Quote :

"The next time you write your guy, tell him to try to get a new MOS--preferably one that transitions well to a high-paying civilian job. I mean, why in hell did he sign up for infantry anyway?"

i don't know, man. i joined the military for one reason--to get into combat and kill bad guys/break their shit. anything i get that benefits me once i get out is just a bonus.

2/10/2007 7:53:25 PM

Quote :

"(unless you count being driven to and deriving satisfaction from killing bad guys)."

if you actively want to kill people then you are psychotic. US military, one of the few that generalizes between the goods and the bads.

2/10/2007 7:57:37 PM

I'm neither dumb, nor psychotic, however once I get in better shape, I think I'll join the Army. Infantry or combat medic.

I don't think there is anything wrong with killing people. especially if you they deserve it. though whether they do or not is ones opinion.

good luck to you BrookeRuff. hope it goes well for him, and you too.

2/10/2007 8:32:40 PM

Quote :

"fat dependapotamus"

lol

.......
oh and you can also find good stuff at http://www.militaryonesource.com

Even though it's a [dot]com, it's sponsored by the DoD and non-profit. You can find all kinds of supportive information and relevant info such as

- regulations on mail (you can send a package up to 70 lbs if you want to pay the postage)
- psychological and family support if needed
- servicemember locator
- basic information on civilian understanding of the military
- tips for making a relationship remain strong through a deployment

They provide 24/7 / 365 days support at all times by e-mail and have live representatives on the phone any time for whatever needs entail being attached to a service member, and the best part is that it is legitimately funded and sponsored by the Armed Forces and 100% free. They are there for the military, their families, and their friends.



Tips for Communicating during Deployment:
http://www.militaryonesource.com/skins/MOS/display.aspx?ModuleID=ae74eaa3-d1b6-4dbd-b23e-354880172094&Mode=User&action=material&CatID=fb92f69d-bd32-4e16-a0d7-0f3074a3241c&IssueID=ab3b1c71-6707-4ce2-be6b-c4362bb94246&ObjectID=e721a2ed-a274-4097-a39c-4767787ced20

and a link off that....


Here's a good one that got popular
http://www.imalreadyhome.com/flatdaddy.htm


[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 8:59 PM. Reason : ]

2/10/2007 8:42:05 PM

also a good thread to bring up Adopt A Soldier /message_topic.aspx?topic=455832

i did

2/10/2007 9:30:25 PM

2/10/2007 9:43:16 PM

^ there's got to be a story behind that picture

Can you share?

2/10/2007 9:45:46 PM

Dude got in a car accident. Wife is thrilled to be getting married.

2/10/2007 9:49:40 PM

Is there a press release telling the story; how did you hear about it?

2/10/2007 9:50:39 PM

fark.com

2/10/2007 10:05:30 PM

Boot camp was fun. Definitely one of the high points in my military stint. The shit sucked when I was going through it, but I can look back now and say it was an enlightening experience.

2/10/2007 10:39:53 PM

Quote :

" I don't think there is anything wrong with killing people. especially if you they deserve it. though whether they do or not is ones opinion."

are you retarded? killing other people is a violation of natural law.

2/10/2007 10:48:08 PM

Quote :

"Someone I'm close to started boot camp 2 weeks and 2 days ago. He signed up for infantry so he wont be finished until May 11th. He wrote once already and I've written back. Still I stay constantly worried about how he is and how he will be once he graduates and gets stationed somewhere. Anyone else been through something similar? Any suggestions to make the time go faster for either of us? Thanks in advance."

when I went thru infantry school I had a girlfriend; sure it was kinda tough being apart, but letter writing and keeping open the lines of communication helped a bunch. besides, when a dude in infantry school gets boxes of cookies all the time and letters smelling like perfume all the time, he quickly becomes "the fuckin man".

so keep writing the letters, keep supportin your man, and it'll be alright.

Quote :

"The only people who go for the infantry are the dumb ones and the fucked-up psychotic ones"

and I'm sure you know this because of your extensive knowledge of US Army Infantrymen. Sure, there's some fuckin retards in the infantry, but there's retards in every MOS of the Army. To be fair, all the infantrymen that I have served with or known (a rather large group, several infantry companies) have pretty much been smarter than the average non-infantry soldier. Which is a good thing, b/c they know how to fight, which they do, when they are unleashed by their commanders.

As far as not being an infantryman during a time of war, how could you look at your grandfathers who did that shit in WW2 and say "oh man grandpapa, my war was so hard, I sat behind a fuckin desk. " I know many WW2 vets who'd slap you in the face if you said that to them.


and to the girl who's man is in the infantry, good luck to the both of you. yeah he might be going to iraq, or afghanistan, so what, its his job, support him, trust that he has the skillset to make it out alive, and youll be fine.

2/10/2007 11:05:17 PM

Quote :

"are you retarded? killing other people is a violation of natural law"

what do you mean? animals in nature kill each other all the time. seems to me that natural law is to kill, its just been gradually suppressed in humans.

2/11/2007 12:12:10 AM

Quote :

"what do you mean? animals in nature kill each other all the time. seems to me that natural law is to kill, its just been gradually suppressed in humans."

you must not read a lot of Locke or Hobbes

2/11/2007 12:16:57 AM

locke and hobbes offer opinions of philosophy. not facts. you make statements as if they are fact. im asking for your explanation.

its easy to hide behind theory. real world application is the bitch.

2/11/2007 1:09:00 AM

so is it acceptable for me to kill you because I view you as a bad guy?

[Edited on February 11, 2007 at 2:05 AM. Reason : locke and hobbes are where the concept of natural law dervives. Life liberty, pursuit of happiness]

2/11/2007 2:05:11 AM

i like how that photo comes from a website all about photoshopping and jokes. that dude looks like darth vador from the last star wars. thats bs

2/11/2007 2:36:20 AM

http://www.worldpressphoto.com/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=875&Itemid=146&bandwidth=high

2/11/2007 2:41:17 AM

Quote :

"i don't know, man. i joined the military for one reason--to get into combat and kill bad guys/break their shit. anything i get that benefits me once i get out is just a bonus."

theDuke866

I hear what you're saying, man, but you know that you don't have to be infantry to kill the enemy (artillery, cavalry, rotorheads, and so on kill regularly, too). Hell, even support personnel are mixing it up in Iraq. I mean, aren't you in flight school? In addition, even if one makes the military a career and is not KIA/MIA, one will be a civilian a lot longer than a military member. It just makes sense to go ahead and get on a career track. In this way, you can let the military pay for market-relevant training; you can kill the bad guys--preferably from a safe distance--and you can go from the military to a good job after. Everybody wins--except the bad guys.

2/11/2007 2:42:36 AM

Quote :

""The only people who go for the infantry are the dumb ones "

signed, John Kerry

2/11/2007 2:45:47 AM

^ Kerry might have said that, but I didn't--and I never would. I just think there are better ways to go. I will stipulate that my position is probably due to my life experiences and that I am no longer a gung-ho twentysomething.

2/11/2007 3:03:19 AM

thanks so much for all the support you guys. I appreciate it- don't be surprised to see this thread bumped every now and then when things get hard.

2/11/2007 8:34:05 AM

Quote :

" I mean, aren't you in flight school?"

yeah, but i'm a navigator. actually the one in charge of the weapons and stuff--but I receive basically no training of any value in the civilian world.

2/11/2007 10:58:55 AM

unless you want to make shit for money as an airline pilot

2/11/2007 1:35:40 PM

Quote :

"I receive basically no training of any value in the civilian world"

oh, please. you'll be set.

especially considering you'll be in training stateside long enough for the dems to force a withdrawl of forces.

2/11/2007 2:37:15 PM

2/11/2007 3:37:22 PM

bwahahahah

2/11/2007 3:43:13 PM

id end my life if that happened to me

2/11/2007 3:47:55 PM

^When she divorces him in 2 years, that's probably what will happen, anyway. They are still in the "kidding themselves" stage.

2/11/2007 3:50:06 PM

Do you have any idea what type of contract he signed? Its not as if all infantry is created equal. God knows if he signed for option 40 the suck hasn't even warmed up. On the other hand if he is going someplace like the 25th it will be far easier to maintain a relationship. Better just hope he wasn't a complete dumbass and left it to the needs of the army. Its the one and only time he would've been able to tell the army what to do and they actually listen. Depending on how he does at Benning he can basically redo his contract but thats no sure thing.

2/11/2007 3:56:54 PM

^x5 I can't help it, that shit is funny.

2/11/2007 5:44:29 PM

Could they not have at least found a photo of a soldier to photoshop, instead they pick a marine...

2/11/2007 5:55:56 PM

Either way it is funny.

2/11/2007 6:05:26 PM

oh i agree, it is funny. i think that it only makes it funnier that the person who made it is knocking the army but cant tell the difference between a soldier and a marine.

2/11/2007 7:04:51 PM

she looks so thrilled to be getting married......
and yeah, they will end up divorcing. She looks shocked. They probably got engaged before he left, and she is doing it out of pitty



[Edited on February 11, 2007 at 7:42 PM. Reason : w]

2/11/2007 7:37:53 PM

Quote :

"unless you want to make shit for money as an airline pilot"

I don't think you're following me. Even though I'm basically getting a masters degree (or maybe even Ph.D would be a better analogy) in aviation, I get only only minimal training in actually flying the airplane. My training doesn't even get me a run of the mill pilot's license (I'm about to get that on my own, on my dollar), much less any sort of paid flying job outside of the military.

Quote :

"oh, please. you'll be set."

well, I should clarify: my background as a military officer (and having a top secret security clearance) will likely prove to be lucrative and/or generally beneficial whenever I get out, but my actual flying job (as opposed to officership experience in general) is of no value in the civilian world. NFO stands for Naval Flight Officer--or "No Future Outside" or "No Future Options", depending on who you ask.

2/11/2007 9:32:57 PM

you'll make bank at Anteon, Northrup, Booz, Mki, or any of those other places


but you'll have to live in Stafford



sorry duke.

2/11/2007 9:35:27 PM

well, what i ultimately want to do is transition to pilot in a couple of years. i want to fly Harriers (or maybe the new F-35, depending on how they decide to employ it, and if it's an option at that point. Cobras would be cool, too.)

[Edited on February 11, 2007 at 9:38 PM. Reason : ^what are those places (besides Northrop. familiar with them.)]

2/11/2007 9:38:18 PM

That sucks dude - I figured you guys would be trained together through the basic stuff before they assigned pilot/navigator slots.

What are the chances you can go get a pilot slot?

2/11/2007 11:33:33 PM

Booz allen hamilton is the largest private employer of cleared employees. High-priced consultants eating at the buffet of defense spending.

2/11/2007 11:48:01 PM

No, they've got no time for glory in the Infantry.
No, they've got no use for praises loudly sung,
But in every soldier's heart in all the Infantry
Shines the name, shines the name of Rodger Young.

Shines the name--Rodger Young!
Fought and died for the men he marched among.
To the everlasting glory of the Infantry
Lives the story of Private Rodger Young.

Caught in ambush lay a company of riflemen--
Just grenades against machine guns in the gloom--
Caught in ambush till this one of twenty riflemen
Volunteered, volunteered to meet his doom.

Volunteered, Rodger Young!
Fought and died for the men he marched among.
In the everlasting annals of the Infantry
Glows the last deed of Private Rodger Young.

It was he who drew the fire of the enemy
That a company of men might live to fight;
And before the deadly fire of the enemy
Stood the man, stood the man we hail tonight.

On the island of New Georgia in the Solomons,
Stands a simple wooden cross alone to tell
That beneath the silent coral of the Solomons,
Sleeps a man, sleeps a man remembered well.

Sleeps a man, Rodger Young,
Fought and died for the men he marched among.
In the everlasting spirit of the Infantry
Breathes the spirit of Private Rodger Young.

No, they've got no time for glory in the Infantry,
No, they've got no use for praises loudly sung,
But in every soldier's heart in all the Infantry
Shines the name, shines the name of Rodger Young.

Shines the name--Rodger Young!
Fought and died for the men he marched among.
To the everlasting glory of the Infantry
Lives the story of Private Rodger Young.

2/12/2007 12:42:50 AM

Okay guys- are we sure I can send pictures??

2/12/2007 6:56:17 AM

Yeah sending him pictures is a 1000 times more honorable than putting them out on the internet, at least you keep you exposure down. The question is who is gonna take them for you?

2/12/2007 7:02:32 AM

haha not those kinds of pictures! It plainly says not to send porn on their website.

[Edited on February 12, 2007 at 7:04 AM. Reason : .]

2/12/2007 7:04:24 AM

Yeah they dont mean that. Im sure they dont mean it.

2/12/2007 7:06:28 AM

it may say that, but porn is exactly what they need. believe that.

2/12/2007 7:07:04 AM

write lots of letters, send pics, send newspaper clippings

just keep encouraging him.


ET3 Faircloth, USN
Harry S. Truman, CVN75
Norfolk, VA

2/12/2007 8:28:42 AM

Quote :

"As far as not being an infantryman during a time of war,"

Navy
Air force
Air support (army)
Forward Medical Unit
Transport

to name a few...

2/12/2007 8:44:29 AM

Quote :

"so is it acceptable for me to kill you because I view you as a bad guy?"

this is a debate for another thread.

2/12/2007 11:42:52 AM