For the benefit of us non US people, what the hell is a 19k?

Page 27, 2TK 2.0 book:

Each specialty (called an MOS, or military occupational specialty) is assigned a code for easy classification (the MOS for M1 tank crewmembers is 19K, or "Nineteen-Kilo," for instance) but these are not important to the game.

Not important unless you like to write novels for character backgrounds

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

For the benefit of us non US people, what the hell is a 19k?

Or if you are an American infantryman, you call them DATs.

[Dog 6]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Or if you are an American infantryman, you call them DATs.

19k = M1 tank crewman.


LOL
a D.A.T. I be and proud of it. :P

[Legbreaker]

Ah, a turrethead or in the case of an M113 crewman, a buckethead.

:P