Poll: Military Service

[qwerty1971]

I just joined this forum, mostly for the T2K stuff. 19 years currently in the Army. 3 tours in Iraq. Service time split between infantry and MI. Been to most boy scout schools so if anyone needs clarification on T2k stuff I might be able to assist.

[Griff]

25 years and counting. 15 active, 10 Guard. All Infantry and Cav (Scout, not real/line Cav). Now I'm on ING and trying out the Contractor line. So far so good. Not much out there jobs wise and damn sure less that I have any skills for. Attack it, defend it, observe and report on it, track it, teach others to do all of the above.

"Wind holding at 5 knots....." God that brings back some very, very painful memories.

And now thinking back on those bad ol'days.....any you other older guys (doesn't matter what service or nation, stupidity seems universal) trained to ween yourselves off water? We would constantly do these 12 milers and be expected to have full canteens at the end. Oi!

Now I tell the "Joes" drink, drink, drink...Ahh the times, they sure are a changing.

Sua Sponte

[Eddie]

Sorry for the late comings, but...

Sua Sponte, Griff?

Are you a Batt Boy? Or former Batt Boy as the case may be.

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Griff

And now thinking back on those bad ol'days.....any you other older guys (doesn't matter what service or nation, stupidity seems universal) trained to ween yourselves off water? We would constantly do these 12 milers and be expected to have full canteens at the end. Oi!

Now I tell the "Joes" drink, drink, drink...Ahh the times, they sure are a changing.

Sua Sponte

Actually I was fortunate enough to have an old master sergeant as mentor who enforced 'the fill your belly with water' school of thought. 'The belly is the best canteen you have' and if your not pissing regular your not drinking enough, then if your piss is dark your not drinking enough... drink, and drink... gives you something to sweat out and puke up too.. But in basic we were required to drink on regular basis, even if not thirsty, but what most ppl don't realize, by the time you notice thirst you are already dehydrated, so it makes sense... and salt tablets... but that was in '68 when they acutally taught more subject matter to the grunts in AIT too... heck out first aid classes were what they teach Life Savers now, minus the starting the IV. I witnessed one later that I thought WTF is this? Not even how to treat a sucking chest wound! Nuff of the soap box... yes we drank and drank.. the whankers that tried to teach weaning from water needed to be run to death IMO. (Thinks of the Capt in Band of Brothers)

[Griff]

Former....waaaaay former, my first jump was off a Pterodactyl!

C Co 3/75 '88-'91.

Grae'- Yep it's surprising how backwards we go sometimes. The "Joes" get taught whatever Congress and the Army seems to think is cheapest and looks good in the papers at the moment. I have no idea what they're teaching the kids today. The last couple of batchs we got......it's upsetting my sleep and I'll leave it at that.


Sua Sponte

[Eddie]

No shit?!

I was C-3/75 in '96-'98! Small world!

[Griff]

How'boutcha !!

Well now we've got a Casual Company Mafia on the boards!

Have no fear my fine little Tankers, it's only the 20th GTD & 21st MRD, Eddie and I've got it from here, you guys roll through to Lodz and link up those 20th Group boys, I can hear them crying from here.....4 GTA?....Polish BGB?..Na', no worries, here take my Scroll. If anyone stops you just tell you've got to C Co 3rd Batt Boys with ya' and show'em the Scroll. You'll be fine. Oh and don't tell Green Beanies were around (or show'em the scroll) or they'll stop worrying about the mission and worry about their hair and looking "Hard" for no one in particular.....

Let's see equipment check....Gerber, check......K-bar, check.....M-4,2 two mags',check.....1 Frag',check........550 cord,check......plastique,check............Make Shit Happen Dust..missing something.......oh found it Woobie & 100mph tape,check......Phewwww disaster avoided! Ready Eddie? Wonder Twin Powers Activate!!! Form of a modified Wedge....engage Ranger-Ninja Powers......hold on a sec' gotta piss first....


Sua Sponte/RLTW!

[ArmySGT.]

Army, of course.

Everything else is a support Service.

[LAW0306]

Eddie you still at schofield?

[Lundgren]

Stockholm Stadsskytte, back in 1992-1993; An urban warfare battalion. Was still a bit on the experimental stage as we where the second of the six such battalions they where to set up.

Must say it is much more fun to have done it, than it was to be there

[Fusilier]

Need a new poll option.

Was in the military - going back into the military.

[DCausey]

I wanted very badly to serve, but my health kept me out. I was 15 and at Culver Military Academy when I was diagnosed with BiPolar Depression. I've been disabled 100% with it for 20 years now. My meds work OK, but I'm pretty much a homebody. Leaves lots of time for hobbies, anyway.

I wanted to be a Marine most of all, and probably would have wound up around aviation or tanks, 2 things that I really love.

[Fusilier]

Originally Posted by DCausey

I wanted very badly to serve, but my health kept me out. I was 15 and at Culver Military Academy when I was diagnosed with BiPolar Depression. I've been disabled 100% with it for 20 years now. My meds work OK, but I'm pretty much a homebody. Leaves lots of time for hobbies, anyway.

I wanted to be a Marine most of all, and probably would have wound up around aviation or tanks, 2 things that I really love.

That's tough. I was on medication for depression for a few years, but was never disabled from it so I could only imagine. Best of luck.

[DCausey]

Thanks man. I have a good doc and a great therapist, but I'm not really getting better. I'm maintaining though, and I work hard at managing my moods and the anxiety. One day at a time.

This forum has been great for keeping my mind occupied. The more I think, the less the moods control me, and T2K and this Forum are great at being thought-provoking.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by DCausey

I wanted very badly to serve, but my health kept me out. I was 15 and at Culver Military Academy when I was diagnosed with BiPolar Depression. I've been disabled 100% with it for 20 years now. My meds work OK, but I'm pretty much a homebody. Leaves lots of time for hobbies, anyway.

I wanted to be a Marine most of all, and probably would have wound up around aviation or tanks, 2 things that I really love.

You sound much like me; I have a subset of bipolar disorder called schizoaffective disorder. (Sort of bipolar d/o with some schizophrenia thrown in for fun.) It waited until many years after I enlisted in the Army and thought I was going places to finally floor me, but looking back, it probably started out in my mid-teens. I have a lot of problems with some pretty dark depression, and antidepressants don't have antidepressant qualities on the schizoaffective; the best thing my docs can do is stabilize me at a depressed level. I'm pretty much a homebody as well; between medication and pain I can sleep a whole day away, without artificial help from more medication.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by DCausey

...and this Forum are great at being thought-provoking.

You've got that right!
We've had some very good "discussions" here over the years and most have definitely prompted a lot of thought. In my opinion a good, well thought out argument (not flame war) can be more productive than a years worth of back slapping and tiptoeing around everybody's feelings.

[DCausey]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

You sound much like me; I have a subset of bipolar disorder called schizoaffective disorder. (Sort of bipolar d/o with some schizophrenia thrown in for fun.) It waited until many years after I enlisted in the Army and thought I was going places to finally floor me, but looking back, it probably started out in my mid-teens. I have a lot of problems with some pretty dark depression, and antidepressants don't have antidepressant qualities on the schizoaffective; the best thing my docs can do is stabilize me at a depressed level. I'm pretty much a homebody as well; between medication and pain I can sleep a whole day away, without artificial help from more medication.

I feel for you Paul.

I found your website soon after I got into T2K a couple years ago, and your openness about your illness there was a big help in overcoming the shame I have about my illness.

My meds don't fix either the depression or the highs totally, but they do - Thank God - make the worst of the suicidal thoughts stay away.

- Dave

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by Abbott Shaull

LOL. Yeah, it amazing that Light, Mountain, Airborne, and Air Assault the gear they carry with them, it boggles the mind. Nothing like carrying your own body weight in gear.

roger that. i remember in iraq carrying 40 lbs of armour, 60 lbs of ammo/grenades, 25 lbs of mission equipment(radio, Batteries, E-tool, etc), in addition to food and water for three days. my ruck alone weighed more than i did. oh then they also had me carry out everything we captured.
i was a veritable walking weapons cache.

[Schone23666]

Guess I'll add my bit here. I was U.S. Air Force from 1996 to 2000. My AFSC was Avionics for the F-15 bird, I mainly worked on the C and D models. Definitely a bird that's been aging along, but still a good bird nonetheless. Not as flashy as the fly by wire F-16 or the newer generation of aircraft like the F-22, but it's served pretty well in nearly every theatre of the world and it's got a pretty impressive kill ratio, so there.

I did most of my tour in Europe in Germany at Spangdahlem AFB, did a quick tour over in the sandbox at Prince Sultan AFB in Saudi Arabia, and finished my last leg at Langley AFB in Virginia. They've taken all the F-15's out of Langley (AFAIK) now, pretty much all F-22's.

Funny thing was, I joined the Air Force yet was morbidly afraid of heights. Good thing they stuck my arse behind a workstation bench I suppose. Plus, you can't beat working indoors in a very nicely lit, air-conditioned environment.

[Medic]

I served as a conscript a while before the millenium in the Finnish Rapid Deployment Forces (most of my basic training mates went to Kosovo after their conscript service) until my knee got busted in the service by a fellow serviceman, got transferred out for a bit over a year and ended up in the Guard Jäger Regiment, where I did the rest of my service.

I originally served as a FO in a Jäger (=Infantry) Coy and upon the re-entry evaluation I was called in front of the board, led by the then-brigadier general, who was in charge of the military district I lived in. He suggested arty for me, at which point I stated 'I've been trained as a Jäger and there's no way one can turn me in to an artillerist'. The senior lieutanant who was serving the board as a scribe looked like he'd be shitting bricks the very moment but the BG just laughed and I got assigned to the Guard, where I ended up serving overtime due to a clerical error.

After my service, I've been training other reservists in infantry weapons (from the pistols to anti-tank rockets) and even more in combat medicine, due to my civilian education in the field - the guys did laugh at me, when I had the medic patch on my sleeve and a sniper rifle on my back (then again, the Geneva Convention does not actually state, what kind of a weapon a medic is allowed to carry for self defence, I think). As a civvie, I've worked as a primary nurse, emergy medical technician (or rather, the Finnish equivalent), a paramedic, a surgical technician and a scrub nurse. I'm about to finish my Registered Nurse degree and work as a Recovery Room nurse at the local university hospital.

I'll just say, my current allotment in the reserves is with the territorial company, which means I get more active days in the service than the average reservists, though even my active days are pretty much effected by the budget cuts.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Schone23666

Funny thing was, I joined the Air Force yet was morbidly afraid of heights. Good thing they stuck my arse behind a workstation bench I suppose. Plus, you can't beat working indoors in a very nicely lit, air-conditioned environment.

You know, one of the minor reasons I went Airborne was to conquer my fear of heights (which I still think is genetic -- my mother, my sister, my brother, and one of my cousins has the same phobia). And I was terrified right through Ground and Tower week -- and right until I got up to the C-130's door before my first jump -- but once I got out, I was fine. I guess that's taking aversion therapy to the max.

[fact275]

I was a Dept. of the Air Force employee--DOD civilians should have been an option.

[Eddie]

In a poll to see who is/was military? No disrespect intended but I disagree.

[James Langham]

Originally Posted by Eddie

In a poll to see who is/was military? No disrespect intended but I disagree.

It might however be useful as an indicator of knowledge.

[TicToc]

I cant agree more that contractors have something to add to any conversation about how Modern Wars are waged and supported. However being a Contractor and being military are two very very different worlds.

[Graebarde]

A LOT of the contractors are former active duty military.

[rcaf_777]

Not sure why I did not post to the thread any why here is my biref military career

Join as reserve infantry solider in 1994 with the Royal Regt of Canada (RRC) in Toronto Ontario, I completed basic and basic infantry training in Petawawa

In 1996 I transfer to Algonquin Regt in order to attend college and get bussiness admin diploma. Durring my time as reserve infantry solider I got qualifed as TOW Gunner, Machine Gunner and RTO, durring my time I called up active duty durring the 1997 Flood in Winnpeg MB and 1998 Ice Storm in Eastern Ontario

In 2000 I trasnfer (remuster) trades to Resource Management Support Clerk and attended CFSAL in Borden Ontario

2001 I transfered to Regular Force and was assigned to 22 Wing in North Bay which overseas the Canadian NORAD Region, durring this time assigned as armed guard (Wing Auxl Security Unit) durring the events of 9/11

2003 I was transfer to Petawawa to 2 Brigrade Headquarters and Signals Sqn and then to Combat Engineers, while in Petawawa I was deployed to Afghanstian in 2003-04 with the 3 RCR Battle Group and again in 2006-07 with 2 Svc BN where I was assigned to ISAF HQ/Camp Souter in Kabul

2010 - I assigned to Canadian Expeditionary Force Command where I currently work in J1 Personel Branch

Outside the Military I serve as Scoutmaster, and brother is Canadian Army who also posts on this broad

[LAW0306]

wearing my II VP shirt from A coy today around Hawaii.

[CDAT]

I am out of the Army now, having spent 20 years. Held five MOS 12F, 19K, 74D, 89D, and 91W.

Started as a 19k (M1 tank crew) and would mostlikey have been one for entire time, but clerks screwed up somthing. I was an Spc (E-4) about ready to pin on my 5 and they told me that I either had to take a reduction or find a new home as they put me in the wrong MTOE slot, so I went to be a 12F (heavy combat engineer) I was suppsed to be a CEV Gunner, about the time that I completed my training the Army decided to get rid of all CEV's so I got to be a regular combat engineer (no offense to any one who did that job and liked it). That job sucked big time, so I got out and joined the UT Guard, one of my high scool buddys was in it at the time and so I signed up to be a 91B (Combat medic, later changed to 91W Medic), I did that for a couple of years and then the Army told me to be a combat engineer again. As I was comeing up on my ETS I told my command I was getting out, when my commander asked why told him I hate being a combat engineer, so he offered me the position of being the unit 74D (NBC NCO) I did that for a couple of years. After my first deployment were we got to work with EOD I applied and was accepted as an 89D (EOD Tech), I did that for next eight years and then got out.

[stormlion1]

Air Force back in the mid 90's. Got out just before my field changed names, security police to security forces.