Transsoldier

Discussion in 'Warfare / Military' started by Toefoot, Dec 15, 2017.

  1. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    Yeah the MOS thing may just be an Army thing or a more recent Army thing or something. For as long as I've been in the military everybody has always asked "What's your MOS" instead of "What's your job". I guess the Army just likes referring to themselves via their MOS codes or something nowadays.

    Which to this day is annoying as hell to me because the paperwork half of my job requires me to talk to and do paperwork for varying people around the hangar in all of these freaking subsections and there's like 20 different MOS's in one hangar. Every time I go to the admin office and say I need to talk to so and so they always reply with "oh, he's a Yankee" or "he's a Papa, or a Romeo" etc. Ok...which freaking one of these 20 damn subsections do "Yankee's" work in?!

    "Oh, haha, he's in Armament"

    Why the **** didn't you just say Armament then!? It doesn't say "15Y" on the stupid sign above their shop it says "Armament", so say "Armament" when I freaking ask you where to find people!

    rant off lol.......damn kids get on my nerves at work lol.
     
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  2. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    I'm the same way. I'm still in the military and I still rarely ever show it off. My awards are in a box somewhere in this house. Even my dress uniform is "wrong" but I don't really care enough to keep putting more stuff on it because it's a pain in the ass. I supposedly have another full rack of ribbons that I need to add on it and sew on a few more deployment stripes but I sort of figure I have enough stuff on there for now and I only wear the thing like twice a year for ball's or something and nobody really knows that I'm missing stuff on it except me. Or if they are extremely nosy and walk up to me analyzing my stuff which some of them do on occasion.

    I dunno, I sort of feel like dress uniforms are nothing more than a manhood measuring contest with folks liking to walk around with their mexican general sized ribbon racks and medals hanging every which way. My friends always ask me why I don't put more ribbons on mine. "Don't you want a bigger ribbon rack to show off?" No....I don't really care I already have like 4 rows how many damn ribbons do people need. We get too many ribbons anyway and after about 5 years ago I had about enough of changing the damn rack every 6 months so I just decided that whatever is on there is good enough until my promotion window opens up again and I have to take an official picture lol.
     
  3. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Infamous Marine posers

    [​IMG]
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    [​IMG]

     
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  4. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Infamous Army posers

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  5. Greataxe

    Greataxe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I would certainly lose most contests with my dress green jacket. Only made it to E-4 with 4 ribbons on it. Last time I wore was 10 years ago for a neighborhood Halloween party.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    It is good because each service has their own codes. Many years ago I had a guy try to claim he was Marine Infantry, but told me his MOS code was 11B. Wrong, that is Army, not Marines.

    It is good because most posers have no idea what that actually is. Kind of like our own internal slang in a way. I still sometimes confuse the soldiers I serve with because I will slip back to my Marine slang. Say that something needs to be tacked to the bulkhead, or that the head needs to be swabbed.

    We all have our own language. Now if the person I questioned was AF, I would not ask MOS because I have no idea what those are. For a sailor, I would ask their rating. I know what that is, most civilians would not. I may not recognize a Purser from a Bosun's Mate, but I would recognize if the form was correct (Letter-Letter-Number). If they give me something jacked up, I start to question.

    Army and Marine, I know those a lot better. When I asked the guy 2 years ago who was an "ex-marine Corporal" what his MOS was, he told me "Logistics Specialist". Well, not really such a thing, so I asked if he was an 0411 (MIMMS, one of those I held) he said he was.

    Bingo. Asked him if they were still using the ERO (Equipment Repair Order - pronounced ARROW), he said they did not, they used computers to point out where supplies had to go. WTF? Asked some other things, all jacked up. Asked if his "Deuce Gear" was still black and he said yes (field gear, what the Army calls TA-50 the Marines call 782 or "Deuce Gear" after the form used to requisition it), and the awesome unit he was in. He was apparently in "Alpha Company", no Division, no Battalion, no Regiment, just in some magical lettered company that was free-floating I guess.

    And sadly, there have been cases of people being asses over that. Like a couple of years ago in Sacramento when 2 airmen assaulted a Marine Vet screaming "Stolen Valor" as they did. I never support that, but I have no problem with shaming somebody who tries it to me.
     
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  7. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    This is one of my favorites.

    [​IMG]

    Known as "Soup Sandwich" or "Soupy" in the SV community, he actually tried to wear that to a graduation at Fort Benning. He actually had served in the Air Force for 4 years, before being kicked out in 2005 for drug use.

    http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=24149
     
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  8. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    I had a lot of people questioning me when I joined the Army in 2007. Had a Class A inspection, and it blew everybodies mind.

    A PFC, with 3 hash marks and only 4 ribbons. Those that saw me in it and did not know I had a 14 year break in service wondered what I had done to get court martialed, and what rank I was before that.

    Now it looks more like it should. Sergeant, 12 ribbons, 6 hash marks, 2 deployment stripes. Not bad for somebody with 10 years in the Army who is in his 50s.
     
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  9. Toefoot

    Toefoot Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Mushroom, with the limited exposure I have had with you on this forum I would be proud to be in a Company with you. Same goes for rat, axe, nightmare.

    Was at the Mess Hall this morning eating Bfast on Ft Carson and looking around the soldiers are looking younger.
     
  10. Greataxe

    Greataxe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I'm glad some soldiers can stay in and do well. But it wasn't in the cards for me. I drew a bad hand, being a completely ignorant 17 year old being talked into a dying Air Defense Artillery MOS. More bad luck with NCO's in charge of me---as 1/3 of them were great guys, and the other 2/3rd were "punks." My greatest bragging right while in Germany was that my unit dogged us the worst.

    Tried to stay in the National Guard once I got out----but doing Pre-Med studies in college, and that at the same time was a no-go. That lasted a year.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2017
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  11. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    Yup, the first command is all luck of the draw and it would make or break any career.

    In my first command the CO was a dirt bag (O-3 kissing the colonel's azz for O-4), the XO was a dirt bag (got busted-out with a letter of reprimand), the office sgt was a dirt bag, and the whole unit was crap.

    Bad place to land.
     
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  12. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Is that anyway to treat an airman who earned the Army's CIB ? :roflol:
     
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  13. Greataxe

    Greataxe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    We rolled snake eyes. Compared to most of my NCO's, my officers in my 2 duty units looked pretty good---although most of them were closer to being officers like Sobel instead of Winters in Band of Brothers. Had we ever gone to war at that time---and I survived the few minutes of it---I had very little faith or confidence I would be treated other than cannon fodder.

    Anyway, out of maybe 15 young guys I kept track of in my MOS , I only knew of 1 who reenlisted.
     
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  14. Greataxe

    Greataxe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Comedians like him give others something to laugh at. I imagine he's like so many pathological liars I've been around.

    But he is in the "Air Farce"---so give him a break!
     
  15. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    Thank you for that. One advantage I had was that most units I was in appreciated the fact that I was more "seasoned", and knew I would not be doing the stupid stuff most "first termers" would do.

    When we got a new First Sergeant, he passed a new alcohol policy when I was still in the barracks. No more than a single pint of hard alcohol. The very next day he did a room inspection, and they caught me with half of a 750ml bottle in my room.

    My platoon sergeant (a little brown noser) immediately brought this to his attention. He looked at the bottle (Glenfiddich 12 year old Single Malt), and told him I was exempt from that policy. His concern was the 19 year olds trying to kill a 1.5 liter bottle of $10 vodka in a single night. Not the 43 year old guy who drinks $40 scotch.

    Most of the "junior enlisted" I serve alongside are younger than my own kids are.

    Let me guess, VULCAN or HAWK.

    My first 5 years in the Army were with PATRIOT, so I fully understand how ADA (Alcoholics Defending America) works.

    Yea, ADA is something I am glad I did, but I could never imagine spending a career doing that. Far to much politics and trying to get others in trouble thinking that will advance their career.

    If that had been my first experience, I likely would have gotten out also. But by then I had 15 years. And after getting cut in the Obama RIF, I went to the Reserves instead. Have now passed my 20, and spent the last 5 years in medical units. About to pull the trigger on another 6 years. I figure with that and a 1 year extension I will have 27 years in, and be over 60 so I can retire and immediately collect my pension.

    Not only command, but duty or duty station.

    My first tour was at a Marine Barracks, guarding a Naval Weapon Station. For the first 6 months we were still guarding nukes. Talk about high stress, literally being locked in a cage where the bunker door is, with a loaded weapon where your orders were to shoot to kill anybody that enters the area and does not have pre-clearance.

    The entire time I was there, the guard shifts were 24 hours. 4 hours on, 4 hours off, repeat, repeat. And as soon as you get relieved at 8 am you start an 8 hour training day, with PT, classes, weapon cleaning, all the usual stuff. You got off around 4 PM.

    The rest of the day and the next day off, then back again, 3 day rotation. Did that for almost 3.5 years. It was mind numbing, but also stressful, and a lot of guys cracked. We had one guy lock himself in the bunker that gave access for the explosives area, another went home on leave and locked himself in his home, saying they would not take him back. Drug use was rampant, with an average of 2-5 a month (and this was in the era of "3 strikes").

    But this was not the command at all, it was actually an awesome command staff. It was the pace and duties that broke a lot of the guys.
     
  16. Lil Mike

    Lil Mike Well-Known Member

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    Ha! Too be fair, the Air Force does have a lot of ridiculous ribbons. It's easy for an E-4 to look like Patton.
     
  17. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    Yea, but this is bad, even for the Air Force.

    [​IMG]

    And a CIB with 2 stars? It is rare to see a CIB with a single star from a career Infantryman.

    Plus the Green Beret and tan bloused boots.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2017
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  18. Greataxe

    Greataxe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I was in with the I-HAWK system from 80-84. The maintenance MOS was pretty awful just by itself. Patriot units were just on the way in to replace HAWK missile---that are still used in Iran, Italy and Taiwan. But the poor leadership I personally was cursed with having was the deal breaker of staying in as a backup plan---having already decided on a college degree. Looking back, the bad times, bad leadership and bad job probably gave me an advantage later on in dealing with the challenges and hardships of life. So I don't regret doing it.
     
  19. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    I met a few CWOs and senior enlisted that started in HAWK, and met one in Marine NCO School in 1986 that was in HAWK. He had to get a letter endorsed by his CG to reenlist because his MOS was locked for promotion, but he was over time in service for his rank. We are seeing a bit of that today in the ADA.

    PATRIOT is now getting long in the tooth, and THAAD and MEADS have been progressing at a snails pace. When I came back in 2007, we were told within a decade PATRIOT would be taking a back seat and the newer systems would replace it. The future "ADA Battalion" was expected to have a Battery of THAAD, a Battery of MEADS, a Battery of PAC-3 PATRIOT, and a Battery of AVENGER.

    Of course that has not happened. ADA in 2017 is the exact same that it was in 2007, and in 1997. We so far have activated a single Battery of THAAD in 2008, a second in 2009, and none since then. And even though MEADS has passed all pre-integration tests, there is still no plan to even activate a single test Battalion, let alone start the plan to phase out the older PATRIOT systems.
     
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  20. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    Army is the same way, we had a ball a few weeks ago and it was funny walking around and seeing E-4s and E-5s with damn near more ribbons than me. Well granted I quit putting new ribbons on a few years ago but still lol. You take the rank insignia off and you'd think you were at a ball full of field grade officers.

    I saw a national guard 1SG a few years ago who had a ribbon rack that looked like that guys. I swear this guy must have had like every single ribbon ever issued on his ASU's, the rack was damn near touching his shoulder blades it was hilarious.

    Thats the guard though, active Army is crazy with ribbons, the guard is just down right comical.
     
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  21. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    Well to be fair he "could" have been prior Army lol....

    My buddy is a former Marine turned Army guy and his ASU's have all sorts of weird looking stuff on it that most of us have never seen. I always give him **** about it lol
     
  22. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Even today I can't figure out what all that crap that you see on an Army uniform is.

    Must have been around 1971 or 72 I was inside a liquor store in Manhattan Beach just a couple blocks away from a National Guard armory. There were a few Guardsman inside and I noticed one Guardsman had the 5th Mar Div on his right shoulder.

    I knew that the right shoulder patch represents the last unit you served with in combat.

    I said I served with 1/13 and was mostly attached to 1/26 and 2/26. Both the 13th Marines and the 26th Marines are part of the 5th Marine Division.
    (During the Vietnam War any 5th Mar Div regiments or battalions that were in-country were under the 3rd Mar Div command)

    So I walked over to the Guardsman and asked him who he served with and when was he in-country ?

    He said 1/26. I was attached to 1/26. He was in-country a year before I was.

    Must have been in the late 70's or early 80's saw an Army reservist wearing the 1st Mar Div patch on his right shoulder.

    I wouldn't have a problem that each branch of the services had a pin, small badge or ribbon recognizing former service in another branch of the military services.

    I remember while going through boot camp we had one recruit in our platoon who was drafted into the Army and did a tour of duty in Vietrnam. ASfter his two years in the Army he shipped over and enlisted in the Marine Corps.

    You know what ? On graduation day they didn't allow him to wear his ribbons he had already earned. Just trhe National Fire Watch ribbon and rifle qualification badge.

    But when we were at 2nd ITR and on our first weekend liberty he was wearing two rows of ribbons.
     
  23. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    Nowadays you can wear whichever unit that you've ever previously deployed with's patch on your right arm. There are some arrogant commanders who try to make mandates saying you can only wear their own units deployment patch and none of your others ones. After countless Soldiers just flat out refused to comply with that the commanders sort of stopped trying to enforce such things. I remember a commander trying to make that a rule one time and basically everybody just wore a different patch on purpose out of spite. That rule lasted about 2 days.

    But don't worry, even I don't know what half the crap on an Army uniform is and I'm in the Army lol. Especially those National Guard folks who have all sorts of state ribbons and medals and stuff. Plus a few European nations give out stuff you are allowed to wear on your dress uniform so a few of those who have been stationed in Europe come back with cool looking pendants stuck on their uniforms.

    I support allowing folks to wear the ribbons of their prior branch if they so desire. It's their ribbons they earned them I don't think they should be prohibited from wearing them just because they changed services.

    Back in Basic Training we had a couple prior Navy guys who were going through OSUT with us. It was sort of funny on graduation day watching us all stand there with our 3 initial ribbons while those Navy boys had full racks and combat stripes and patches and all sorts of stuff. I don't mind that sort of thing they earned it. We also had a prior service Desert Storm vet with us which was funny because he was older than all of us by a bit and had a combat patch and a bunch of badges above his name tape so we all thought he was the Drill Sergeant for the first couple of days whenever he'd start walking around the barracks lol.
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2017
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  24. delade

    delade Well-Known Member

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    or how about this on YouTube?




    youtube.com/watch?v=FX95zM8Y-Hw


    Law & Justice
    Law enforcement & government regulation.
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2017

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