THE Random Chat Thread - AKA "The RCT" - No shirt or shoes required - Open 24 / 7

GGGGGReat Grandfather fought in the revolutionary war, Six direct ancestors fought in the Civil War, along with many cousins, My great grandfather was a WWII linguist, another was a bomber pilot, another was a decorated sergeant purple heart winner, my one grandfather was in the service, another grandfather was a Vietnam sniper with many confirmed kills, and my dad was in the airforce. You know Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump? He had it in his mind that he was predestined for it. I am kinda the same way. I get the speech from my mom every other day about it.



Ok, that's it.

RR,....I warned you about those "batch vaccinations",..... some people never feel the same again.

Some get so ill they don't make it to basic, some reactions are even more severe.


I understand your feelings 100%,.... I was born on an army base.

My mom remarried, a good man, served in Northern Italy, 10th Mountain Infantry, "Ski Patrol"
The Army sent him up to Camp Hale to train troops to ski, and ski well with pack, rifle, etc.

I've said before, my moms brother, my uncle Alfred, retired carrier man, master sergeant.
All my cousins but one,..... and me, I was too young for Vietnam,... too old for Gulf War.

"But yes, I would have gone in a second and served".

Since I was a kid I've had a natural aptitude for shooting, they would likely noticed it
and I would have had a good job.

"Then" RR, "Then",...... and ask couple of the guys,..... that was the tail end of almost
normal.

That would be 1973

Don't take this the wrong way cousin, "Life isn't a Hollywood movie".

"A Lot" of depleted uranium rounds are shattered up all over the place in some areas.

That's new from back in the day.
Those screwed up vaccinations, that's new compared to back in the day.
Tons of what you can't do, bureaucracy over and above anything ever,.... that's new
Having to call and ask,.........
"permission to engage,(three guys loading missiles into a pick up)"
and getting put on hold,....... and the guys drive away,.... all that crap is new.
Drones,. remote launch,..... vision systems,....all new,... less men needed, new.

The next war will be lots of automation, people are fragile, machines are not.
An entire field of men can be killed in one swoop,... war has changed.



RR,......
something you enjoy, something you have an interest in, something for your future.

Something that has a pension,..... work for the city water and power, that's good money,
retirement, easy work, the tough jobs they hire in contractors,... good life,...

You don't have to enlist to prove you're a patriot,.........
you prove you're a patriot by supporting freedom, and being the best you can be.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"

Coming home in a wheel chair because of a roadside bomb does not serve your country.


Worse if you're still running a 101 deg temperature ever since you got the vaccinations.
 

I have learned by vet accounts NEVER trust a recruiter. Ever.

I have also learned what I want, and I don't want to do anything fancy. If I enlist, I will enlist as a fighter, and nothing else. Support has its advantages, but if we're at war, I'd like to go in war. I already suck at fitting in in the "real" world. The jobs I have chosen are a perfect fit for me. I mostly get to do my own thing, with a limited number of people. Yes, in the military I will NOT be doing my own thing, (:laughing7:), but at least it would be the right thing. What else am I supposed to tell my Nieces and Nephews when WWIII is over? If I don't make it, my brother is a good enough story teller to take my place. :laughing7:

Ahh. But your world is real.

Look to what's around you.
Them yotes I don't applaud I still respect for adaptability. They can survive about anywhere. Even if not comfortable.

My last (?) coon I trapped around the time fur prices crashed in the seventies was missing a front foot and had the use of two fingers on the other.
Hog fat. It had adapted.
To me , the price for his pelt was not worth it. I valued him speciffically much higher , but coons that size and prime pelts fell in value too. But were two very different subjects.

I used to be nervous in crowds and never comfortable out of the woods. But did what I needed to adapt/survive.

Then lost a leg at the hip.
Try adapting to that....
Despite those decades past since that last coon , he came to mind as I again was adapting. He did. I could.

Social skills come with attention/awareness of what's not suiting you , and exposure.
You've far to go in the exposure part.
Don't fret it. And no you don't have to like adapting.
But you certainly can adapt. Because I can. And have.
You can because as usual , and as my daughter would tell you from hearing it so many years she believes it ... You are ultimately in charge of ;and responsible for.. You.
Do what you like least to get where you want to be. Hard stuff first. Then it's out of the way making the rest easier.

Don't know how your teacher is going to get you doing public speaking , but (no offence to either of you) it's probably past time to have started it regular.
It's exposure to more than an audience , it's exposure of yourself to yourself more.

Break barriers. Especially the self imposed ones. Not morals ect. ,but things that you let hold you back from what you'd be or do if no faults existed in your world.
Suddenly ,the world grows larger when you expand it through barriers. Not always a bad thing even if you retreat from it briefly at times.
Get out of your element. Not only will you appreciate that tired too familiar element again down the road , you'll have a foot in two worlds.
Then another world.
A very successful friend I've told more than once that the contrast between his business life and the world he and I share are near opposite worlds.
But that's about known elements. And the more elements/environments known , the easier the adaptation.

When you're in charge of you,(no ,not like your folks are in charge of you , there's house and family rules at play that are not to be ignored or contested while being you ) Where you end up is up to....You. Don't let you get in the way of success. Whatever success is to you..
 

RR:
Rook, Sanman, ReleventChair, and Bill all have good suggestions.
I too had ancestors who fought in every war on the American soil. Some where famous, most were not. Some had statues erected in their honor, most did not. All of them, ( I believe ), served their country as patriots. Would I jump up and volunteer now ? No. If I was drafted, then I would enlist.

We all have horror stories and they are so similar.

I had a friend that was a certified car nut. He had worked hard to save up his money to buy a 1955 Chevy. He then rebuilt everything on that car and it was F A S T . He was drafted. He came back home missing his left leg due to a claymore. He was lucky, most of the others in his squad were killed. After rehabilitation he came home. All he could do was go out into the garage and start his car and enjoy the sounds. With his left leg, ( the one for the clutch ), missing, he could not enjoy what was once his passion.
I had another friend that suffers from war stress. Everytime a car backfires or there is a sudden loud noise he yells incoming and he hits the floor. To bystanders, they laugh because they do not know my friend or what he went through. He was NOT acting. He actually brought back pictures that were taken of him while on patrol, he was holding a human head, ( decapitated ), by the hair in his hands. This guy was very nice and polite, but he could flip 180 degrees over almost anything or reason. His life was changed drastically forever. Playing war video games is far from reality and a bad reason to join the military. In video you have unlimited lives as well as weapons. In real life you have one life and the weapons are what you have on or around you. No magic wand or cache nearby.

You will do well with the Railroad, maybe a freelance photographer, or maybe as an artist.
 

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Wow RR, if you can get this bunch to be this serious, for this long, you might want to listen! I don't think there has been one mention of rum in this whole page! There has been alot of good advice, all I can say is whatever you do work like hell to learn the most, and be the best at it. Just because you start as one thing doesn't mean you have to do it your whole life. I started out as a welder, Now I'm a power plant operator, with alot of stops inbetween. And I'll be something new next year! Go for something you love or want to learn and see how you like it and where it takes you. I just got some rescue training and really liked it, I might go into search of rescue or firefighting next and I never thought I would do that until now. Just work hard to be the best and you will never have a problem finding a job in whatever you want to try. Now that I made my appearance I'll take some rum and go back to lurking in the crows nest!
 

Simon
Where did you guys play to have to belong to a union? We only had one time we had to join. Nashville Tn. Everyone in Opry Land Hotel is unionized. It cost the whole group $150. For the night.
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We played our state and 3-4 of the surrounding border states.

$ 150.00 a night huh. Ours was due 3 or 4 times a year. I can't remember which for sure, but probably quarterly is most logical.

Thanks for the organization's name ECS :notworthy:
 

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Opryland Hotel is a neat place. Our company had a couple of our customer appreciation shows there so we got to spend a week or so each time. Our rooms overlooked the indoor courtyard. An easy place to get lost in. I remember being told the number of staff members and it was more that the town I lived in. :icon_scratch:
 

Opryland Hotel is a neat place. Our company had a couple of our customer appreciation shows there so we got to spend a week or so each time. Our rooms overlooked the indoor courtyard. An easy place to get lost in. I remember being told the number of staff members and it was more that the town I lived in. :icon_scratch:

I was amazed at the speed of the people setting tables and getting the room ready. We happen to be in a room that would hold around 2 thousand. Those set up folks were in and out in 20 minutes. Flowers and all.
 

Good morning ARC and Simon.
 

No rain today. Whoop tee do.
 

Morning all, and belated congrats to @Thirdeyeartifactguy on his new job. Too late for me to offer my tips on interview skills. If asked: "what do you consider to be your greatest weakness?", the correct answer is: "kryptonite".

Not, as I said at my last interview: "honesty". The interviewer was a little surprised and said: "I don't think honesty is a weakness", to which I replied: "I don't give a f*** what you think". Still waiting to hear from them. Been 12 weeks now. :dontknow:
 

Yep, I can remember how synchronized they all seemed to be. Very quick and very efficient.
 

Morning all, and belated congrats to @Thirdeyeartifactguy on his new job. Too late for me to offer my tips on interview skills. If asked: "what do you consider to be your greatest weakness?", the correct answer is: "kryptonite".

Not, as I said at my last interview: "honesty". The interviewer was a little surprised and said: "I don't think honesty is a weakness", to which I replied: "I don't give a f*** what you think". Still waiting to hear from them. Been 12 weeks now. :dontknow:
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Nicely done Red-Coat :icon_thumleft:
 

Hey Rook and Sanman, looks like Victoria Secrets is still going to be around :hello2:

I can still use that gift certificate Tom sent me for Christmas :laughing7:
 

Morning Rook.

Morning Red Coat.
 

Hey Rook and Sanman, looks like Victoria Secrets is still going to be around :hello2:

I can still use that gift certificate Tom sent me for Christmas :laughing7:

:laughing7:
 

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