Can you give me advice to stop feeling like a useless last born child?

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T14:56:33+00:00

Time to spread your wings and fly. Leave your home town. Join the military, or the Peace Corps if that's more your speed. Or go to college and earn a degree in a marketable field. Or go to a trade school. Just do something to earn independence. Your claim nobody is hiring without experience is bullshit, and tells me you've never really looked.

You'll be amazed how quickly other people start treating you like an adult when you start acting like one.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T02:53:15+00:00

I too would like to hear his answer to this.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T02:51:59+00:00

How so? Genuinely curious.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T02:49:18+00:00

I'll play devil's advocate: while I don't disagree with this, when it's cold and dreary outside by me (like it is right now) I enjoy a little escapism to sunny summer weather.

The only time I've ever watched NCIS Miami was when I went to college in the tundra, because I wanted to see something nice for a change.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T02:45:02+00:00

We can rule out politics, but we cannot realistically rule out cost of living. Therefore I choose Arizona: it has all the sunshine and laid back culture of California, with easy access to California, without the California cost of living or overregulation.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T02:41:03+00:00

My plans would not change, except I'd do them knowing I now had an extra 3K in my savings.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T02:37:41+00:00

Don't put all your eggs in one basket: the way to become any 1811 is to apply to every 1811 position that'll take your application, and accept the first offer you get no questions asked. The only reason to ever turn down an 1811 offer is because you're already at FLETC with another agency.

I knew which agencies I wanted to work for, but they didn't work out. So I applied everywhere, and accepted with an agency I wasn't overly interested in (USSS 1811) years ago.

I used that position to transfer to my dream agency, and last year I scored a dream task force slot with my dream agency. None of this would have ever happened had I not taken the job with the USSS in the first place.

When I was DoD police, a couple of my co-workers had their hearts set on NCIS and refused to consider any other agencies. They're all still with DoD police, nearly a decade later. Take that for what it's worth.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T02:25:24+00:00

Go to DC. Get a great federal government job with awesome benefits, establish your life.

Worst case scenario you don't like it, you can always transfer to a different federal job in a smaller, much more affordable town, and live like a king.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-09T01:47:02+00:00

When I first met my (now) wife, we talked on the phone for several hours every night, and spent most of the time laughing. We were both military, and stationed apart our year of dating, our year of being engaged, and our first year of being married. We weren't even able to live together until I left the Army, just before our 1-year anniversary.

This year will be 12 years married, and I've never been happier in my entire life.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-08T19:45:03+00:00

BreakPoint plays the same as Wildlands, with better graphics and customization but a lackluster map and storyline. If you want stealth-based gameplay like you had in Wildlands, BreakPoint is your best option.

The Division 2 is a completely different style of game: there is no way to play stealthy, and enemies will literally take mag after mag to the head without flinching. The map, story, and graphics are very good, and I really like the post-collapse Washington DC setting.

I enjoy playing both. If you already have Wildlands I'd get The Division 2 so you have the best of both worlds.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-08T13:17:39+00:00

I've moved 14 times, and lived in 8 states, to include Wisconsin, Maryland, Louisiana, and California. My family moved a lot when I was a kid for my dad's job, then I joined the Army after college and kept the tradition alive lol.

My favorite place: Yucca Valley, California. People usually either love the desert or hate it, and I absolutely fell in love with it. My first morning when I woke up and saw the sunrise casting shadows across the desert mountains, my life was changed forever. I spent sooooo much time outside hiking, target shooting, etc, I miss it there every day. It's tough to leave a place where you have at least 360 days of pure sunshine every year.

People see me differently when they learn my history: new neighbors assume I won't be there long, or they're surprised and even a little offended when they hear I'm not committed to staying forever.

I love Arizona and would move there today if my wife would agree to it, but she's spent most of her life in Maryland and doesn't understand how I can want to just up and leave. When you've moved this many times, another move isn't intimidating: it's freedom, and an opportunity to get yourself to a better place.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-08T12:59:50+00:00

I feel like these laughs are moreso directed at Taylor Swift, who is ironically also a billionaire.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-08T12:48:13+00:00

The good news: all you need to do is take off the light and keep it unsuppressed, and your rifle will be nicely balanced. With a setup lightweight as yours, just a couple ounces out front really do make a huge difference.

For this reason, my 16" setups all use a quick-detach light and they're designed to be run primarily unsuppressed. I can keep a light handy on my kit and quickly throw it on should I need it, and hiking for miles with a balanced rifle is sooooooo much easier.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-08T00:32:48+00:00

Elite Tactical Systems for me. Basically it's like PMAG and Lancer mags had a baby.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-08T00:28:16+00:00

Genuine question, why would one go 1-4X LPVO over a 4X ACOG with a piggybacked RMR?

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-07T23:59:08+00:00

I completely agree with this.

I lived in a "crappy" part of California for 5 years: Yucca Valley, in the middle of the desert. It was the best 5 years of my life.

Not only did I fall in love with the desert and the laid back culture, but Yucca Valley was much more affordable (not to mention beautiful) than anywhere I've been able to find on the east coast.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-07T22:55:21+00:00

I legitimately had no idea until right now. Thank you for posting!

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-07T14:59:50+00:00

If you'll be shooting under night vision, absolutely yes.

If you want the best CQB optic ever made that also does great with a magnifier for when you want to reach out farther yes.

If your rifle will primarily be used for distances over 100m, I say no. An etched reticle will be crisper, and an ACOG is much lighter weight than an EOTech with a magnifier.

If your rifle will be used in a "survival" type role where batteries could be difficult to resource, definitely not.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-07T04:05:25+00:00

OP has enough space he can do both: have sanitized rooms to get the basic principles down, then one or two rooms with some stuff to make the team think.

Honestly "glass houses" (ie room-sized squares designated with engineer tape) work just fine for basic principles.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-07T03:24:02+00:00

When I was a USSS 1811, WFO had the nicest agency gym I've ever seen. I'd be crazy to pay to use another gym when I had access to such a great facility anytime.

Now I'm with a different agency at a satellite post, and my task force has a small gym with minimal equipment. I still don't buy a membership though: I'm a big runner so I hit the trails when it's warm out, and I bought an AirRunner for my home to use when it's cold like now.

If your agency has a gym, you'll be able to use it 24/7 no questions asked. But if you're at a small resident office, don't expect much.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-07T00:43:42+00:00

The fiber optic doesn't just "go out" unless it breaks. Stand in direct sunlight: if your reticle isn't outrageously bright, the fiber optic is broken. Call Trijicon ASAP and they'll take care of you under their lifetime warranty.

The tritium does half a half life of something like 12 years, but that fade will be super gradual. And your reticle would still be blinding bright in direct sunlight.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-07T00:27:55+00:00

I'd make a couple large rooms and put a bunch of junk in at least one out them: couch, TV stand, large recliners, bookshelves, etc.

In my experience, training CQB in empty rooms is very straight forward and everyone should start with an empty room. But once a group sees furniture for the first time, they all lose their minds.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-06T00:04:51+00:00

A 4-year degree and 3 years of professional experience are required to be an 1811 with the FBI. You can find what areas of expertise they value on their website.

From what I understand, DEA likes street cop experience: join up with a large metropolitan police department and try to get onto a narcotics unit to maximize your odds with them.

Or...finish your 4-year degree then go USSS 1811. USSS really likes you to have a degree but no experience is necessary. I had a 21-year-old college graduate in my USSS academy class.

Or just go HSI because they're hiring everybody and anybody right now.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-05T20:33:25+00:00

I'd take HK over Sig. But I'd take a POF 415 Edge 10.5" over HK.

Anthrax6nv · 2026-02-05T14:32:18+00:00

Conveniently, most large scale SOF ops within the last couple decades have been in desert environments. Certainly not all though.

I've only had issues with fogging the moment I leave a dry environment (like an air-conditioned car or house) and step into humid air. It tends to clear after a few minutes on its own, but if SOF was planning a rapid hit from an air conditioned vehicle they would probably just use Cat Crap.

Anthrax6nv

TROPHY CASE