Stream of Consciousness/General Conversation Thread

[Ryan]

How is Orlando? A billet popped up there that would be a nice job for me to finish my degree. It's either I take 5 years in Orlando or its at the hands of the detailer next year. I'd get around $1200 a month for a place to live.

 

[FrankT]

Ryan, Orlando has an active nightlife and the folks I know there like it alot.

 

[Gas Port]

One thing Id like to point out with respect to quoting taxable amounts of military pay, is that this isn't necessarily an accurate representation of actual take-home pay.

Excepting those that are living in the barracks, military members receive both housing and subsistence allowances (BHA and BAS) which are not taxable, since they are "allowances", and not "pay". These add considerably to actual take-home pay. There also other types of allowances, such as "Family Separation Allowance" etc.

I think we found a way to redistribute the wealth!

 

[MarkS]

How is Orlando? A billet popped up there that would be a nice job for me to finish my degree. It's either I take 5 years in Orlando or its at the hands of the detailer next year. I'd get around $1200 a month for a place to live.

My wife lived there before I knew her and she said it was great, she loved the warm weather and would move back if she could talk me into it but it's to crowded for this country boy

 

[Droshki]

How is Orlando? A billet popped up there that would be a nice job for me to finish my degree. It's either I take 5 years in Orlando or its at the hands of the detailer next year. I'd get around $1200 a month for a place to live.

I think you could do worse, especially if it will afford you the opportunity to finish a degree, which I think is extremely important. It's rather a large place, with corresponding crime rate, but not as bad as the Tampa area. Lots to do, including orange blossom trail, if that's your thing, lol. Driving distance to the coast and many other places. Direct flights to everywhere.

 

[JohnAL]

If you can stand the traffic and congestion.

 

[Viking1204]

Traffic, congestion, high crime rate, snow birds, tourists. I know we have the snow birds and tourists here but it's nothing like in Orlando. Why can't you finish your degree here?

 

[FUPAGUNT]

You couldn't pay me to live in Orlando

 

[Seanpcola]

I really like Orlando but don't think I would want to live there.

 

[Viking1204]

It's a great place to visit for a short time!

 

[Ryan]

Only reason I'm trying to grab it is I only have 1 year left here and will most likely be a candidate for sea duty again and I can't do college. I'm 24 and I'm resigning for 3 so I'll be 27 when I can get out and if I get Orlando will have my BS and halfway to a Masters. Just trying to give me options before I get too old to either start a new career, apply for OCS and become an Officer, or stay Enlisted and work on getting up the chain. Mobile wasn't exactly my first pick after being in Key West, and Orlando doesn't seem as bad(ive been there twice) as some other places like Topeka, Kansas, Detriot, Guam, or BFE in Alaska. I went ahead and said that I will take it. 8-12 hour days..2 on 2 off, no duty....life will be good.

 

[FrankT]

Ryan, that is what my Son-in-Law did, started enlisted, the Navy paid for his BA and Masters, he is a Lt Commander w line # for Commander and lives in the Tampa area, by the way, they are south of town and love it.

 

[MAXman]

Personally i would have done Guam, just because, we did 3 years in nowhere isle in Alaska in the late 80's(dad was a sailor). My parents loved it, I remember it fondly(I was 4 so everything was fun and exciting).

I always saw the military as a way to do things that would be near impossible otherwise, but if you have an actual plan and it benifits your future then you should do it. Even if you hate Orlando it's only for a couple years. And anything is better than Detroit.

 

[Snow Bird]

Internet has been down so I'm back but in and out as I am at work. Saw Man, What should entery pay BE for the Mil. Give me a number . What should the pay be for someone with maybe NO skills and you may put in training for up to a year,Provide housing,medical,food? Pay for schooling after you are out . In the outside world that would be after you quit your job. And another thing I almost forgot free medical for your family. I dont know what they do now bit I doubt there is a copay!!

That is a honest question and deserves an honest answer. You ask for the job in the Mil and know what the pay is when you inlist.What would the pay be on the outside.

Of course you may get shot at but that is part of the job. Keeep ypur nose clean and do ypur job and you should be AT LEAST an E4 or E5 in just over 3 years I was an E5 in that time and will show my DD214 to anyone who doubts it if they want to come to Foley. I was questioned about that in a PM .
I don't know where you got your % about the people on Wick and can you Post something from the GOV that backs that up.

You and Frank seem to be the 2 on this form that are down so much on Vets care and I don't know if you get any of it or not or just have a cause and that is it. I probally go to the VA more than anyone on this forum and see alot more vets than either one of you do and for the most part they are happy with there treatment at tha VA. Of course there are wait times and yes sometimes they are to long. Do you remember the water break last week at the VA. Cancelled 700 appointments for thet 1 day and the same for next. next. Do the math and see how many that is in a year. You state facts that are not true so I have to take what you say with a grain of salt. (Smoking at tha VA) and wonder if you are just posting what you read on other Forums sometimes.

Have to go back to work so we can talk later if the Net stays up.

 

[Ryan]

I should have gone to Alaska from my last unit..2 years in Kodiak and then you get almost top choices coming out of there... I was really stuck on my girlfriend at the time and Mobile was the closest to South Carolina where she was in school. We ended up dating for 3-4 years before she decided she didn't want to move around and now I'm stuck in Mobile lol. Orlando is just the best choice all around both personal/career wise to know where I'm going rather than have the detailer pick for me next year. I'll never forget first coming in the area with my girlfriend and we pulled off into a gas station in prichard....I thought that I was going to hate my life here....but I've actually enjoyed it for the most part and made some good friends.

Snowbird I think the times have slowed down a lot though. Most people that know me know that I'm not trouble...I made E-4 at 3 1/2 years (the school/travel was 8 months though) and made E-5 at 4 1/2 years. I'm about to hit 6 years in June and I'm looking at another 2-3 years before I'm even close to competing for E6. There are 60 people on our advancement list for E6 for my job and they made 2 for the last year. It is possible I met an E7 that had 7 years in...went from Boot to A and at 6 months was an E4... I'd never want to trade my time as an E-2/E-3 on a boat getting shit on....made putting crows on that much more important to me.

 

[MAXman]

http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-income-eligibility-guidelines

For everyone who doesn't want to take the link, it's 37000$ a year for a family of three.

"To be eligible on the basis of income, applicants' gross income (i.e. before taxes are withheld) must fall at or below 185 percent of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines. "

Couldn't find anything about percentages of military personal or just general population, I'm at lunch so maybe I'll look around after work.

 

[RackinRay]

Personally i would have done Guam, just because, we did 3 years in nowhere isle in Alaska in the late 80's(dad was a sailor). My parents loved it, I remember it fondly(I was 4 so everything was fun and exciting).

I always saw the military as a way to do things that would be near impossible otherwise, but if you have an actual plan and it benifits your future then you should do it. Even if you hate Orlando it's only for a couple years. And anything is better than Detroit.

MAXman, would that have been Adak? I was there in the 80's and again in the 90's. My family loved it there too!

 

[MAXman]

Why yes Ray, it sure was. My dad was an et, I wanna say it was 87-90. From there we did Naples, which I remember more of and loved.

 

[Snow Bird]

Guam must have changed since I was there. Not alot to do except go to the beach on our day off. Hated the coral in the water and there were NO women to be had ,Or should I say rented LOL

Every one said the Navy base was good but never got over there,BUT everyone seemed to think we had better chow. I didn't hate Guam but really wasn't in love with it either. One of the guys from our shop got PCS there so he took his family and they seemed to enjoy it. I always said it wouldn't be a bad place if you had your fasmily with you.

I have heard that it has been built up alot since I was there for the tourist (SP) from Japan. I was there in 68 and again in 69 TDY.

Ryan I would think things may have slowed down with advancement and it would depend on your MOS. We got our promotinns AF wide and it may have made a difference that we were engine mechanics. I don't know how fast Navy promotions are and is it just for the ship you are on that you are in line for or is it Navy wide.

I do see alot of young E4 and E5 AF personial . I have no idea how to read stripes on any other service but it seems that there akot of young people walking with stripes. Guess I will be a creapey old man and start asking some of them how long it took them to get where they are and what pay grade they are. That should get some looks.LOL

Good luck on your choice what ever it is. On a side note I was in FairBanks Alaska for a week playing war and liked it up there but would rather take a beach over a snow drift at my age now.

 

[shootnstarz]

Nobody told me it is "Let's get in a wreck with a Corvette Day".

2:30pm, I decide I want some Popeyes chicken. I cruise up to 9 Mile but it is crawling slow heading east, so is I 10. So I go Pine Forest to Brent, turn up W and some idiot pull right out in front of me, slam on the brakes, cuss, flip bird. Next light, Airport. Light turns green, I go, moron turns left right in front of me, less than a half mile from the last one. Lock'um up again.

Finally get to Popeyes, order chicken, takes fooooorevvvvver, crawl back home. First bite of bird, it's spicy, can't stand spicy. Back on 9 Mile heading back to Popeyes with chicken in passenger seat. Phallas face turns left in front of me again at 29, closest one yet, slam on brakes again, chicken goes in floor.

Finally get back to Popeyes and turning in another Einstein runs stop sign and keeps on coming across, slam brakes again, chicken on floor again. Make it inside the store to return chicken, no apology, kind of a attitude for having the nerve to bring it back. Girl drops new piece of chicken on floor, thinks hard about picking it up and putting it in the box. Had I not been standing there I'm sure she would have.

Made it back home with no further close calls, 4:06pm and I'm finally eating my chicken, wonderful afternoon. I mean every one of these was a very close call, thank God for oversize 4 wheel disc.

Rick