Miscellaneous > The Lounge
MS wasn't always bad...
voidmain:
quote:Originally posted by Gonusto:
Those years you all spent abroad sound like they were a lot of fun. They sound so fun that it *almost* makes me wish I had joined the Service instead of going to college . . . though I'm sure it wasn't all just fun and games. Do any of you regret the time you spent in the Armed Forces? Just curious . . .
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If you are interested I would *highly* recommend it. If I had it to do over again, and if I had the opportunity I would have gone to school *before* joining the Air Force. I really wanted to be a pilot since I was a child but as we discussed in a post in one of the other forums that requires a degree (I did take my private pilot lessons while in though). It's much more difficult to go to school and put 10-12 hours a day in, not to mention taking off every few months for temporary duty somewhere. But I don't regret even that. Sure you work hard, but you play hard too. Sure you may be called to do an important job but there's nothing like the satisfaction you get from doing it well. And you make lifelong friends (even if you don't see them you always think of them and of the experiences you've shared).
Nope, I don't regret any of it. I think I'll always look back at it being the best 15 years of my life and the most meaningful. The opportunities that you have are truly amazing (if you take advantage of them). You will come out with experience that you just can't get anywhere else. I know for a fact I wouldn't be half as well off today if it wasn't for my service time. And it gave me a true appreciation for how well we have things (I certainly mean no offense to anyone not from the U.S.). Damn, I should do a commercial!
Centurian:
Hey,
quote:Originally posted by Gonusto:
Those years you all spent abroad sound like they were a lot of fun. They sound so fun that it *almost* makes me wish I had joined the Service instead of going to college . . . though I'm sure it wasn't all just fun and games. Do any of you regret the time you spent in the Armed Forces? Just curious . . .
-Gonusto
--- End quote ---
Oh yes it was a great deal of fun. It was also a great deal of hard work. We worked hard and we played hard. For example I remember doing 75 hours of straight flight ops. There was alot of difficult times. Spending many months away from loved ones was no picnic either. Also I never really fit in with the military. I never took orders well and my rank went up and down like a yoyo because of it. Funny part was when I finally got out everyone in my squadron tried to get me to re-enlist.
Do I regret it? NO WAY! I learned many things about myself during that time. I also made good friends most of whom I don't see but I still remember. Also there are life long benefits to being in the military.
Having the knowledge I have now would I go back in time (retaining the present knowledge) and join the military? NO WAY!
Would I recommend it to others? YES! Whether or not you are a "happy" service person you will gain knowledge and experience that can never be gotten any other way.
So to close I hated the military but it gave me perspective that I could never have gained otherwise. I would not be the same person without the time I spent in the military.
It "was worth" the time.
Centurian:
Hey,
quote:Originally posted by VoidMain:
I had a 3 litre Bitburger Bier stein that I emptied at least once every night for three years.
--- End quote ---
HEHEH Sounds like you did your fair share of drinking too.
quote:
(I had them trained like that as they knew if they would do that *in* my cockpit they would later be digging my boot out of their ass).
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Now your starting to sound like me. Trust me that could get you busted.
quote:
And I remember the Ouzo, where you end up in Disney Land if you had enough of it.
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For 3 months I drank Ouzo every night. Got towhere I could drink a pint or more without getting drunk. The bad part was when we went back to sea it took 2 weeks for me to get it out of my system. Man was I hooked on Ouzo.
quote:
And my favorite part about Spain were the beaches at Sitges (sp?) near Barcelona. We always had to go there on at least one weekend during the trip. I think that's where the phrase "ugly Americans" was coined. I remember the first time we went there were 3 or 4 of us walking down the beach in single file. The first guy stopped to ponder and the other 3 piled right in to the back of him because their eyes were "not on the road" so to speak. It was like a scene right out of "The Three Stooges".
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I was there once and your right the scenery was quite nice. :D Gliffada beach in Athens was the same way.
HEHEH I like the 3 stooges thing.
Probably my favorite experience was sitting quietly in the gardens in Athens. With the Acropolis looming above my head. I used to spend hours there.
Another one I liked alot was Naples. Most people hated it because they said it was dirty and nasty. I liked it though myself. It had a rustic feel to the place. Everything about it was very old world. There is alot to be said for sitting on a hill side, drinking wine and eating bread while watching beautiful Italian girls go about their daily chores. The quiet beauty of the place was truly awesome.
Meanwhile back at the ranch.......
psyjax:
quote:Originally posted by Centurian:
Hey,
It goes faster with every year that passes. Get used to it.
--- End quote ---
Like a runaway freight train to the grave.
Centurian:
Hey,
quote:Originally posted by psyjax:
Like a runaway freight train to the grave.
--- End quote ---
HEHEH LOL you got it.
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