Va Gambling Bill - complexx-suisse.info

va gambling bill

va gambling bill - win

Virginia just passed the bill to legalize gambling. Does anyone know if sites like Stars will quickly cater to people in VA, or is it not likely?

submitted by NickyK66 to poker [link] [comments]

For the first time in my 13 years of filing taxes, I OWE MONEY. I'm hoping there's something I'm missing here... Please help!

According to TurboTax I owe $2600 in taxes this year. I made $22,500 via W-2s for three different serving jobs (1 in VA and 2 in CA) and $19,250 via unemployment (which was not taxed.) How the fuck am I supposed to pay $2600?!
I file individually with 1 allowance. I earned income in Virginia and California. I have no children, do not own a house, have not made substantial donations to charity, have no assets other than my 14 year-old car, do not have any investment accounts/crypto currency/stocks/retirement funds, did not receive any 1099 income (besides the unemployment) or gambling winnings, have no student loan debt, and am not blind/native/a victim of natural disastea student/etc/etc/etc.
In Virginia, servers earn wages of $2.13 an hour. We also claimed 100% of our tips at the restaurant where I worked. I never received a paycheck because my wages all went to taxes... however it still wasn't enough to cover the spending spree Uncle Sam has gone on on my behalf. So there's THAT.
Yes, I was stupid not to tick the little box that tells the state of Virginia to withhold taxes from my unemployment checks. No, I did not think that I was going to receive them for 6 months... Or that I would only be able to go back to work for 2.5 months before getting furloughed when my state shut down again 😑.
I'm also baffled over how anyone could believe that an unemployed person could cover the tax on their unemployment.
ANYWAY. I don't qualify for the EIC or any other obvious tax breaks and now I'm staring down the barrel of an insane tax bill that is 7 times my current net worth. Am I missing something that would make this number not so scary??
submitted by pennylane_9 to tax [link] [comments]

Desperately seeking guidance (crippling debt/separating from military)

Hi everyone.
I am in full-blown panic mode. I am getting ready to separate from the military (medical retirement in a few months). I was filling out some financial paperwork and the weight of my crippling debt is hitting me in the face full force right now.
I completely accept that this is my fault and that I need to work on self-control issues. I am actively seeking out counselors/therapy. I will probably also find someone to talk to about addiction/gambling. No substance abuse, but I messed up for a while with loot boxes in mobile games. I know. I'm an idiot. I don't play mobile games anymore.
I have no idea how I am going to manage this post-military. Any guidance/direction would be greatly appreciated. I am open to anything and everything.
Item Percentage Monthly Total Debt
Holiday Inn Vacation Club Unsure $302.07 $15,735.00
Student Loan 1 (Stafford Subsidized) 4.45% $51.77 $4,735.67
Student Loan 2 (Stafford Subsidized) 4.45% $56.76 $5,191.58
Student Loan 3 (Stafford Unsubsidized) 4.45% $75.88 $6,941.41
Auto Loan 7.94% $461.13 $20,859.70
Bill Consolidation 17.99% $549.20 $22,268.13
Credit Card 1 (USAA) 16.9% Varies $10,671.73
Credit Card 2 (USAA) 12.9% Varies $11,289.86
Credit Card 3 (Citi) 15.99% Varies $11,302.53
Thank you for your time.
EDIT
Some additional info:
I conservatively guesstimated that I'll get between 70% ($1,426.17/month) and 80% ($1,657.80/month) from the VA. This is not taxable.
My current net income is about $4,900. I have about $1500 in other expenses (Rent, utilities, phone bill, car insurance).
submitted by NeedHelpWithDebt1 to personalfinance [link] [comments]

Estranged for 17 Years, Considering Allowing Limited Contact

Hello, everyone. I have reached the point in my life where I have now been estranged from my mother for a longer period of time than when I had a relationship with her. I cut her off shortly before I turned 17 so many years ago, and now 17 years later I am 34, married, and with two children.
First, I'd like to share my story, which starts in the city of Dallas one July morning when I was born. My mother and father had married when they found out they were having me, but that marriage only lasted until my first birthday. Following the divorce, my father joined the US Navy and fought in Desert Storm, while my mother spirited me away first to Arizona for a year, and finally to Las Vegas, NV to attend college at UNLV. Shortly thereafter, I was three years old with a step-father and a new baby half-sister, and two more half-brothers would come in the coming years.
My earliest memory living in Las Vegas also happens to be the only happy memory I had of living there. When I was five, my dad took leave and visited me, and we spent the whole week together including a trip to Circus Circus. It was a theme that would be constant for the rest of my child -- the only times I ever felt happy was when I was not in Las Vegas with my mother and the new family that she started.
Even from early on, I never felt like I belonged with the family that I was living in. I had a different father who lived on the opposite coast, and I was treated far differently as if I was an inconvenient child that nobody knew what to do with. I was not my step-father's son, and unlike my sibling my interactions with him usually ended up explosive in temperament, including having objects thrown at me, with my mother doing little to stop it. In fact, my mother often reinforced the behavior which only led to fights and arguments with her as well, fights which would only subside when my dad calmed me down over the phone.
While my half-siblings did like me and looked up to me, I also never felt as strong a bond with them as they did with each other, or with their parents. I had my own room, and my own stuff, while they had to share among themselves. They received care and affection from both of their parents, while I had a tumultuous relationship with the one we shared and a long distance relationship with the one we did not. When my step-father's family came over, it was my half-siblings who were showered with attention while I was just the other child from their in-law's failed marriage. From very early on in my childhood it was clear to me that I did not belong with this family.
Then there was the effect that Las Vegas has on many adults living there. I remember being nine years old witnessing screaming arguments between my mother and step-father. You see, my step-father had a gambling addiction where he would receive his paycheck and swiftly deposit it into the slot machines at the grocery store hoping for a payout that would never come. There was also the work schedules. Since Las Vegas is a 24/7 town, it is not unusual for people to work odd shifts including evenings and into the wee hours of the night. I was often left to entertain myself while my mother was asleep all day with the blackout curtains drawn.
As a means of coping, I applied myself academically at school because it was something that I actually felt that I could do well. Unfortunately, my July birthday meant that I was always the youngest kid in all of my classes and that, coupled with my small frame, meant that I was often picked on and bullied with nobody at home that I thought would really support me.
The only times that I ever felt happy were when I flew to Dallas for the summer to visit my grandparents and the rest of my dad's side of the family, and my dad would always organize his leave to meet me there too. I have several cousins who are close to my age living there, and I have many fond memories of summer pool parties every Sunday afternoon at my grandparent's house. I looked forward to flying out every summer because I felt like it was where I belonged.
At nine years old, shortly after finishing the fourth grade, was when I hit my first breaking point with my mother. I don't remember at all what we were fighting about, but it became so intense that it ended with my mother packing away all of my things and sending me to live with my dad within the week. I was that child that she didn't know what to do with and she just sent me away, and I was thrilled. My dad had just been stationed in Oklahoma City for shore duty, a mere three hour drive from Dallas, and I would live with him for the next three years through fifth, sixth, and seventh grades.
The change was great for me, and I think that those three years were the golden years of my early childhood. While my dad does not speak much, and he occasionally had to leave me with a babysitter when he was on duty, with him I felt like I was listened to and that I belonged. We often took weekend trips to Dallas and I developed a strong bond with my grandparents and all of my cousins. I remember him taking me camping and fishing, teaching me how to shoot a gun, letting my twelve year old self drive the car on some old country roads, building a go-kart for me to drive around the neighborhood, and all kinds of experiences that I never had in Las Vegas. My school life was much better, too, and I had a good group of friends at the time.
My relationship with my mother was limited to phone calls from time to time and brief summer trips to Las Vegas. Ironically, fate made the phone calls very rare when our WebTV internet service ended up charging up an $1800 phone bill leading our phone to be disconnected for over a year. Since it was a bit of a hike to walk to the convenience store to call my mother from the pay phone, it happened less frequently and that is probably a good thing as she was also going through her second divorce while I was living in Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, my time with my dad came to an end when his shore duty tour ended and he was assigned to an aircraft carrier that was about to deploy. In the eighth grade, I moved back to Las Vegas to live with my mother. At the time, she was dating another guy who had two kids of his own, and they had moved in. My half-siblings were living with their father as he had the family support network in Las Vegas whereas my mother did not. All of the same problems that we had in early childhood existed now, except with a new guy in the house and a new set of kids that I had no bond with whatsoever. I was going to a new school, too, but it was not a very good school and I was always isolated and bullied there.
I didn't even make it through the school year before I hit my second breaking point. Our constant fighting probably led to her boyfriend from breaking things off with her, and I always felt like she was blaming me for it. One day, we got into an argument so intense that she drove me in the middle of the night to admit me into a mental hospital where I would spend two weeks being told how much of a terrible child that I was until I would admit that to the doctor and my mother in a consultation. It was easily the most humiliating experience I had ever gone through in my life. A month after I had been discharged I was given the option to move in with my dad in Virginia Beach, VA, and I took the opportunity without hesitation.
During that year, my dad married the woman who he had been dating. She already had a toddler child out of wedlock and was expecting a child by the time that I moved in. It was a little weird, because here I was a 14 year old entering high school with a step-mother who was 23 years old, but I was just so happy to move away from Las Vegas and the toxic relationship that I had with my birth mother.
My poor relationship with my step-father before, however, certainly affected me in my relationship with my step-mom. She was young and unfamiliar with what to do with a teenager step-son who is not that much younger than her, and I was conditioned by previous experiences to be distrusting of her. We had some growing pains during my teenage years for sure, but nothing ever got as bad as what I experienced in Las Vegas. I also formed more of a bond with my toddler step-sister and the two half-brothers that would be born because I was trusted with the responsibility of helping to care for them as infants given our large age gap, and I do believe that made a difference. While there may have been times that I felt that maybe I didn't belong in this new family, I think that was remedied by my dad and step-mom keeping me involved and trusting me.
I also felt like I had direction in my high school years. I had joined the school's NJROTC unit, made some close friends that I still talk to today, and really enjoyed those years. I spent my freshman and sophomore years in Virginia Beach, and I felt like I had a clear path forward into adulthood all laid out for me.
Unfortunately, that all came to an end when my dad was deployed again during my junior year. With my dad being out to sea for nine months, my step-mom wanted to move back to Georgia where her family could help to take care of my step-sister and my first infant half-brother, a decision which I fully understand. My mother decided that it would be best for me to move to Las Vegas to live with her, however, and I didn't have a say in the matter. During this move, she couldn't even be bothered to fly me like during past moves, and I embarked on a three day Greyhound bus adventure across the country where I feared I was going to be kidnapped or raped at any moment. to live with my mother in Las Vegas.
This time I was not only living with my mother, I was also living with her mother and drunkard brother because she could not afford to live on her own. I wanted to just emancipate myself right then and there, and I would have tried to do so if I would have qualified to do so. The only difference was that we did not fight as often, it was more of a silent treatment. She often worked all night, or went out to party and go to concerts, and slept all day with the blackout curtains drawn anyways. I have memories of her being dumped by some guy and then closing herself in her room to eat bowls of straight powdered sugar, and I felt nothing but shame that she was my mother. As before, I had no friends in Las Vegas although my junior year at school wasn't as bad as previous experiences in earlier childhood. I felt isolated and alone, and was just biding my time to move back with my dad for my senior year. When I finally moved back, taking another greyhound bus across the country, my last works to her were, "I don't ever want to see or speak to you again." and for 17 years I had followed through on that.
She certainly tried to contact me at first. All through my senior year she tried calling the house frequently, but I never accepted the phone call. When I was 19 I had moved out on my own and also moved back to Dallas, so she would try to reach me through my grandparents with no success. For the first four years I was also inundated with unwanted letters from her trying to justify herself through emotional sob stories, never once acknowledging what she had done to push me away. She even tried to show up at my work one day, an event that ended with me denying knowing her and having security escort her off premises. Eventually the attempts to recontact stopped until about five years in it was as if she did not exist to me.
In the time that I was estranged from my mother, I had graduated high school, obtained my drivers license, joined the US Navy and served for six years, obtained a college degree all while serving, met my beautiful spouse, and had two children (4 years old and 4 months old), and got my dream job as an engineer living and working in Japan. I do not regret walking out on her at all because she was not a positive influence in my life at all and I just feel like she would have kept me held back.
My only regret in cutting off contact was actually cutting off my half-siblings as well. While I never felt like I belonged with them, they did look up to me dearly and I do feel like I have betrayed them in a cruel way. I just could not allow myself to have any ties to my mother or to the city of Las Vegas, because my time there was too much to bear, so my relationship with them ended up being a casualty of my fallout with my mother. I stalk them online from time to time, though, and I am happy that they are doing well. My half-sister followed her dream and became an event photographer for a local radio station in Las Vegas, my older half-brother just finished his Associates in accounting and got picked up for a pretty good job also in Las Vegas, and my younger half-brother is just figuring out his early 20s. I'm sincerely happy that they are all doing well and I am sorry for any pain that I caused them from severing ties with our mother.
That brings me to the present day, where I have just turned 34 years old meaning that I have been apart from my mother for longer than I have had any association with her, and I am considering restoring limited contact with her for a few reasons.
First, and this is the main reason, I had checked in on her FaceBook page and it seems like she has become a different person than I remembered before. Her posts are generally positive and she is often spending time with her other three adult children. I looked through her entire Facebook feed to 2008 and I did not find a single post where she laid out the self-victimization sob stories that were in the letters she sent when we first broke contact. When she did mention me, it was her posting a message wishing me a happy birthday every year where she apologizes for hurting me and is praying that I would recontact her one day, or an old photograph with her commentary on what was a happy time to her, or posts where she is expressing happiness for what I have achieved in my life when she hears about them. It actually makes me cry because I believe she is actually sincere since these kinds of posts go back for the last nine years and I never had any idea.
Second, while I resent what she has done to me in my childhood, now that I am a parent myself I can appreciate the impossible situation she was in given that appeasing me may very well have been alienating to her other three children. There were times when I treated her unfairly, and I am willing to take responsibility and apologize for those times if she is also willing to take responsibility and apologize for how her actions hurt me.
Finally, I do not want to deny my children the right to get to know their grandmother, especially since she seems to have changed over the past 17 years. I am considering extending an olive branch and allowing her to visit her grandchildren here in Japan as soon as all of the travel restrictions are lifted.
If she has changed for the better, and is willing to take responsibility for her actions, and is willing to come to us to meet, then I can see our relationship being reconciled. To be honest, though, I am scared to reach out. I got her cell phone number and put it in my phone, but I have not yet found the courage to hit dial. I also fear what my half-siblings must think of me, but I do think it is finally the time to make the move and try to reconcile.
Thank you if you took the time to read my story. Mostly it helps me to just get it all written down, but I hope it is a change since there are so few stories on this subreddit of estranged adult children actually talking about reaching the point where reconciliation may be an option.
submitted by Rostecello to EstrangedAdultChild [link] [comments]

This past weekend was the deadline for the governor to sign, amend, or veto legislation. Here's what happened to the major bills on his desk.

Signed

Amended or In Limbo

Veto

His sole veto?

What's next?

The legislature will (possibly) reconvene in a week to potentially override the singular veto and address Northam's proposed amendments to several pieces of legislation. There are disputes about whether it is possible for them to vote remotely; if it is not, then the House will meet on the Capitol grounds, while the Senate will meet outside the Science Museum of Virginia.
submitted by CrassostreaVirginica to Virginia [link] [comments]

Warsim 0.8.2.2 (Crying Gnome Update, 138 features)

Hey everyone,
So this update is massive and includes the content from the Gnome Insult competition as well as a ton of features from various categories! I'm really excited to finally get this one out.
A PUDDLE OF GNOME TEARS (49 features)
After recently watching a few gnome insult battles in game I started getting insult duplicates very quickly and an otherwise funny area of the game became repetetive, I set out to drastically increase the number of insults as well as expand the insult battle system with new dynamic sounds and possible outcomes. There are now 300 total insults from around 30 or 40 prior to this update thanks almost entirely to the Warsim community taking part in the gnome insult competition! We have some absolutely amazing entries and while it felt almost impossible to pick we had TheUniqueFidji, Ordowix, and Voliol as the winners! Congrats again guys.
A harsh one - https://i.imgur.com/foTXSWo.png
A blooper while I was trying to record gnome crying sound effects - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohay6zVaTGI&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=VegaVideoNetwork
SATYR HORNS (2 features... or 72.2 billion)
The talented ascii designer Sebastian who designed the origin Satyr face concept sent me a new concept for Satyrs, we reworked it a bit to use ascii that would work in the game and in the process I added enough new parts that 72 billion additional Satyr faces can now be made! Massive improvement, big thanks to Sebastian (check him out on twitter!)
Comparison of old and new Satyrs - https://i.imgur.com/gRaZFXR.png
Here's a batch of the new ones - https://i.imgur.com/miFc4qH.png
THE MIGHTY HOUSE OF BORK (1 feature)
Saw a funny character in CK2 called Borkvald, the name tickled me so I added 10 variant style names.
TOMATO STREAM (17 features)
A huge twitch streamer checked out Warsim for a couple of hours recently, the stream was awesome and during it I noticed some things that could do with change and improvement as well as some opportunities for new features and a small cameo!
What a strange red fellow - https://i.imgur.com/4IMhhlL.png
A fire scone you say? - https://i.imgur.com/pp8r2Ai.png
SLAVE REVOLT ENHANCED (16 features)
Slave revolts felt a little bit flat before, now they are more functional and can be interacted with more in the diplomacy screen. You'll also be unable to do any diplomacy with the slave revolt while you still have slaves in your employ.
The new slave revolt diplomacy screen - https://i.imgur.com/RDX0lAR.png
MORE DRUNKS (4 features)
It was mentioned that drunk celebratory throne room visitors are a bit too repetetive, I've added a few for now but will expand more later hopefully!
GOBLIN THRONE ROOM VISITORS (8 features)
I felt the goblin encounter pack added to the throne room recently still needed more fleshing out, found a bug too!
A CHANCE OF STUPID (5 features)
After the last release Liang Qi mentioned that it would be much better if instead of highly civil races having 0 chance of stupid leaders, there was still a chance even if rare! A very good point, the idea of things still being random enough that things aren't always clear cut is a very good thing to have! Great suggestion.
KNIGHTLY ORDERS IMPROVED (8 features)
Zaph pointed out the knightly order information wasn't as clear as it could be. I've tried to improve that and several other aspects of it!
EAST DOCK COMPANY IMPROVED (4 features)
Thanks to a bug report by Clown from Steam I ended up reworking and finding several issues with the Blackmarket Dockrows 'East Dock Company' now improved!
BUGFIXES (11 features)
A chunk of bugs fixed this update!
EVERYTHING ELSE (13 features)
Lots of features here, pretty much all player suggested so thanks a bunch guys!
New recognition instead of just saying the group is destroyed - https://i.imgur.com/hgL9p1R.png
WHAT'S NEXT
So I'm hoping to move on to the end of turn update soon, but before that I may quickly try and develop a small gnome village to expand the number of places players can encounter gnome insult battles, we'll see how it goes!
Hope everyone's doing alright! :)
Cheers
Huw
submitted by Huw2k8 to WarsimRpg [link] [comments]

Unsure what to do with excess money. We don't want to waste it.

Hello, as the title says pretty much. My husband (24) and I (25). Both of us make 75k a year, 150K total and about 110k after taxes. I receive military VA disability payments around 1k a month as well. We're DINKs and can't/won't have children. So, overall we see around 120k a year.
We live well within our means which leaves us with a lot left over; about $4k a month after bills and mortgage. We max our employer's match with our 401Ks, maxed out ROTH IRAs for the year, and have a hefty emergency fund. We have no debt aside from our house. We have new(ish) cars that are perfectly mechanically and aesthetically fine.
After peeking around on financial forums and speaking with the most successfully retired people we know (my grandparents), there isn't much else for us to do with it aside from keeping a large sum of money in a savings account (which we're uncomfortable with), attempt to invest it elsewhere (not sure how/what/where as we can't speak to a financial advisor and we're not educated on that subject), or "treat ourselves" (which we also don't want to waste it).
The only solid thing we've agreed to do so far is raise the mortgage payment from $1400 to $2000 a month to speed up paying off the house.
Is there something we should be doing with the left over money to make it work for us or help us maybe retire early? Any suggestions or ideas you guys could throw our way? Thanks!
Edit: Please do not PM me about gambling. Or any other way I can throw away money. Stop preying on people trying to get their finances together.
submitted by SWEATY-PALM5 to personalfinance [link] [comments]

Joining the Navy as a nerd and/or screwup (Active or Reserves?)

Hello all - I'm a 28M (single) who has spent the past 3 years floundering in my attempts to "make it" in DC. I'm already talking to a recruiter. Originally I assumed Reserves was the way to build up good habits, get a clearance, feel good about "serving", and get back into grad school/job hunting. But going Active now has real appeal. TLDR is below; career advice on top of going Active vs Reserve is welcome. Sorry for the lengthy bio - my hope is with all this on my mind, someone else will find them useful if they themselves can relate to parts of it - and of course, the advice.
Personal upsides: I've been solid in the classroom (College GPA 3.55. Economics). Conversant in Russian + French with a full year spent studying/interning in parts of Eastern Europe. I fare well with languages and math. Comfortable w/ writing/speaking/briefing, networking in professional settings. Strong sense of patriotism+service. Quite intelligent (I hear it from others more than I see it in my decisions), very willing to help others. I'm... at least capable of mature decisions, given some occasions I know I did the right thing when it was hard, and others weren't watching. Definitely not the type to quit or slack at boot camp/A-school. Strong stomach, not claustrophobic, OK with close quarters/bunks + galley chow, etc.
Personal downsides: I've failed at "adulting". I've been unable to hold down a 9-5 job, or keep a clean room, or get consistent sleep, much less carve out a career in national security. In college, I failed out of Air Force ROTC three times. It was nothing immoral, but I still regularly lose track of important items, rarely show up to anything on time, and under pressure I get lost, panic, and/or lose my temper. The CO felt awful kicking me out the 3rd time and noted my strengths, but he and cadre couldn't see me leading/training younger Cadets. Let's just say I don't have any illusions about going SEAL.
The catch: I am only interested in enlisting in IS. I love working with charts, maps, graphs, written summaries, and yes - PowerPoint. My recruiter keeps saying "we have to wait and see what you qualify for..." but based off ASVAB practices and a PICAT, I will score high enough for IS. I've weighed CTI, but I couldn't stand sifting through Russian chatter day, after day, after day, after day. IS means a 6-year Active (2yrs Reserves) commitment unless I just go Reserves for 8 years - plus 6-8 months of training to start. And pretty-good odds of getting a deployment or two. Hello, GI Bill? Hello, a bit of real-world Navy?
The other catch: I have one dropped&expunged shoplifting charge from May 2019. It came soon after being fired in Mar 2019 from a GS-7 job. I needed food, and felt deeply cynical about avoiding crime/drugs/drinking, only to have crashed and burned anyway. So I started stealing, but not addictively. When I got caught and charged, it ended there. I've been candid with my recruiter on what I did and how I want to right myself with a military lifestyle. (I know I'd never have done this while in ROTC). He... urged me to phrase it in minimalist terms, shall we say. I would not, however, try or manage to lie in a polygraph if asked whether May 26, 2019 was the only time. It will be part of any clearance process/renewal starting before May 2026. I also have one metro-jumping charge from 2017 - lost my card, tried to sneak out, got promptly busted, fessed up in Court, paid $25 fine. It's only a problem in that it makes May 2019 seem less of a one-time aberration.
Personal ReflectionsI do have strong attention to detail in abstract ideas; I do a lot more analyzing/theorizing than, well, accomplishing. I can write/edit for hours (ahem). Yet I lack personal discipline, organization, timeliness and... especially, attention to detail in the physical/3-D world.
These all were causes behind getting fired from those 9-5 jobs. I like History+Econ textbooks fine but couldn't push myself on technical/bureaucratic manuals. Navy life has tons of that, so I may well prefer Reserves! I also fear that throughout 6 years of AD, I may falter badly, repeatedly, in ways with potentially more dire consequences. Then again... for what I want to achieve as a leader, I should conquer those personal obstacles in the civilian world, too. I worry my weaknesses aren't something a mere stint in RTC+Intel school (Dam Neck, VA) can overhaul. I feel like I should have some faith I can push myself, through 6 years of AD, eventually, to become that sort of... "warrior-scholar bad@$$" I've always wanted to be.
Alternating plans for education+career on each pathActive: I'd progress from E-3 to E-5/or E-6. I'd be able to earn an online Master's in IR via American University. I already have 9 grad credits at Univ. of Maryland, and can maybe transfer 3 or 6 credits. There'd also be opportunities to pick up some much-needed cybersecurity credentials, or something.
Reserve: I'd still get some Tuition Assitance at UMD - or even the GI-Bill, if I'm deployed sooner rather than later. I can game out returning to UMD for the 2021-22 schoolyear and securing rather easily a modest research assistantship: get some experience, 10 credits paid for, and a small stipend ($800/mo, so just rent+food). I'd focus for a year on grad school to get a bit more "distance" from May 2019, but soon hunt for entry-level jobs again starting 2022. This supposes we'll have a vaccine and the economy is recovering. I do have a 1-year UMD graduate certificate in Terrorism Analysis, GPA 3.68 - separate from the Master's - to help set myself apart.
Summary thoughtsBy going Reserve, I would aim more sharply for TS-SCI positions and/or OCS as I approach graduation sometime in 2023-24. By going Active, I'd be hitting those strides in 2025-26. So do I set myself back "only" 2-3 years in DC, to achieve 6 years of Naval experience + benefits? Even when the Reserve experience+benefits, though limited, are valid and available too? Or is 6 years of AD just too grueling for who I am? Maybe going Reserve is gambling too much on all else "working itself out" - when what I really need is a years-long, grinding "redemption arc" to make core changes? It's a lot to ponder.
I may well enjoy Naval life and prove myself therewithin; if I apply for OCS I should start trying ASAP, not 2026. I realize my odds of getting selected for Naval Intel Officer are better if I go Active for a few years. And if I did settle for (Reserve) SWO instead, I'm right up on that age limit, with a waiver.
Anyway, here's a distilled layout - Pros and Cons of going Active RELATIVE to Reserves - such that not going Reserves may be its own missed opportunity.
Pros Cons
Lifestyle/culture: Much more of the family, teambuilding, leadership, etc. I may feel miserable/bored/isolated a lot of the time. I'm a nerd in a bookshelf/podcast way, not Anime/D&D way.
Organization, discipline, structure: More rigor pushing me to improve my mind and body. But how much pain for how much gain? "Weekend warrior" may, frankly, be the best I can manage. 6 years of constant regimentation? Clothing, schedule, gear, obligations beyond normal hours... I failed simply at the ROTC version of it. If I at least make strides in RTC + Intel school over 6-8 months, I can keep improving in my Reserve+civilian careers.
Leaving behind DC: Putting "distance" between me and the shoplifting/firings. Other upsets can still strike you in DC; job opportunities, political winds, grad school funding... AD is steadier. I've heard that getting through 3 years (so, May 2022) will help a lot (will it???) and I'd still have the Navy Reserve's clearance anyway... whereas AD requires leaving behind my DC network, UMD student resources, two friends I love, and any potential for a new job until... early 2027.
Education Getting a Master's cheaper, by as much as $20k. More training on computer stuff. Getting a Master's faster by 2-3 years, probably.
Row 1: Advantage, Active. Perhaps the least central of the 4.
Row 2: Advantage, Reserves. Mostly it's the prospect of physical/mental misery on AD, and fear of shoddy performance.
Row 3: Advantage, Reserves. Coming back home sooner with Reserve skills+benefits, amidst all DC + UMD may or may not have to offer during 2021-25 seems higher risk, higher reward.
Row 4: Advantage, Active. Debt sucks and job+world experience is its own educator.
TL;DR:>I'm enlisting in the Navy either way; hell-bent on Intel rating and I've got the scores for it.>I've got a college degree but not adulting skills - have never held down a job unless it was part-time.>I'm worried about going Active because of the stress/time management + attention to detail required, but willing to better myself by at least going Reserves.>Brought on myself a dropped+expunged petty theft charge in May 2019 (fairly recent and not some juvenile fluke, especially to get an TS-SCI. Navy seems more lenient than most federal agencies would be).>Money is not my main goal, but if it helps professional + personal development, then great.>Going Active over Reserves pushes back my ambitions to break into national security/trade policy/diplomacy by... 2-4 years. And pushes back completing a Master's by 2-3 years. But AD will give me more to use for those goals and beyond. Still, 6 years is a long time when it's away from the home you're finally ready to make for yourself.
submitted by CRClark1138 to newtothenavy [link] [comments]

Rushed Redux

-Hi Vas. Got a fight card on XX/YY/Z. Need people to fill out SHW/HW. You in? Valkyrie@Rush.
-Hi, Valkyrie. Good to hear from you. I’m surprised that you were able to get another superheavyweight on a card so quickly. What time is the match supposed to be?
-23:00. Need you onsite at 21:45. A merc company is coming back from the Deeps. Did work there and are advertising here. They put up people including some for SHW. Valkyire@Rush.
-I can make 21:45. Is there anything else I should know?
-Guy won’t be nice like me. Heavily augmented for combat stims and flightborging. Been in combat. No weapons. Valkyrie@Rush.
-That sounds good to me. You can put me down for the night. I’m very grateful for the experience.’
‘...they’re gonna get the shit kicked out of them.’
When Sylvain arrived at the Rush, the nights’ heat was already building. The mercenary group flew large black and yellow banners; not to be outdone, the Rush’ signage was hovering up and down the street. Vas slipped in the back, checked in, and headed into the rear area to change. Various fighters were already crowding the area, different species and variants of humans milling about. There was a lot of enthusiasm for some upcoming robot on robot violence.
But they had to get ready. Bathroom, take out and redo all their hair, make sure their nails weren’t messed up, stretch a little bit...and then someone caught their eye; a short man with a close-cut beard--and very visible injection ports. He was obviously with the mercenary group, and had some more work in the back of his skull. Sylvain remembered what Valkyrie had told them: someone with flightborg gear and equipment for combat stimulants. He was untying combat boots as their eyes met.
‘...you the guy I’m beating the shit out of?’
‘Do you have augmentations to use combat drugs?’
‘Yup, and I’ll be using them in the ring. You H+?’
‘Yes.’
‘Looks like we found each other, big guy. I’m Jasper.’ He reached out to shake Sylvain’s hand.
‘I’m Sylvain. Please don’t call me guy.’ They returned the handshake.
‘...why?’
‘I’m non-binary.’
‘Oh, ok. Sorry about that. He/his.’
‘No problem. Do you want to run anything specific for this match? Last time I was here, it was a hossfest. We ran some reversals to keep the crowd heated while Valkyrie worked for pop.’
‘...buddy, what the fuck does any of that mean? The only thing we’re going to be doing is fighting until one of us drops. No permanent damage, but anything goes.’
Vas nodded once. ‘That sounds like a good idea. I’m going to do my best, though.’
Jasper smirked slightly, looking up. He was pretty short for a human, but Sylvain realized that he was uncomfortably good at getting inside people’s reach. ‘You've ever fought here before?’
‘Once.’
‘I’ve been fighting my whole life.’
Sylvain nodded once. ‘I haven’t fought much before. I’m here for experience.’
‘You need it. Look at your hair--you never go into a fight with it that long.’
‘The crowd likes it, and the house likes what the crowd likes. I will only request that you don’t pull it.’
Jasper rolled his eyes. ‘This is a fight, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then I’m doing whatever I want.”
Sylvain merely nodded, trying to tamp down their nerves. ‘Ok.’
‘That’s it? Do you have any idea who you’re facing?’
Hoping to intimidate their opponent just a little bit, Sylvain slid down into a middle split. ‘No. And I don’t care.’ This was the most sass that they could manage, but someone in the back went ‘Oooooh!’
This definitely ticked off Jasper. ‘I’ve killed people with my bare hands before, Vas, and I’ll do it again. When I’m up (1), I’m faster than you, stronger than you, I don’t get tired, and I don’t feel pain.’
‘Good for you.’ Sylvain’s stomach was a bundle of knots. ‘Now, if you’ll pardon me, I have to finish doing my eyebrows.’
‘...your fucking eyebrows? This is a cage match, not a catwalk.’
Sylvain rummaged in their bag and pulled out their station I.D. The picture had been taken without makeup, and their eyebrows looked nearly transparent. ‘I’d prefer to have this done for reasons that are very plain.’
‘...yeah, good point.’
Sylvain finished their eyebrows, then went to the fitting room. Normally, fighters wore as little as possible--but they had to cover the QR codes on their shoulderblades. Generally, fighters wore as little as possible for the crowds’ viewing pleasure--but anyone with an internet connection would know what those codes meant. Vas had a FluidForm leotard that simultaneously covered more skin than last time while simultaneously leaving even less to the imagination. They hadn’t known what an ‘ab window’ was before...but they sure did now.
After their last fight, Sylvain had done their best to follow up on Valkyries’ advice. They didn’t have a sparring partner, but they had some stance and balance drills, and they’d started stretching seriously. Vas had also acquired some weights, and while they didn’t use them more than twice a week, they were getting stronger. They were nowhere near proper fighting form, but they were in better shape than last time.
Probably why Sylvain had been forced into fight clothes that made them look like they were in other professions besides delivery.
By the time that their match kicked off, the crowd had already been warmed up by multiple acts of violence. In the bottom third of the fight card, this Superheavyweight matchup was a big opener for a main act featuring both robotic violence and cool laser swords. Fights at this weight had two draws: the unbridled power participants could bring to bear on each other, and the participants themselves. H+, chem-borgs...the people beating the snot out of each other in the cage were as much a draw as the violence.
If Sylvain was nervous their first time in the ring, this was nothing to it now. Their first time in the heptagon they had sparred...but this was an actual fight. Most of the world greyed out, and they remembered nothing about being walked to the cage by Rissa, nor their intro (and the crowds’ lukewarm reception), nor anything else--except for Jaspers’ entry. He was disarmingly short and had absolutely no emotion visible; he moved with the fluid grace of a freak wave. The way that the crowd roared nailed it: Sylvain was up against someone way out of their league. They didn’t remember anything else except the moment before the fight started, and the sudden upsurge of fear.
Jasper came out of his corner like a man possessed. Sylvain had their guard up and their feet ready, but then Jasper got into range. He was small, very fast, and got under Sylvain’s reach. Jasper immediately started off with a series of vicious hooks, uppercuts, and a straight shot to Sylvain’s torso, the last of which they took wholesale. Sylvain tried to counter with a series of front kicks, but the intensity of the punches kept them on the back foot--until they saw an opening! Immediately, they brought their foot up, throwing an axe kick that arced far over Jaspers’ head, and began to come down towards their opponent.
And then Jasper was out of the way! He’d been able to pick up on how Sylvain was shifting their weight from one leg to the other, recognized the attack, and dodged. They realized this right before they crashed their heel. (2) It wasn’t the worst pain, but it was a public botch, and their nerves began to fray.
‘Jasper is one of our fastest competitors yet! I don’t think we’ve seen a dodge like that tonight!’
As the pain went up their heel, Sylvain frantically evaded another series of punches; Jasper landed a short kick that hit them in the shin; agonizing nerve pain ran up the bone. Half-limping and in considerable discomfort, Sylvain managed to get Jasper to back off with an elbow to the chin. Vas quickly recognized that there was potential in punching Jasper in the face, and did so a couple more times. It worked, buying them a brief respite before the chemborg countered with a tackle.
Sylvain didn’t hit their head, and they got Jasper off with a kick to the torso; but while he ended up on his back again, Sylvain’s nerve continued to fray. They were being taken apart by someone who could negate all of their advantages, they were clearly up against far more experienced fighter, and their leg fucking hurt. Valkyrie really had been going easy on them.
‘Jasper isn’t letting up! He’s got Sylvain staggering already!’
Jasper came at them again without pause, and Sylvain tried to strike back. However, he quickly exploited Sylvain’s poor stance to duck under their strikes and attempt a throw. Sylvain grabbed onto Jasper and pushed back, and the two briefly went into a standing clinch; the height difference was comical. For a moment, the two were frozen in time, acutely aware of the others’ presence and their joined struggle--and then Sylvain put their head down and pushed. Jasper was forced backwards, trying to reach out for a guillotine choke until Sylvain slammed him into the cage wall with a resounding thud. He quickly retaliated with a kick to the chest, and Sylvain backed off, giving them both a precious few seconds to recover. Their body burned and ached from the beating Jasper was dishing out; despite their strength and stamina, all they could do was wait for the next blow to land.
“And Jasper is coming right back at them! Can Sylvian do anything to this guy?’
As Jasper charged, something clicked. Valkyrie had taught them a countermove during their first fight, how to use the force of someone’s charge to throw them into the cage. Jasper was harder to grab than Valkyrie, but even though they took a knee to the chest, Sylvain propelled him upwards and into the Heptagon. Despite the combat stims, the shock of being propelled into the cage facefirst was not something that Jasper could ignore, and they flopped on the floor like a chew toy.
But you can’t keep a good mercenary down. Jasper got back up again, but he was moving more slowly; and Sylvain had their reach advantage back. Quickly, they powered a side kick into Jaspers’ midsection. Driving from the thigh, this kick could break down doors, and they landed it straight on Jasper's chest. Immediately, Vas could tell that they’d broken several of his ribs--and probably worse. Jasper crumpled into a ball, falling to his hands and knees and struggling to hold back vomit.
Sylvain paused for a moment, shocked at what they’d done. Their first fight in the ring had been with someone capable of handling most of the pain they’d dished out. But they had to finish this quickly. Dropping a quick elbow into their opponents’ back, they forced Jasper prone and wrapped their legs around his torso in a trunk strangle. They’d never tried the hold that before, but there was a first time for everything.
“Wow! I think we’ve just found Bonecrusher’s spiritual successor! Look at those thighs go!’
They tried to put as much pressure on Jaspers’ broken ribs as possible, compress his lungs right after he’d had his wind knocked out, and force him to surrender. It worked for a bit. Jasper groaned, briefly went completely limp, and then struggled to rise. Sylvain could feel parts of their opponents’ body start to give way, but Jasper still met their gaze balefully.
Sylvain didn’t know exactly what happened next, but the instant replay showed that they’d taken six punches to the face. They rolled off, clutching a broken nose; Jasper pulled out of their legs and began slowly getting to his feet. With a grunt, Vas staggered to their feet, weaving back and forth. Blood was dripping out of their nose, their ears were ringing, and it was hard to think. Sylvain almost fell, only finding some semblance of balance when leaning on the cage, and wiped their nose to find their hands coming away covered in blood.
‘What a reversal! From almost finished off to breaking Vas’ nose, Jasper is just dominating this fight!’
Jasper attacked yet again, but Sylvain had done real damage; he was gasping for air and hunched over. Nevertheless, Jasper smelled blood and went for the kill. Three punches to Sylvain’s kidneys bent them double, bringing their head down for a finishing blow. Grunting, Sylvain tried to move out of the way, but the pain was too much to overcome. Jasper grabbed their hair and pulled, hauling the human+’s head down for a finishing punch.
‘Incredible! Nothing can stop Jasper, he’s about to end-’
‘Don’t fucking pull my hair!’
Valkyrie had tried to get Sylvain to feel anger in their exhibition match. Now they did. Vas saw red--and then Jaspers’ face. Slamming an uppercut into his chin, they halted Jasper’s attack, then feinting with a haymaker, they ate another shot to the chest to capitalize on an opening for their opponents’ knee. As he fell to the ground, they grabbed Jaspers’ head with both hands.
‘I told you not to touch my hair.’
Sylvain rammed Jasper’s head into their knee as they brought their right leg up. The crunch could be heard a good eight rows back, and they felt Jasper’s jaw break. Jasper immediately went limp, and Sylvain fell backwards, clutching their knee. They could only imagine what their opponent would feel when he woke up.
‘And that’s a knockout! This fight is over! Our winner--Sylvain Vas, now 1-1! This is why you don’t pull their hair!’
Sylvain was occupied with their throbbing knee and probable concussion. A medical crew was already in the cage, dragging Jasper onto a stretcher--some of them were from the mercenary group, and they gave Sylvain dirty looks. They were maneuvered onto another stretcher, given a painkiller hypo and something to sop up the blood flowing from their nose.
It took a bit of time in the clinic to get their nose to stop bleeding, and their knee needed a scan. Sylvain was completely drained; they’d had the snot beat out of them for most of the fight. It had been a painful learning experience, a taste of actual aggression that they had enjoyed not seeing in a while. But while the scan came back as nothing more than a very large bruise, topical painkiller worked quite well, and they had a surprise visitor.
‘Sylvain, you have a visitor.’
‘I do? Well, I’m available, I guess.’
Valkyrie popped through the dividing sheet. She had a light sheen of sweat on her brow, residue from running the nights’ excitement.
‘Congratulations, Sylvian! You did really well!’
‘Valkyrie! What are you doing here?’
‘There’s a break before we hand out the merc swag. So I came by.’
‘May I ask why?’
‘Just figured I’d check on one of our superheavyweights, especially after their first victory!’
Sylvain shrugged. They looked less than enthusiastic. ‘I got lucky.’
‘Sylvain, you knocked out a major mercenary groups’ meanest killer in front of over a thousand people. Jasper is going to need three of his teeth regrown. Luck had nothing to do with it.’
They shrugged. ‘He controlled the fight, and I could barely touch him. I’m not going to be getting back in the heptagon for a long time.’
Valkyrie raised both eyebrows. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. Take me off the list for a while.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Valkyrie, I’ve been hurt fairly badly. I need time to recover, and I can’t afford to take time off of work...ah, fuck. It’s bleeding again.’
‘Here you go.’ She passed them another temporary bandage, followed by another shot of targeted clotting factors. ‘You have excellent stamina. No one was expecting you to just take a beating like that and keep going.’
‘Thanks.’ Sylvain leaned back and let the medicine work. ‘This is the first time I’ve broken my nose.’
‘Is that why you don’t want to come back?
‘No. I dropped a large contract recently. I need to find a replacement.’
Valkyrie looked disappointed. ‘Awww. I like having you around.’
‘I need to pay the power bill. It can’t be helped.’
‘Is there anything I can get you back sooner?’
‘I just need time to heal and find a replacement contract. Once I’ve got that, you can book me again. I’ll tell you when I do, in fact.’
‘Good!’ Valkyrie seemed unusually cheerful. ‘You got the crowds’ attention tonight! They were not expecting you to do so well. They want to see you back, too!’
‘Really?’
‘You beat the heavy favorite, Sylvain. I can see that you’re learning. You’ve gotten stronger.’ Valkyries’ smile abruptly disappeared. ‘People put down lumina on Jasper. He was a safe bet.’
‘How much?’
‘I don’t know. A lot. But the people who placed those bets are probably pissed. You should watch your back.’
Sylvain sighed. ‘It would have been nice if you told me that.’
‘Yeah.’ Valkyrie smirked, leaning against the table in an...extremely personable manner. ‘But then I wouldn’t have gotten to see you all dressed up. It’s too hard to resist something as pretty as you.’
They abruptly remembered that they were still in some very revealing Fluidform and nothing else. ‘...oh...well...if you say so.’
She put her hand on Sylvain’s bicep, and gave it a squeeze. ‘And you feel even better than last time, too…’
Whatever their reply, it was interrupted by Sylvains’ nose gushing an extraordinary amount of blood. Valkyrie winced. ‘Morrigan! Yeah! They’re bleeding all over the place--shit, here--’
The night concluded with Sylvain’s nose being partially put back together using gel and pseudoblast, and Morrigan enjoying using a remote cauterizer a little too much. Eventually, they were discharged with a head full of bioglue and painkillers, and staggered home, reading through their pending delivery schedule. They didn’t feel victorious, and exhaustion warred with anxiety. Valkyrie’s words sat in their head.
‘Watch your back.’
Large-scale gambling? People putting money on them losing? What the hell had they gotten themselves into?
  1. ‘Up’ here refers to using a cocktail of combat stimulants designed to augment a normal human for extended combat. To crash your heel is to slam your heel into the ground when missing a kick or being unable to stop your leg in time.
submitted by OceansCarraway to CTWLite [link] [comments]

VA has no record of me using my 9/11 GI benefits and I am about to start medical school

Over the last year, I have tried to get a statement of how many months I have left on the GI bill as I am starting medical school this fall. I didn't use the full 36 months during undergrad so I could pay for at least a year's worth of medical school due to a cost of 90k a year. No matter who I call, what I send in via mail, or when I check online, every person (at least 10 by now) has said they have no record of me using my benefits. I had my school call and they said they have no records on their end (my VA office didn't send them anything from their side). I submitted a new claim hoping that when they were approving it they would see I had already used the GI bill to an extent. Nope, approved and got a COE for 36 months at 100%.
Medical school is about 90k a year at ~6% interest so I need to use the GI bill, not an option to put off use until it is sorted. I have no issue with using it for the first year as I know I have enough at least for that. If it was an undergrad I'd just try and use it the second year as it's only an 8k tuition gamble and I can just pull it from savings if they notice, a bit different with 90,000...
Does anyone else have any idea how it can be sorted out? If I won the VA lottery and they somehow lost every single record of me using benefits (I know this is unlikely), I won't complain about free medical school but I'd like to know that's actually the case.
submitted by BlessThisRavagedBod to Veterans [link] [comments]

Summary For: Weekly Question Thread (10/5/2020 to 10/11/2020)

How come everyone only talks BAD about the military. Someone who wanted to join but is put off by nothing but complete absolutely negative comments on the life and quality of it
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So I was separated under honorable conditions 7 months ago out of AIT, I’m wanting to re-enlist but there was a whole “fraudulent enlistment” thing that my chain of command reported my recruiter for because a family member of mine mentioned something they weren’t supposed to, to my commander. He didn’t discharge me for that though, he helped me out and sent me on my way as a separation under honorable conditions. Does anyone know if that report is classified or if they could pull it because my name would be attached to it when I try to re enlist. I don’t want to be shit on in the process of joining wondering if anyone has experience in recruiting or another area that would be helpful. PS I didn’t throw my recruiter under the bus he helped me out a lot and was a huge help in preparing me for basic and getting my mindset stable for BCT, the whole “look forward to the next meal” is what made it a breeze.
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I was hoping to snag an option 4 contract/volunteer for airborne school if I get the chance later, but I keep seeing people on this reddit saying that airborne sucks and wrecks your body. Can someone elaborate on that? Is there a high risk of injury, or is it more of a long-term, wear and tear kind of thing? (And does it help if I'm planning to go into 25 or 35 series, which is presumably less hard on your body in general than infantry?) Are there any other downsides to going airborne that I'm missing?
On the other hand, are there any significant upsides to going airborne? I heard you're more likely to get opportunities for "high speed" assignments down the line if you're airborne qualified.
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I’m shipping to BCT 12/28 after I graduate college this December. I went to MEPS last week and was surprised my paperwork said I’d be enlisting as an E-3 rather than an E-4. I asked my Army liaison about it and he said I’d be good to promote to E-4 when I show the Army my official college transcript so I thought cool no worries. Here’s my problem: this morning my academic advisor tells me my formal college transcript won’t be ready until mid January. Does anyone know what my chances are for the Army accepting my transcripts while I’m at BCT and allowing me to promote there? I don’t want to lose out on money if I don’t have to.
Edit: added a “he”. Also obligatory I’m not joining for the money but money is nice, ya know.
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I'm a college senior (graduating in May) weighing my options. I know the general advice is to not enlist with a degree, but I'm considering it. I want to go to law school but definitely want to spend time working after undergrad. I figure rather than trying to get a job at a law firm I could enlist as a paralegal (27D) and use the GI bill to pay for law school once I get out. I'll be graduating with student loans and would like to start paying them down before going back to school. I have a good GPA (3.84) and a strong desire to serve. I've gotten some leadership experience through school, but I don't really see myself as an officer (besides maybe as a JAG down the line) and don't think I'd have a very competitive OCS packet. Any advice?
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PCSing to JBLM. Where should a SINGLE junior O live? I was thinking Central Tacoma, near 6th Ave. But spoke to an O3 who said I should live in Seattle. I hate commuting so I want to keep that minimum. Is Central Tacoma a good compromise? I do enjoy night life
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I've asked recruiters but can't get a clear answer; can you actually enlist as an 89D/EOD Tech? If so, is it better to enlist as, say, a Combat Engineer then volunteer for EOD school to make it there or jump right into it?
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For cadets commissioning active duty out of ROTC, do both time in service/grade and ADSO time begin on the first day you're on active duty, or does commissioning date affect anything? Does advanced camp cadre/gold bar recruiter start the ADSO and promotion clocks earlier than if you just waited to start active duty at BOLC?
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Hi I am in the recruiting process right now, I took the ASVAB already, we went to a hotel to get temp checked before going to MEPS and the recruiter said our PT is the following week and we would be staying at the hotel the night before the PT . I believe I heard a few youtubers say this when I was researching other peoples experiences before the ASVAB but I cant find these videos again. So is it normal to stay at the hotel the night before the PT, can someone confirm if this sounds like the due process of things, my family is wondering if thats the case. Thank you!
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Hi, can I apply to Army OCS if I had a DOR at USMC OCS? Yes I know I'm dumb for going DOR at USMC OCS, is it possible in anyway to apply for Army OCS? At the time I was completely defeated at USMC OCS, and couldn't see myself completing it at all. I was given a drop code of DOR-18 and it said not recommended to reapply. At the time they told me I could enlist in the marines if I pleased but not come back to OCS. Also would enlisting in the army for 4 years then applying for OCS show I'm committed for a 2nd chance?
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Should I join Army Reserve as an officer or focus on civilian career?
Hello, I’m currently a graduate student studying for my masters in IT and also currently in ROTC. I’ve always wanted to serve but also want to have a great civilian career in tech, so I figured I should join the reserves and work one weekend a month and 2-3 weeks every summer while having a paying job in IT in the private sector. I read a similar post here from another guy who’s in the same position as me, except he wants to go active. So I’m kind of in a bind here.
What would you guys do? Should I drop out of ROTC now and focus on my civilian career or do you think I should continue with ROTC and be an officer in their reserves? Or will being an officer take up too much time from advancing my civilian career?
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Anyone know the contract lengths for 46S, 25V, and 35M? My recruiter couldn't tell me because the jobs weren't open when I visited (I'm willing to wait for a spot to open up) but I'd like to know the info now so I can start making a decision about which one I want to try for.
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Is it true that Army SF officers usually only spend a few years in SF before going back to the conventional side?
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Shipping to Benning for Infantry OSUT in a week. Hoping to pickup a slot for airborne after AIT. Curious what the chances of getting sent to a leg unit after finishing airborne would be. I would love to go to 10th mountain but also really want my jump wings. Are you guaranteed to be sent to an airborne unit after airborne school?
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How difficult is it to get stationed at Fort Meade?
More specifically as a 35G?
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My recruiter wants me to take apft before I ship out on 24th oct. Last time I took it I did well on everything besides sit ups and did not pass. So what happens if I don’t pass this PT test during Dep? I have combat mos and I’m actually in good shape even though i failed, I’ve just been working long hours and haven’t had the chance to really focus on fitness. But I know once I ship out I can get back to my previous fitness quickly.
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Looking for details on 13F in Ranger Batt. Anyone with experience? Secondhand knowledge is welcome as well.
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Is it possible to serve military full time while completing a double major online? I want to major in East Asian studies and business administration and was wondering if this was possible
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Quick question, I'm at AIT at Gordon right now, is there any possible way to change my contact from active to National Guard or even Reserves? I know there probably isn't, but I still hold out hope.
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I'm going through the process rn. I've informed my recruiter that I smoked weed briefly freshman year of college, and that I haven't smoked since (true). He said not to worry about it, and to never mention that to anyone again, which, ok no problem.
I previously held a (Federal) internship where I disclosed my MJ use. Filled out a form, gave a "it was a mistake I pinky promise it'll never ever happen again" statement, and was good to go.
Is there any chance this will jam me up during my enlistment process?
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I am trying to get my JST put on my ERB so I can get the last bit of promotion points I need, but they have turned me back twice now.
The first time they told me I had to do it through the learning center, but when I contacted the learning center, they told me that S1 does it.
So I went back again and the S1 NCOIC himself turned me away and said that S1 doesn't do it. I am tried of being turned away, I have been promotable for over a year now because of points and am tired of this. Does anyone know my next course of action? Is my S1 just lying to me because they are lazy?
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So does your vision have to be correctable to 20/20 at MEPS? I know when I go to the eye doctor, they're consistently only able to get it to 20/25, and my understanding is, you fail meps if you aren't able to correct to 20/20
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Navy vet here, I’m trying to help a guy that works for me with some info about nah for his spouse during boot. Can anyone pass along the reg that covers this? TIA
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I commissioned into the Reserves out of ROTC this past July.
My unit hasn’t contacted me at all so I haven’t been going to drill since commissioning. Is this normal? Am I supposed to contact them?
I’m going to BOLC in a few weeks anyway so at this point I don’t think it matters.
Just wondering if they even know I’m in their unit?
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Does anyone know how airborne school is right now? I live in 3 weeks for it.
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What should I expect going to Army BCT as a prior service Sailor (e4 8 years service)? Should I anticipate being treated like a day one private or like someone who has 8 honorable years of service? Anyone who’s attended BCT as prior service please advise. Thanks
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Any 12R here I’m currently in technical school for electrical automation and have experience with residential in the feild. I’m thinking about joining active when I’m done with school tomorrow what are daily duties like and did you get deployed and if you did did you see combat?
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Prior Service USAF and I've been working with a recruiter since beginning of April. Honorable discharge but I have a VA disability rating and need a medical waiver, though there is nothing that is an automatic disqualifier. In January I inprocessed with the Air National Guard and actually had my medical waiver approved in less than 2 months. The only reason I didn't move forward with them is the job availability was extremely slim, and with COVID and some extreme job uncertainty I wanted to go active.
Recruiter has been working with MEPS since April on the waiver. I have all my medical records, and seeing as I have already had another services waiver approved I was extremely optimistic. First long wait was due to COVID, understandable. Then another long wait due to MEPS liaison "losing" paperwork. Then another long wait because some of my records were "illegible" according to someone at Fort Campbell. Worked on getting everything in to a better resolution but now the paperwork has just been sitting with the MEPS liaison for three weeks needing to be approved. My recruiter has been very open with me and communicating, and he says everyone in his chain knows what's happening and isn't happy. He recommended I call the MEPS liaison office and see if I could speak to someone and give them a push, but doesn't know if that will help or make it worse.
Do I call the MEPS liaison or just keep waiting it out? Part of me knows I just need to tough it out and keep waiting, that this process can take forever and the military is always hurry up and wait yadda yadda but I hate things being out of my control. Thanks for letting me vent.
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I am in the recruiting process, for active Army. I originally wanted to turn in an OCS packet and sit for the boards however, I scored a 109 on my GT score and I need a 110.
My recruiter and his superior have been all about enlisting me, and when I scored a 109 they told me I can enlist and drop my OCS packet at my first duty station. They also said I can sit for the boards and retest to get the 110, but the acceptance rate is extremely low and I probably won’t be picked up. Lastly, they said they didn’t care what I do because at the end of the day they are in and I’m not.
I have some funny feelings about the way they went about that conversation, are they just trying to enlist people and officer packets are not worth the time?
Can I actually drop my OCS packet as soon as I finish training? After some research, It’s my understanding that your superiors have to back your packet, which makes me think they won’t as soon as you arrive.
What are some positives and negatives of both enlisted and officer?
Is ROTC worth it for your masters degree?
I feel like I have asked a million questions and more than one way and my recruiter either is not being transparent or he just doesn’t know. Please help!
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What does being a 35P at a line unit look like? What about with a coolguy unit (75th, attached to an ODA, etc)?
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Hi I just started my class in AIT and it “ends” in December in the 14th. Would I still get block leave or would I have to report to my first duty station?
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I had my battalion OCS interview this week. My package is now supposed to go to USAREC. For any recruiters on here, does battalion send my packet to USAREC or does my recruiter have to send it up? My recruiter is new and can’t seem to get an answer. I want to make sure I don’t miss today’s deadline.
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Has anyone PS rejoined as their MOS and not had to go back to basic or ait and just went to a new duty station, how did that work? How was the pcsing process?
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I had open-heart surgery as an infant. Maps have been taking a lengthy amount of time on my paperwork. Recently, they sent the documents to a cardiologist specialist for a second opinion. Any idea how long it could take?
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Hey y'all, I'm reclassing to a packet MOS and my retention NCO tells me I have a report date (sometime next month) in the system. It's been roughly two weeks though and I haven't seen notification in ATRRS or my email. I'm thinking of contacting the branch manager, but I don't want to waste their time. The branch manager already put in my follow-on assigment, are school slots something they do too? Or is the system just slow and I should wait for it populate correctly?
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Former enlisted Marine here thinking about joining as an 11B with an Option 40
Looking for opinions and insight, I have recently left the Marine Corps and being an Army Ranger is of interest to me. Ranger school is something everyone can go to and earn a tab, but Option 40 sends you to RASP after AIT, and then you get stationed with the 75th Ranger Regiment correct? So if I signed an 11B with an Option 40 I would just go to AIT, RASP and then the Regiment?
Also I'm not completely sure if I should commission or enlist. I wont do either until I get my degree but with the enlisted side, I for sure get to attend RASP as an 11B, something as an officer I know is not guaranteed. I am confident in my abilities to graduate OCS at a pretty high level, but I feel like that there are unforeseen factors that can deter me from being an Infantry Officer. All I know is, being an Infantry Officer in the Regiment is a lot more of a gamble than just enlisting.
​
Can anyone offer me their experience / insight on enlisting / commissioning to being an Army Ranger? What is RASP like, what is 11B AIT like? Pros / cons of enlisting / officer? I have a general sense of the pros / cons of enlisting because of The Marine Corps, wondering if its any different in the Army.
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Anyone know what GT/ASVAB score you need for a 42R(Traditional Army bands) also what prerequisite will they require before enlisting(Not BCT or AIT)? Song knowledge for auditioning or do they audition? And what the culture is like? My wife is wanting to serve active duty as 42R in Bass Trombone.
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Does anyone have insights about the 88k mos? It sounds really fun, but recruiter doesn’t know much about it. Any info helps, thanks.
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Reserve 35S
Prior service just need some basic insight please and thank you.
-Does anyone have any idea what annual training for the reserves looks like for a 35S? I understand its partially in line with your unit. But are some units more ‘strategic’ than others (do your actual job during/ no field bs during AT)? Or do they all tend to do the same thing for AT’s? -Also, have they officially changed the AIT to GoodFellow now or can i expect to be going to Corry? -How’s life for a MOS-T during this COVID era in AIT?
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Does 35L counterintelligence mos require DLAB to enlist for the job?
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Hello everyone, I’m a navy reject planning on joining the army, waiting on clearance for the medical stuff and what not, but beyond that, I’ve been curious about MOS’s and I was wondering if the 94 series is as good and transferable as the 25 series, I really like both and I’m pretty sure both are signal Corp, I was hoping to get some input and see if anyone has any info as to what the jobs entail and the overall lifestyle of each, thank you!
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Good morning! I am looking into joining the Army Reserve. I have met with a recruiter and I am going to take the ASVAB. I am interested in becoming a pilot. I would prefer flying a fixed wing aircraft like the C-130 or the c-17. However, I would be fine flying helicopters as well. My question is is there a direct way to join and train to become a pilot? I understand I have to become a Warren Officer or an aviation officer. It seems like I may have to start off with a job that is available depending on my ASVAB score and then prepare a packet for the Warren officer candidate school. The reason I am looking into the reserve and not active duty is because I don’t want to get stationed far from home or in another country.
The jobs I am interested in so far are 155a and 153a.
Thanks you, Justin Calero
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Prior service here required to repeat BCT due to break in service.
Will my family get Tricare coverage while I'm in training?
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How's the daily life of a Intel Soldier? More specifically a 35m or 35p. Is it a miserable desk job or is there usually more to it? Intel has been really appealing (along with aviation) to me but I feel like I'm having a romanticised look on it.
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Is there specific army website I can go to to see the current retention tiers for my MOS? Or do I have to do this through retention
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Probably a stupid question, but would I use my gtc for things like baggage fees? Flying on a commercial airline and I'm only authorized one bag, and I'd really like to take a second one.
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I’m a college student and hold a civilian job as a security engineer.
I’m being told I scored high enough to get 17C or 25D as a MOS from my recruiter
However I see importance in holding my civilian job and I think the best opportunity would for me to join the reserves or national guard.
I’m trying to figure out which one would be more beneficial to me. I am looking to have the army pay for my college or at least most of it and looking to seek benefits if I ever get deployed.
Any information about the national guard in the state of NY or education benefits will be appreciated im located in NYC and any advice based on which would I should consider would be helpful.
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Are the prior service business rules a guideline to know what jobs you can choose from, assuming they have openings. Or is there a chance you can get a job not on the list?
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When enlisting as a prior service (guard to active) do you get any say in 11c over 11b? Like can you request when you get to OSUT? (Reclassing from 91b)
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High school graduate who is taking a gap semester this year. Looking at different options for my future and career path and have been eyeing on the different military branches for cyber security MOSs that offer certificates and experience. My real question is however is does army most 17C provide that for my situation?
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Hey guys I have six years prior service(logistics) with a masters degree. Could I join the army as a 03 in a logistics role?
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submitted by Army_Bot to army [link] [comments]

Summary For: Weekly Question Thread (10/5/2020 to 10/11/2020)

How come everyone only talks BAD about the military. Someone who wanted to join but is put off by nothing but complete absolutely negative comments on the life and quality of it
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So I was separated under honorable conditions 7 months ago out of AIT, I’m wanting to re-enlist but there was a whole “fraudulent enlistment” thing that my chain of command reported my recruiter for because a family member of mine mentioned something they weren’t supposed to, to my commander. He didn’t discharge me for that though, he helped me out and sent me on my way as a separation under honorable conditions. Does anyone know if that report is classified or if they could pull it because my name would be attached to it when I try to re enlist. I don’t want to be shit on in the process of joining wondering if anyone has experience in recruiting or another area that would be helpful. PS I didn’t throw my recruiter under the bus he helped me out a lot and was a huge help in preparing me for basic and getting my mindset stable for BCT, the whole “look forward to the next meal” is what made it a breeze.
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I was hoping to snag an option 4 contract/volunteer for airborne school if I get the chance later, but I keep seeing people on this reddit saying that airborne sucks and wrecks your body. Can someone elaborate on that? Is there a high risk of injury, or is it more of a long-term, wear and tear kind of thing? (And does it help if I'm planning to go into 25 or 35 series, which is presumably less hard on your body in general than infantry?) Are there any other downsides to going airborne that I'm missing?
On the other hand, are there any significant upsides to going airborne? I heard you're more likely to get opportunities for "high speed" assignments down the line if you're airborne qualified.
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I’m shipping to BCT 12/28 after I graduate college this December. I went to MEPS last week and was surprised my paperwork said I’d be enlisting as an E-3 rather than an E-4. I asked my Army liaison about it and he said I’d be good to promote to E-4 when I show the Army my official college transcript so I thought cool no worries. Here’s my problem: this morning my academic advisor tells me my formal college transcript won’t be ready until mid January. Does anyone know what my chances are for the Army accepting my transcripts while I’m at BCT and allowing me to promote there? I don’t want to lose out on money if I don’t have to.
Edit: added a “he”. Also obligatory I’m not joining for the money but money is nice, ya know.
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I'm a college senior (graduating in May) weighing my options. I know the general advice is to not enlist with a degree, but I'm considering it. I want to go to law school but definitely want to spend time working after undergrad. I figure rather than trying to get a job at a law firm I could enlist as a paralegal (27D) and use the GI bill to pay for law school once I get out. I'll be graduating with student loans and would like to start paying them down before going back to school. I have a good GPA (3.84) and a strong desire to serve. I've gotten some leadership experience through school, but I don't really see myself as an officer (besides maybe as a JAG down the line) and don't think I'd have a very competitive OCS packet. Any advice?
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PCSing to JBLM. Where should a SINGLE junior O live? I was thinking Central Tacoma, near 6th Ave. But spoke to an O3 who said I should live in Seattle. I hate commuting so I want to keep that minimum. Is Central Tacoma a good compromise? I do enjoy night life
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I've asked recruiters but can't get a clear answer; can you actually enlist as an 89D/EOD Tech? If so, is it better to enlist as, say, a Combat Engineer then volunteer for EOD school to make it there or jump right into it?
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For cadets commissioning active duty out of ROTC, do both time in service/grade and ADSO time begin on the first day you're on active duty, or does commissioning date affect anything? Does advanced camp cadre/gold bar recruiter start the ADSO and promotion clocks earlier than if you just waited to start active duty at BOLC?
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Hi I am in the recruiting process right now, I took the ASVAB already, we went to a hotel to get temp checked before going to MEPS and the recruiter said our PT is the following week and we would be staying at the hotel the night before the PT . I believe I heard a few youtubers say this when I was researching other peoples experiences before the ASVAB but I cant find these videos again. So is it normal to stay at the hotel the night before the PT, can someone confirm if this sounds like the due process of things, my family is wondering if thats the case. Thank you!
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Hi, can I apply to Army OCS if I had a DOR at USMC OCS? Yes I know I'm dumb for going DOR at USMC OCS, is it possible in anyway to apply for Army OCS? At the time I was completely defeated at USMC OCS, and couldn't see myself completing it at all. I was given a drop code of DOR-18 and it said not recommended to reapply. At the time they told me I could enlist in the marines if I pleased but not come back to OCS. Also would enlisting in the army for 4 years then applying for OCS show I'm committed for a 2nd chance?
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Should I join Army Reserve as an officer or focus on civilian career?
Hello, I’m currently a graduate student studying for my masters in IT and also currently in ROTC. I’ve always wanted to serve but also want to have a great civilian career in tech, so I figured I should join the reserves and work one weekend a month and 2-3 weeks every summer while having a paying job in IT in the private sector. I read a similar post here from another guy who’s in the same position as me, except he wants to go active. So I’m kind of in a bind here.
What would you guys do? Should I drop out of ROTC now and focus on my civilian career or do you think I should continue with ROTC and be an officer in their reserves? Or will being an officer take up too much time from advancing my civilian career?
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Anyone know the contract lengths for 46S, 25V, and 35M? My recruiter couldn't tell me because the jobs weren't open when I visited (I'm willing to wait for a spot to open up) but I'd like to know the info now so I can start making a decision about which one I want to try for.
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Is it true that Army SF officers usually only spend a few years in SF before going back to the conventional side?
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Shipping to Benning for Infantry OSUT in a week. Hoping to pickup a slot for airborne after AIT. Curious what the chances of getting sent to a leg unit after finishing airborne would be. I would love to go to 10th mountain but also really want my jump wings. Are you guaranteed to be sent to an airborne unit after airborne school?
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How difficult is it to get stationed at Fort Meade?
More specifically as a 35G?
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My recruiter wants me to take apft before I ship out on 24th oct. Last time I took it I did well on everything besides sit ups and did not pass. So what happens if I don’t pass this PT test during Dep? I have combat mos and I’m actually in good shape even though i failed, I’ve just been working long hours and haven’t had the chance to really focus on fitness. But I know once I ship out I can get back to my previous fitness quickly.
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Looking for details on 13F in Ranger Batt. Anyone with experience? Secondhand knowledge is welcome as well.
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Is it possible to serve military full time while completing a double major online? I want to major in East Asian studies and business administration and was wondering if this was possible
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Quick question, I'm at AIT at Gordon right now, is there any possible way to change my contact from active to National Guard or even Reserves? I know there probably isn't, but I still hold out hope.
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I'm going through the process rn. I've informed my recruiter that I smoked weed briefly freshman year of college, and that I haven't smoked since (true). He said not to worry about it, and to never mention that to anyone again, which, ok no problem.
I previously held a (Federal) internship where I disclosed my MJ use. Filled out a form, gave a "it was a mistake I pinky promise it'll never ever happen again" statement, and was good to go.
Is there any chance this will jam me up during my enlistment process?
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I am trying to get my JST put on my ERB so I can get the last bit of promotion points I need, but they have turned me back twice now.
The first time they told me I had to do it through the learning center, but when I contacted the learning center, they told me that S1 does it.
So I went back again and the S1 NCOIC himself turned me away and said that S1 doesn't do it. I am tried of being turned away, I have been promotable for over a year now because of points and am tired of this. Does anyone know my next course of action? Is my S1 just lying to me because they are lazy?
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So does your vision have to be correctable to 20/20 at MEPS? I know when I go to the eye doctor, they're consistently only able to get it to 20/25, and my understanding is, you fail meps if you aren't able to correct to 20/20
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Navy vet here, I’m trying to help a guy that works for me with some info about nah for his spouse during boot. Can anyone pass along the reg that covers this? TIA
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I commissioned into the Reserves out of ROTC this past July.
My unit hasn’t contacted me at all so I haven’t been going to drill since commissioning. Is this normal? Am I supposed to contact them?
I’m going to BOLC in a few weeks anyway so at this point I don’t think it matters.
Just wondering if they even know I’m in their unit?
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Does anyone know how airborne school is right now? I live in 3 weeks for it.
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What should I expect going to Army BCT as a prior service Sailor (e4 8 years service)? Should I anticipate being treated like a day one private or like someone who has 8 honorable years of service? Anyone who’s attended BCT as prior service please advise. Thanks
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Any 12R here I’m currently in technical school for electrical automation and have experience with residential in the feild. I’m thinking about joining active when I’m done with school tomorrow what are daily duties like and did you get deployed and if you did did you see combat?
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Prior Service USAF and I've been working with a recruiter since beginning of April. Honorable discharge but I have a VA disability rating and need a medical waiver, though there is nothing that is an automatic disqualifier. In January I inprocessed with the Air National Guard and actually had my medical waiver approved in less than 2 months. The only reason I didn't move forward with them is the job availability was extremely slim, and with COVID and some extreme job uncertainty I wanted to go active.
Recruiter has been working with MEPS since April on the waiver. I have all my medical records, and seeing as I have already had another services waiver approved I was extremely optimistic. First long wait was due to COVID, understandable. Then another long wait due to MEPS liaison "losing" paperwork. Then another long wait because some of my records were "illegible" according to someone at Fort Campbell. Worked on getting everything in to a better resolution but now the paperwork has just been sitting with the MEPS liaison for three weeks needing to be approved. My recruiter has been very open with me and communicating, and he says everyone in his chain knows what's happening and isn't happy. He recommended I call the MEPS liaison office and see if I could speak to someone and give them a push, but doesn't know if that will help or make it worse.
Do I call the MEPS liaison or just keep waiting it out? Part of me knows I just need to tough it out and keep waiting, that this process can take forever and the military is always hurry up and wait yadda yadda but I hate things being out of my control. Thanks for letting me vent.
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I am in the recruiting process, for active Army. I originally wanted to turn in an OCS packet and sit for the boards however, I scored a 109 on my GT score and I need a 110.
My recruiter and his superior have been all about enlisting me, and when I scored a 109 they told me I can enlist and drop my OCS packet at my first duty station. They also said I can sit for the boards and retest to get the 110, but the acceptance rate is extremely low and I probably won’t be picked up. Lastly, they said they didn’t care what I do because at the end of the day they are in and I’m not.
I have some funny feelings about the way they went about that conversation, are they just trying to enlist people and officer packets are not worth the time?
Can I actually drop my OCS packet as soon as I finish training? After some research, It’s my understanding that your superiors have to back your packet, which makes me think they won’t as soon as you arrive.
What are some positives and negatives of both enlisted and officer?
Is ROTC worth it for your masters degree?
I feel like I have asked a million questions and more than one way and my recruiter either is not being transparent or he just doesn’t know. Please help!
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What does being a 35P at a line unit look like? What about with a coolguy unit (75th, attached to an ODA, etc)?
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Hi I just started my class in AIT and it “ends” in December in the 14th. Would I still get block leave or would I have to report to my first duty station?
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I had my battalion OCS interview this week. My package is now supposed to go to USAREC. For any recruiters on here, does battalion send my packet to USAREC or does my recruiter have to send it up? My recruiter is new and can’t seem to get an answer. I want to make sure I don’t miss today’s deadline.
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Has anyone PS rejoined as their MOS and not had to go back to basic or ait and just went to a new duty station, how did that work? How was the pcsing process?
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I had open-heart surgery as an infant. Maps have been taking a lengthy amount of time on my paperwork. Recently, they sent the documents to a cardiologist specialist for a second opinion. Any idea how long it could take?
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Hey y'all, I'm reclassing to a packet MOS and my retention NCO tells me I have a report date (sometime next month) in the system. It's been roughly two weeks though and I haven't seen notification in ATRRS or my email. I'm thinking of contacting the branch manager, but I don't want to waste their time. The branch manager already put in my follow-on assigment, are school slots something they do too? Or is the system just slow and I should wait for it populate correctly?
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Former enlisted Marine here thinking about joining as an 11B with an Option 40
Looking for opinions and insight, I have recently left the Marine Corps and being an Army Ranger is of interest to me. Ranger school is something everyone can go to and earn a tab, but Option 40 sends you to RASP after AIT, and then you get stationed with the 75th Ranger Regiment correct? So if I signed an 11B with an Option 40 I would just go to AIT, RASP and then the Regiment?
Also I'm not completely sure if I should commission or enlist. I wont do either until I get my degree but with the enlisted side, I for sure get to attend RASP as an 11B, something as an officer I know is not guaranteed. I am confident in my abilities to graduate OCS at a pretty high level, but I feel like that there are unforeseen factors that can deter me from being an Infantry Officer. All I know is, being an Infantry Officer in the Regiment is a lot more of a gamble than just enlisting.
​
Can anyone offer me their experience / insight on enlisting / commissioning to being an Army Ranger? What is RASP like, what is 11B AIT like? Pros / cons of enlisting / officer? I have a general sense of the pros / cons of enlisting because of The Marine Corps, wondering if its any different in the Army.
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Anyone know what GT/ASVAB score you need for a 42R(Traditional Army bands) also what prerequisite will they require before enlisting(Not BCT or AIT)? Song knowledge for auditioning or do they audition? And what the culture is like? My wife is wanting to serve active duty as 42R in Bass Trombone.
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Does anyone have insights about the 88k mos? It sounds really fun, but recruiter doesn’t know much about it. Any info helps, thanks.
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Reserve 35S
Prior service just need some basic insight please and thank you.
-Does anyone have any idea what annual training for the reserves looks like for a 35S? I understand its partially in line with your unit. But are some units more ‘strategic’ than others (do your actual job during/ no field bs during AT)? Or do they all tend to do the same thing for AT’s? -Also, have they officially changed the AIT to GoodFellow now or can i expect to be going to Corry? -How’s life for a MOS-T during this COVID era in AIT?
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Does 35L counterintelligence mos require DLAB to enlist for the job?
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Hello everyone, I’m a navy reject planning on joining the army, waiting on clearance for the medical stuff and what not, but beyond that, I’ve been curious about MOS’s and I was wondering if the 94 series is as good and transferable as the 25 series, I really like both and I’m pretty sure both are signal Corp, I was hoping to get some input and see if anyone has any info as to what the jobs entail and the overall lifestyle of each, thank you!
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Good morning! I am looking into joining the Army Reserve. I have met with a recruiter and I am going to take the ASVAB. I am interested in becoming a pilot. I would prefer flying a fixed wing aircraft like the C-130 or the c-17. However, I would be fine flying helicopters as well. My question is is there a direct way to join and train to become a pilot? I understand I have to become a Warren Officer or an aviation officer. It seems like I may have to start off with a job that is available depending on my ASVAB score and then prepare a packet for the Warren officer candidate school. The reason I am looking into the reserve and not active duty is because I don’t want to get stationed far from home or in another country.
The jobs I am interested in so far are 155a and 153a.
Thanks you, Justin Calero
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Prior service here required to repeat BCT due to break in service.
Will my family get Tricare coverage while I'm in training?
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How's the daily life of a Intel Soldier? More specifically a 35m or 35p. Is it a miserable desk job or is there usually more to it? Intel has been really appealing (along with aviation) to me but I feel like I'm having a romanticised look on it.
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Is there specific army website I can go to to see the current retention tiers for my MOS? Or do I have to do this through retention
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Probably a stupid question, but would I use my gtc for things like baggage fees? Flying on a commercial airline and I'm only authorized one bag, and I'd really like to take a second one.
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I’m a college student and hold a civilian job as a security engineer.
I’m being told I scored high enough to get 17C or 25D as a MOS from my recruiter
However I see importance in holding my civilian job and I think the best opportunity would for me to join the reserves or national guard.
I’m trying to figure out which one would be more beneficial to me. I am looking to have the army pay for my college or at least most of it and looking to seek benefits if I ever get deployed.
Any information about the national guard in the state of NY or education benefits will be appreciated im located in NYC and any advice based on which would I should consider would be helpful.
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Are the prior service business rules a guideline to know what jobs you can choose from, assuming they have openings. Or is there a chance you can get a job not on the list?
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When enlisting as a prior service (guard to active) do you get any say in 11c over 11b? Like can you request when you get to OSUT? (Reclassing from 91b)
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High school graduate who is taking a gap semester this year. Looking at different options for my future and career path and have been eyeing on the different military branches for cyber security MOSs that offer certificates and experience. My real question is however is does army most 17C provide that for my situation?
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Hey guys I have six years prior service(logistics) with a masters degree. Could I join the army as a 03 in a logistics role?
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submitted by Army_Bot to ArmyWQT [link] [comments]

[Effortpost 5 of 15] Trump's swamp cabinet

Trump consistently nominates the worst possible person for every job. His campaign slogan was "drain the swamp", but instead he's putting lobbyists and business executives in charge of regulating their own industries. His nominees enrich their business buddies and waste taxpayer money for their own pleasure.
I'll break down his cabinet, nomination by nomination. (plus a couple cabinet-level positions such as EPA administrator)

Commerce

Wilbur Ross

Interior

Ryan Zinke
David Bernhardt

CIA

Mike Pompeo
Gina Haspel

State

Rex Tillerson
Mike Pompeo (continued from his tenure as CIA director)

Treasury

Steve Mnuchin

Defense

James Mattis
Patrick Shanahan (Nominated)
Mark Esper

Agriculture

Sonny Perdue

EPA

Scott Pruitt
Andrew Wheeler

Labor

Andrew Puzder (nominated)
Alexander Acosta
Eugene Scalia

Health and Human Services

Tom Price
Alex Azar

Housing and Urban Development

Ben Carson

Transportation

Elaine Chao

Energy

Rick Perry
Dan Brouillette

Education

Betsy DeVos

Homeland Security

John Kelly
Kirstjen Nielsen
Nobody

Attorney General

Jeff Sessions
William Barr

Veterans affairs

David Shulkin
Ronny Jackson (Nominated)
Robert Wilkie
submitted by OverlordLork to JoeBiden [link] [comments]

Wrestling Observer Rewind ★ Dec. 21, 1987

Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words, continuing in the footsteps of daprice82. For anyone interested, I highly recommend signing up for the actual site at f4wonline and checking out the full archives.
FUTURE YEARS ARCHIVE:
The Complete Observer Rewind Archive by daprice82
1-5-1987 1-12-1987 1-18-1987 2-2-1987
2-9-1987 2-16-1987 2-23-1987 3-2-1987
3-9-1987 3-16-1987 3-23-1987 4-6-1987
4-13-1987 4-20-1987 4-27-1987 5-4-1987
5-11-1987 5-18-1987 5-25-1987 6-1-1987
6-8-1987 6-15-1987 6-22-1987 6-29-1987
7-6-1987 7-13-1987 7-20-1987 7-27-1987
8-3-1987 8-10-1987 8-17-1987 8-24-1987
8-31-1987 9-7-1987 9-14-1987 9-21-1987
9-28-1987 10-5-1987 10-12-1987 10-19-1987
10-26-1987 11-2-1987 11-9-1987 11-16-1987
11-23-1987 11-30-1987 12-7-1987 -
  • Dave’s been following wrestling for 17 years at this point, and sometimes it’s easy to think you’ve seen it all with that kind of experience. But after seeing All Japan Women live, he realized he’d seen nothing. The shows he saw during his trip to Japan had the best wrestling he’s ever seen, so much so that nothing before comes even close. The atmosphere and the action have Dave struggling to find words, and he’s just as dumbfounded by how good Chigusa Nagayo and Dump Matsumoto are at their jobs. 90% of AJW's audience is teenage girls, a demographic you don’t really see as a focal demographic over here, but to these girls the wrestlers are so over an American fan has to see it live to really get it. Dump’s the best heel in the world by a distance and as for Chigusa Nagayo: “the reaction she gets not only can’t be duplicated by any wrestler in this country (Hulk Hogan certainly comes the closest and at best his isn’t half as good) but you’d probably have to use Madonna or Bruce Springsteen at their peak for comparison. The crowd literally lives and dies with every move she makes.” At one show, the crowd were all crying, and then the main event of the 3-hour show was a fast-paced 50 minute match where every move was a high spot and the crowd never let up for the whole match.
  • Dave’s therefore changing his vote for Wrestler of the Year to Chigusa Nagayo. He’ll still vote for Hogan for best babyface, since Hogan has broader appeal and is a bigger draw, but Chigusa's sheer level of overness with AJW fans and her skill are huge. Strictly in terms of business and drawing power Hogan should win Wrestler of the Year, and should have won 1985-1986 as well (Ric Flair won those years in landslides). Dave personally figures ring-work for 60% of the equation, with impact at the box office to be 40%. Dave will not be putting Flair in his top three for Wrestler of the Year, even though his promos and ring-work merit it. Allowing his drawing power to be cut so hard and the destruction of his perception among the marks when he has the ability to call the shots about his presentation means he doesn’t deserve to be considered for Wrestler of the year at all this year (Riki Choshu winds up winning for 1987, breaking Ric Flair's 5 year streak).
  • A lot has changed during the week Dave was in Japan. Fritz Von Erich sold WCCW. Ken Mantell and a group with him have bought the company, and there are conflicting stories about the exact breakdown of the ownership (Dave keeps hearing either 30% or 51% of the stake is owned by Mantell), but Texas newspapers are reporting Fritz is out entirely and Mantell now signs the checks. Kevin and Kerry still own a lot of the company, so they’ll still get big pushes. Mantell still owns Wild West Wrestling, and the plan for now seems to be to run both promotions. That’s not going to be good for them in the long run, since they’re competing in the same area of Texas. Expect a merger when they figure that out. A lot of guys are returning to World Class now that Mantell’s in charge, like Missing Link, Bill Irwin, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts. Looks like Fritz finally wanted out of the business, because everything suggests he contacted Mantell. Mantell was the booker for World Class during their heyday in 1983-84, so there’s obviously the hope he can rescue things, but his time in UWF in 86-87 saw him repeat the World Class booking from in UWF and it didn’t work and killed business enough that Bill Watts had to sell to Crockett. If he tries to relive 1983 in 1988, it’s not going to work. If he can build new stars and remove the focus on the Von Erichs, there’s a chance of World Class becoming a major power again.
  • The February 1988 issue of Penthouse will do a story on the Von Erichs. Dave doesn’t know what’ll be in the story, but Fritz is apparently worried about it and how it will portray him.
  • Kazuharu Sonoda, who teamed with Great Kabuki in World Class and would sometimes play the Great Kabuki character when the real Great Kabuki was double booked, died in an airplane crash on November 29. He was 31 years old and had been in the business since just after he turned 18. The airplane had a fire in the cargo hold that caused it to break up in mid air and killed all 159 on board. Sonoda’s trip to South Africa was to be a working honeymoon as a gift from the Great Kabuki - Kabuki was sending him in his stead to do a tour under the Great Kabuki name and gimmick and enjoy a vacation at the same time. Raja Lion, the 7’2” supposed martial arts champion working for Baba, was also supposed to be on the same plane, but canceled at the last minute and avoided disaster himself.
  • No numbers yet for Starrcade and Survivor Series. Starrcade did sell out in Chicago and drew well on closed-circuit on the East coast, but the Crocketts seem disappointed by the final gate. Dave speculates slightly more than $1 million for the final gate. While he was in Japan, Dave heard Survivor Series did $4 million, which sounds reasonable but he can’t vouch for the accuracy of it. What Dave can say is that Survivor Series was definitely a financial success in addition to being good. In terms of impressions of the shows, Dave’s heard from hundreds about Starrcade and the reaction has been mixed. Many thought it was great. There was near universal dissatisfaction with the UWF Title match. And the TV title unification was largely unpopular, which Dave blames on the build up ruining the match. Dave has heard that the UWF Title match was different from what it was supposed to be, which restores a little of Dave’s faith in Dusty as a booker. The majority was disappointed, and about 20-25% of responses said the show was terrible. Dave falls in the disappointment camp. If it hadn’t been Starrcade, it would have been fine. But Crockett needed a great Starrcade, or at the very least to outperform WWF’s show in quality, and that did not happen.
  • Business is still not good coming out of Thanksgiving. Ted DiBiase and Hogan’s matches just aren’t drawing as much as they should. The Bunkhouse Stampedes have so far been disappointments at the gate, enough that Crockett needs to reevaluate their entire model or they’ll cease to be a major promotion entirely. The November 28 Saturday Night’s Main Event is the best life sign in these times: an 11.3 rating and a 30 share are what Dave has heard (not official), which would be the second highest rating the show has ever gotten and third highest rating for that time slot in tv history. TV ratings are the biggest indicator of public interest right now, so even if live crowds are down, this shows that WWF is still very interesting. They’re just not turning that into a rabid desire to be at the show. Crockett’s ratings are dropping, though, and they need to get fans watching tv again before they can worry about getting live attendance back up. In syndicated ratings, WWF gained viewers leading toward Survivor Series, while Crockett remains out of the top 15 and has a below 5.0 combined rating, putting them behind the AWA and Pro Wrestling This Week, which combined have a rating in the low 5s.
  • Dusty is throwing everything he can at the booking to break out of the fall, and that includes turning Lex Luger. Luger turned on December 2 at a Miami Beach Bunkhouse Stampede. The match came down to Luger, Arn, Tully, and J.J. Dillon. Dillon asked the others to let him win so he could go down in the record books as a stampede winner, and Arn and Tully eliminated themselves. Luger then threw Dillon over the top to win. Turning Lex is a good move, but Dave figures it’s the second best move they could have done and that’s the difference between Crockett and WWF - WWF generally goes with the best thing they can do, not the second best. Another year as a heel might have been good for Luger and helped him shore up his skillset, but Crockett is in desperation mode and needed to make a major move. And Luger has the potential to be a great face, and could make a lot of money for Crockett with Flair if they handle things right. But if nobody’s watching tv, it won’t matter how hot he gets as a face. Other major things happening to try and get things righted: Kevin Sullivan’s group with Rick Steiner, Mike Rotunda, and Steve Williams is one; another major turn is coming soon; lots of new angles that aren’t being spelled out yet. They’re going to change up their tv as well, but if the shows all remain basically duplicates that might keep ratings down and make them worse. And the plan is currently for every hour they tape to go to two different shows, with a different commentary team depending on which show. Nikita might do an interview with Gregory for the Florida show and then immediately do a simiar interview with JR for UWF. Dave thinks basically duplicating tv shows with only interviewer and announce team differences is going to tank ratings when fans figure it out. On the pus side, the shows have improved.
  • Paul Boesch has come out of retirement and is trying to rebuild the Houston market with Crockett.
  • New Japan and All Japan have concluded their tag tournaments. New Japan’s was in Osaka on December 7 in front of a crowd of 6,120 and shown live on tv. Fijunami & Kimura were tied for second with Masa Saito & Fujiwara and had to face them in a battle to determine who would face Inoki & Dick Murdoch in the final. The final was a bloody and excellent match, and Kimura bled a lot before he and Fujinami won. With Choshu and Maeda not involved, the tournament lacked interest.
  • The biggest story of the New Japan tournament happened on November 19 during a match between Choshu/Masa Saito/Hiro Saito vs. Maeda/Takada/Kido. Japanese Wrestling Journal reports that Maeda wouldn’t sell for Choshu at all and Maeda shot on Choshu. Choshu eventually figured out what was happening, and at one point Choshu had Kido in the Scorpion Deathlock when Maeda kicked him in the eye legit. Choshu went after Maeda, and the rest of the teams had to break it up. Eventually the match ended with Choshu pinning Takada with a lariat, and nobody knows why Maeda did it. The crowd was mostly UWF Japan fans, and they cheered Maeda on the whole time because they wanted to see a shoot. This took both out of the tournament, and the Journal reports it destroyed the tournament and left Choshu with two broken bones under the eye.
Watch: Maeda shoot kicks Choshu's eye
  • The match was taped, but it’s understood that it will never air on tv and has caused a major PR shitstorm for New Japan. How do you explain suspending someone for a kick to the face to the public when that happens in every match? You can’t do it without going into the distinction between shooting and working and toward no semblance of kayfabe at all. Maeda has only kept his job because New Japan decided to spin an angle out of it. He’ll be punished and knocked down a few pegs and do a lot of jobs to keep his job, no doubt there. Seiki Sakaguchi believes Maeda’s style is hard for fans to understand and may be why ratings are so low, so they’ll be phasing down on Maeda’s shoot style. Dave believes Choshu and Saito was supoosed to be the winning team.
  • All Japan’s tournament final took place on December 11 before a crowd of 13,200. Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu beat Brody and Snuka in the final, with Yatsu pinning Snuka after pulling a midair reversal of a dragon suplex.
  • Dusty Rhodes is “thinking” about retiring. For a long time, it’s been said Dusty was going to retire after Starrcade 1988, so this may be legit. Then again, Dusty saw how over Terry Funk got when he announced his retirement, and Dusty never misses a trick.
  • The winners of all the Bunkhouse Stampedes will participate in the big one on Januay 24 on ppv. Dave wishes them good luck on their first national ppv attempt, because they need it.
  • JCP ends too many tv shows with main events in progress. Dave’s not opposed to the idea in theory, since leaving your audience wanting is proven to work. But with where they are, they need to satiate their fans’ want for a little while.
  • Steve Williams hasn’t made his heel turn yet, but expect it before year’s end. Williams does introduce some problems, like contacting New Japan to add four weeks per year to his schedule, which now is up to 16 weeks. He’s been threatening to quit the NWA on and off for the past year but never goes through with it. So until something concrete happens, Dave’s not going to take it too serious. 16 weeks in Japan at the rate Williams gets paid is about $92,000, which isn’t bad for someone with 36 weeks of leisure time outside that.
  • JCP is full of injuries now. Rick Steiner has a separated shoulder. Barry Windham’s collarbone is broken, and Ricky Morton’s got a bum back.
  • The UWF Tag Belts have been forgotten. No idea what the status of the Sheepherders is, but they aren’t the champions anymore and the belts (along with the Florida tag belts) will simply no longer be referenced. Steve Keirn also quit the promotion, apparently to go to either Memphis or Global.
  • [Stampede] Jason the Terrible turned face and things are heating up and they’re selling out more often than not right now. Jason beat Zodiak in a mask match and unmasked Orton, who then left the territory. The Badnews Allen attacked Jason and sprayed paint through his mask into his eyes, before unmasking him.
Watch: The end of "one heck of a ring-ding-dong-dandy"
  • Stampede are kayfabing Hiroshi Hase’s return to Japan as forced retirement due to injuries inflicted by Jason.
  • The Iran-Iraq war isn’t enough to stop pro wrestling in the Middle East. Foreign wrestlers are being kept out right now, though.
  • Curt Hennig had to be hospitalized after AWA’s show on November 28. He was wrestling Wahoo McDaniel in an Indian Strap Match for the title when Adrian Adonis interfered and used a knife to cut the strap, but wound up cutting Curt’s finger. Somehow this wound up with Curt getting disqualified over the interference (I guess since Adonis was attempting to act on his behalf), and it was thought for a bit that he might lose some of the finger.
  • AWA was supposed to do the tournament for their women’s title on November 28, but have delayed it. Instead, Madusa pinned Bambi in a shitty match and the tournament final is scheduled for December 27 in Vegas. Madusa vs. Candi Divine.
  • Verne Gagne and Larry Hennig will not be wrestling on the Christmas show for AWA. It’ll be Greg vs. Curt with Verne handcuffed to Larry at ringside.
  • WCCW’s Christmas card is shaping up. Al Perez vs. Kerry Von Erich for the world title will headline. No second guesses who wins there. The Six-man tag titles will return as well.
  • The big question for WCCW is how they handle the return of Lance. He’s under contract with David Manning to work independents and eventually Manning’s promotion if he can get it off the ground, but in the meantime he was working for Wild West. No idea what Manning’s relationship with the new WCCW will be like, so who knows what Lance will wind up at.
  • WCCW’s Thanksgiving show drew 6,000 at Reunion Arena in Dallas. It’s less than Dave had anticipated (ticket prices were way down - general admission was $5 for adults and $3 for kids). Kerry’s comeback match (he’d been back for several weeks, but don’t expect honesty from Von Erich promotion) was 57 seconds against Thing, then Brian Adias, and finally a non-title match against Perez. He won all three matches. Perez then lost another non-title Texas Death Match against Kevin.
  • Memphis unified all their singles titles in a tournament on December 7. They had Lawler (Southern Champion), Jeff Jarrett (Mid American Champion), and Manny Fernndez (International Champion) in, and the goal was to get rid of all the titles and declare a Continental Wrestling Association Champion. They’re still recognizing Curt Hennig as World champion, so this isn’t a world title. Lawler beat Jarrett then beat Fernandez by DQ to win the tournament.
  • The Rockers are the Southern tag champs in Memphis and have turned heel. Their reputation for being great workers is clashing with the reports of them in Memphis as basically doing almost nothing in Memphis. After seeing their work in Alabama, Dave thought they just had an ego and thought they were too good for the area. Folks in Memphis are blaming it on their wild partying. Fans weren’t going for them as faces anymore due to their cocky interviews and because they see the Rockers as ripoffs of the Fabulous Ones (a comparison Dave does not get in the slightest), so they needed to be turned.
  • World Organization Wrestling in Florida are talking about running shows in direct competition with Memphis wrestling. One of the guys they’ve got is a muscular guy managed by Don Fargo by the name of Bob Holly.
  • Former Kansas State footballer and wrestler Curtis Hughes (the future Mr. Hughes of WCW/WWF) has been refereeing in Alabama and is training to start wrestling.
  • Shunji Takano (Ninja in Oregon) was on trial in mid November for allegedly hitting a fan with his nunchucks in Eugene, Oregon back in July. He was found guilty and fined $250. His jail sentence was suspended and he has been instead sentenced to community service.
  • Dave doesn’t know what’s aired and what hasn’t, so here’s what he knows about the DiBiase/Hogan program. DiBiase offers Hogan “7 figures” for the World Title, and Hogan considers it and says he could help his family with the money, but he turns down the offer because he can’t let down the Hulkamaniacs. Then DiBiase makes an agreement with Heenan and Andre that if Andre wins the title, he’ll sell it to DiBiase and get the deal Hogan turned down. Dave thinks the idea of buying/selling the belt is stupid, but it’s less stupid with WWF since they don’t pretend to be a sport. This would be worse in NWA. Anyway, this should all be building toward Wrestlemania and Hogan’s scheduled to leave for a few months to film a movie after Wrestlemania, so rumors will fly that Andre will beat Hogan and sell out to DiBiase. It’d be the first time in WWF history the belt was around the waist of a great wrestler, at least.
  • WWF taped the Saturday Night’s Main Event for January 2 in front of 11,000 fans. The attendance has to be a disappointment considering the hype. Hogan beat Bundy again, which led to Andre attacking and stealing the belt before beating up several other faces and even no-selling Duggan’s 2x4. Strike Force beat the Bolsheviks in two straight falls to keep the tag titles, Jake Roberts beat Sika (who’s back because Killer Khan disappeared and they needed a foreign guy, and whatever got Sika fired was apparently not major enough to make them forget about him), and Greg Valentine beat Koko B. Ware.
  • A source at the last MSG show said the Jumping Bomb Angels got twice the reaction for their match as Savage did for his. Dave isn’t sure WWF will ever get a number 2 face over enough he can draw gates on his own. Aside from Rock/Austin falling in their lap and doing just that through sheer force of will, I think this is something they never did figure out.
  • That’s the length of a regular issue, but this is a double and Dave is going to tell us about his trip to Japan for the next ten pages. It’s a fascinating place. Nobody knows who Joe Montana is, but everyone knows Abdullah the Butcher. Wrestling is big business in Japan, and they tend to set the trends that come to the U.S. several years later. Toys, action figures, records, even Hulkamania were a big deal in Japan well before anyone in the U.S. envisioned it. Vince McMahon gets a lot of credit as a genius in marketing pro wrestling, but he toured Japan several times before 1984 and recreated what they had there. Hogan as an American hero is just the American version of Inoki, with just as big an ego. The albums, t-shirts, action figures, and the rest are all extensions of what Japan had from the 70s on. Vince’s failed attempts to push women’s wrestling came as a result of seeing that they could do big business in Japan. The only thing Vince hasn’t copied from Japan is the work ethic of the wrestlers.
  • While wrestlers in Japan are on tv commercials and talk shows all the time, that doesn’t make the industry stable. Dave’s first trip to Japan was in December 1984, and a lot has changed since then. All Japan was on top and clearly outclassed everything else, and while New Japan was suffering from its arrangement with WWF it still had a big audience on tv. The Crush Gals were the rock & wrestling idols of Japan for the teen set, and their posters were all over record stores and merch available everywhere. Dave didn’t go to an All Japan Women show in 1984 and regrets that deeply, but in every record or book store he went to, the Crush Gals’ popularity was inescapable.
  • Compared to UWF and Crockett in 1987, it’s hard to look at Japan as in a bad way, but this year’s trip was different. In Tokyo there were ten stores that catered specifically to wrestling fans back in 1984, compared to five now. Only three weekly magazines are left standing and one monthly, and the monthly is strictly joshi. The Chigusa Nagayo and Riki Choshu calendars are around, but gone are the Crush Gals, Tiger Mask, Stan Hansen, and Choshu records and the posters of the joshi. The most they found was a new 45 by Fujiwara. The lack of the joshi posters is probably due to idol culture in Japan, where they can take a teen, turn her into a rock star, and spit her out in two years. Nearly every teen idol name Dave remembers from his trip three years ago has disappeared from the stores and replaced with new 17-year-olds. The fact that Chigusa Nagayo has managed to increase in popularity and maintain a hold in the mainstream now that she’s 23 has to do with, in Dave’s mind, her improvement of her wrestling to become the best there is in the entire business.
  • If wrestling has declined over the past few years in Japan, that doesn't mean it’s not still the ultimate experience for a fan. The sheer volume of wrestling coverage is unfathomable to an American. The daily newspaper had a full page devoted to Starrcade and Survivor Series, while American newspapers ignored the results. The death of Kazuhau Sonoda was the lead story in several newspapers, and even though he was just a mid-card guy his death was covered more than American newspapers would cover the hypothetical of Hogan going down in a plane crash. Dave spends a lot of time going over the Japanese wrestling magazine landscape. He managed to work out a deal on getting a lot of magazines to bring back to America for people to be able to buy cheaper than by import subscription.
  • Dave talks at length about the presentation of wrestling and the fan demographics in Japan. It’s much more sports-like in presentation, and lack the surreal characters, skits, promos, etc. that attract audiences in the U.S. Ticket prices are higher in Japan with the cheap seats as low as $16 (the bigger shows cost $75 for ringside). So the audience is wealthier and more white collar than in the U.S. In the major cities, the fans are almost entirely boys and men between the ages of 15-30. The audience grows older in smaller towns, accounting for the continuing popularity of guys like Baba and Inoki.
  • He next explains the basics of men’s wrestling in Japan: what New Japan and All Japan are, who their big stars are, etc.. All Japan is more reliant on foreign stars and New Japan relies more heavily on feuds between Japanese wrestlers. He compares Inoki to Dusty, in that he’s popular and pushes himself high on the card, and hardcore fans don’t like him much but unlike Dusty he’s really considered a legend by everyon in Japan. That is one of four reasons people in Japan gave Dave for why New Japan has been suffering in the ratings. The other big reasons are that Japanese culture is still interested in seeing the Japanese prevail over the big, monstrous Americans and New Japan has almost none of those. There’s also a feeling that New Japan’s style is perhaps too esoteric and too heavy on submissions for the casual fan to catch on to. Lastly, they aren’t fans of people changing jobs and bouncing between promotions. Nobody minded when Choshu jumped to All Japan in 1984 because he said a lot of things about Inoki that fans took as true. Jumping back to Inoki purely because he wanted more money and thus breaching contract and making a whole legal thing of it has not been received well in Japan, though, and the jump is popularly felt to have almost killed wrestling in Japan.
  • The five New Japan shows Dave went to while in Japan made good money at the gate, but the big issue is tv. TV-Asahi has lost interest due to bad ratings and have turned down the request to host the Crockett Cup in April, and New Japan’s tv is in danger of being moved to midnight Mondays or off the air entirely. Landing an afternoon slot on the weekend would be the best goal.
  • The tv ratings issue is pushing Inoki to try some wild things, the most controversial of which is currently an angle involving a comedian named Mr. Takeshi. Takeshi was once the most famous comedian in the country and is analogous to a Don Rickles or Johnny Carson now, and he’s doing a Cyndi LaupeAndy Kaufman type of angle with Inoki, saying he’s putting together a group to beat Inoki, with a probable end point of a Tokyo Dome show in April. New Japan’s fanbase hate this angle. But New Japan needs to hope the fans stick around and they can get new eyes on the promotion and convert them to fans. It’s the same gamble Vince made with Cyndi Lauper and Mr. T, and it helped cement Hogan. Masa Saito is involved with Takeshi in the storyline and the first involvement of Takeshi will be at the December 27 show, with Takeshi being given the role of bringing over a massive guy named Leon White in as Saito’s partner against Fujinami and Kimura.
  • All Japan is more stable than New Japan right now. Choshu leaving certainly hurt them, but they’ve recovered and are doing steady business now that Tenryu is hitting his stride as a heel. Bruiser Brody and Abdullah the Butcher returning has been a big boon. Tv ratings arent spectacular, but they’re safe and doing better than New Japan (New Japan’s range from 6-9, All Japan sits in a consistent 11-12 range).
  • The last promotion Dave covers is All Japan Women, and he finds it hard to explain. The best explanation he can give is this description of an event on December 6 at Korauken Hall:
about 2,400 teenage girls log-jammed in an 1,800 seat building breaking every fire law known to mankind. It was the best live card I’ve seen in at least three years and the main event was by far the greatest match I’ve ever seen live. In fact I’d say without question it was better than any match ever held in the United States in the history of this business. It was a 12-girl tag team match with the most falls before curfew deciding the winner, and he rates it 5 stars. The match went 50 minutes of nothing but high spots and the crowd was screaming at about double the level of a Hulk Hogan posing routine for the entire time. When Chigusa Nagayo was squaring off against Lioness Asuka, the roar was louder than you’d here [sic] in the seventh game of an NBA championship series with 18 seconds left and the home team down by one. I’ve never experienced anything like the energy that comes out of the crowd, and the girls in the ring worked every bit as hard as the crowd. The girls are on TV on the Fuji network and while they consistently draw 7s plus on Saturday afternoons, the week we were there they drew an 11.3 rating. To give you an example of the popularity of this group in Japan--that rating for one show is higher than the rating of all McMahon’s syndicated shows in the United States put together. In fact, it’s roughly the same as the rating that McMahon’s best Saturday Night Main Event NBC special drew, so when I compare the importance of Chigusa with Hulk Hogan it is not an outlandish statement at all.
  • Despite putting on the best wrestling in the world, AJW’s audience is almost 100% teenage girls. They live and breathe Chigusa Nagayo. The fans who go to men’s cards don’t go to women’s cards in Japan, and the fans and reporters Dave met could not understand why he and his group were so interested in an AJW card. There’s a negative stigma about women’s wrestling in Japan among the fans, probably because the show is designed to appeal to a teen girl’s interests. But it wouldn’t surprise Dave if AJW was as profitable as any other major promotion. They have the ratings (Japanese promotions are paid by their networks, rather than the other way around like in the U.S.) and more importantly, they have major merch - about 15 minutes before the show mentioned above, only 150 people were seated. But then one of the guys Dave was with pointed him to the lobby, and about 1,500 girls were buying all of the merch. Videos, cassettes, posters, keychains, purses, wallets, Dump Matsumoto gym shorts, shopping bags, books, programs, streamers - you name it, they were buying it. Given ticket prices, Dave estimates the gate at about $75,000, and they probably more than doubled that with merch and concessions. There were also other Americans at the AJW show, which you don’t see as much at men’s cards. Based on American reactions to Dump Matsumoto, Dave believes if she were given quality opponents and allowed to work without restriction, she’d make women’s wrestling huge in the U.S. She and Chigusa have drawn several times gates of more than $200,000 (Crockett only did that twice this year - the WarGames matches in Atlanta and Miami, and Hogan did it about a dozen times this year).
  • The main attraction of the show was that it was Devil Masami’s retirement show. AJW has a mandatory retirement age of 26 (only Dump Matsumoto has been granted an exception by the promotion), and Masami turns 26 on January 7. Dave’s not clear on the reasons, but he figures it probably goes back to the idol culture thing - promote them young, wring out every drop of marketability, spit them out and bring the next fresh crop in. It keeps the stars relatable to the audience, Dave supposes. Some argue that they like their female stars young and cute, but Dave doesn’t see that as a major reason if there’s no men in the audience. Masami’s final match was a five minute exhibition with Chigusa, and the crowd went silent for it out of respect. Chigusa bumped for Masami for the most part, and in the final 45 seconds or so of the match, when Dave thought they’d turn on the intensity, both women broke down in tears together, and the crowd broke down with them. Masami is expected not to stay retired, but to leave Japan to continue her career.
  • Dave does note some positive things that come out of the age rule AJW has. For one thing, pro wrestling is part of pop culture, but pro wrestling promoters have a really bad understanding of pop culture. Some musical groups have long runs, but most groups that get hot don’t last long and the fizzle quick. The average run for any kind of teen heartthrob to last in pop culture is about two years. Hogan cannot simply sell out a building by showing up. The Rock & Roll Express and Road Warriors can’t draw big numbers by themselves anymore. By having the age rule, AJW forces the constant development and pushing of new talent to the top, which keeps things from getting stale. It keeps you from having a Dusty Rhodes who is still popular and somewhat legendary, but turns other people off. Dave isn’t in favor of the rule at all or any kind of mandatory retirement - he’d still love to watch Bockwinkel or Masa Saito five days a week, but it’s undeniable that the business has been hurt by guys staying long past their prime and using what political power they have to stay on top. It’s hurt by promotions who don’t build stars and only think about the upcoming card, never realizing you need to sometimes tear the whole business down and rebuild and freshen things up to keep alive in the long run.
  • Anyways, Dave runs down some of the key wrestlers in AJW and talks about them. You’ve got Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo, Dump Matsumoto, the Jumping Bomb Angels, Yukari Omori (nearing retirement age), Yumi Ogura and Kazue Nagahori (both very young and coming up as a top babyface team), Bull Nakano (19 years old and already a top tier worker), and Condor Saito.
  • Dave then gives complete results and ratings for every card he saw during his trip. I’ll stick to negative stars and 4+ star matches for matches of note. December 11 All Japan had Tenryu/Hara vs. Hansen/Gordy go to a double count out in the tag tournament. 4.5 stars. December 6 AJW had Dump Matsumoto vs. Yukari Omori go to a double count out. 4.5 stars of an absolutely bloody match that went all around the arena and included a fork (American fans started cheering Dump after she got out the fork, and she blew them kisses in response, though Dave makes a shitty joke about Americans cheering for a fork after having to use chopsticks). The 12-woman tag match mentioned above gets 5 stars and is the best thing Dave’s ever seen live. December 3 New Japan has Shiro Koshinaka & Kazuo Yamazaki & Keiichi Yamada beat Hiro Saito & Norio Honaga & Kensuke Sasaki in a six man match. 4.5 stars. They had another 6 man the next night where Yamazaki & Nobuhiko Takada & Yamada beat Hiro Saito & Honaga & Dynamite Chris. 4.5 stars. Antonio Inoki & Dick Murdoch vs. Masa Saito & Fujiwara went to a 30 minute draw on the same show. 4 stars. Lastly, New Japan saw Fujinami & Kimura beat Masa Saito & Fujiwara in the tournament semi-final on December 7. 4 stars.
Watch: Hansen/Gordy vs. Tenryu/Hara
THURSDAY (last issue of 1987): 1987 in review, Observer expanding to two columns of text per page, WWF riding high, projections for 1988, on the importance of PPV, and more.
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