juli0_bustamante

sounds like an HMT meet :P

SkunT

^^well, i cant say i havent seen some really fucked up ---- in my days...

look...if you dont wanna go to combat, and just get money for college, go national guard. now,with the way the world is...you are almost garanteed combat in any branch. no one wants to speak it, but its obvious we are in WW3.

and yes, combat will ---- some people up, long term wise, and the funny part about it...the military gives no ---- about you once you are out. this is why there are places like the VFW/American Legion, and ---- like that, they are all vetrens who have to fight for the benifits they earned. sucks huh...(you dont think about these things before you go into the service)

also, funny you bring the "combat messin you up part"- i saw today where someone flipped out at the 4th of July fireworks show, went nuts, started duckin and coverin and ----, well, hes getting the big boot. yep, served in afgan, and iraq, seen lots of combat, been in for 3.5 years, a good marine, and they are givin him $10,000 and a honorable discharge and lettin him go. the 10 grand might sound nice, but money will never replace the fear that 22 year old will have for the rest of his life. think about it...

SkunT

a few pictures i took with the digi ,most of my pictures are on film...I dont wanna take a nice digi into the field...(btw, this is not my job, just a few pictures...)

-the infamous howetzer...these ******* can launch a round about 30 miles...just think, this is one huge potato gun!and how do Marines get this thing on the hitch, 3 people on each side, 1,2,3 lift! you may wonder how long it takes to set one up, a 6 Marine team, can get it off the truck ------ out, and be firing in 5 min. yeah, not a typo, 5 min. it was done many many times in Iraq.

-the new 7-ton in the background is what hauls this dam thing around. yeah, its the biggest, best towing capability vehicle in the world right now..i think it can pull a total of 30 tons at a top speed of 40 mph...





everyones favorite, the M1A1 abrum tank...what an incredable machine...BTW, it can use any fuel you put into it..how this works, i have yet to figure out. ohh and it takes 5 gal of fuel to start it in the first 30sec. see the arrow on the side of the tank, remeber seein these while watchin these things in action on tv?




give you an idea of the size of this bitch...
and when we lookin at these, there were little paint chips all over the sides....yep, rounds impacted. direct hit, but nothing more than a paint chip.
this is my dumbass on it...Im 6'3"...


my job is a 0621, field radio operator. NOTHING in the military can happen without communication. Nothing. Im the ****** in all those war movies with the antenna on there backs. Or when you all watched the war from your TV, all those antenna's out the back of hummvee's yep, thats my job also...(this is what I did during the war)


right now im filling the job of being a Generals Driver, so I dont get to be a radio operator very much....

MikeJ-2009

Wow, good pics. Even though I disagree with most of the things you say (it seems), I do appreciate the military.
It wasn't for me, and I told myself that I would not tell anyone, "no, don't do it" but rather explain some of the harsh realities to them and let them make thier own decisions.

J-MAN

and your wrong about the national guard not going to combat because a friend of mine just left about a month ago for iraq.

Breaker84

so... has anyone tried boosting one of those M1A1 abrum tanks yet? How many horses you think you can add on those things?

rudebwoy

thats a turbine engine, no need for turbos, but I will post up some pics of the recovery vehicle m88 twin turbos, that ---- sound sweet! that what I drive sometines.

but everything sccaeg said about the military, is true, even though we are in two different branch, Germany is fun plus you have all europe surrounded it, I love it so much I'M staying there when I get out. but you must be demanding before you signed your contract ask for what you want dont sign till you get it, but be realistic about it.bonuses,duty stations jobs etc. as long as you qualify you will get it. trust me!

SkunT

boost, they use to run on a turbo D engine. now they run on a turbine type motor. and you shouldve seen the fuel line, the fuel line was bigger than my arm!(which isnt that big but you get the idea)

and stealth, what do you disagree with? I would be interested to hear you out.(not to argue, just to hear what you say) I havent said one thing that i haven't experienced yet. This ---- isn't for me either,but I have served with honor, and i would be certain that you have also, but maybe for someone reading this, the military is for them, and they just need someone whose experienced things to tell them experiences, rather than a recruiter.

and someone mentioned something about the national guard, my point was, for the amount of guardsman in this country, and the amount they are deploying to the desert, the odds are in your favor for not going.

MikeJ-2009

I can remember numerous political threads where I didn't see things the way you do, but regardless, I can still appreciate your service to the country. That's all I was saying.
I don't believe you ever went through the part where you said, "in the first year all you say is you want to quit". Obviously your still in, so you never got to go through that happy time. I was in 8 months. 4 of them were waiting for "my papers" to go through. It's not as easy as you make it out. I got an article 15 for disrespecting an officer to let them know I was for real that I wanted to leave.
Boot camp wasn't bad at all. It was really cool in fact, but when I get "in trouble" because I didnt' make my bed right in tech school, I'm gone.
It was too much babysitting for me. I really just wanted to be on my own and experiment with ideas that my head comes up with. That was just me though.
The reason I say SIGN UP AS RESERVES ONLY is because when you sign that contract, you really have no idea of the life you just chose for yourself for the next X years. As reserves, or active duty, you will go through the same boot camp and tech school as everyone else. (usually about 1 year combined). After tech school, active go's to thier base, and reserves goes home to serve one weekend a month. At the end of your tech school you will know what the military is all about. At that time, your still scheduled to go home (as reserve). The military will gladly (in a heartbeat) switch you from reserves to active if you decide (this is if you really like the military). And if you hate the military life (such as myself) you are scheduled to go home. You can NEVER switch from active to reserves. They just won't do it, but if you sign up AS RESERVES ONLY you will leave more of the ball in your court as you get to go experience the life and then make a decision on if you want to go active, or go home as a reserve.
If I would have known this, I would have stayed reserve. It was the constant being around only military people that I hated most, and that would have worked.

SkunT

stealth, i agree with you on everything you said. but you can just get out at anytime in the first year of service, they call it "personality disorder" but - you are right about the paper work to. it isnt just a "come pick me up mom, i quit" type thing. -"hurry up and wait"-the military devoloped that phrase. the military will be quick to say something, but take a long time to process anything,notice I said anything, -- and I have come to the conclusion that it's mostly people just don't want to work. the same people who work there asses off, get paid the same as the people who sit on there ***. so why work hard.

my reasons for getting out are pretty much exactly as you stated above, and I was gonna mention them. I knew this thread want gonna die anytime soon...

but yeah, I have 3 years and 3 months down, 9 more months left.
-I hate the fact I am baby sitted or can NEVER make my own decisions. I just thought this was the Marine Corps. I see things much easier all to often in the Navy,(we have Navy on our base to) so I didn't think the babysitting happened in all branches. I got proved wrong.
-I hate the fact that I cant plan my next day. Most people go to work, knowing that at 8am you gotta be to work, and at 5pm you are going home. I have been here at work since 50am, its now 4pm, and I'm not going home anytime soon.(usally I go home around 430-5 but there are many days I dont -again, cant plan)- I do this everyday.
-I want to see my kids grow up. 99% of "carrear Marines" miss out on soo much of kids lifes. birthdays, walking, talking, school stuff, so much that I don't ever wanna miss it.
-I dont wanna keep putting my wife/family through the agony of not sleeping because they dont know if im dead or alive in a 3rd world counrty.
-If I were to stay in I would pick up a great deal of leadership/ alot under my belt. Im not scared of that, but what I am scared of is taking a platoon of Marines under my belt, taking them into a firefight, and have someone killed and then comming home to give his wife/mother, whoever, there dog tags, and telling them "he was just doing his job". no ---- that. thats for someone else to do. Ive done my time.

Most of you say, this is what Marines do, and you are right. 3.5 years ago, when I joined, Iraq was the last thing in my mind. Never would've I ever thought that I would ever see combat.
I knew that I would probably see something, but never as fierce as Iraq. I thought at most a Riot, or something like that...
I also know, I have very well trained in many areas, and I can keep myself alive in pretty much any situation, I have learned alot about who I am, and what I can do. I have met lots of great people. Being a Marine isn't a 4 year thing. Once a Marine, always a Marine.


bottom line, I have served my county well, done my time, have no regrets what so ever. However, 4 years is enough, I have kept my nose clean, no trouble yet(knock on wood) and I will enjoy what life has to bring me when I get out.