It angers me because as you can see from my excerpts above your tone and reply is nothing but condesending and disingenuous from you latest retort clearly illustrate. Why shouldn't I be a little miffed - you went to an Academy for a full four year free ride, and then by your own admisson in post #71 of this thread did nothing but the minimum repayment of your obligation:
How many pieces of flare would you have me wear? I did my five and I got married and my priorities changed. I'm not going to apologize for that. It WAS active duty.
Not sure why "fought bravely" would anger you. I'm sure they did. I also think it's good you honor that. The Coast Guard, when not referring to Douglas Munro, refers to the USCGC TANEY in Pearl Harbor. Every service or academy has it's stories. Good. I didn't say it in jest.
That's real pride in your service, I'm sure when you get back to Homecoming your post-graduation career and choices are truly impressive and well regarded by your classmates who are still serving and are being promoted early in the zone or whatever you Gaurdsmen call it. Of course if not you can always regal them about how much you have been able to goad and piss off Alumni, etc. from your rivals at USMMA here on SAF, that might get you a few more points of respect, but probably not since I expect they like my classmates tend to a) not care about any of that sort of stuff during homecoming and since weboth graduated from small Academies, we all pretty much know each other's professional accomplishments, anyway.
I'm not actually following this comment... are you saying they're going to talk about themselves or I'm going to talk about my desk job? Either way, our last homecoming was a pretty fun time, and I'm pretty sure jobs didn't come up one. We talked about families and old stories. And then, I think, we won a football game. I can tell you, SAF never comes up when I'm with classmates (and we don't really talk about USMMA... even as cadets).
Another reasion for being irked, is it sure seems to me you want to come into this forum and demean the service and obligation, etc. of USMMA, and also ROTC graduates (ref your post on this thread #36), but I made this point earlier:
I haven't said anything negative about ROTC grads. A poster said nomination boards were filled with recent academy graduates, I said mine were filled with older graduates and when they were academy, they were ROTC. No issue with ROTC.
Finally, I guess what really bothers me the most is how you spout off misinformation dogmatically here; for example your nomination examples about the midwest, etc. while only mildly inaccurate as regards the nomination process fo USMA, USAFA and USNA which are driven by entirely different sections of the US Code than USMMA's process are totally bogus when on reads and understands the applicable law for USMMA - 46 CFR 310.53. Of course you'll just likely spout off some genric, "Tea Party-esque" (my summary of everything you've written - Big Government = Bad Things and Absolutely Nothing Good even though as a result of it you got a free education for just five short years of payback." nonsense as to why this all makes you even more right in general and specifically how it even further proves your point that Congress should not in any way be involved in the selection of students for any of the five service academies.
Huh? I posted a link, which I'd recommend you review. The nomination process is not exactly the same, as not all of the sources are the same. Go ahead and re-read it. USMMA doesn't have the exact same sources (they have less).
And I don't think the federal government is all bad. I do think it's inefficient, often misdirected, and sometimes very wrong. And judging by the displeasure of "regulations" for the merchant fleet by one of your KP buddies, it appears I'm not the only one.
LITS - I am truly done with this thread so you all can have the last words. Have fun with that and hey thanks for proving every fear and bad feeling any of my fellow alumni have about the reasonableness, etc. of certain USCGA Alumni when you board our vessels in performance of one of your numerous Non-Military Missions - MSO. I think I have this right don't I - 11 sautory missions of the USCG and only one and a half is "Military" ... but hey just continue to disparage the USMMA's traditions and basis for having a battle standard, I'm sure it's getting you lots of fans by everyone who reads these forums since Maritime Safety; Maritime Mobility including operating drawbridges like the Wodrow Wilson Bridge here in the DC Metro; Homeland and maritime security Expanded arctic operations; Protection of natural resources etc. all really cause guys in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force to immediately feel like they too should take issue with your inability to join the Navy Federal Credit Union, etc. since you aren't part of the DoD like the rest of the "Military." Yep, why focus on those 9 1/2 missions when you can throw manure at USMMA and NROTC and other guys who serve by focusing on the mission areas that are Military: national defense - special forces like Port Security Units, etc. or cases here when the Homeland Security mission requires address of Posse Comitatus to go where/do things tha DoD entities like NORTHCOM are prohibited from doing by our Constitution. Like I said, I now leave you and others the last words on this subject/thread.
Um, no problem, I'm sure the feeling it mutual in most cases.... but there are only so many Exxon Valdezs or Cosco Busons that can occur before that's just natural.
We spent and entire thread with a KP alum saying the U.S. Merchant Marine wasn't an entity (and therefore couldn't be in decline). You can't have it both ways. You can't claim that USMMA is too militarized and then cry when someone says it isn't a military academy (it isn't). You can't say the Merchant Marine isn't an entity, and then argue that it has a distinct organization and identity (we founded the Navy!).
100%, there are portions of the Coast Guard that are far more "federal law enforcement" than "military". Small boat stations, SAR platforms, MSOs, sectors, ATON units, etc. I don't think that worries too many Coast Guardsmen though. They know what the service is like.
Might want to check the Navy Federal Credit Union website, your info is dated.
And remember, I didn't limit the powers with Posse Comitatus... I promise that was around long before me or NORTHCOM.
