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FrostyNSO
Just curious as to how many vets we have on Dumpshock. If you are a vet, chime in and list your MOS as well as any deployments.
If you're signed up, or planning to, list what you will be doing or what you plan on doing.

I did 5 years in the Legion (3rd generation). Started out in infantry with the 3REI (jungle warfare unit) until being transferred the famous 2REP. I finished my 5 years there, picking up a host of certs and going to other schools while not deployed.

After that, I served in another French special operations unit outside the legion. Did 4 years there and then came home to the States.

Deployments (with the legion) include:

Republic of Congo (if they still call it that)
Belgrade
Mitrovica
Wadi Seidna
Les Andalouses

Chime In!

edit: And did you come into Shadowrun before, during, or after?

I played a tiny bit before in high school (like first edition or something), but when I got back some friends of mine got me hooked and I've never looked back.
vapor
i tried to join twice and got turned down due to childhood health problems.
mfb
US Army, 4 years, 31U. spent all three and a half years of non-training service in south korea.
Capt. Dave
Out of 6 Shadowrun players I've had, 3 have served or are serving in the Armed Forces. One Marine and two Army, an infantryman and a mortarman.

If they ever have an MOS where I get to sit at home and make the money I can make developing software, I'll join. smile.gif
Arethusa
Just turned 20, still thinking about RIP and ROTC. Depends on a lot of things, money for school notwithstanding.
FrostyNSO
ROTC is a great program, and definately looks good on any resume.
Aku
"no, and they wouldnt let me in for medical reasons if i wanted too"

shoulda had that as an option, but really, it never crossed my mind...
Dog
More than once, I've put the application together. Don't think I'll ever go through with it, 'cause I'm colour blind, and that pretty much restricts me from any of the cool jobs. I'm getting older and settling down, too, and military lifestyle uproots you a lot. I hang out on the fringes and pick up whatever related training I can get as a civilian, just for kicks. Got a pilot license out of it, SERE, PPCT etc.
I'm like a deadhead when it comes to the military. Supply officers are good friends to have.
Spetulhu
Done my time in the service, as all males in my group. Many of us were trained as military police, perhaps because we listen to heavy metal?

Then again, we've got conscription here so it's nothing odd to serve in the army. wink.gif
Eyeless Blond
"no, and they wouldnt let me in for medical reasons if i wanted too"

Pretty much me right there. The "Eyeless" part of my name isn't *entirely* for show. smile.gif
Weredigo
Null vote, sorry, inelligable, there's not a branch that's been willing to take me. Either my eyesight, null college, or some other pissy reason of theirs. So instead I'm stuck as a member of america's largest underground military branch. Mischevious Civilians, "Ho Yeah Mr. Invader, go ahead and try to drive that tank down my block, Me and the neighbors, this can o gasoline, and a rag say it don't make it more'n ten feet."
FrostyNSO
There are people in this country that would like to see that branch dissolved. I say they can farm away for their foreign masters, I'll fight. cool.gif
The Grifter
U.S. Marine Corps

4 Years

1812 Abrams MBT Crewman

Served as gunner on platoon sergeant's tank

Honorably discharged with Corporal rank

Deployed to Kuwait and Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, served with 2nd Tank Battallion, 2nd MARDIV Bravo Company.

Earned National Defence Medal, Good Conduct Medal, SouthWest Asia Campaign Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Joint Unit Citation, Sea Service Medal, Overseas Deployment Medal, Pistol Expert Badge, rifle Sharpshooter Badge.

Starting playing Shadowrun during high school before I enlisted.
FrostyNSO
Right on! Gotta take this opprotunity to thank a vet for his service.

Thanks.

mfb, that Korean border is crazy. "The most heavily fortified border in the world."
What sick bastard wouldn't wanna see that one if it ever blows up wobble.gif
The Grifter
QUOTE
Right on! Gotta take this opprotunity to thank a vet for his service.

Thanks.


You're very welcome. And it means alot to hear that, believe me. Better than all that anti-troop sentiment they were trying to stir up when we got deployed.
Aku
ya know,i'll echo that, i know from my post, it most likely sounded like i may've been anti military..

well FRAG that!

I'm justthe kind that couldnt stand half the crap it takes to just get into boot camp, let alone out of it, and i know that fact.

I knwo one thing, IF (and i doubt it would happen) i get one of them postcards at somepoint in the next.. 3 years that says "Uncle Same wants YOU!" (heh right, did you bother to look at my medical records before you sent me this?)

I'd go, just gimme a gun, and alot of ammo. I'd like it more if they sat me in a tank and let me fire it, but i guess that coulda been the benifit of actually enlisting.

but like i said, i think i have enough medical issues that they wouldnt bother even asking me to go but anyways

Thanks to all of you, man, woman, American or German, or yellow or blue or green helping to keep this world where it belongs.
The Grifter
Being a tanker is Not a benefit, chummer. Trust ole Griferino on THAT one.
AIM-54
I've been very close on numerous occasions to signing up, but never quite did it. I am, however, looking to get in on the civilian side, depending on how a certain fellowship works out. I'm fascinated by force planning and all the strategic level stuff. Haven't necessarily ruled out that I might join up sometime in the future either.

Having spent the last year and a half interning on a book project about OIF, I have to second FrostyNSO. Thank you for your service! Your sacrifice is something most will never fully comprehend. So, thanks!
The Grifter
Once again, not a big deal guys, but your thanks is very much appreciated.
Aku
QUOTE (The Grifter)
Being a tanker is Not a benefit, chummer. Trust ole Griferino on THAT one.

i had a feeling you were going to say that after i posted that, but for me, it might not be all that horrible for size problems, as i'm only 5'2, and i'm sure this not quite in shape form of mine would be whipped into something more formly rather quickly.

I'm sure i'd fit on a sub nicely too, but there's just something about "in the navy"... i cant quite put my thoughts around it though...
tisoz
I remember a pre-enlistment interview where they wanted me to rank the reasons I wanted to enlist. I asked where was the I want to kill people option.
Joe Outside
I'm 4f, but we've got 3 vets and one going in next wednesday in our group. I'm the only dumpshocker of the group, though.
Chance359
Active Duty Air Force, Security Forces. I was supposed to be going in the fall but the MAJCOM canceled all our deployments 'til next year, thats as of right now, in a month I'll probably be going again.
Smiley
I've been in the Marine Corps for about 5 years now. Corporal looking to pick up Sergeant here.
Lindt
I had the recruters stop calling once they found out I blew out both knees and had a vision condition that might cause me to go suddenly half blind.

But as much as I disagree with digo on SR stuff, Id make a hella of an insurgent if need be =P
Smiley
QUOTE (Weredigo)
Null vote, sorry, inelligable, there's not a branch that's been willing to take me. Either my eyesight, null college, or some other pissy reason of theirs. So instead I'm stuck as a member of america's largest underground military branch. Mischevious Civilians, "Ho Yeah Mr. Invader, go ahead and try to drive that tank down my block, Me and the neighbors, this can o gasoline, and a rag say it don't make it more'n ten feet."

Yeah.
Hard CORE. ohplease.gif
toturi
I was in my country's military once upon a time... and I thought, for a second, the title of the thread was "Who got served?"
Wounded Ronin
Although I deeply respect members of the military I would never join the military myself.

When I was younger I thought it might be a good idea. This is because some of the most wonderful people I've ever known came from a military background. But later I realized that it would mean possibly having to sacrifice my life for a reason that I disagree with.

It would be really unpleasant dying or getting mangled as part as an effort that you think would harm rather than help the long term interests of the country, or in a conflict that you fundamentally think is useless or pointless. And unfortunately many major wars, such as World War I, were fundamentally penis-waving and bald-faced stupidity, IMO.

The way I see it now, if I were to put myself in that situation I would not be showing appreciation for the value of my own life. Life is such a wonderous privilege which is simultaneously precious and fragile. To put life at risk unless there is absolutely no other choice is to show a gross lack of appreciation for this gift that you have been given. Why then would I ever put myself in a situation where I might be forced to die for what I see as a bad reason?

Just like I wouldn't want to kill another human being outside of the most dire of circumstances, only the most dire of circumstances justify sacrificing your own life. In fact, it was an ex-marine who told me when I was a teenager that the only time that I should sacrifice my life is in exchange for the lives of others. In any other situation, he felt that the sacrifice of a life is too dear a price to pay.
SirKodiak
QUOTE (The Grifter)


Better than all that anti-troop sentiment they were trying to stir up when we got deployed.


There was anti-troop sentiment for Operation Iraqi Freedom? I saw a lot of anti-war sentiment. Those are different things. I'm sure there's always some anti-troop sentiment, in the same way there's always anti-lawyer sentiment, but I didn't really see a big spike during the buildup to and start of the war. Heck, all the protests I saw had at least a few people carrying "no blood for oil" signs. It was your blood, in part, that they were talking about, and that they wanted you to get to keep it.
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (The Grifter)
QUOTE
Right on! Gotta take this opprotunity to thank a vet for his service.

Thanks.


You're very welcome. And it means alot to hear that, believe me. Better than all that anti-troop sentiment they were trying to stir up when we got deployed.

Really? The slogan I saw a lot was, "Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home."

I don't think I've seen any anti-troop sentiment.
Smiley
QUOTE (SirKodiak)
QUOTE (The Grifter)


Better than all that anti-troop sentiment they were trying to stir up when we got deployed.


There was anti-troop sentiment for Operation Iraqi Freedom? I saw a lot of anti-war sentiment. Those are different things. I'm sure there's always some anti-troop sentiment, in the same way there's always anti-lawyer sentiment, but I didn't really see a big spike during the buildup to and start of the war. Heck, all the protests I saw had at least a few people carrying "no blood for oil" signs. It was your blood, in part, that they were talking about, and that they wanted you to get to keep it.

"No blood for oil" is a Democratic over-simplification.

Why, YES. We decided to go to war and commit American military personnel to die JUST because gas prices are too high. SOLELY because we don't want to pay 2 bucks a gallon. PUH-leeze.
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (Smiley)
QUOTE (SirKodiak @ Feb 27 2005, 02:42 AM)
QUOTE (The Grifter)


Better than all that anti-troop sentiment they were trying to stir up when we got deployed.


There was anti-troop sentiment for Operation Iraqi Freedom? I saw a lot of anti-war sentiment. Those are different things. I'm sure there's always some anti-troop sentiment, in the same way there's always anti-lawyer sentiment, but I didn't really see a big spike during the buildup to and start of the war. Heck, all the protests I saw had at least a few people carrying "no blood for oil" signs. It was your blood, in part, that they were talking about, and that they wanted you to get to keep it.

"No blood for oil" is a Democratic over-simplification.

Why, YES. We decided to go to war and commit American military personnel to die JUST because gas prices are too high. SOLELY because we don't want to pay 2 bucks a gallon. PUH-leeze.

Slogans generally are oversimplifications. That's why they're slogans and not position papers.

I don't think we should get into a big political debate over the war on this thread, because it's somewhat off topic.
Fortune
QUOTE (Aku @ Feb 27 2005, 12:35 PM)
"no, and they wouldnt let me in for medical reasons if i wanted too"

shoulda had that as an option, but really, it never crossed my mind...

"Always wanted to, but never got around to it, and even if I did I wouldn't have passed the physical" should have been a choice as well.

Edit: Or, for that matter, the psychological exam. That's one of the reasons I never becam a cop either. Anyone who would give me a gun and the (semi) legal freedom to use it would be even more insane than I am. eek.gif
TeOdio
Never joined. My cousins and I are kind of the first generation in my family that no one has served. All of my uncles, Father, grand fathers, grand uncles, they were all in the military. After 9-11, I had mulled it over a loooong time. I talked to everyone in my fam that had been in the military or had been to war. The tough thing for me is that I had just gotten married a little more than a year before and had a great new job that payed what I wanted. That made it tough. That's why I give major props to anybody that makes the financial and family sacrifice to serve. Yeah, you put your life on the line for all of us, but it's your families that also sacrifice a bit as well. In the end I couldn't do that. My uncle, who got drafted into Vietnam, just told me this, "if Uncle Sam needs you, you best believe he'll come knockin." l
A side note, one of my players was a marine in Desert Storm, great guy. Started roleplaying in the military. So all you Kick Ass Defenders of Liberty, I hope you find a bit of enjoyment in the Blessed Game of Shadowrun.
nuyen.gif nuyen.gif nuyen.gif nuyen.gif nuyen.gif
Crimsondude 2.0
QUOTE (SirKodiak @ Feb 26 2005, 11:42 PM)
QUOTE (The Grifter)


Better than all that anti-troop sentiment they were trying to stir up when we got deployed.


There was anti-troop sentiment for Operation Iraqi Freedom?

I doubt it was directly related to that more than anything else.

I also think that, while it exists, most people holding what could be considered "anti-troop" views have been people who were sufficiently cowed into silence lest someone might even theoretically respond violently.

QUOTE (Erich Fromm)
We forget that, although freedom of speech constitutes an important victory in the battle against old restraints, modern man is in a position where much of what "he" thinks and says are the things that everybody else thinks and says; that he has not acquired the ability to think originally-- that is, for himself-- which alone gives meaning to his claim that nobody can interfere with the expression of his thoughts.
Austere Emancipator
QUOTE (Wounded Ronin)
I don't think we should get into a big political debate over the war on this thread, because it's somewhat off topic.

It's completely off-topic, as far as the forum is concerned. Even the actual topic of this thread is bordering on OT in that respect. If you (all of you) want to keep this thread, you'll cut it right away. Just because I don't want this to degenerate like the "Have You Got Guns" thread, I'll be the first one to report this thread if it comes to that.

I was one of those who don't have much of a choice in the matter. Conscript, 9 months as an MP in the Finnish DF.
Aes
We have conscription too. The doc at the check-up didn't beleive I had a back condition. I were slated for 18 months in her majestys royal regiment (ugh!). So I went to the hospital, paid to have some x-rays of my spinal column taken and had the chief surgeron and two doctors sign them, stating that whomever claimed I didn't have a back problem ought to be fired. nyahnyah.gif

Good thing too, or I would've been in a wheelchair today. Stupid conscription.
MYST1C
Germany has a conscript army so I did my ten months back in 1998/99.

MOS: Leopard 1A5 MBT gunner
The Grifter
Ah, a fellow tanker.
Smiley
QUOTE (Smiley)
QUOTE (Weredigo @ Feb 26 2005, 10:35 PM)
Null vote, sorry, inelligable, there's not a branch that's been willing to take me.  Either my eyesight, null college, or some other pissy reason of theirs.  So instead I'm stuck as a member of america's largest underground military branch.  Mischevious Civilians, "Ho Yeah Mr. Invader, go ahead and try to drive that tank down my block, Me and the neighbors, this can o gasoline, and a rag say it don't make it more'n ten feet."

Yeah.
Hard CORE. ohplease.gif

I apologize. I was waaaay too intoxicated to be posting last night.
But, GOD, I'm paying for it now. Ick.
Large Mike

Actually, I just past my fitness test for entry into to the Canadian Infantry yesterday.

I'm pretty damned proud of myself.
Critias
Signed up for the Army, shipped off, got sick (bronchitis) during Basic, got diagnosed and sent home with "asthma," haven't had any luck getting back in since.

Nothing makes recruiters ignore your phone calls quite like mentioning the a word.
Zephania
Long live armour. I've been in close to 10 years now and have served in most of the balkans, parts of the middle east and central africa. Enlisting was the bravest decision I ever made and I don't regret it now.

As for shadowrun I started that in technical college back in '91/'92. Took a break for a few years and started back in a few months ago. I never play outright combat types but always a professional.

Lets hear from some more service personel.
hermit
You forgot an option: "No - but would if it was to defend my country against an invader". In that case, my "no, and don't plan to" should be read as a "no, and don't hope I ever have to".
torzzzzz
biggrin.gif

Would have loved to join, but due to childhood arthritis they wouldn't have me! I would have been in the medical or veterinary core! But such is life!! My partners in the forces and he loves it.......... I have to settle with haveing bloodthursty characters and shooting (for real on a range!) next best thing for me!


torz x
DragginSPADE
Air Force, have been in three and a half years so far. Just finished my first tour at South Korea.
Weredigo
QUOTE
I apologize. I was waaaay too intoxicated to be posting last night.
But, GOD, I'm paying for it now. Ick.


Issallright, Issall good. Wish you luck in forcing that overactive troll from out of your skull... Aspirin, big glass of water, and a return to bed works the best.
if not, hair of the dog what bit ya...
DocMortand
I never joined because I wouldn't be allowed to (MANY medical problems).

In my group so far we've had a Navy vet and an Air Force vet...very cool since the Navy guy REALLY helped out with a naval piracy run. The realism he gave made the run 10 times more effective.

And I proudly salute all you vets...I'm a war buff and I have nothing but admiration for what you guys go through in training and in wartime. And I'll always support the military.
psykotisk_overlegen
We have a conscript army here in Norway, and I just got my letter on friday. In april they'll test me and possibly enlist me, I'll serve if they want me, but they might kick me because of my eyesigtht.
I just don't hope they send me up north for too long, northern Norway is real cold.
tisoz
What is the length of duty for those countries with a conscription? I saw 10 months for Germany and maybe 9 months...
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