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7/27/2008 12:47:14 AM

naw, ShepnXel, wateverthafuckyernameis

i aint sayin you might not have had a relatively rough time or three.

but seriously... i look at your profile, and see a 24-year-old college senior, good lookin dude with a good lookin gal, drives a motherfuckin CORVETTE...

and i see someone who hasn't really suffered too terribly much.

i mean i could be wrong.

but thats what i see.

7/27/2008 12:49:08 AM

(there's several things, big whoop, wanna fight about? lol)

-served my country, stateside and overseas, during peace and combat, especially the combat part, because now me and my grandpa can hang out on the porch and shoot the shit about war stories (though he still sometimes doesn't get why I could do things I could, but its all good).

-in doing the first one, I was able to fulfill something that I always hoped that I wouldn't have to do, but would have the courage and fortitude to stand up and fight if needed. (and also keeping my cool under fire and giving the business back).

-putting myself through school and graduating, especially while doing part of it while deployed.

-realizing that part of my life is done, and moving on before I got burned out or too fucked up in the head.

-getting into grad school (first in the family-ever).

-minimal amount of debt

-growing up to be the kind of man my dad taught me to be; and the fact that my dad (my childhood hero) now says that I'm his hero (for my service).

-when I came home one time on emergency leave b/c my aunt was dying of cancer, and the house was in chaos (she was in hospice care) because of people coming by at all times of the night, completely driving my cousin and other aunt (who were taking care of the sick aunt) crazy, I was the one who stepped in bigtime and helped them out, creating some order out of the chaos, and was able to be there holding my aunt's hand at 332am when she took her last breath. (RIP aunt bobbie)

-getting said cousin (who is the same age as me but way smarter) to get out of the factory job she hated and into college (she starts this fall, and I'm paying her tuition at first just to help make it happen).

-succeeding when others believed I would fail (fuck you HS teachers)

-walking my own path, and while I have had failures in parts of it, realizing the lessons of those failures and not making the same mistakes again which has been essential in my current path of success.

-my 2 nieces and 1 nephew (they're awesome)

-just being the person I have become

7/27/2008 12:52:46 AM

quick apologies to ScHpEnXeL

i should know better than to judge people on appearances.

there's just so much you can never know about a persons life history

7/27/2008 1:03:05 AM

sorry, probably shouldn't have worded it that extreme--i'm SURE there's someone with a worse story than mine

most ppl just take me for the average rich kid whose parents bought him a corvette or something..

7/27/2008 1:09:25 AM

i have 6 people that consider me their best friend.

In a world where they say you're lucky if you have 1... i'd say I'm most proud of that.

7/27/2008 1:12:36 AM

^^

Quote :

"i'm SURE there's someone with a worse story than mine"

there's ALWAYS a worse story.

my wife works on the infectious disease floor of the major regional trauma hospital covering four states. its also the primary care facility for indigents, homeless, iv drug users, etc. they dont turn anyone away.

the place is totally


there aint a single person here that can hold a candle to the problems any one in the patient population that hospital has.




[Edited on July 27, 2008 at 1:16 AM. Reason : ]

7/27/2008 1:13:36 AM

agreed

7/27/2008 1:14:48 AM

my son.

7/27/2008 2:13:18 AM

Quote :

"AxlBonBach: i have 6 people that consider me their best friend."

you little fucking tramp. cant trust you evangelical rightwingers with your personal relationships. always running around behind everyones backs.





so what's it gonna take to get a 7th "best friend", eh sailor?

:wink: :wink: :nudge: :nudge: :say no more:

7/27/2008 2:20:08 AM

There been days that I go into a high school and start takin pictures of people, and I don't think about them at all. And then there comes up a girl who's ugly and dressed shitty, like I used to do. If there's nobody else waiting in line, I'll go out of my way to make her picture count, and make her look amazing. Like a glamour shot. I'll crack a dumb joke or act the clown and she'll smirk, or I'll coach her until she's got the exact expression I know she'll love when it's on paper.

It's the look on her face, and on my brides' faces, when they look at the pic on the LCD, that changes my world. It's making them happy to be in their own skin, satisfied in their own experession. I can go home and know that I made her day.

7/27/2008 2:25:03 AM

getting admited into NC State......






......TWICE!

7/27/2008 2:25:27 AM

The only thing I could say I'm proud of are some of the women I've fucked

Everything else in my life just seems like part of the plan, but nailing a knockout is always an accomplishment

7/27/2008 2:26:25 AM

i wouldn't know. i never nailed any knockouts. i spent my years shooting fish in the barrel.


when i finally got a hot chick for once in my life, i married her.




[Edited on July 27, 2008 at 2:31 AM. Reason : ]

7/27/2008 2:30:13 AM

fighting in an unpopular war. Not just serving. No American has ever sincerely said thanks, they do it out of some sense of guilt. But I have met so many grateful Iraqi men, women and children that some days it makes it all worth it.

7/27/2008 2:53:18 AM

I'll say thanks. And I mean it.

Thanks.

My appreciation may not mean as much personally to me as an Iraqi but I still appreciate it.

7/27/2008 2:58:29 AM

^^ im glad it's worthwhile to you. i imagine i would try to find the same sort of satisfaction if i were there.

i sincerely hope you return all in one piece.

7/27/2008 3:00:30 AM

how many people you've killed is directly proportionate to my level of thanks

7/27/2008 3:01:23 AM

man, now im feeling guilty about not sayin thanks first

7/27/2008 3:01:59 AM

Speaking of which I've got buddies laying up in Walter Reed right now (some missing limbs, one missing a face) and they said Chuck Norris came by to visit them. One said in his email "I was like Oh shit dude! He's come to finish me off"

I am proud to have served with guys who have such an indomitable spirit.

7/27/2008 3:07:06 AM

hey, hkrock

you know, stories of individual perseverance are always good for a few ooh-rahs, and maybe a few tears. I'm also glad to hear you find pride in your work.

But sorry if i'm not going to congratulate or thank you for volunteering to go kill/save people in some far-off land, in a personal war of choice being waged by Dubya the Deficient and his largely incompetent and highly deceptive Administration. because nothing we've done in Iraq is going to benefit the US in the long term. Now we're just fighting to return everything back to the zero-baseline, after we've already fucked it all up and good.

so, whatever. that's your choice in life. and like I said, I'm glad you're happy with it. I believe you when you say that you are personally doing good things for some (or many) people in Iraq. I belive that many individual US soldiers and Marines, adn their units are doing good things. And I'm glad to hear the Iraqis are appreciative. Because we sure are paying the price for their appreciation.

but the larger issue is that it has nothing to do, ultimately, with you or them.

the larger issue is that my child (and yours if you have any) is going to be part of the generation responsible for paying back the $1 Trillion (and counting) that we've borrowed (largely from China) to finance this ill-advised episode of Adventures in American Swashbuckling in the 21st Century.

sucks for them. our children, that is. but at least you're having a decent time.

just dont make it worse on everyone and come home in a box. or some unreachable mental condition. i feel such pain for the guys coming home "missing limbs" or "with their faces blown off". their tragedy, like the tens of thousands of similar American casualties, could have been avoided.








[Edited on July 27, 2008 at 3:31 AM. Reason : ]

7/27/2008 3:18:52 AM

well yeah.

Plus I donate heavily to Wounded Warrior Project for good karma. I've done enough for bad karma.

And this is the only war we've got.

7/27/2008 3:28:14 AM

Should I be proud of my black belts, the decades of training I've put in to the martial arts? I'm more proud of the students I've taught, watching Tristan suddenly learn how to get power out of his throws, Mike Viana FINALLY learning to use his damn left hand with that uchi mata. Derrick getting his first MMA win last week.
I AM proud of the fact that I successfully defended myself from a mugger once. Friends of friends know that story, randomly, and I don't find this out until I meet new people and they're like, "Were you the one that broke that mugger's nose?" One of my more interesting stories, at least.
I'm proud I had the balls to step up and try to serve my country. I signed Uncle Sam's contract on the dotted line, took the oath, then promptly came down with a bacterial infection that I still don't know what the fuck it was, halfway through Basic Training and had to get shipped home. (LONG story.) But the fact that I put my money where my mouth was, I'm proud of that. I'd be prouder if I actually accomplished something in the military, and I don't usually brag about what happened, but there is a sense of personal pride from it.
Damn, didn't figure DNL to be this introspective, and especially not to trigger me being introspective.

7/27/2008 3:31:00 AM

joe_schmoe,

what you should thank veterans for is very simple. You should thank them for having the balls to decide to defend their country (regardless of a popular or unpopular war or action) against any enemy, foreign or domestic. You should thank them for the fact that they are there, ready to protect your freedoms IF EVER someone decides to try and take them away. Don't hate on the troops because you disagree with the policy of elected officials. Thank the troops for being ready, protest against the politicians (if you so desire) for doing something fucked up; but don't blame the troops. Yes they volunteered, but they volunteered for it all, good and bad, regardless of the decisions by civilian authorities. These guys will fight if someone invades America or if (you think) a bad war choice has been made. Get over yourself and say thanks, because they're the ones that's gonna stand up and fight when you won't.

-R

(also, there's no reason to try and shit on something that someone else is proud of, especially if that thing that someone is proud of is fighting with that American flag on their shoulder).

7/27/2008 3:54:42 AM

yeah, yeah, i hear you already. I knew you (or someone else) was going to say, because ive heard it all before. im a veteran too, I served during Gulf I. Just save your thanks, because i dont need or want or deserve it.

Now, lets get this straight. i am not denigrating or "shitting on" any individuals, or soldiers/sailors/marines in general. With only a small few notable exceptions, they have acted professionally and with integrity in what is a very trying time.

You already know what the military is. For those who dont, let me spell it out:

in its current incarnation, our profesional, all-volunteer US Armed Services employ a mutually-beneficial business relationship between an individual and a very specific organization -- each of whom lacks something the other has, and each of whom has something the other wants.

so you sign a contract to give the military what they want, and they promise to give you want you want. (sometimes what you want is not tangible.) the trick is, of course, to not die during the contract phase. unless you have a martyr's complex, or you're a Viking who's looking to get into Valhalla, but that's another issue...

so do me a favor and do your job, please don't get killed or maimed. Just dont come back demanding thanks for some contract you entered into for your own reasons, whatever those reasons were. Don't ask us to mouth platitudes, and we wont give you political sermons.


the whole problem here is, that no matter how brave and noble our military is, our war in Iraq is NOT protecting america. Our soldiers are doing a bangup job, better than anyone could have hoped. But this war isnt helping america in any measurable way. CIVILIAN leadership botched the whole operation from the very start, from BEFORE the start, and now we're just trying to return Iraq and the region to a more-or-less "zero baseline" and then GTFO. this has been an extremely costly endeavor, and we're now battling for a stalemate. this fact, as i see it, has absolutely nothing positive or negative to do with individual service members.

A FINAL NOTE:

other professions dont ask the public to thank them for doing their job. im not going to thank the professional soldiers either.

nothing personal








[Edited on July 27, 2008 at 5:20 AM. Reason : ]

7/27/2008 4:53:28 AM

Graduated from NCSU
Currently working on my Masters degree (will be first in my family)

I am proud of the difference that I make in student's lives.
Single handedly I have raised the gpa of a group of students from 1.9 to a 2.8 in just two semesters.

I am most proud of the relationship that I have with my husband and the love that we share.

7/27/2008 10:38:22 AM

Quote :

" I'd have to agree. I've overcome a lot in my past that really could have gotten the better of me. I'm proud of myself for not letting that happen and also glad that my past has helped shape who I am today. I'm also proud of myself for the things that I have wanted and gone after (instead of sitting by and being too scared to take a chance). Even if they haven't turned out ideally, at least I have chased some of my dreams."

I have overcome a lot but unfortunately it has caused me to grow roots.. roots i never wanted. I have dreams i want to go after and right now I'm re-organizing my life to give my self the ability to chase them. And i guess i can be proud I'm taking the initiative to do that but it also sucks to have to.

7/27/2008 10:42:51 AM