Recent content by nothingventurednothinggai

Let’s start by acknowledging that the military is not fair. A field grade officer at least gets a hearing. A cadet or mid who gets crosswise is pretty much toast. My Dad and my father in law were USMA and USNA respectively. Korea and WW2, They looked back on their careers later, one an 08, and...

I have a close friend who OCS commissioned Navy and selected for fighters....and modest R/G caught him in Pensacola. Switched Army NCO and did 20 in Army CAG. If its not an issue for the D boys, shouldn't be for the rest, excepting aviation.

I had read as a parent, on these forums, to take a 6 inch electric fan. My now rising Firstie declined, not wanting to be 'that guy'. It was on the 'allowed list'. Should check if it still is. I presume it is. He acknowledged after Beast, he wish he had, and no one would have given him any...

Have a 2017 who was going through all the excitement, and fear, two years ago about to arrive. Lots of second thoughts the days before, mainly 'what the heck have I got myself into?' The first day was a blur, and then Beast was fine. He called tonight, worried, as Cadre, if he would be up to...

It goes without saying, that no one makes it through these places without an inner drive, and especially the help of their classmates, but the idea that this is a "100 percent on the kids own thing", there are, in the spirit of fun, some notible exceptions...

Will edit out enough to protect privacy, but this note was written to my son by an Uncle a few years ago. Uncle was medically DQ'd at his dream, USMA, and then took another path and became an astronaut rated fighter and high flyer pilot, turning down all the Ivy's. Great advice to my son, and...

With respect to 529 plans, and SA's, I think I have a pretty good understanding of how these work. Firstly, you can change the beneficiary to a Sibling, or just leave the dollars there for grad school. It is correct that SA attendees are exempt from the 10% penalty if it is just paid directly...

My first boss said figuring out life is simple. On one axis, you have smart and dumb people. On the other axis, you have doers and non doers. The people he warned me about as a kid are the dumb doers. THC is 30 days. 90 in hair if you want to fight the man, then lose anyway. Making dumb doer...

I think there are lots of ways to serve, although the path may not necessarily be crystal clear at 17 or 18. My Dad had a Plebe under his responsibility who was the son and grandson of Grads and both had made senior General. He wanted to be there, but over the year, he realized he wanted to...

This is a week (I Day at all the schools) where grads have some laughs, remembering their adventures, and embarrassments, and also make some fun of the new Plebes/Mids, etc. And then lots of people start posting about lack of commitment, the youth today, etc. For the High School Juniors out...

Mine did the same. Took CFA at both Army and Navy Seminar. Did better at Navy, and had that sent to Army, which Army used, and where he went. I may be wrong, but even though the CFA is the same, I saw some clues that they have different minimums, and weigh the events differently. So as...

Misunderstood me. The fitness standard that must be passed is the Army standard, not the applicant CFA. No more basketball throws, shuttle runs, or pull-ups. It's sit ups, push ups, and 2 mile. It's the same test as 'real' army.

I believe that pull ups are part of the application related CFA (and later Ranger or SF). Beast is the real Army, not CFA. The standard is the Army standard. 2 Mile run, timed sit ups, and timed push ups. The standards, and scores are on line. They did pull ups at Beast last year as part of a...

The requirement is 5 active plus 3 reserve (but reserve, or course, means active if the US needs you, so people need to consider that.) However, with the scale of the cuts that are being made in the Military, and in particular, when one factors out the 'fixed' cost in the DoD budget...

These Tickets get you into games, but only coffee cups get thrown. TICKETS are security clearances, There need to be a reason to own them. Being a dollar a year employee of OSD checks that box. Football games are too painful for us. My wifes Dad and Grand Dad where Navy grads and both Flag...