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  1. - Top - End - #31
    Orc in the Playground
     
    ClericGuy

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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lentrax View Post
    I'd like to add on to what the colonel said, from the pov of an enlisted airman.

    Basically what he said about volunteering. It is a good way to let your squadronmates get to know you. And you don't have to overdo it either. If you can grill pretty well, offer to help out with that. If you play a mean game of ultimate frisbee, organize it. No one will say you can't, and you'll usually get more people turning out than you figured. Heck, I was invited to a patio party at the apartment of one of my flightmates. Turned into a backyard barbecue with half the squadron. I was one of the guys that went home after my shift ended. (Though having a disabled child meant they didn't look too harshly on not volunteering much.)

    I am sure for you it was vastly different, but for me, the life I had before I joined... I am glad I served.

    The job I did. The planes I've kept in the air, the bombs my work was able to get on target.

    My flight was the family I never had. They stood up for me when my in-laws family was trying to get me disgraced. They pulled me up. Kept me going. Not sure where you are going to end up, but I hope it's a good bunch of people who look out for each other. The right group of people, can make even a crap job worth it.

    And Colonel, you sound like one of the few officers I have had the pleasure of meeting who seem to actually give a crap about those under them. Thank you for that, sir. My experience led me to believe they were few and far between.
    Thanks for that. Were you a loader, AMMO or flight line? I've been lucky enough to command both a CMS and a MUNS...thank God I wasn't a Personnelist.
    I''ll stop now as I'm getting an itch in that black hole I call a conscious

  2. - Top - End - #32
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Actually I was a Turboprop Mechanic. I worked in the engine shop, turning wrenches.

    Co-Founder of LUTAS.
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  3. - Top - End - #33
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Worked those on EC-130s at Davis-Monthan back in the late 90's.

    130's were a blast!
    I''ll stop now as I'm getting an itch in that black hole I call a conscious

  4. - Top - End - #34
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    I was stationed out at Rammstein. Did most of my wok in the Hush House, since the Germans have some very strict noise regulations.

    Co-Founder of LUTAS.
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  5. - Top - End - #35
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    It's time... Exactly one week from today, I'll be in Texas getting yelled at.

    I can make the minimum physical standards (besides running) easy. I can run at a good pace for half an hour straight, just need to shave another minute or two off my time. And with two months of enforced running every other day and enforced smoking ban, that'll be easy. My family has everything they'll need to get by until they get the first check. I am READY.

    Anyone have any last minute advice for Basic? Namely, something that'll help me calm down a bit? I'm a little bit nervous.
    Quote Originally Posted by FidgetySquirrel View Post
    ...if this keeps up for much longer, half of the playground will have Orcus-themed sigs, which is probably how Orcus can appear in so many places to begin with. NOOOO! STOP SIGGING ORCU- *killed by Orcus*
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  6. - Top - End - #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nilehus View Post
    Anyone have any last minute advice for Basic? Namely, something that'll help me calm down a bit? I'm a little bit nervous.
    Godspeed..

  7. - Top - End - #37
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    From experience, the discomfort that causes you to fear is just that; discomfort. You are unlikely to actually be dying or in any real danger. Your mind is conditioned to tell your body about every little thing wrong, but the purpose of basic is to teach you that every little thing isn't a problem and a lot of things you think might be big are actually little. A lot of stuff that might make you drag out and quit is stuff that, in hindsight, you'll know you should have been able to handle.

    Defeat starts in the mind. Don't let let over sensitive software tell you that your industrial grade hardware can't stand a few scuffs.

  8. - Top - End - #38
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Quote Originally Posted by Nilehus View Post
    Anyone have any last minute advice for Basic? Namely, something that'll help me calm down a bit? I'm a little bit nervous.
    Don't forget, they want you to succeed. Even if they say otherwise.
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  9. - Top - End - #39
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Quote Originally Posted by Nilehus View Post
    Anyone have any last minute advice for Basic? Namely, something that'll help me calm down a bit? I'm a little bit nervous.
    You can do it. And thank you, you brave, brave human being.

  10. - Top - End - #40
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Not Air Force myself, but I would say the biggest thing I learned in Basic was to just chill out. Take it easy and to not stress. I did worse when I worried about how I would do and the consequences of failing then I did when I just said screw it and did what ever I needed to do. Don't worry about stress that much. Just go in there and do what needs to be done. (When you go to ATC for your training this may be the most important thing you can do. By what I am told it is one of the harder and more stressful schools/job. But you can take that job for a good bit of money. When you get out or when you re-up.)

    Haven't been in San Antonio, but central and western Texas suck in the winter at night. When you first get there. Not expecting much cold then BAM its 30 degrees and you want to kill what ever officer thought he would be extra hoah and have every one in summers for PT.

    Also, yea. In my experience Air Force food is awesome, spent 6 months on an Air Force base. But then again I would take an MRE over my BTNs dfac some days. When its open.

  11. - Top - End - #41
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    I just finished Navy boot camp a few months ago, and it's really not that bad. It helps a lot if you know you can pass the running and whatnot before you get in, because you may not get as much practice while you're there as you expect. If it's like navy boot camp, you'll have at least a week or two of various paperwork and medical stuff before you're medically cleared and can PT at all. A bunch of people in my division hated that, heh. Other than that, it's all a mental game. Try not to panic, because basic will its best to stress you out. That's pretty much half of what basic is, it just cranks up the stress to make sure you're not going to freak out or snap. Depending on your instructors, they may or may not turn out to actually be fairly decent people; my chief talked to a few people who were really having trouble and helped get them back in the game, but she was a holy terror to everyone else.

    Also, everyone lies. Just a fair warning. It goes back to that messing-with-your-head thing. Don't get too worked up over whatever dire things they threaten, or if they tell you guys that you all suck and you're failing everything. Unless you really are failing everything. Then worry.
    Last edited by Eurus; 2014-09-16 at 09:27 PM.
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  12. - Top - End - #42
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    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Quote Originally Posted by Grinner View Post
    Godspeed..
    Thank you.

    Quote Originally Posted by SiuiS View Post
    From experience, the discomfort that causes you to fear is just that; discomfort. You are unlikely to actually be dying or in any real danger. Your mind is conditioned to tell your body about every little thing wrong, but the purpose of basic is to teach you that every little thing isn't a problem and a lot of things you think might be big are actually little. A lot of stuff that might make you drag out and quit is stuff that, in hindsight, you'll know you should have been able to handle.

    Defeat starts in the mind. Don't let let over sensitive software tell you that your industrial grade hardware can't stand a few scuffs.
    That's right. I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration...

    I'm expecting one hell of a culture shock, but once I get acclimated, it'll be fine. Maybe, just maybe, I'll even have a little fun when the MTI isn't looking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Crow View Post
    Don't forget, they want you to succeed. Even if they say otherwise.
    That's... true. I suppose it looks just as bad on them if they actually break a recruit as it does on the recruit.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kymme View Post
    You can do it. And thank you, you brave, brave human being.
    Thank you. Even if I am going Chair Force, I appreciate it. I do feel like I'm not as 'real' as, for example, my brother-in-law. Ex-Marine, served in Afghanistan. Still, I'm doing my part.

    Quote Originally Posted by Tono View Post
    Not Air Force myself, but I would say the biggest thing I learned in Basic was to just chill out. Take it easy and to not stress. I did worse when I worried about how I would do and the consequences of failing then I did when I just said screw it and did what ever I needed to do. Don't worry about stress that much. Just go in there and do what needs to be done. (When you go to ATC for your training this may be the most important thing you can do. By what I am told it is one of the harder and more stressful schools/job. But you can take that job for a good bit of money. When you get out or when you re-up.)

    Haven't been in San Antonio, but central and western Texas suck in the winter at night. When you first get there. Not expecting much cold then BAM its 30 degrees and you want to kill what ever officer thought he would be extra hoah and have every one in summers for PT.

    Also, yea. In my experience Air Force food is awesome, spent 6 months on an Air Force base. But then again I would take an MRE over my BTNs dfac some days. When its open.
    That's what I hear about ATC school. By month 4, you can tell which ones are ATC; they're the ones that look like zombies. From what I've looked up, ATC is definitely a good field in terms of after-enlistment options. FAA absolutely loves ex-AF ATC's that have a good record. And the pay is very decent.

    Just have to remember... Stress is going to be a part of it. No point heaping any more on than is necessary. Thanks again.
    Quote Originally Posted by FidgetySquirrel View Post
    ...if this keeps up for much longer, half of the playground will have Orcus-themed sigs, which is probably how Orcus can appear in so many places to begin with. NOOOO! STOP SIGGING ORCU- *killed by Orcus*
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  13. - Top - End - #43
    Titan in the Playground
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    I've heard that Navy and Air Force basic are physically easier than Army and Marine. Still a lot, but not all the endurance runs carrying heavy loads and such.

    But as for being chair force, I know a guy who was in marines during Iraq and was always in the base watching fighter patrols fly around.
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  14. - Top - End - #44
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hiro Protagonest View Post
    I've heard that Navy and Air Force basic are physically easier than Army and Marine. Still a lot, but not all the endurance runs carrying heavy loads and such.

    But as for being chair force, I know a guy who was in marines during Iraq and was always in the base watching fighter patrols fly around.
    Just anecdotally, my best friend went into the air force rail thin, skinniest guy you could know. When he got out 4 years later, he had put on over 100 pounds. Apparently once he got out of basic the standards fell dramatically.
    If my text is blue, I'm being sarcastic.But you already knew that, right?


  15. - Top - End - #45
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    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Eh, I plan to get in damn good shape at basic. I've already memorized 90% of the little book (Airman's oath, insignia ranks, marching terminology, etc) so hopefully I've got a step up.

    I weigh 130 pounds on a good day and I'm 5'7", so it's not going to be that hard to put on some muscle.
    Quote Originally Posted by FidgetySquirrel View Post
    ...if this keeps up for much longer, half of the playground will have Orcus-themed sigs, which is probably how Orcus can appear in so many places to begin with. NOOOO! STOP SIGGING ORCU- *killed by Orcus*
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  16. - Top - End - #46
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    Good luck with your start next week.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lentrax View Post
    I was stationed out at Rammstein. Did most of my wok in the Hush House, since the Germans have some very strict noise regulations.
    They are a great band.


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  17. - Top - End - #47
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Quote Originally Posted by Hiro Protagonest View Post
    I've heard that Navy and Air Force basic are physically easier than Army and Marine. Still a lot, but not all the endurance runs carrying heavy loads and such.

    But as for being chair force, I know a guy who was in marines during Iraq and was always in the base watching fighter patrols fly around.
    Ha!


    And yeah, the whole Fear thing... I did iron work for a very short while. I couldn't hack it because I was stupid – no food, no sleep, and now my back is probably screwed for life – but I gave up mentally before my body did, and I know that in hindsight and it will probably always haunt me. Basically, don't stress, recognize that everything has a positive purpose, and get'er done. You got this.

  18. - Top - End - #48
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Remember 2 things:

    - it's never personal; some days, despite how hard you've tried, you'll get everything ripped apart. That's just part of the process, go with it. Don't look at stuff like 'tasks to be completed' and get downhearted when you have to do them over, instead just see it as a continual process, in which you'll always be doing something anyway, so it doesn't really matter if you are having to redo something, because you'd only be doing something else equally/more bone otherwise. Laugh it off (inside, doesn't go down well to laugh in the instuctors' faces)


    - however hard it seems, know that years from then you'll be looking back and laughing at yourself, and how you found something so simple so hard.

  19. - Top - End - #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nilehus View Post
    It's time... Exactly one week from today, I'll be in Texas getting yelled at.

    I can make the minimum physical standards (besides running) easy. I can run at a good pace for half an hour straight, just need to shave another minute or two off my time. And with two months of enforced running every other day and enforced smoking ban, that'll be easy. My family has everything they'll need to get by until they get the first check. I am READY.

    Anyone have any last minute advice for Basic? Namely, something that'll help me calm down a bit? I'm a little bit nervous.
    Dont take it personal, and never let them see you smile. There will be a lot of early on yelling going on to drum the first bits of info into you, but its not that bad really. Keep your mouth shut unless ordered to speak, dont volunteer (unless they ask if you can play trumpet or drums and you can) Justsome covered it. They WILL be tearing at you at some point or another, its a part of the process so dont let your feelings be hurt. When they tell you you screwed up, say yes sir, do it again, and keep doing it till they get bored. You dont actually suck, its just how they roll.

    Bottom line, do what they say, and try not to draw attention to yourself by being first or last. It serves no purpose and generally ends badly. There will be traps, so keep your ears open, they arent hard to spot. "Am I going too hard on you boys?" The answer of course is either silence or no sir. I dont care if you are three steps from losing every meal you ever ate, the answer is basically yes sir thank you sir may i have another. (dont say that out loud) Those questions or situations exist for the sole purpose of embarrassing anyone dumb enough to fall for them. Basically, take a second to think about your response first.
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    Traab is yelling everything that I'm thinking already.
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  20. - Top - End - #50
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Short flying lesson:

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  21. - Top - End - #51
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Quote Originally Posted by Nilehus View Post
    Eh, I plan to get in damn good shape at basic. I've already memorized 90% of the little book (Airman's oath, insignia ranks, marching terminology, etc) so hopefully I've got a step up.
    That is an advantage. When I went to Navy OCS, I knew all the required knowledge beforehand, and it helped. It was one less thing I had to learn while I was there.

    Quote Originally Posted by JustSomeGuy View Post
    - it's never personal;
    This. I don't want to say you are just a number, but remember that the DI's (or whatever the AF calls them) train a lot of people throughout the year. Unless you do something extremely memorable, you won't become the "stuff of legend."

    Find a way to laugh. Early on, I had two matras: (1) "If these are the best of the Marine Corps, the Corps is in a lot of trouble"* and (2) "When this is over, this (insert term here) has to salute me!" The first isn't accurate, and the second was just motivation. But whenever the harassment got bad (usually from sudden imposition of PT), I'd repeat them in my head, which would stop me thinking about how much my arms hurt/how tired I was/how much sweat was in my eyes/etc.

    *Navy Officer Candidates are trained by Marine Corps DI's.


    Also remember that it's their job to get you through. A trainee's failure looks bad on them. They do want you to succeed, if you want yourself to succeed. Of course, that second part is required. You have to want to be there.


    One lesson I learned... HYDRATE! Early on, I was afraid of drinking too much water and needing to go to the bathroom at a bad time. (Or having to ask to go to the bathroom.) Instead, I didn't drink enough. This led (in my 5th or 6th week) to me approaching a DI after PT, rambling incoherently, and falling unconscious at his feet from extreme dehydration. (I was told later about approaching the DI and rambling. I never remembered that. Though people who saw me said the whole scene was rather dramatic! )
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  22. - Top - End - #52
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    They are going to be hard. They are going to push you. Do what you can. Keep your head down.

    Oh, and if you ever, ever hear a TI ask if they smell gas, do not question it. Start the gas leak drill.

    Enjoy the food when you can, try not to be the first one at the table to finish your tray.

    Don't fall asleep on CQ duty.

    Be prepared for early rising, late to bed.

    Pay attention to how to fold your bed, and your clothes.

    Help your flightmates, you need them to succeed.

    Good luck, Airman. Godspeed.

    And welcome to the World's Best Air Force.


    (Oh, and enjoy making sure Texas doesn't fly off into the stratosphere.)
    Last edited by Lentrax; 2014-09-17 at 03:19 PM.

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  23. - Top - End - #53
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Thank you. I'll do my service proud.

    And don't worry, I'll make sure she stays in place. No matter how many times a day I have to push her back down.
    Last edited by Nilehus; 2014-09-18 at 01:02 AM.

  24. - Top - End - #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kesnit View Post
    Find a way to laugh. Early on, I had two matras: (1) "If these are the best of the Marine Corps, the Corps is in a lot of trouble"* and (2) "When this is over, this (insert term here) has to salute me!" The first isn't accurate, and the second was just motivation. But whenever the harassment got bad (usually from sudden imposition of PT), I'd repeat them in my head, which would stop me thinking about how much my arms hurt/how tired I was/how much sweat was in my eyes/etc.

    *Navy Officer Candidates are trained by Marine Corps DI's.


    Also remember that it's their job to get you through. A trainee's failure looks bad on them. They do want you to succeed, if you want yourself to succeed. Of course, that second part is required. You have to want to be there.


    One lesson I learned... HYDRATE! Early on, I was afraid of drinking too much water and needing to go to the bathroom at a bad time. (Or having to ask to go to the bathroom.) Instead, I didn't drink enough. This led (in my 5th or 6th week) to me approaching a DI after PT, rambling incoherently, and falling unconscious at his feet from extreme dehydration. (I was told later about approaching the DI and rambling. I never remembered that. Though people who saw me said the whole scene was rather dramatic! )
    Oh, my. You are a marine? I would like to hear about that in the other thread, if you would be so kind. Your situation makes that more intriguing for me.

    And yes. Hydration. I found that out the, uh, "fun" way. The going rule is it takes about 24 hours for water to be available for your body to use when you drink it but only an hour to sweat it out once it's there. No idea how scientifically accurate that is (I suspect not much), but I will be darned if the people who adhered to that rule didn't beat every single other person on the job site.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nilehus View Post
    Thank you. I'll do my service proud.

    And don't worry, I'll make sure she stays in place. No matter how many times a day I have to push her back down.
    Brother, I salute you. Do us proud.

  25. - Top - End - #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by SiuiS View Post
    And yes. Hydration. I found that out the, uh, "fun" way. The going rule is it takes about 24 hours for water to be available for your body to use when you drink it but only an hour to sweat it out once it's there. No idea how scientifically accurate that is (I suspect not much), but I will be darned if the people who adhered to that rule didn't beat every single other person on the job site.
    The ballpark figure I heard is ~20 minutes after ingestion and this paper indicates that ingested water can be found in blood plasma after only 2 minutes: Effects of Exercise Intensity on Absorption of Ingested Fluids in Man.

    It does say that the rates of absorption depends heavily on amount of exercise though and environmental factors may influence water requirements (someone who adheres to your 24 hour rule is probably going to stay well hydrated even before exertion and the resultant water loss).

  26. - Top - End - #56
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    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Be careful about letting on how much preparation you've done (as far as memorizing things go) - the more you know the more they'll try to push you. Your goal shouldn't be to stand out, just to do well.

    You'll do fine with the fitness stuff - I went in as a lazy 18 year old who had never once worked out and was able to pass the tests by the time they came around (though it did take me a couple tries on the pushups).

    They're going to try and push your buttons - they'll talk about your wife back home with your best friend, they'll talk about you getting kicked out and letting everyone down... as long as you don't majorly mess things up you'll be fine. You won't get kicked out, you won't get held back. They'll try to make you think you are, but it's harder than it might seem at times.

    Keep in mind that BMT and Tech training is temporary and it is not a real indication of the rest of the Air Force. Things will seem rigid - insanely rigid. But once you get through things will get better. I will say that, for me, I had a harder time at tech school than I did at basic. Basic is forcing you to comply, tech school is about giving you just enough rope to hang yourself with.

    I was the screw up of my flight. People talked about how I wasn't going to make it, I was bad at folding my shirts, I had trouble with the fitness stuff, I made mistakes, I was sick a lot, I was 'weird' (so weird apparently that at one point my flight thought I had poisoned someone), and I made it through. I am a squishy, fluffy man who had no place in the military but I kept my head down and tried and I made it. You can do it!

  27. - Top - End - #57
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    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Apr 2013

    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Almost time! Been reading more stories online to get ready.

    Gotta say, if people can go in with 15 pushups/sit-ups as their max, and unable to run a 13 minute mile, I will be just fine. I can do 50 of each in the one minute time with proper form, and I can run a 9 minute mile. After 8 weeks of busting my ass, and I do plan on busting it while I'm there even if I can technically pass now, I'll be just fine. And in darn good shape, to boot.
    Quote Originally Posted by FidgetySquirrel View Post
    ...if this keeps up for much longer, half of the playground will have Orcus-themed sigs, which is probably how Orcus can appear in so many places to begin with. NOOOO! STOP SIGGING ORCU- *killed by Orcus*
    My Steam profile!

  28. - Top - End - #58
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Lentrax's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    In the Final Frontier
    Gender
    Male2Female

    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Jeez, if you're that good already, you just might get asked if you want to go for Pararescue training. I know a couple of folks in my flight qualified for that, and one made it past the initial eval, but I don't know if he made it into the PJs. The training they go through is pretty fricken rough.

    Co-Founder of LUTAS.
    For all you lesser superheroes out there.

    Custom STO avatar by Durkoala.


    A novella about a wizard and a rock star, cross-dimensional travel, and healing wounds neither knew were there.

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  29. - Top - End - #59
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

    Join Date
    Apr 2013

    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Probably not, sadly. I got high enough scores to qualify for it, but I do have an indentation on my chest that would probably DQ me. Thankfully, the doctor told me that I could still join, but special forces and such were probably out.

    I do need to work on the endurance end. After I do that, my arms/chest/abs hurt for a while. Still, the only part I have to work on hardcore is running. Not a fan, but few things will keep you in as good overall health, and I am not going to fall back out of shape after Basic.
    Quote Originally Posted by FidgetySquirrel View Post
    ...if this keeps up for much longer, half of the playground will have Orcus-themed sigs, which is probably how Orcus can appear in so many places to begin with. NOOOO! STOP SIGGING ORCU- *killed by Orcus*
    My Steam profile!

  30. - Top - End - #60
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Lentrax's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    In the Final Frontier
    Gender
    Male2Female

    Default Re: So I joined the military!

    Hmm. I also knew a guy named {Redacted} he was a washout from our first tech school! but since he did the second part of the training first! he was qualified to be pulled out for SERE instructor training.

    There's some more hardcore AFSOC stuff you'll never see in the rank and file of the service.

    SERE, btw, for those that do not know it, is Search, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. Training for not getting caught when you get shot down, and what to do after. The things they do to train us to survive...

    Not pretty, I'll you that.

    Co-Founder of LUTAS.
    For all you lesser superheroes out there.

    Custom STO avatar by Durkoala.


    A novella about a wizard and a rock star, cross-dimensional travel, and healing wounds neither knew were there.

    Spoiler: Online stuffs
    Show
    Lentrax has a Deviantart now, check it out!

    Streaming Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11CST on Twitch.

    Follow me on Twitter!

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