A-ha! I didn't now that. So you can't see mine either? I thought that everyone was privy to my disfavour by "the brass". :)


You'll have to forgive my ignorance ... what does it mean "GWoT"? Is it something to do with Global Warming?

i believe it's an acronym for "global war on terror..."

Ah yes, that makes sense. It's the first time I've seen it.


I see your point now.

Who is it that's waging that war anyway? It looks like it could be "the chicken or egg" to me. :oogle:

bump...

GWoT? Oh, that's that brainchild of George Dubya and all his little minions.

Basics - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Terrorism

"Progress" - http://www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/progress/

Wait... he's banned. :confused:

but the thread ain't...

Howdy, gang. Just popping in and bumping the thread by way of introduction.

Just got back from my second trip over to Ee-raq-nam less than a week ago. Yeah, I'm a wuss for only going twice... but OTOH, it was a year each time. Slated to go for another 12 starting in June, but we'll see.

I'd like to start by sharing the coolest fucking Christmas card EVER, which still hangs inside the 'expeditionary patrol base' we have in the sleepy little town of Khaffajiya:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2350/...41643c8ece.jpg

Glad I found this thread. I'll probably be back here. A lot.

e5d, i'm saving that picture to e-mail out this christmas to anyone i know who is over there...thanks for sharing...

E5D- that pic is great. none of our Christmas cards were that cool :p

NSFW

Hell, I have a picture of the single best card you can get while deployed:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13...steryCard1.jpg http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13...steryCard2.jpg

Lemme tell ya, Sgt Dubois was walkin' on sunshine for a month after that one.

...

Most of us didn't get a whole lot of mail while deployed. Sometimes what we got was straight bad.

:rolleyes:

lemme guess...his nickname was "woody?"

Doobie... but Woody would have worked. He was pretty damn stiff-assed for a genius farm boy.

I remember when he got that card... man, everybody was excited for him.

He married that girl, BTW. He's one of the ones that got called back with me.

Okay, well, I can admit when I'm beat. That pretty much tops mine! :D

haha, yeah... helluva card!

bump for the weekend...

To my brothers-in-arms, you may be gone but NEVER forgotten.

/Salute

How lame is it that I have absolutely NO PLANS this weekend? Seriously, not even a cookout or anything.

I'm hoping something just falls into my lap, else I'll spend a lot of time PTing.

On Sunday, the NJ Patriot Guard will be participating in a memorial park dedication. Along with their families, most of whom we were with in their darkest time, we will stand in honor of these brave men and women who, in doing their job, paid the ultimate sacrifice.
If you want to spend this weekend doing what it's meant for, there's no finer way than 'Standing with Respect".
To find something in your area, just go to the column on the right: Patriot Guard

You don't have to be on two wheels, you just have to have respect.
Have a safe and peaceful Memorial Day weekend, everyone.

In memory of SPC Benjamin Smith (November 2005, Baghdad, Iraq), SSG Charles Browning (01Jun07, Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan, B Co, 1-158 Inf Bn) and PFC Mykel Miller (06Sep07, Zabul, Afghanistan, B Co, 1-158 Inf Bn)

^

Erm... yeah, I was logged in as TM... but I'm sure the sentiments are shared between us!

bump for buddah...

Just because this might be the right place to share: I started my new assignment this month as a Platoon Sergeant at the Wounded Warrior Battalion here. It's keeping me busy as hell, but I'm really beginning to think I made the right choice in seeking out and accepting the billet.

There's a lot of guys who are hurt pretty bad physically, and I think we are all, to varying degrees, a little different mentally - not always for the best. I include myself, though I'm not combat wounded and managed to zig when I should have zigged.

There's also a good number of just plain injured Marines, not combat-related, who are either trying to recover in time to get back to their unit prior to deploying, or get fit enough to stay in and carry on their careers. It's pretty inspirational at times.

I'll admit outright I have no real point to this post, but I do want to say that if anyone has any questions at all about how we're taking care of our Wounded Warriors - whether you're military or not, or just curious about how your tax dollars are spent - you can feel free to PM or email me anytime. It might take me a bit to reply, but I'll likely answer any questions you have and more.

It's just something I'm proud of, because we're doing it RIGHT. I like to share that whenever I can.

bump for the 4th...

interesting story...

back in may, i finally was able to contact my niece's husband who is an air force captain in kabul. asked him what aunt phil or i could do for him or send him to make his life a little more comfortable. he said he really misses his irish whiskey, as the whole asian sub-continent is "dry." the flourescent tube lit up in my head. went to the liquor store and got a big bottle of jameson's. went to the drug store and got a big botltle of listerene, a tube of toothpaste, and a toothbrush. emptied the listerene bottle and flushed it out for a week. poured in the ol' jameson's, tightened the cap, put tape around the cap and neck, put it in a box with the toothpaste and toothbrush, took it to the "pack & mail," labeled the package "oral hygeine supplies," and sent it to afghanistan priority usps mail. only cost about six bucks.

three days later, captain "nameless" received it. made him smile :)

he came back on leave for 30 days on the 4th of july and we managed to get a round of golf in last saturday before i came down here. he golfed for free, and had lunch and "nineteenth-hole libations" covered by the golf course owner. hope to get out with him at least once more before he has to go back.

we can do a lot for our guys if we think about it...

Great post Uncle Phil, thank you for sharing. You are right. There is really a lot more we could be doing for our service men and women, both active and inactive.

I think we should be doing more for our guys too.

Nothing really happened while I was in, only thing near 'shit" I got into was going through Shellback initiation. For you non-sailors or "Wogs' out there that's when a sailor crosses the equator for the first time.

It starts at midnight with a call for all "Wogs" to report to "King Neptune" and his assistant "Davy Jones." At first it's just lot of crawling around getting your ass kicked by Shellbacks. They make paddles out of sections of 1 1/2" fire hose. You spend most of the night crawling around on the deck getting your "slimy Wog" ass whooped by "trustee Shellbacks." Around sun up they start running Wogs through a perverted obstacle course. Crawling through rotting food left over from the mess, getting locked in a "saltwater Coffin" locked in the "stocks" while more Shellbacks kick your ass. Then it's on to the onion toilet where you get to take a big tasty bite out of an onion floating in the bowl. Finally on you're knees you're lead up to "King Neptune" and forced to eat a cherry out of his belly button which is covered on axle grease. From then on you're a Shellback.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/...10902a.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/...acdfbd.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/...81e0bf.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/...9cafa9.jpg?v=0

shoot, i've been across the equator more than a few times, crossed a few datelines and meantimes in my day, and never had to put up with that, cowboy...

what branch did you say you were in? :)

Crossing the dateline gets you an "Order of the Golden Dragon." No BS involved in that, least not on the ship I was on.

But yeah, for some unknown reason the Navy gets a reputation as being full of whack jobs. I think it's all that time at sea with (supposedly) no alcohol. Part of the fun and games on my ship included shaving your left leg. I still have a bald spot where the hair just never grew back.

Along with the wall hanging you get a card. I've been told to hang onto that card, loose it and you go through the whole mess again. I still have mine.

Here's a list of line crossing associated with sailors:

Line-crossing ceremony - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'll have you know that it's a fairly common gig with people back home. Ours was a Costco sized Listerine bottle filled with tequila. Mmmmm...

Also, I came across this little tidbit today... something that I'd jotted on a forum while I was deployed. It was in a letter sent to me by a guy from another forum I participated in while I was deployed.

I have seen those shellback certificates before and forgotten completely about them until seeing this thread. It was no doubt somewhere on the JFK (now decommed, may she rust in peace, oh wait that was already happening during my stay there :eek:)

I am grateful that my med cruises were in my single days with only a car waiting for me getting ocean rot (gotta love living right on the Florida coast) and have much much respect for those that are doing them now - I saw a few people get 'dear john' letters in the mail and would miss my family horribly now doing that 6+ month deployment.

And the water in the Persian Gulf is quite hot, the seawater injection temp was 97 degrees, and the mainspaces were hitting 130-140 easily. Much cooler to go the north anlantic. :thumbsup:
something pertinent here:
my only major post in my 'recollections' category on my blog about steaming into the heart of a hurricane

bump for veterans day 2008...

bump, prompted by the VA thread in MP...

I'm excited about the Post-9/11 GI Bill that we've been promised. It'll essentially double my check every month.

Which is good... since paying for big boy college is almost as bad as getting your leg blown off by an IED.

been there...done that...

i went through the same shit you're doing, cromp, 40 years ago...

Does it get easier?

nope...

you know that...

stay with school, do what you have to do your way, and take the ups and downs as they come...

we've all been there, but some of us are better prepared...

know what i mean?

Instructions: Remain calm.

Gotcha.

I actually had a dream the other night where I was going back into active duty service as a cook - no doubt caused by my current occupation of a cook. It was a bit odd as I was in engineering/smelled like diesel fuel most of my four years.

I sometimes have dreams where I'm back getting mortared and shot at in the desert. No volume, just blue light and moondust everywhere.

on occasion I have had dreams where I was walking around the ship again.

I don't know what to tell you Cromp. When I first redeployed I thought PTSD was a complete and total myth as all my guys seemed (to me) very well adjusted in comparison to the things they had seen/done. Nobody has turned into an emotional wreck, but over time most of us have been a little off. I still wake up at the slightest noise, my startle response is through the roof and I have some dreams. Not real nightmares, just slightly uncomfortable ones where I will be trying to shoot a bad guy and my weapon won't fire. Other guys had other problems but have slowly worked through them, though none were the classic basket cases depicted in books.

I personally think people who are not truly prepared for what they saw/did are more prone to issues.

Slims: When I said get easier... I was referring to civilian life and relationships.

The things I can't put into a "task condition standard / purpose direction motivation" template.

I still miss the mark 19's making a thunk noise everytime you shot them. I am glad to be out, but Now I work for a civilian company but they have a store on POST and here I am again. hehe.

I always want to talk people in getting out though, since my experience was a good one, but I just didnt like how the military molds you a certain way. it goes against my ways of always growning and learning new things type of thing. I guess all the military aspect of it, I did not want to learn. not all of it that is. But since they dont know i was prior service, they would be like, "who the heck does he think he is" type of deal. So I just keep to myself and my mouth shut. haa

First time I noticed this thread. I am actually deployed currently but am only a few days away from demob...

It has been a interesting 13 months, but suprisingly time flew by. So after putting my life on hold for over a year, I can't wait to get back and move on.

How about the where / what, bro? We all like to hear the buzz from the sandbox.

i was in al anbar for most of my deployment....anbar is pretty damn safe now...i think in the months i was there my area only had like 12 sig acts...

now i am in mosul, we have on the average more than 12 sig acts a day....

we were doing the PiTT mission working with IP's and ISF in general.....

Hah, I was in Mosul in '03. The bad old days.

Ha, knew there had to be a thread for veterans somewhere in TFP, so I'm a-bumpin' it.http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/o...Funny/bump.jpg

got this one too, fug...

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/general...-were-you.html

Update: Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) is taking applications starting in May, payments begin in August.

Huge difference in $$$ if I've read it correctly. Nice to know I'll go from making $1400 to roughly $2500 a month.

Yeehaw.

Thanx, UP :thumbsup:

hehe...

i started at 135.00/mo, ended up at 225.00/mo...

worked 20-40 hrs. a week but didn't owe nobody nothin' on graduation day...

'course, i had to pay rent, food and tuition...

and beer...

Illinois Veteran's Grant covered my tuition, which was sweeeeet

Yeah, Chapter 33 covers 100% tuition, $1000 a year for books, and monthly rent at the zip code of the school.

Rockin' time to be gettin' outta the army these days. Only noticeable good thing the Bush II era did for us, IMRO.

Did you get GI Bill on top of that? Wow, I bet you were "ridin' dirty" for a while.

Yep, but twenty years ago the benefits of the ACF and GI Bill weren't nearly as lucrative. Still, if I remember correctly, it was about 500 dollars a month, which went a long way towards rent, etc.

bump for the weekend...

...i'm here to say a big "THANK YOU" to ALL you veterans for serving our country to protect our citizens and our freedoms. Words cannot describe my gratitude. You all rock!
:icare:

This is a place for everyone, thanks!

---------- Post added at 12:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 AM ----------

Saw this on CNN this morning. Found it interesting-

Map the Fallen

Thanks for that, Tully.

If for some reason I don't get around to posting tomorrow--have a good Memorial Day, veterans and civilians alike.

Memorial Day Tribute
 

Generation upon generation have produced heroes who have given their all for America and for the good of the world. I pray for the fallen and their families. May i live my life so as to honor their sacrifice.

(i know this youtube is titled veterans day but the message is the same)
A heartfelt THANK YOU....Kindest regards, Shell

As a veteran this is EXACTLY what I wanted to do this Memorial day....Work. Gotta love a car dealership that wants to cash in on a holiday such as this. I even had to gripe with the owner about the American flag this morning, which is STILL flying at full mast as I type this. What a disgrace.

Anyway, A thought filled Memorial day to all the veterans on this forum, and everywhere else. And a special thank you to all those currently serving. Today is a happy day as well as a sad one as my oldest daughter is shipping out today to head to Fort Jackson to begin her basic training for the Texas Army National Guard.

The more that time goes by... the more I think about stepping back into the uniform.

The market is good and my resume is loaded... I could get any job I want in the military.

Choices to make.

bump...

Today is the Fourth of July 2009

"O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!"

RAY CHARLES version of America the Beautiful:

My brother returned from his tour in Afghanistan this month. While I'm proud of him for picking up his E5, I'm glad to have him stateside again.

bump...

I missed some on my "pointless announcement" but I hope all the vets have a good day.
It's not necessarily a "happy veteran's day" wish, because memories aren't always happy.
I hope y'all find some love and support today.

"C-130 rollin' down the street... like aluminum foil stuffed full of meat. 64 idiots, destination unknown... wife's with the cable guy back at home."

"Way down in the jungle where the coconuts grow lives a mean motherfucker named Ranger Joe."

Up jumped the monkey from the coconut grove, he was a bad motherfucker - you could tell by his clothes. He wore BDUs and a dirty jeep cap... screamin', "Fuck your PT, I've got the coffee craps."

To all veterans past and present, who risk and had risked life and limb to provide for the safety and security of our nations and nations in need:

We will never forget you.



We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

We will remember them....

I'm the 49-year old man who gets choked up at Veteran's Parades and memorials.

I cannot express how thankful and grateful I am for all that you do.

God bless you.

Baraka: More like boredom, frustration, and divorce. Those were far more prevalent opponents than IEDs, indirect, and small arms.

...

That said... here's to Rob (foot), Keck (hand), Deyeso (back), Fleeting (brain), and one of the best 1SGs I ever knew (indirect).

P9: Those too involve risks to life and limb.

So...I'm at Omaha's Mermorial Park, representing my American Legion post at the ceremonies today, when some Amnesty International yahoo, dressed in a thrift store suit, tries to shout down the MC. About a half dozen Legion Riders (You know...the guys who stand between servicemen's funerals and those a-holes from Westboro Baptist Church?) physically pick him up and carry him off, kicking and screaming, up and over the hill behind a the WWII monument. The MC, a local news weatherman who is also a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves, never misses a single beat. While it was funny watching the protection staff for Senator's Nelson and Johanns, Congressman Terry, Governor Heineman and Mayor Suttle scrambling around, yet doing nothing, while the Legion Riders took care of it. The funniest part was when the guy just suddenly, and very noticably, got quiet after they took him over the hill. The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch.

So, in addition to my annual thanking of the veterans, I would also like to send a special thank you to all members of the American Legion Riders.

Oh, and for those of you that may actually give a shit, the protestor is fine. I saw him as I was leaving, talking to mounted members of the Omaha Police. They were, as you may have guessed, decidedly unsympathetic to his complaints of the trampling of his constitutional rights.

..

bump...

Thank you UnclePhil for your service and to all those on this forum and those everywhere who served your country, your efforts for all of us Americans are not loss, not ever..... May all of our Memorial Day celebrations be filled with memories of our loved ones and blessings to each and every individual who gave and is giving of themselves in the name of freedom over tyranny.

My husband recently retired after 23 years of service, I am honored to be his wife and appreciate everyday, the life he invested in the care of our country, and still invests as a private contractor for the dod, and his daily efforts to further assist in thwarting terrorism.

God Bless America.

For some wild 'n crazy reason I'm spending Memorial Day in a crackhouse-lookin' hotel room with a giant pile of guns as part of my attendance of a 3-day GI Joe class that takes places 8+ hours each day in an empty field in 90+ degree weather... instead of drinking beer, grilling out, and getting laid.

God bless America.

I'm gonna spend mine getting a tattoo. Thanks to all those who have fought, suffered from boredom, and risked death in war zones. Your collective sacrifices continue to inspire me. Oorah.

bump for the 4th...

Urrh.

America... fuck yeah!

Marine Corps vet here. I'll spruce up my profile tomorrow when I wake up, but one thing I've been seeing these past few years I hate is the way EVERY fucking holiday that has anything to do with the service (and some that don't) has become "9/11 Day". It's a goddamn shame and a bit of a dishonor to be memorializing the victims of 9/11 on the 4th of July, for example (just because it's the closest one coming to mind). Their loss has NOTHING to do with the fight for our country's freedom 200 and some-odd years ago. Save the 9/11 memorials for September.

Amen

just got this in an e-mail and thought it was funny enough to post/discuss/whatever...

(hey, it is my thread...)

Military Rules by Service

Marine Corps Rules:

1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
2. Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough.
3. Have a plan.
4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work.
5. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a '4.'
7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral & diagonal preferred.)
9. Use cover and concealment as much as possible.
10. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your intention to shoot.


Navy SEALS Rules:
1. Look very cool in sunglasses.
2. Kill every living thing within view.
3. Adjust speedo.
4. Check hair in mirror.


US Army Rangers Rules:
1. Walk 50 miles wearing 75 pound rucksack while starving.
2. Locate individuals requiring killing.
3. Request permission via radio from 'Higher' to perform killing.
4. Curse bitterly when mission is aborted.
5. Walk out 50 miles wearing a 75 pound rucksack while starving.

US Army Rules:
1. Curse bitterly when receiving operational order.
2. Make sure there is extra ammo and extra coffee.
3. Curse bitterly.
4. Curse bitterly.
5. Do not listen to 2nd LTs; it can get you killed.
6. Curse bitterly.


US Air Force Rules:
1. Have a cocktail.
2. Adjust temperature on air-conditioner.
3. See what's on HBO.
4. Ask 'What is a gunfight?'
5. Request more funding from Congress with a 'killer' Power Point presentation.
6. Wine & dine ''key' Congressmen, invite DOD & defense industry executives.
7. Receive funding, set up new command and assemble assets.
8. Declare the assets 'strategic' and never deploy them operationally.
9. Hurry to make 13:45 tee-time.
10. Make sure the base is as far as possible from the conflict but close enough to have tax exemption.

US Navy Rules:
1. Go to Sea.
2. Drink Coffee.
3. Deploy Marines

You left "clean shitters" off the Navy list.

Air Force jokes always get me.

i was there, and i wish it was like that...

I'm a daughter of a veteran. Is it okay if I post here?

"US Air Force Rules:
1. Have a cocktail."

While my father was attending officer training in Brownsville ,Texas -1957-58?
He was amazed by the two fountains. A fountain of champagne & a fountain of Manhattans. They were well trained to drink like Manly grown up Frat bros.

I remember the day my father sat us down for an important goodbye.
He was heading for the alert-shacks during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
My dad was a navigator & his best friend pilot was his Colonel.

I was too young at that time to grasp the gravity of the political situation,
but I'll never forget the grave look on my father's face,
and my mother's silent trembling as the three of us sat on the rough-textured nubbly colorless sofa.

The guys waiting for orders in the alert-shacks played numerous games of cribbage,
to pass the time.
Dad taught me how to play cribbage when I was eight. He was a good teacher.

I wish I was Air Force. I spent enough time in their friggin' planes.

I sent the list in Phil's post to a Marine friend of mine he said "when in doubt, empty the magazine" should be added.

Also, asked a question: What do you feel when you kill the enemy? A little recoil.

There is no mention of paratroopers in that list and that makes me feel like they've missed a great opportunity to make fun of the US Army.

oh yeah, the "perfectly good airplane" thing...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ments/bump.jpg

for veterans day week...

same-same for memorial day weekend...

somebody hit me with this recently, i think it was bobby...

Names of Vietnam War casualties by city and state www.VirtualWall.org

speaking of vets, where the hell is 9ner these days?

Thanks for this, whoever or where ever it came from. I was able to find some info on my moms uncle. My moms been working on a family tree since the first episode of "Roots" aired. Even she didn't know the details of what happened to him.