Author Topic: Military life (Read 931 times)

Wlfgng · « **Reply #30 on:** August 23, 2002, 12:18:22 AM »

Offut.. man I remember an MSET team we had to drop off there... 35knot crosswinds, normally we'd pass on that but they insisted.

looking back down the fuselage during landing I could see the twist all the way down.. runway going back and forth from one side window to the other..
then sitting on the runway refueling and the plane was moving around, flexing the tires, from the wind.

did I say wind? I mean WIND !!!
lol

~~and yep, it was the 6th. we may have even run into each other. seems like all of the guys that flew did sooner or later.~~

easymo · « **Reply #31 on:** August 23, 2002, 01:15:44 AM »

Trying to cook powdered eggs with powdered milk in a steel helmet. Just drop a black iodine pill into the canteen full of brown water you just watched a water buffalo piss in. And mix it up. Not to mention the 786 bucks a year. Ya! man thats the good life.

Monk · « **Reply #32 on:** August 23, 2002, 02:23:55 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by easymo
Not to mention the 786 bucks a year. Ya! man thats the good life.

Hehe......when the hell were you in?

easymo · « **Reply #33 on:** August 23, 2002, 03:13:11 AM »

I was looking for some papers a wile back. Ran into my W-2 form from 1968. They took out 81 dollers in taxes. I got extra for my hazerdous duty pay. Fat city.

senna · « **Reply #34 on:** August 23, 2002, 03:32:26 AM »

Hehe, alot of great stuff in this thread. Im glad I asked the question (figured alot of former military people here).

Monk · « **Reply #35 on:** August 23, 2002, 03:51:10 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by easymo
I was looking for some papers a wile back. Ran into my W-2 form from 1968. They took out 81 dollers in taxes. I got extra for my hazerdous duty pay. Fat city.

.....ouch:(
I think I was making about 1300 a month when I got out.

Wlfgng · « **Reply #36 on:** August 23, 2002, 10:19:02 AM »

those used to seem like high numbers

Sikboy · « **Reply #37 on:** August 23, 2002, 01:35:08 PM »

I can only offer my own observations, which may or may not be similar to other expressed here.

To start with, I was raised to join. There was no doubt in my mind growing up. I was pretty well prepared when I got there, which is more than I can say for a lot of my fellow squids.

Actual on the job routine was similar to what I'm doing today. That is, I get up, I take a shower I go to work. Yes, we had occasional formation (and yes I squeaked about them) and yes we had to sit through at least one GMT (General Military Training, or Gross Missuse of Time , you make the call) but at the end of the day it wasn't that bad. I worked 12 hour toejamfs and had 3 days on, then three days off. As I Russian Linguist my job was boring boring boring borgin boring holyshitwhatthehellwasthat boring boring boring.

When I look back now, I'm amazed at how much we drank, but frankly it wasn't all that much more than dedicated college kids drink. I believe "Party like Rock Stars" was the catch phrase. I've puked in several countries, got rolled in Hong Kong, beat senseless in Hirosaki, and had to spend 300 bucks to catch the bullet train from Tokyo to avoid being U/A (AWOL) once. Am I proud of this? it was just stuff we did. We didn't have to drink so much, in fact there were pleanty of folks who didn't. But hey, we were sailors, we had a rep to protect.

Going to sea was alltogether different. 12 hours on 12 hours off. Not day off unless we hit a port. Then everyone shuffles off the boat, 95% get drunk, 80% get laid, 100% blow a huge chunck of money. You find comfort in the routine, I guess you don't have a choice. Our Ships library (on the USS Bunker Hill) had pleanty of books to keep you going for a short trip. I read Joe Foss's autobio, as well as Boyingtons (3rd time) and one called "Salvation for a doomed Zoomie" which was a pretty cool story about an F6F pilot who got shot down and served aboard the rescue sub that picked him up. He was Air and Sub Qualed at the end of his trip.

But through it all, the formations and the GMT, the shift work and the toejam work. The fair winds and fowl, you had your shipmates. If you went through a tour in the armed forces and didn't make any friends for life, I honestly pity you. People can troll about jobs and McDonalds and all, but there are some Amazing and Loyal people serving in our Armed Forces, and perhaps that is the most lasting a memorable part of my service, and the part that continues to this day, despite my having been out for Five years.

-Sikboy

PS: Oooops really started ramblintg there.

Sabre · « **Reply #38 on:** August 23, 2002, 02:36:59 PM »

It's all about getting out of it what you put in. I served in the US Air Force for 20 years 11 days. During that time, I got paid to go to school for almost 1/3rd of my active duty time, earned three degrees, and made contacts that allowed me to grab a great, well paying job with a defense contractor when I retired. Between the job and retirement pay, we're doing pretty well. All of the positions I've held have had their share of BS and were occationally slow paced. However, every one was challenging and I regret none of it. I was proud to serve, and glad I've had the chance to continue many of the friendships I made while on active duty.

Wlfgng · « **Reply #39 on:** August 23, 2002, 03:09:47 PM »

don';t get me wrong, I regert none if it myself. I learned and experienced more than I probably would have in a short period of time and made great life-long friends.

But I wouldn't do it over again after having done it once.

Awulf · « **Reply #40 on:** August 23, 2002, 03:36:27 PM »

Definately all the above.
I hated the excersises with a passion (who wants to don their MOP gear in 100 degree weather and 95% humidity?!)
I loved tying down the F16s and running them up to full augmentor at 11:55pm (base policy was to stop running engines at midnight - so if we had to be awake then so too did the brass was our thinking)

I made some good friends which have lasted ever since (been out of the USAF since '91)

I was in the 308th EMS Maintenance Section at Homestead AFB down in Miami FL before hurricane Andrew relocated it to the Everglades

Tumor · « **Reply #41 on:** August 24, 2002, 09:18:28 PM »

Day to day, the Military (well, USAF) depends entirely upon what field you're in and where your stationed. I consider my current job only slightly differen't than most civilian jobs except for the DCU's.

midnight Target · « **Reply #42 on:** August 24, 2002, 09:43:58 PM »

My Brother-in-Law always claimed to have the best job in the Airforce.
He was an Academy grad, and played basketball for the Falcons. Later in his career (about 15 yrs in) the head coach of the AFA team asked the AF for my Bro-in-law to be his assistant. They created a job description for him and he retired as the Asst. b-ball coach at the Blue Zoo.
Didn't do him any good in the promotion department, but he didn't really care. Living on Academy grounds and having the same duty station for 10 yrs is a good gig.

-ammo- · « **Reply #43 on:** August 24, 2002, 10:01:49 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Awulf
Definately all the above.
I hated the excersises with a passion (who wants to don their MOP gear in 100 degree weather and 95% humidity?!)
I loved tying down the F16s and running them up to full augmentor at 11:55pm (base policy was to stop running engines at midnight - so if we had to be awake then so too did the brass was our thinking)

I made some good friends which have lasted ever since (been out of the USAF since '91)

I was in the 308th EMS Maintenance Section at Homestead AFB down in Miami FL before hurricane Andrew relocated it to the Everglades

Hey I was in the 308th EMS! My first assignment was to the now defunkt 308th CMU, which then changed to the 308th EMS. 88-89

lord dolf vader · « **Reply #44 on:** August 25, 2002, 03:12:51 PM »

dang does every navy ship have a Phantom toejamter? i hated that toejam literaly .