Any Military Veterans Here?

Are You or Have You Been in Military Service?


  • Total voters
    32
Interesting the high number of Veterans here that post a lot or are active.

As for me, I was in the Army National Guard for 10 years, mobilized after 9/11, served 2 years on active duty, then accepted a direct commission and served another 4 years on active duty until 2007.
 
22 years retired US ARMY ARMOR Branch (19K4HA8). Started out as a driver on the M60 series tanks, then moved up to gunner on the M60A3, promoted to Tank Commander during transition to the M1 Abrams, spent a few years as a Tank Commander and instructor at TC3 (Tank Commanders Certification Course), was nominated for Master Gunner School (top gun for Tanks), spent time as a Company Master gunner before making the E7 list. Got promoted to E7 and spent time as a Platoon Sergeant, then took a position as Battalion Master Gunner. I was then put on the E8 promotion list and sent to work as an M1A1/A2 Abrams Master Gunner Instructor waiting for a Brigade Master Gunner, Operations NCO or 1SG position to open and ended up retiring instead of being transferred to 1SG position Korea lol Spent most of my career at Vilsek, Hohenfels, Grafenwöhr (lived on range 301 lol), Ft Knox, Ft Riley, Ft Stewart and Ft Hood. Desert Storm Vet (1st Armor Division).
 
Elvis was a tank operater when he was in the army.

He also was taught martial arts by a guy who was at one point was my grandmaster. TCB flash...
elvis_with_ed_memphis_july_4_1974.webp
 
For me, personally, it would have involved the actual definition of the rate, Information Systems Technician. I wanted to do network/system administration.

Makes sense.

I was 21 years old at the time, trying to get my foot in the door. The experience would have done me well. Instead, (and not that I'm complaining), I ended up getting a job developing web applications, which up until then, was just a hobby for me. Worked out for me in the end, because I'm doing something I love for much more than a system/network admin would make.

That's great!

I think any job is achievable if people put their mind to it. Software development was just a hobby for me, as well. It helped fill down time while on SAR duty. When I got off active duty, I decided that's what I wanted to do. I honestly didn't think I'd have much of a chance getting a software engineering job at a decent company. It's not like jumping out of helicopters and operating in-flight equipment really prepared me for it. But I read anything I could get my hands on, found some open source projects to contribute to, and applied for jobs as I found them. The experience came later.
 
22 years retired US ARMY ARMOR Branch (19K4HA8). Started out as a driver on the M60 series tanks, then moved up to gunner on the M60A3, promoted to Tank Commander during transition to the M1 Abrams, spent a few years as a Tank Commander and instructor at TC3 (Tank Commanders Certification Course), was nominated for Master Gunner School (top gun for Tanks), spent time as a Company Master gunner before making the E7 list. Got promoted to E7 and spent time as a Platoon Sergeant, then took a position as Battalion Master Gunner. I was then put on the E8 promotion list and sent to work as an M1A1/A2 Abrams Master Gunner Instructor waiting for a Brigade Master Gunner, Operations NCO or 1SG position to open and ended up retiring instead of being transferred to 1SG position Korea lol Spent most of my career at Vilsek, Hohenfels, Grafenwöhr (lived on range 301 lol), Ft Knox, Ft Riley, Ft Stewart and Ft Hood. Desert Storm Vet (1st Armor Division).

Neat, Marines here (2nd Tank Battalion). I too was in the M60's. For us it was the M60A1's. Started as a loader and then advanced to gunner. Also a desert Storm vet. Went to Ft Knox for Armor School. I got out shortly after return from the Gulf, so never got to play with the Abrams.
 
**snicker** I remember the first Reforger in Europe when they started to deploy the Abrams. All the M60 crews were whining about how unfair it was after getting slaughtered by the Abrams crews.
 
I wish I had cool stories, too.

Honestly, no... you don't.

I find those who go bragging about things usually never saw anything and don't know what its really like. A lot of "tall tails" have been told by fools who sat behind desk or were lucky enough not to see real action.

You're better off not having a story to tell.
 
SIGINT/Cryptointel (2673) Korean Linguist for the Marines. End of the 80s and early-to-mid 90s. Kaneohe Bay MCAS, in what used to be the 1st Radio Battalion. Any other DLI folk out there?
 
Honestly, no... you don't.

I find those who go bragging about things usually never saw anything and don't know what its really like. A lot of "tall tails" have been told by fools who sat behind desk or were lucky enough not to see real action.

You're better off not having a story to tell.


At least I wish I could say I had a cool job like rappelling out of a helicopter or working at Tanks Battalion, but NO I had to be a store room guy at the chow hall. My MOS said that I was supposed to be in accounting or some such and apparently chow hall guy is a part of that. I did get to fire all sorts of weapons since I had friends in the armory. Nothing like night firing a .50 cal and screaming like a Rambo idiot.

Ah, good times, good times.
 
At least I wish I could say I had a cool job like rappelling out of a helicopter or working at Tanks Battalion, but NO I had to be a store room guy at the chow hall. My MOS said that I was supposed to be in accounting or some such and apparently chow hall guy is a part of that. I did get to fire all sorts of weapons since I had friends in the armory. Nothing like night firing a .50 cal and screaming like a Rambo idiot.

Ah, good times, good times.

Soldiers gotta eat too.
 
Honestly, no... you don't.

I find those who go bragging about things usually never saw anything and don't know what its really like. A lot of "tall tails" have been told by fools who sat behind desk or were lucky enough not to see real action.

You're better off not having a story to tell.

The same can be said (tall "tails" - "tales" for the rest of us) about anyone in any job, hell, even website owners.

You just haven't been fortunate enough to meet the right people with the right stories yet.
 
22 years retired US ARMY ARMOR Branch (19K4HA8). Started out as a driver on the M60 series tanks, then moved up to gunner on the M60A3, promoted to Tank Commander during transition to the M1 Abrams, spent a few years as a Tank Commander and instructor at TC3 (Tank Commanders Certification Course), was nominated for Master Gunner School (top gun for Tanks), spent time as a Company Master gunner before making the E7 list. Got promoted to E7 and spent time as a Platoon Sergeant, then took a position as Battalion Master Gunner. I was then put on the E8 promotion list and sent to work as an M1A1/A2 Abrams Master Gunner Instructor waiting for a Brigade Master Gunner, Operations NCO or 1SG position to open and ended up retiring instead of being transferred to 1SG position Korea lol Spent most of my career at Vilsek, Hohenfels, Grafenwöhr (lived on range 301 lol), Ft Knox, Ft Riley, Ft Stewart and Ft Hood. Desert Storm Vet (1st Armor Division).

My son just joined the Army. He's 19K and leaves December 30.
 
Honestly, no... you don't.

I find those who go bragging about things usually never saw anything and don't know what its really like. A lot of "tall tails" have been told by fools who sat behind desk or were lucky enough not to see real action.

You're better off not having a story to tell.

everybody has a story
 
Top Bottom