Nov 11, 20206 min read

May I say VA day is so gay cuz I must "PAY!"

Updated: Nov 14, 2020

Ok, today is Nov 11th, 20

I thought its VETS day?

But I'm really not sure it is!

It doesn't feel any different to me.

Let me tell you about MY veterans day.

While I sit here ALL ALONE and starve, my BF is getting a $40 meal, FREE from his work.

"Too much food," he tells me

Now, I thought I was the vet!!

So while he gets his $40 comped meal,

I get offered a $3 meal?

Are you fucking serious?

As I look through our offers, I come across 1 from a wiener place and its a whopping hot dog with fries thrown in and a lousy drink that costs them maybe 35 cents. Now I'm not really sure how you other vets feel about the "fabulous" offers we get, but I feel like they can be a real smack in the face. It seems to me, some can be a real fucking joke. Did you notice that it is just a hot dog, not the burger or anything of real value, real thanks, or to say the least, real nutrition, either.

Oh yeah, did you also notice the "size" that we are offered also?

Thanks! After 4 years of bullshit and fighting in a war, this is ALL you offer us!

Do any of you even have a fucking clue WTF we have been through?

Now I never want to sound ungrateful or unreasonable, so before I give you that impression, allow me to fill you in on MY military experience for OVER 3 years and you tell me if a $2-$3 meal is worth "it."

"IT" means my blood, toil, tears and sweat during my long years in the service.

If, after reading my TOTAL experience of OVER 3 years, you believe a $3 meal is worth it for ALL I have been through, then I will march, just as I was trained to do, right on down to wiener and get my free meal.

Sound like a plan, Stan?

I'm sure it will just hit the spot,

don't you think?

Yeah, thats worth it for my 4 years of service!

After all, he is getting his $40 free meal and I am getting a whole $3 meal, that sounds fair with him not even being a vet.

For those of you, that read my posts regularly you know just how lengthy they are. So here's what I will do for you:

Divide it up into 4 parts!

4 parts:

1 - BT

2 - AIT

3 - PDA

4 - BONUS!

Don't worry, all these letters will be explained.

So, let's get to it!!!

PART 1 - BT

After my father, as well as my grandfather, were both in the military, my dad somehow convinced me to follow suit. It was really just to get me out of his hair, but the end result: I went in.

He told me that I would get college paid for. I guess everyone else gets their parents to pay for it somehow, but my life is always different from yours, his, hers and theirs. So, skipping the whole "honest" recruiter experience let's get right into where I went to see if I even qualify.

What's first, right after I signed my LIFE rights away?

First, they sent me to get a physical, and if I passed they let me pick my Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) (my job) for my Permanent Duty Assignment (PDA) and where I chose my dream pick for where I want to be stationed, because no one ever really gets what we ask for anyway.

Surprised?

I picked Hawaii, guess where I ended up.

Keep reading!

When I picked my MOS, my GT (aptitude score from the ASVAB) score was 95, which was not great. This limited my choices for a job so I ended up picking 63D (Artillery mechanic) for when I got to my PDA. Now don't forget where I picked.

This had me working on howitzers which are similar to tanks but cannot move while shooting.

I started having 2nd thoughts about going in before I even started. So after grad HS, I went back to my childhood hometown before reporting for BT (basic training). Now you know what BT stands for.

However, as you will see later, if you or I sign a contract we are obligated. When the fucking govt does though, they are NOT obligated in any way, shape, or form.

But you should know this already.

Keep this in mind for later.

When I finally went to BT, I went through MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station).

In the army, the first item on the learning agenda is all the abbreviations that you must deal with. Then the 2nd item is the physical I had to edure.

I don't remember the exact circumstances, or even how I met her, but on the way to BT, one thing I will never forget is my once in a lifetime experience when I actually somehow managed to meet Dawn, and speak persuasively to her because we got touchy feely on the bus, including some real hot and heavy kissing as I recall. At some point when we finally got there, I actually got applause from the other guys.

Me?

get applause?

and

from other guys?

Like I said, Once in a lifetime!

My 1st and only time that I, of all guys, got the girl!

Don't ask me how I did it & with all the competition, because if I knew how, I would do it again.

These are those memories I will NEVER forget!!

Especially where they never happen again for me!

Once there at BT, it was a strict

"NO touch

NO talk

NO see

NO anything at all"

policy.

The ONLY one I got to see was.......

Yup he was the ONLY one I got to see! MY DS!!

When I got there, I got EVERYTHING taken!

It's kind of like jail.

So imagine NO clothes, NO jewelry, NO magazines, NO everything,

got the idea?

NO! NOT my mags! Yes! my clothes fine, but not my Mags!! Please NO!

Then I got a fun visit to my new home for about 8 weeks, called the barracks. I got to sleep with about 10 other guys in the same room, (how fun?!) Yes! bunk beds.

Now, back when I was in, way back in 88, gays were not allowed, totally different times from today. It was still a sissy army though just the same because I heard, at some point, that a drill SGT lost his hat because he forced a PVT to stand in a clean trash can.

What happened to the hard core seasoned soldier days?

Those were the good ol army days. Where 19 yo could be MEN!!

I Have NO fucking clue what happened to these days!

But I think when vietnam was just a memory, these days were too!

Since, in BT, I was a civilian learning how to be a soldier they taught me everything.

You name it they teach it. So just in case, I wasn't sure how to talk, walk, dress, eat, or even salute, don't worry they taught it to me, for over 8 weeks.

In BT, the only thing I tend to remember is all the push-ups I did. Because that is the way I got punished constantly, as I was just a punk kid out of high school.

Take it from me, Drill SGT Pendelton & I, did NOT get along at ALL!

125 Drill SGT! Thank you can I have more DS??!!

We had to be up at around 5 am, an early time to get "chow"

YES! Food! That's right!

You have to realize, that these idiots just had to come up with all their own stupid names, like after "chow"

do you think we were "ate up"?

NO!

Not after chow, but since I was fucking up all the time and was a real mistake prone PVT, I got called "ate up" a LOT!!

Oh Yeah!! Did I mention that BT 4 me, was in July??

Just ask me, I should know this saying the best!

They had many more but I wont get into all of them.

I ate at specific times, and there was NO talking, it was "eat and run." So I had to wolf it down and get back to BT. I remembered talking to one guy and he was smart enough to keep his trap shut, unless he was wolfing down food, because he didn't want to get in trouble. It was an assembly line set up, cafeteria style. Another important lesson to learn is, as you may have heard, the eternal lines.

Have you ever heard "hurry up and wait?"

That's the military for me!

There was one time I had so much action that day, when I finally got to sleep, I was so overworked, I actually slept through a "fire....???drill that is.Firedrill!

The Drill SGT threw me out of bed!

It's the last time I slept through anything!

You thought that was just a fabrication?

NOPE!!

And once you learn all about being a soldier, you are finally ready for AIT!!!!!

Thats next, right after BT graduation.

WOW! Graduation! Now It's safe to contact Dawn again! Even though I contacted her after BT was over, I never saw Dawn again, as she had her parents visiting her at least.

NOT me though!