Yeah, the guy was a fucking asshat. The world's full of them. Don't post personal info like that. Take the high road.
Ah the beauty of not having to look someone in the face when they say something offensive. I'd wager every dollar I have, and my cars, that he wouldn't have the balls to say that to someone at a bar near Fort Bragg, NC.
I apologise if this is out of place, but here goes... I've never been in the military-but I have the utmost respect for the men and women who give up their lives to defend people like me from those that would do us harm. Now onto my question, which makes me feel like an ass because it's so trivial, but I have to ask because it's bugged me for a while. Are there any TV programmes or films that get it 'right'? As a civilian I really enjoy programmes such as 'The Unit' and 'Generation Kill', but I know how Hollywood likes to warp things in order to secure ratings. So, how do you guys feel about such 'entertainment'?
Bio: Currently I'm an AGR E-6 15Q (Air Traffic Controller) in the Army. I was formerly an 11C and before that I was a 1A351 (Loadmaster C-5's) in the Air Force. I posted under perdue on the old thread and was generally an asshole. Since taking a job on staff in which I don't supervise Privates, I find that my patience and temper have improved immensely, so that might carry over to here. Note to all NCOs, staff jobs are fucking boring stay on the line as long as you can.
I'm not military (that may change in the future), but when I was talking to a digger here in Oz he said that Black Hawk Down is 'as real as it gets for Hollywood'.
Agreed. I am an E-6 1C171 (Air Traffic Controller) in the Air Force. I have been dodging a staff job for awhile and fighting to stay in the Tower cab.
Has anyone here gone through the MAGTF Counterintelligence/ Human Intelligence Course? Or done work with NHT/ HET? I just went through the new Tactical Debriefer's course, and I really enjoyed it, and now getting pushed to eventually do the full blown 3913 MAGTF course. I already know what to expect, but I'm curious to see what the experience is like, post course. If anyone has info, PM me.
I met with an Marine OSO today and he said the best way to get into the Marines is to go through PLC because OCS is extremely competitive in this economy. Has anybody here go through the PLC route into the Marines? I've done a lot of online research, but I want to hear someone else's personal experiences of it. Is it truly just a "10 week internship with no commitments" or is my OSO leaving some stuff out? Thanks in advance.
Is it possible/realistic to become a Ranger/go to Ranger School through the Massachusetts National Guard? My friend really wants to try for the Ranger tab, but I've never heard of anyone going about it that way. Is there something the Guard recruiter isn't telling him? I was under the impression that the Guard was more of a state by state thing, and I've never heard of an airborne unit in Massachusetts, let alone a more specialized Ranger unit. Thanks for the help.
I don't know if any of our Batt Boys made it over from the previous board but I'll try and answer your question with the understanding that I have neither the Tab nor the Scroll. First, being a Ranger and having a Ranger Tab are two completely different things. Hopefully your friend has done enough research to know this or he will get taken advantage of by a recruiter. A Ranger is a Soldier in the 75th Ranger Regiment, that is an Active Duty unit, and there is no reserve component. The Ranger Tab is a skill tab awarded for the successful completion of Ranger School. Next, Soldiers with certain MOSs can get the chance to attend Ranger School based on the needs/TOE of their unit. Infantry units get the lion's share since the Mess Kit Repair Companies are no longer Airborne. This info will probably lead to more questions, I'll answer if I can.
I know that when I was a member of the CA Guard(myself neither tabbed nor scrolled as well), the units, that seemed to get into the schools(Ranger, Pathfinder, Sapper(usually Engineers get this one) etc) were the LRS(Long Range Surveillence) units and/or the Air Assault Infantry BN's, these however are semi-specialized units, that vary from State to State. Sometimes, the Scouts(MOS 19D) got some good schools as well(Sniper). To reemphasize the point that its usually what the State has in its budget, and what type of unit the Soldier belongs to. Infantry(and Combat Arms) branched Officers, and Officers in general seem to be able to get into Ranger school easier sometimes than the Enlisted guys. I've been out for a while, and some of this may have changed, I know that the Guard was going through a huge change in the last few years, so, I hope this helps out somewhat.
I'm with the Mass Guard currently, and my little brother served with 1 BN, 75th REGT. The best I can tell you about the Guard concerning achieving a Ranger tab, is that it is possible, but a very tough path. A path I can honestly say that I've never met an individual thats done it. The thing that needs to be understood about the Guard is that all "schools" have slots/seats available. Big Army receives the bulk of these slots, and then they are parceled out to the states on a need to have basis. Massachusetts is not an infantry heavy state, therefore, we usually wouldn't receive many Ranger school seats. I'm with an Aviation unit, and our NCO's have a direct need to be Air Assault, and Pathfinder, and its like pulling teeth sometimes getting slots. As far as being a Ranger, my brother is more proud of his combat scroll then anything else. Having spent alot of time in Savannah for assorted reasons, the tab is a right of passage, but the scroll coupled with the tab is a how your identify a true Ranger. Not taking away anything from probably the hardest school in in the Army next to the Q course though. In conclusion, not impossible, but highly unlikely, and if its his true desire to be a Ranger then he probably should make the plunge and enlist in the Big Army. Massachusetts does have a special forces unit in the Western part of the state (20th group I believe) if thats an avenue of consideration. They are the only the only unit in the state that is Airborne as far as I know. They jump from our birds all the time. Still don't understand why people do this, as last time they jumped, I rolled in on the drop zone to watch all four jumpers from the previous Hawk, go directly in the trees, with one missing for a solid 20 minutes, even with two Black Hawks looking for him. And I can say absolutely that there are no Ranger "specialized" units in Mass and not in the guard. The only Ranger units are 1-3 BN, RHQ 75 REGT, as these units are the only units authorized wear of the Tan Beret (should be Black). There are no equivalent units, or anything similiar, to be found anywhere in the ARMY, RESERVE or GUARD components.
S&W emailed me today about 40% off a fire arms purchase for Military personnel. If anyone is interested in it, i can try to upload the pdf. Leaving South Korea in a month, super fucking excited to be heading back to American Soil where i can shoot shit and speak english again.
Any of you military guys that have heard about the JLTV, be warned. I'm involved in the BAE/Navistar joint project right now, and their vehicle is a mess. If they somehow get the contract, I feel sorry for you. I can honestly say this is the worst project I've ever worked on, military or civilian. Normally I get excited for military stuff, but this one is killing me.
Awesome news, one of my buddies I'm going through flight school with emailed me a tentative plan for the F-35B transition for the Marines. I'm so fucking pumped!!!! It basically says that every current operational squadron will transition to the Lightning II by the end of 2019. The first squadron will begin training at the end of this year just as long as tests go as planned. By the time I wing up in a couple years, there will be 4 squadrons out of 16 active duty will be in the process of switching over!! Fuck yeah!!! Here's a little jet porn for my viewing pleasure...It's like sex! If anyone wants a copy of the plan, just shoot me a PM.
AT2(AW/SW) here. Did my first tour on the USS Kitty Hawk and decommed her. Then came up to NAS Whidbey Island at FRC NW. Been in for 4 and a half years and at the end of may I'll be switching blue to green. I'm still waiting on my paperwork to go through my chain of command. I should be going down to MEPS next week if all goes well, but I hear prior service is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to MOS's.
Does anyone here know how to go about getting an early release from active duty to further your education? No one around my squadron wants to help me out, and I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what I need to do. I've read the regs and I know it's possible. I ETS in late November, but I would really like to go back to school starting in the fall semester. I want to do ROTC and National Guard. I have about 2 years left of school to do, and it's going to be a real pain in the ass trying to start in January (I'm not even positive if you can start ROTC halfway through the year, I'll have to find out), especially with the all the back logged GI Bill applications. If anyone has any information on this, especially if they know anyone who has done this or even attempted, please let me know. I'm currently an E-4 in the Air Force on my first enlistment.
I'm not an expert but as an Air Traffic Controller I talk to a LOT of pilots and the concensus seems to be that the F-35 is a giant waste of money. I know that it has three platforms (Air Force, Marines and Navy) each with their different capabilities. I'm told however that none come anywhere near to what the F-22 can do. From a Marine standpoint I can see how it's a big upgrade to the Harrier but most of the Air Force pilots I talk dont see that it has any real value for us. It seems to me that it would have been better to take the F-22 and adapt it for Marine (VTOL) and Navy (Carrier landing) use. I know the F-35 is more cost efficient but it also has nowhere the capabilities of the F-22.