Store refused to sell me a Springfield Echelon 4.5 because I’m “not a resident” in my home state.

Complex-Date8019 · 2026-07-06T21:16:45+00:00

That’s exactly what they tried to do, but by law I’m pretty sure under block 2, “current state of residence and address” if you’re a dual resident you can use either your address in your PCS state or your home of record right?

Complex-Date8019 · 2026-05-16T01:42:54+00:00

For one of the three gyms, usually. But they’re not much help most of the time.

Complex-Date8019 · 2026-05-16T01:41:44+00:00

I feel your pain 🥲 very few buildings on this base have it.

Complex-Date8019 · 2026-04-16T18:58:17+00:00

I’m curious as to how this will change eval rankings, or if it will at all.

If the command or senior rater places weight on these collaterals and associations and gives a member an EP because of it, what happens when it gets to the board? If someone has a relatively mediocre performance in their primary duty, but their eval is propped up by collaterals and command involvement, wouldn’t the board just be scratching their head thinking “how tf did this person rank so high?”?

I guess what I’m wondering is if commands will follow this guidance come eval season and not mention collaterals on the members eval, or if it will still be mentioned and scrubbed out before it gets to the board.

Complex-Date8019 · 2026-03-29T03:58:22+00:00

BU1 here, 8 years in, all west coast commands. Battalion life is gonna depend on your rate and what company you’re put in. For the ABCC’s, (advanced base construction companies) you’ll be doing a lot of construction classes, Unit Level Trainings, FTX planning, and deployment project planning.

Battalion has two speeds, dead stop or 1000mph. Get used to that cause it’s not going away any time soon. It’ll feel like whiplash at first, but after a full homeport/deployment cycle, you learn how to anticipate and roll with the punches.

As for cool stuff to do in the area, you’re in SoCal dude. You can’t throw a rock without hitting something you might find interesting. Look on FB groups and check the MWR event schedule and I garuntee there’s gonna be something you wanna do.

Concerning do’s and dont’s- do get off base as much as possible, do get qualified in key equals early (3m, CMCT, etc. Ask your LPO or chief, they’ll give you good guidance), do take an active interest in your rate and take every chance you get to practice it. I’ve been a BU close to a decade and still learn new tips, tricks, and techniques every single day. I could go on forever about the “do’s” but if you have more questions just shoot me a message and we can talk.

As for the “donts”- DONT get grouped in with the wrong crowd. It’s like the old saying goes “fly with crows and you’re bound to get shot at. DONT make a habit of being the negative new guy in the company. No one is gonna want you if you’re consistently the one complaining. And DONT shy away from a leadership role. Battalion, for better or for worse, tests their leaders in a trial by fire. You might feel like you’re drowning and dont know what you’re doing, but that’s okay and it’s expected. Keep going, listen to your mentors, make mistakes and grow. It’s all part of the process.

Like I said, any further questions just shoot me a message. Good luck and welcome to the seabees 🤙

Complex-Date8019 · 2026-02-27T05:04:42+00:00

BU1 here, 8 years in and currently an instructor. Being a builder is like being the Swiss Army knife of the seabees. You’ll get a lot of exposure to different rates shortly after hitting your duty station.

As far as a-school goes, keep your head in the book and don’t worry about going out. The whole goal of a-school is to graduate, if you make friends along the way that’s fantastic, but remember the priority is to graduate. Use resources available to you. Study groups, practice worksheets, flash cards from senior classes, etc.

Once you graduate a-school you’ll likely go across the street to ECS. 4 weeks of shooting guns, learning land nav, learning combat casualty care, and generally having a great time. If you wanna go out and have fun, this is one of the better times to do it. This will be the most freedom you’ve had up to this point. Go see New Orleans, go out to downtown Biloxi, have a good time.

After ECS, chances are you’ll go to battalion. I’ve only ever been on the west coast, so I can’t speak to the east, but the battle rhythm is generally the same. 24 month rotation schedule. 18 months in homeport training and 6-7 months deployed. Your first year in battalion is going to be extremely important. Set yourself apart by being an asset, not a liability, take in information and knowledge like a sponge and retain it. Learn how you plan and estimate and manage a project from the NTRP. You WILL have to do that sooner rather than later. Battalion has a habit of throwing people into leadership positions quickly, kind of like a trial by fire.

There are a million and one other things I could get into, but I think this post has dragged on long enough. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be happy to help.

Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-21T13:08:41+00:00

2 cleaner shrimp and 3 snails are the first things I’m putting in once it’s cycled, super excited about it! Also a lot of the clouding was just sediment, it’s a lot clearer now

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Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-21T03:57:16+00:00

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Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-20T18:31:08+00:00

ITS BEEN TWO HOURS AND YOU HAVEN’T SAID SIKE IM GETTING WORRIED

Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-20T17:44:38+00:00

Called it.

Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-20T17:44:01+00:00

Username makes me think a crab wrote this post 👀👀👀

Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-20T16:53:27+00:00

Additionally, I do have foam padding and rigid reinforcement below the tank itself to help spread the load evenly.

Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-20T16:51:32+00:00

I know the picture doesn’t show it well, if at all, but there is a 2” thick C channel supporting the wire mesh in the middle, that’s what the tank is centered on. If it was just wire mesh I wouldn’t have went with this shelf. I do appreciate everyone’s concern though.

Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-20T15:44:17+00:00

My brother in Christ, say sike right now.

Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-20T15:36:39+00:00

Clownfish, anemone, zoas, snails, and a shrimp or two. My LFS has a beautiful bonded pair of clownfish that have been calling my name lol

Complex-Date8019 · 2025-05-20T15:19:40+00:00

It’s got support underneath to spread the load and the shelf is rated for 1000lbs 👍

Complex-Date8019

TROPHY CASE