TMF

Do what? Is this an actual thing?? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hopefully he suffered first. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've put several mags through my uncle's PMR 30 and never experienced a jam.  Only complaint is it being so "plasticky"... feels like I'm holding a water gun.  Other than that, I think it's pretty good.  30 rounds of .22 mag in your hand as fast as you can pull the trigger?  Yes please.  Make it in compact and I might even carry it.

  You know, this is a good point I left out.  I didn't experience this so bad myself, because my wife and kids always kept me busy, and I was able to land a job working with people who come from a similar background.  I can see this though, especially for younger guys who may not have a family unit to fall back on.  For most people in the military, the guys you work with day in, day out on your team/squad/platoon become a second family.  You can relate and talk about things that only family can, which isn't something people experience in the corporate world.    There is a special kind of bonding that comes from that, and is amplified by experiences you share while in combat.  When you get out, all that goes away.  Even though I remain in contact with many of my buddies from when I was in, it just isn't the same as it was on a day to day basis.  I do miss that.  I can only imagine how tough that is for someone who has been living that life for 3-5 years, and then one day it's all gone, along with the sense of purpose you gain from working in that type of environment.  It's difficult to explain, but your sense of purpose gained from having a mission which is perceived to be so crucial, you're willing to commit all of yourself to it with out giving thought otherwise.  In the corporate world, it's difficult to draw that sense of purpose, other than the desire to maintain your job so you can feed your family.  I miss that too.   I'm lucky to have a family that values me as much as I value them.  A dominating reason why I left was because I felt I couldn't exist in both worlds and commit myself to the appropriate level for both, which is a disservice to the unit and my family.  It just came down to priorities.  I do miss it, and I think it would be hard for anyone who didn't have something of equal or greater importance to commit to upon separating. 

Wow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

An elderly Chinese woman. They said I could be anything. My son identifies as an Indominous Rex. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This thread is probably the best place to come out to you all and admit that I identify as an A-10. http://www.duffelblog.com/2015/03/op-ed-i-sexually-identify-as-an-a-10-thunderbolt/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I will offer my insight here based solely on experience and observation.  As some folks have said, each case is unique, so trying to pin it down to exactly one thing causing these suicides can't be done.  From what I've seen, the deployments and experienced combat were not the root cause, but rather exacerbated existing conditions or situations.  At the same time we consider this, we should also consider that adults at highest risk of suicide are males in the 18-24 age range; this is a significant chunk of our military.  Two big things, at least in my experience, which are unique to the military crowd are long deployments and combat experience.    Long deployments create family problems.  I don't care to count how many guys in my unit were divorced.  With the exception of one, every person I knew who committed suicide was having, or recently had, serious marital problems or separation from their spouse.  So while the deployment may have not been the direct cause of the suicide, it certainly played a part.    As for what is experienced in combat (and I mean actual combat, not deploying to a FOB and hearing a few indirect rounds hit now and then), it will change a person whether he realizes it or not.  I'm not saying that everyone who experiences combat has PTSD, but as with most other life experiences, it changes how you perceive the world around you.  Anyone who has children knows this very well.  You aren't the same person you were before your first child came into the world.  Someone who experiences close combat, especially on a regular basis for extended periods of time, will view the world in a different context than he did before.  The level of violence I brought on people, and how comfortable I became doing it, is not something that can be explained to someone who hasn't had a similar experience.  People look at you like you're either a psychopath or are a poster child for PTSD.  This is why people like me don't talk to people about it.  Not because I don't like bringing up those memories.  If you get me and my buddies together, we'll be recalling war stories in graphic detail after a couple of beers.  We just don't like talking about it with people who can't possibly relate to what we're talking about.  It makes us uncomfortable.   With that in mind, most of us view our own mortality very differently than a person who hasn't come close to being killed, or haven't seen their buddies killed, or haven't killed another human being before.  I can't describe it, other than to say that folks who have this experience are more comfortable with their own death than others may be.  Perhaps because we accepted it at one time or the other.  Speaking for myself, back in those days death was something that would happen or it wouldn't, but I accepted that I had no control over that and it made it easier to do the things I did without letting self-preservation instincts take over when it mattered.  I have to believe that changed my perception of things significantly.  Even now, when I consider my own mortality, my concern is for the future of my wife and children.  Without them, I don't believe I'd place such a high value on my life that I would be uncomfortable with the concept of dying.      I wrote all that to help put it into context what might be going on with someone who commits suicide that has had these life experiences.  It isn't about PTSD, it's about the context in which they see life and death.  It's just different than regular people who don't ever experience that.  Kinda in the same way that a person is at higher risk for suicide if someone in their family commits suicide.  I think there were 5 members of Ernest Hemingway's family that killed themselves after he did?  Something like that.  I think it's much the same way for people who are in a unique situation where they have had to digest the full spectrum of death; accepting their own, coping with the loss of many of their buddies, and killing other people.   Just last week I spent a few hours talking with an old friend who's wife left him recently, and took their kids with her.  We have known each other since just after 9/11, and spent a deal of time in training together just prior to invading Iraq.  He's always been a bad drunk, and more impulsive to say things than most.  After a few deployments between Iraq in Afghanistan, I could see the changes in him.  He would likely be diagnosed with PTSD somewhere on a spectrum, if such a thing existed.  But talking to him last week, those aren't the issues that I need to talk him down from.  It's the loss of what is most important in life which has him on the ledge.  Now I don't know if he's really considered taking his life, but where he is emotionally I have to believe the thought has crossed his mind, and with his experiences similar to mine, I'd have to believe that death isn't as scary to him as it is to most people.  This is the recipe right here.   The problem I have with the media and the Army's lip service to suicide, is they keep wanting to put a hashtag on it and wrap it up with the PTSD bow.  That's not what is happening, at least not from what I've observed.  When they do this, they are tacking on the cause to a problem which has little or nothing to do with the problem, which makes it difficult to address the real reason why servicemembers and veterans are killing themselves and develop an effective solution.    What it keeps coming back to is we have to do our best to look out for each other.  When you know your buddy is going through some hard times, reach out and let him talk.  Just taking the cork off the bottle will help.  It's uncomfortable to say all the things you're supposed to say.  I heard that with a potentially suicidal person you should just come right out and ask if they're thinking about killing themselves.  I don't know if that's correct, but I found that I couldn't even say that the other night to him.  Hopefully he's doing better now than he was before, and if he isn't, I hope to have the courage to ask the things that need to be asked.

It's why I mentioned the part about burning down houses and whatnot. I do have experience with these types of people, and I've gone out of my way to keep them out of my life. It's why I would advise against any further involvement in your part. These people thrive on conflict, which is why they live in a perpetual state of drama. Even though you might not directly engage this person again, by being indirectly involved may come back on you, especially now that you've been in contact with the mother. Without knowing the entire situation, I'm going to assume the mother has a similar personality, and rolls in close circles with her daughter. While she might be on your side today, she might not be tomorrow. Either way, folks like this like to run their mouth, and loose lips sink ships. Best to make it clear to everyone involved that you are simply disassociating yourself from this person and moving on with your life. I sense the crazy is strong with this one. ETA: As Kid Rock once famously said, "I ain't straight outta Compton, I'm straight out the trailer." I know these people; they are my people. It's why I got as far away as I could. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep, this is first degree murder. Premeditated when she got behind the wheel drunk. Why won't our society punish these murderers appropriately? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Of course she wasn't. May she be raped to death by a herd of rhinos. I wouldn't rub salt in this one. She sounds like the type who would burn your house down in the middle of the night with you in it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A good indicator would be the date. I'm not aware of any active duty being issued these types of ID cards in 2010. Last time I remember having a card like that was before we invaded Iraq. My wife's dependent ID looked like that though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes. My wife had the same ID card. The army stopped issuing these types of IDs to active duty a while back. Now they issue common access cards, which look much different. She's just full of it. This is a dependapotomus card. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's a dependent ID. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I dunno man. I say cut sling load on this one. Crazy people like this can really focus their efforts on those they feel have slighted them. I'd just back away slowly. No need to bring unneeded drama into your life. Clearly she has a history of getting into trouble on her own. The problem will likely solve itself. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Analog, I fill up a bucket of hot water and soak my Sam Adams bottles in there for about 10 minutes. Then I use a wooden spatchula to quickly scrape the label off. I follow up with a quick rub down with the rough side of a dish sponge to get all the residue. Takes less than 30 seconds a bottle. Sweetwater makes good beer and their labels are ones that come right off with hardly an effort. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll second this sentiment right here. Last year I got screwed pretty good after putting myself out there for someone who needed a little help. After getting burnt I swore I'd never take a risk to help someone unless they were family or close friends. Not two weeks after that I was in a situation which I needed some quick help. A complete stranger came to my aid at a significant inconvenience to themselves. If not for that person I would have been in for a pretty bad day. I never had the opportunity to properly thank him for it either. After that, I realized that I shouldn't change who I am simply because there are crappy people out there. While those people might take advantage of those like you and I from time to time, it's comforting to know that they must live with themselves. Folks like that have miserable lives due to the choices they make. If helping people out is part of what makes you happy, don't let aholes take that away from you. Continue to help those who you think deserve it, and move on from people who show that they don't. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don't feel stupid about it. If you don't have a lot of experience around military people then it's difficult to detect BS when being told a story, especially since society has been conditioned to unquestioningly accept words of a veteran as gospel. Even without military experience, it seems you were able to detect that something wasn't quite right. At this point, now that you know, I would remove this person from your life in every way. Don't even think about this person anymore. Pathological liars such as this are a life sucking force, and do not deserve sympathy; sympathy is a tool they use to exploit good people. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm taking the wife and kids on a vacation to Disney World. The kids get a few small gifts from Santa, of course, but we have such a large family they get plenty of crap at Christmas. My wife and I like to buy experiences at Christmas time as opposed to things. We've been doing that for quite a few years now and it is much more enjoyable than material gifts. Besides, the older we get, the more we realize that we don't really need things for anything other than improving convenience. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sure they could. The story may be that she only spent 3 days training before they removed her and started her separation. It's far quicker and easier to kick a person out in the first 6 months of service. Remembering back to my Sand Hill days, I recall guys who were removed from training for various reasons (non-medical) who were gone from the unit in a week or two. To the OP, it all sounds fishy. She is likely full of crap. Folks who don't make it past initial training tend to be the worst when it comes to making veteran claims. Even if she were, which she likely isn't, I still take issue with veterans looking for sympathy or handouts while guilting people by bringing up their service at every opportunity. There are vets with real problems, and those folks get drowned out by con artists looking to take advantage of good natured people who don't know any better. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, I hit up a couple of local bars to get their bottles as well as family and friends. Beyond that, it is as cost effective to buy Sam Adams and recap them as it is to order long necks online due to shipping. There was a short time where a company sold bottles on Amazon with free shipping, but I haven't seen that for a while. Still, at least you get the bottles with beer in them if you go the Sam Adams bottles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh yeah. Definitely the same in my house. When I was in TN I had a basement to ferment in. Now that I'm in Florida, finding a good spot to ferment the first few days is impossible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've never done kitchen boils. I have a propane burner and a wife. I wouldn't advise a new brewer to do it in the kitchen. If you don't have a burner, go on down to Lowes and pick one up. I think they have good ones there for around $40. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think the beavers had a lot more fur back then. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Geez, who gets up at 0430 for PT?  I'm not even sober by then.