Well lawton is in the middle of nowhere. And tinker is right outside okc and is like the biggest employer in the state so you deal with insane traffic. Neither of those are great and then youre still in oklahoma...
Fort Stewart is my number 1.
I would rather get hit by a 5th IED then ever move back to Georgia.
Going to OSUT at the school for wayward boys (Benning) during the summer was enough to make me loathe Georgia. Then being stationed at Stewart a few years later just cemented my hatred for living in that state.
" I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.”
― John Quincy Adams
Fort Gordon, was my worst. But that was for training, so I was only there ~7 months.
After that I had Denver and then Germany, so pretty sweet deals all things considered.
I hated gordon. Loved my job but hated the augusta area, and everything about the command was awful. Im just glad i could move up in position on the operational side almost completely independent of rank. Being a shift lead at specialist and being over a few e5s and an e6 at one point was weird. Also i was not a fan of the norm in the area being to wait 5s after a light turns green before going to make sure most of the people running the red light had already gone. I hardly remember ever seeing ait people on gordon though, but i was working nights so didnt see much of anyone unless i was taking a language refresher before my dlpt.
I went to ft huachuca for a few months for a training and loved that place.
My BCT/AIT was at Sill. I can't imagine being stuck in OK or at that post for long. We weren't in a capacity to really explore Lawton but the area didn't seem that bad.
I'm in the middle of nowhere now, but the community here is awesome. Doesn't really matter where you are if you can drink beer with your neighbors while the kids run around. Helps being 2 hours from the beach though.
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mosssnackYeah right, man, Bishop should go!Good idea!Registered Userregular
Yoooo, my orders to VA got a big fat Void written on em
Turns out the commodore and cmc at my squadron are raising hell to get me to relieve at squadron. Looks like I’ll get to stay in area without having to extend at sea. Fuuuck yes
lol no E-3 is going to set aside 500$ for the tax man.
" I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.”
― John Quincy Adams
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mosssnackYeah right, man, Bishop should go!Good idea!Registered Userregular
For sure. That extra cash is going straight to a down payment on a car at a dealership .5 miles off of base.
I don’t think we even need to discuss the interest rate they get stuck with on their loan.
Nope, this wasn’t my morning at all. Totally didn’t attend a DRB for a kid who just didn’t show up to work for a week and at the last few minutes of the DRB reveals he bought his first car. Nope.
I said we should DRB his chief, but no one liked that idea. Weird
How has everyone been? I'm loving being retired and going back to school, but I still have plenty of family time.
I remember how much the holidays sucked while in, hope all you active guys/gals made it through to the other side.
If anyone is close to ETS/Retirement. Hit me up if your looking to go back to school and get your first degree or just a different one. I've been using my Post 9/11 and then switched over to VR&E three semesters ago. So any questions are welcome.
" I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.”
― John Quincy Adams
This year I hit 14. After a year and a half of looking for better bases or jobs or components for me and seeing my kids more often while teaching at the schoolhouse, I wound up reenlisting (yesterday) to stay in my community and make the best of it. So there's that. But this time going back to a sometimes dysfunctional MAJCOM, I at least have a clearly stated goal and a little more freedom of movement.
Things are good. A bit over 5 years in which seems insane since it doesn't seem like that long since I was asking people for pre-enlistment advice in this thread.
I dunno if I'll stay in uniform for 20, but I liked working in the IC. This tour is more Navy-centric and should heavily influence whether I want to keep going or not. Plus I'll start testing for first class soon and that'll also play a part.
If you enjoyed the IC part, if you dont already have a college degree I HIGHLY recommend taking advantage of the tuition assistance stuff (if you have time). I wanted to be a contractor or work as an intel civilian when i got out. But they required a college degree and an active clearance. If you have to go to school after you get out you wont have an active clearance anymore (it lapses if you arent using it for a few months, even if you still had years left before the military would have renewed it). So I got a degree in international studies then couldn't do anything with it because my clearance expired. So now im planning on going back to school to be a rad tech.
Just when I was complaining there are plenty of white supremacists who need to be purged before Force Shaping needs to be considered, this is announced by SECDEF.
If you enjoyed the IC part, if you dont already have a college degree I HIGHLY recommend taking advantage of the tuition assistance stuff (if you have time). I wanted to be a contractor or work as an intel civilian when i got out. But they required a college degree and an active clearance. If you have to go to school after you get out you wont have an active clearance anymore (it lapses if you arent using it for a few months, even if you still had years left before the military would have renewed it). So I got a degree in international studies then couldn't do anything with it because my clearance expired. So now im planning on going back to school to be a rad tech.
A couple of the bigs will also intern you while you go to college and hold a clearance. Either way, definitely make a plan first.
Just when I was complaining there are plenty of white supremacists who need to be purged before Force Shaping needs to be considered, this is announced by SECDEF.
That is awesome. I didn't experience any white supremisist in the my time, I'm sure there were some closet ones that just hid it well while they were in their uniform.
Also, good luck on that social media scrubbing. If you go to any infantryman's facebook page they all look like extremists, doesn't matter what color their skin is lol.
" I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.”
― John Quincy Adams
Just when I was complaining there are plenty of white supremacists who need to be purged before Force Shaping needs to be considered, this is announced by SECDEF.
That is awesome. I didn't experience any white supremisist in the my time, I'm sure there were some closet ones that just hid it well while they were in their uniform.
Also, good luck on that social media scrubbing. If you go to any infantryman's facebook page they all look like extremists, doesn't matter what color their skin is lol.
An Opsrey pilot in my SOS, said he approved of the border wall, and spouted some right wing conspiracy that all the countries in the world are going to merge until there's just an East and a West.
The CAF has now shifted to focusing on removing hateful behaviour from the forces. I am kind of enjoying this drive to culturally shift the forces lately, mainly because it is making the forces way better to work in. Side advantage is watching all the butthurt boomers being upset they can't make racist or sexist jokes anymore and how we are all being too sensitive.
It is going to be a long road, but in the end it will be worth it. I enjoy working in a more professional environment.
Can anyone not drinking the Kool Aid explain the Air Force O4/O5 Statement of Intent? I watched the briefing. It seems like an affirmation that I'm willing to pursue an O4-O5 billet whether or not I'm actually an O4.
I do have a bachelor's but I've got a crap GPA so I'll have to get a masters to ever commission.
Definitely gonna try to get the navy to pay for it though.
Oh hey, @Diplominator, National Intelligence University is free for any government personnel and incredibly easy to apply to. I did the executive program which is one weekend a month over two years and can be done entirely through VTC and online submissions.
I ended up dropping out once I realized I just don’t want to work on a master’s for a field I don’t really care about, but the program and professors were excellent. They’re extremely flexible, especially with military. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to keep going in the IC.
Can anyone not drinking the Kool Aid explain the Air Force O4/O5 Statement of Intent? I watched the briefing. It seems like an affirmation that I'm willing to pursue an O4-O5 billet whether or not I'm actually an O4.
Isn't AFPC doing a brief tomorrow online?
SOI's are generally only for command (and maybe competitively selected DO's?).
I do have a bachelor's but I've got a crap GPA so I'll have to get a masters to ever commission.
Definitely gonna try to get the navy to pay for it though.
Oh hey, @Diplominator, National Intelligence University is free for any government personnel and incredibly easy to apply to. I did the executive program which is one weekend a month over two years and can be done entirely through VTC and online submissions.
I ended up dropping out once I realized I just don’t want to work on a master’s for a field I don’t really care about, but the program and professors were excellent. They’re extremely flexible, especially with military. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to keep going in the IC.
And again, free. No TA or GI bill required.
That is definitely my plan once I'm in a national billet again.
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
My BCT/AIT was at Sill. I can't imagine being stuck in OK or at that post for long. We weren't in a capacity to really explore Lawton but the area didn't seem that bad.
I'm in the middle of nowhere now, but the community here is awesome. Doesn't really matter where you are if you can drink beer with your neighbors while the kids run around. Helps being 2 hours from the beach though.
I got stationed at Sill, 214th Fires Brigade, for the entire time I was in.
It. Sucks. Lawton is an absolute garbage fire of a town with a ton of crime.
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TurksonNear the mountains of ColoradoRegistered Userregular
My BCT/AIT was at Sill. I can't imagine being stuck in OK or at that post for long. We weren't in a capacity to really explore Lawton but the area didn't seem that bad.
I'm in the middle of nowhere now, but the community here is awesome. Doesn't really matter where you are if you can drink beer with your neighbors while the kids run around. Helps being 2 hours from the beach though.
I got stationed at Sill, 214th Fires Brigade, for the entire time I was in.
It. Sucks. Lawton is an absolute garbage fire of a town with a ton of crime.
I was there for three months for MOS training back in '01 and I can honestly say that Iraq was better.
oh h*ck
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
My BCT/AIT was at Sill. I can't imagine being stuck in OK or at that post for long. We weren't in a capacity to really explore Lawton but the area didn't seem that bad.
I'm in the middle of nowhere now, but the community here is awesome. Doesn't really matter where you are if you can drink beer with your neighbors while the kids run around. Helps being 2 hours from the beach though.
I got stationed at Sill, 214th Fires Brigade, for the entire time I was in.
It. Sucks. Lawton is an absolute garbage fire of a town with a ton of crime.
I was there for three months for MOS training back in '01 and I can honestly say that Iraq was better.
At one point in time we weren't allowed to leave post in uniform because, as a result of CID busting gang recruiters, the local Crips chapter "declared war" on anyone in uniform. People living off post had to change into civvies before leaving to go home each day.
Nothing actually happened, but the fact we had a safety briefing about this makes me think Lawton might have been the worst 6 years of my life.
For the veterans that hang around here, have any of you all used the VET TEC program? I'm looking into it but I've read some horror stories. If anyone has used it, how was your experience?
For the veterans that hang around here, have any of you all used the VET TEC program? I'm looking into it but I've read some horror stories. If anyone has used it, how was your experience?
As it looks like it's a "we'll pay for a coding bootcamp", just research the specific providers first. There's some good ones in the list (Galvanize was decent when I looked a few years ago and I think fullstack academy, but double check), but bootcamps are definitely pretty wide in terms of experience and quality range.
I have a question. So I recently watched a video on US new "super helmet" (yada yada, you know the normal salespitch. What can I say, I ended up there after following the ukraine conflict rabbithole) and one of the things they said was new was ear protection with electronic hearing.
And I'm confused. I did my military service in Sweden over 20 years ago, and we had that kind of ear protection even back then (and it went with us for KFOR, so it wasn't just for training. The only time we didn't wear it was publicity ops and nighttime guard duty), but they're talking about it like it was something new for US troops (both the sales person and the military vlogger)?
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Posts
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198004484595
I would rather get hit by a 5th IED then ever move back to Georgia.
Going to OSUT at the school for wayward boys (Benning) during the summer was enough to make me loathe Georgia. Then being stationed at Stewart a few years later just cemented my hatred for living in that state.
― John Quincy Adams
After that I had Denver and then Germany, so pretty sweet deals all things considered.
The AIT soldiers can be annoying but I've learned their habits and how to avoid them.
I went to ft huachuca for a few months for a training and loved that place.
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198004484595
I'm in the middle of nowhere now, but the community here is awesome. Doesn't really matter where you are if you can drink beer with your neighbors while the kids run around. Helps being 2 hours from the beach though.
Turns out the commodore and cmc at my squadron are raising hell to get me to relieve at squadron. Looks like I’ll get to stay in area without having to extend at sea. Fuuuck yes
bnet: moss*1454
So dumb...
― John Quincy Adams
I don’t think we even need to discuss the interest rate they get stuck with on their loan.
Nope, this wasn’t my morning at all. Totally didn’t attend a DRB for a kid who just didn’t show up to work for a week and at the last few minutes of the DRB reveals he bought his first car. Nope.
I said we should DRB his chief, but no one liked that idea. Weird
bnet: moss*1454
― John Quincy Adams
I remember how much the holidays sucked while in, hope all you active guys/gals made it through to the other side.
If anyone is close to ETS/Retirement. Hit me up if your looking to go back to school and get your first degree or just a different one. I've been using my Post 9/11 and then switched over to VR&E three semesters ago. So any questions are welcome.
― John Quincy Adams
I dunno if I'll stay in uniform for 20, but I liked working in the IC. This tour is more Navy-centric and should heavily influence whether I want to keep going or not. Plus I'll start testing for first class soon and that'll also play a part.
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198004484595
A couple of the bigs will also intern you while you go to college and hold a clearance. Either way, definitely make a plan first.
That is awesome. I didn't experience any white supremisist in the my time, I'm sure there were some closet ones that just hid it well while they were in their uniform.
Also, good luck on that social media scrubbing. If you go to any infantryman's facebook page they all look like extremists, doesn't matter what color their skin is lol.
― John Quincy Adams
An Opsrey pilot in my SOS, said he approved of the border wall, and spouted some right wing conspiracy that all the countries in the world are going to merge until there's just an East and a West.
If I can tattle on him, I will.
It is going to be a long road, but in the end it will be worth it. I enjoy working in a more professional environment.
Definitely gonna try to get the navy to pay for it though.
Oh hey, @Diplominator, National Intelligence University is free for any government personnel and incredibly easy to apply to. I did the executive program which is one weekend a month over two years and can be done entirely through VTC and online submissions.
I ended up dropping out once I realized I just don’t want to work on a master’s for a field I don’t really care about, but the program and professors were excellent. They’re extremely flexible, especially with military. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to keep going in the IC.
And again, free. No TA or GI bill required.
Isn't AFPC doing a brief tomorrow online?
SOI's are generally only for command (and maybe competitively selected DO's?).
That is definitely my plan once I'm in a national billet again.
I got stationed at Sill, 214th Fires Brigade, for the entire time I was in.
It. Sucks. Lawton is an absolute garbage fire of a town with a ton of crime.
I was there for three months for MOS training back in '01 and I can honestly say that Iraq was better.
At one point in time we weren't allowed to leave post in uniform because, as a result of CID busting gang recruiters, the local Crips chapter "declared war" on anyone in uniform. People living off post had to change into civvies before leaving to go home each day.
Nothing actually happened, but the fact we had a safety briefing about this makes me think Lawton might have been the worst 6 years of my life.
For the veterans that hang around here, have any of you all used the VET TEC program? I'm looking into it but I've read some horror stories. If anyone has used it, how was your experience?
As it looks like it's a "we'll pay for a coding bootcamp", just research the specific providers first. There's some good ones in the list (Galvanize was decent when I looked a few years ago and I think fullstack academy, but double check), but bootcamps are definitely pretty wide in terms of experience and quality range.
And I'm confused. I did my military service in Sweden over 20 years ago, and we had that kind of ear protection even back then (and it went with us for KFOR, so it wasn't just for training. The only time we didn't wear it was publicity ops and nighttime guard duty), but they're talking about it like it was something new for US troops (both the sales person and the military vlogger)?
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden