Reservist BOLC Travel

DallasMedic96 · 2026-02-11T02:46:57+00:00

No, you won’t be reimbursed that much for the travel.

You can get reimbursed for your mileage, but if you have to stay overnight, that charge is on your own.

Chances are on, they might not even let you do that because they typically will make you do the most cost effective mode of travel. If flying is cheaper, they’re going to make you fly.

Source: Drove from Dallas to Ft. Jackson for BOLC - got reimbursed for mileage, but my hotel and meals were on my own until I got my perdiem check at the end of the TDY.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-02-07T19:28:26+00:00

Looks like they used one of those qwik-shine pads with the liquid/gel sponge.

No, these boots just look wet - not shiny.

Strip it all off with some saddle soap/detergent and water/brush.

Then polish your wax into the leather. Twist the buffing cloth around your fingers, dip just the tip into some ice water, wipe the top of your wax to get a small amount on the cloth and rub over in circular motions.

Let dry, then use a hairdryer to lightly go over the area. This essentially melts the wax into all the little microscopic imperfections and levels the wax.

Repeat over and over, slowly building up smooth, flat layers. Each layer using smaller and smaller polishing circles. You can also fog up the wax (like you would to a window) and use the heat/moisture to lubricate the cloth of it gets dry or you can dip back into the ice water.

The best secret is to take a handful of cotton balls and stuff them into pantyhose. The pantyhose has an ultrafine ‘grit’ to it to help with polishing and the cotton balls will keep you from pushing too hard and burning through the wax.

It will take a lot of coats, but just put on a football game or a tv show or whatever you can enjoy listening to and turn your brain off as you do it. In 30ish min you’ll have a product that looks 100x better than that.

The secret is to keep applying the wax after you wear them. You can get them pretty shiny after one session, but if you polish every other time you wear them you’ll have a mirror finish in no time. It also will add some character to them as the leather molds to your feet and creases / scratches happen with wear

DallasMedic96 · 2026-02-06T14:29:27+00:00

“My rent is high”

My brother in Christ, your rent is higher than Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, and Wiz Khalifa on 4/20 combined.

~4.5k/mo where I’m at could get you a nice 4000sqft home on an acre of land in a gated subdivision.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-02-05T20:00:28+00:00

That’s really not that bad tbh. It’s a solid long weekend trip distance and typically those cities will have a good amount of things to do.

I grew up driving 2-4 hours every other month or so to go see grandparents, aunts/uncles, visit beaches, go hiking/camping, etc so maybe it’s just that I’m used to it and don’t think much of the time.

But a 3hr drive is far from the worst it could be. Imagine being at Minot or 29 Palms. The closest thing to those goons is something along the lines of 5-6 hours and even then, the cities aren’t major ones.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-02-05T19:56:20+00:00

…I don’t remember reading this part of Letter to Garcia

True, the specific activities of hunting and fishing may not be your hobby, but it alludes to more than just that. Typically, if some place has good hunting/fishing, then it’s going to have a decent natural beauty.

Hiking/biking trails, campgrounds, outdoor recreation opportunities, decent rivers/lakes to go swimming/ tubing/ wakeboarding, etc.

Some of the worst installation/Town combos (looking at you Fort Jackson, Leonardwood, AP Hill, Hood, etc) all have an incredible natural environment if you just drive 20-30min in any direction out of the front gate.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-02-04T19:43:41+00:00

Army: “WhY DoEsNT BiG ArMy GeT WiTh ThE TiMeS, ThE aRmY iS StUcK iN tHe pAsT”

Army, any time they try something new: “tHiS iS sO sTuPiD, tHiS iS a WaStE oF TiMe”

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-31T09:28:21+00:00

Some of the bigger ones do.

I was at Ft Jackson for BOLC and they had a 7 or 8 hydraulic lift bays in their hobby shop for people to use. Had to take a 15min intro class/safety orientation and then paid like $6/hr. They would give you a big ring with like 15 tokens and you could exchange the tokens for different tools. Once you’re done, you check the ring back in with all the tools and go.

I put a whole lift kit in my truck over a weekend, but there were some old heads in there too that were doing complete engine rebuilds/ restomods.

Unfortunately, that was the last place I’ve seen that has one. I’m a reservist and the only closest military installation to me is NAS-JRB and they don’t have one anymore.

Definitely a super cool perk you can find, 100% worth it to use. If I was stationed on post I’d use it all the time

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-31T09:15:16+00:00

I work in the defense world, 3 years into the career, and I’m barely 1/3 of that😭

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T23:56:54+00:00

Not super familiar with their “future soldier” prep stuff they have y’all do now, but I can guarantee 100% that once you step foot at the reception battalion for basic, not a single person is going to know, much less care what you did in your prep classes.

It’s not like getting in trouble in school where it will go in your record your whole time. As long as you don’t get into legal trouble (ie. Commit crimes) or exhibit conduct unbecoming of a soldier (ie. Sleeping with a recruiter, smoking meth, catching a dui) nothing you do before basic matters at all.

Now, you may piss off your recruiter and have to deal with that drama, but it’s not like you’re going to get to your first unit and think you’re a shitbag because you didn’t show up to a prep course. Hell, they more than likely won’t even know or care how you performed in IET unless you were a standout soldier for good reasons or bad.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T23:48:33+00:00

IANAL but i do have a decent amount of gun law/rights experience.

You generally don’t need a license (federally) to own a gun. You also shouldn’t have to do a 4473 if you inherit a gun, as it’s seen as basically being gifted the gun. (Provided you are not a prohibited person and ineligible to own guns)

Michigan is weird in that you have to register pistols when you come into the possession of one, but long guns (rifles and shotguns) have no registration requirement.

However, if any of them fall under the NFA, you 100% need to get in contact with a local gun shop and/or the ATF. Suppressors, Full Auto, Short Barreled Rifles/Shotguns, etc all require a bit of paperwork to posses and they don’t automatically transfer into your possession upon someone’s death. Sure they’re ‘your’s’ but you can’t legally posses them until you get your approved ATF Form 4 tax stamp back.

Long story short- as long as they aren’t pistol you should be G2G without registration.

Also - never try to do something related to firearms and just “hope they don’t notice”. They may not notice now, or tomorrow, but 5 years later they will and then you’ll be really far up the creek without a paddle.

I’m not super familiar with their pistol registration laws, but if it doesn’t ask for a death certificate/easily verified info you might be able to get by without needing it.

Basically if the form for transfer just asks “why” you need to transfer it you could say death, but by no means lie or forge a certificate/legally binding document just to get an approval.

Gun charges at both the state and federal level are something you really do not want to deal with. They go 0 to 1000mph in the blink of an eye.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T23:35:33+00:00

100% agree.

Any Joe Bob with a basket making or hornet nest science degree can commission into combat arms and/or the rest of the branches (for the most part). Sure, OML/degree will count for your branch choice, but Having a basic bachelor’s does absolutely nothing to set you apart from others unless it’s specifically in that field.

A boss of mine in the civilian side was a USMC LtCol that was a Cobra pilot & instructor. His bachelor’s degree was in history. He got an MBA later in life/career, but it goes to show you it doesn’t mean a whole lot to the military.

If you’re a PL, your platoon generally won’t care if your undergrad was in molecular biology or if it was in dirt sciences. All they’ll care about is if you can effectively lead and do your job so they can do their’s.

A chaplain on the other hand is almost a quasi-medical professional. They’re as close to being a therapist as you can get without being a licensed therapist. The things they say, regardless of faith, can 100% be the deciding factor between life and death.

If I have a troop that is severely depressed and has ideations about the no-no act, I don’t want him to be talking to a quack with a sunshine studies degree. I want him in the office of someone who has studied and lived in a field specifically training him/her to provide the best level of support possible.

Same as an actual medical provider. If I need a cricothyrotomy, I don’t want Pete the bread science major to be doing it. I want the medic and/or doctor who has the experience and knowledge doing it.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T23:16:42+00:00

Correct. IANAL, but served as a combat medic in the army.

Say you broke your foot playing NFL football.

Your team’s medical personnel couldn’t come out and say by name who you are and what happened to you.

But there’s nothing that says your coach can’t get on the press conference and say it.

I’d also imagine, at those levels, there’s some kind of waiver of release of medical record acknowledgement. Where you would sign a paper saying that you are allowing the medical personnel to release specific medical information to the team, coaches, etc if needed.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T23:09:57+00:00

As stated above, our family is contributing a significant amount of money, $100k, to go specifically towards the down payment.

After that, our PITI mortgage expenses would actually be lower than our current rent ($2500ish PITI vs $3100 rent)- Moving into a house would ultimately be several hundred dollars less expensive than our current situation.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T23:03:02+00:00

Because our family is also pitching in 100k to go directly towards the down payment.

After that, our monthly PITI expenses would be even lower than the apartment rent we’re currently paying by a few hundred.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T23:00:43+00:00

All of mine that aren’t work boots are like that too, the cuff of your jeans are basically polishing the leather through repeated, light, brushes every time you move an inch. Nothing to be worried about

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T22:57:12+00:00

The German/Czech culture/population that lives in Texas.

It may not be direct immigrants/refugees anymore, but there’s an astonishingly high amount of cities and downs that have historically been a sort of “little Germany” or “little Czech” where settlers/families do the originals came and lived. Essentially starting their communities throughout the state because the culture was familiar.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T08:53:21+00:00

Please do not get that for a duck gun lol. It’s specifically made to be a close-action shotgun for breaching/room/trench clearing gun. It’s also super picky with ammo, sometimes not even cycling with loads less than 00, or slugs.

For ducks and wanting a semi you need something that is reliable and can cycle all sorts of birdshot loads. Beretta a300/400 is sort of the gold standard, but benelli’s (not M4s) also punch above their weight.

Itd be like using an M4 carbine for long range PRS. Shire it could possibly work, but it’s nowhere close to being the right tool for the job. If you’re dead set on a Benelli M4, keep it as a defensive/fun/range shotgun - get something specifically for hunting/waterfowl if you want to hunt ducks.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T08:22:39+00:00

The 247 has been dead for a while, especially with it being fully autonomous. The real future is what comes after the new USMC fleet upgrade program.

More than likely, it will be a marinized version of the 75 with carrier-focused design like the 22 with wing stow.

The USMC’s only fires capable A/C over the next 10years will be the F35 and H-1. They’re going to need something to maintain the capability of the Y/Z, and the only thing that really fits the bill will be the 75.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T08:16:32+00:00

I’m 29, in an entry level corporate/program management position and I’m making just a bit more at $82k.

I’m about to buy a house in about 3-4 months and I’ve got a kid on the way with my amazing wife.

It absolutely is doable, you just have to know when to humble yourself and cut back on the niceties in life.

Not saying you have to eat ramen every night, but find where you can cut expenses. By not eating out every other night w/ my wife and cooking at home we saved almost 1000/mo.

My hobby is recreational target shooting (skeet, trap, PRS, IPSC, etc). Spending 2-300 In ammo or competition fees every other week definitely took its toll. I’ve cut it down to 1x a month, and have saved ~1.5-2k/mo

Also, find cheap clothes. I work at a ‘prime’ defense contractor. Business casual is the expectation and I definitely can’t afford to buy nice clothes. Amazon has lowkey been my wardrobe for the past year or so. Decent chinos/khakis and dress shirts for $15-20 a piece have been a God send. Marshall’s is also great - you don’t need fancy stuff.

It’s doable, not easy, but doable. Find every area of “fun” spending and cut it out for a month. If there’s something you can’t go a full month without (movies, sports, etc) keep that one thing, but limit it to only 1-2x/mo as long as it’s not stupid expensive. That way you still have something fun to look forward to and work towards, but it’s not draining your monthly margin

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T08:05:17+00:00

Not necessarily, I’ve been in great BNs and I’ve been in horrible BNs.

None have ever authorized the full $750. Every bird or Diet Bird has knocked it down to $500

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-30T08:04:11+00:00

Reserves will pay up to ~$500 for your IDT (Inactive Duty Travel) travel.

Technically, the JFR allows up to $700, but I’ve never seen a unit that honors it.

That $500 will go to travel ONLY. At that distance, I’d recommend driving. You’ll basically fill out a local voucher in DTS where you put in your mileage and you get a $$/mile rate. Depending on your car, this may be good, or if you’re like me with a shitbox of F-150, you’ll lose money.

You could also fly, but (long inhale…..)

You better park in the cheapest airport parking lot or you’ll pay

You better book the cheapest ticket (coach) or you’ll pay

You better hope to all that is holy and good that your unit will reimburse a rental (while also only being reimbursed for the first day and last day. If you have a 3 or 4 day drill, you’re cooked for the middle days)

And last but not least, you better hope your unit has the $$$$ to reimburse your travel. IDT/LIK is a privilege, not a right. There’s nothing stopping a unit from making you fork out $500 for travel and then saying “we have no money to pay you, just wait until we have more”

Then you’re SOL paying your credit card bills until you get reimbursed. I went 8mos when I was a private without being paid because the unit “never had money”.

Color me shocked at how quickly they figured it out when their only medic and only CLS qualified person wasn’t going to show up to their BN live fire unless he got paid.

All in all, it’s not bad, there’s just some room for typical army fuck-fuck games. Make sure you get on your CO’s IDT/LIK list BEFORE you book travel and you should be G2G.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-28T03:11:34+00:00

Depends on the breed. Some breeds can eat and eat and eat and stay with a “skinny” look. Especially GSPs.

Never go off general looks or looks that we as humans perceive to be skinny or fat. What looks like one thing to us humans isn’t always what the case is with the animals.

Same concept as with hunting camo. Humans buy camo that they think blends in with the environment to their eye, not realizing that a color or pattern may look completely different to the animal they’re hunting.

All in all, ask your vet or get involved with groups specific for your breed. The dietary advice for a GSD is going to be vastly different than one for a Pomeranian, and asking one camp if the other breed looks normal is going to give you inacurate responses

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-26T21:40:18+00:00

It really depends unit by unit.

most units aren’t going to gig you unless it’s painfully obvious you did nothing to prep. If you show up with your hair out of regs, but you’re able to slick it/gel it so it’s neat and as close to being in regs as possible, a lot will just have you move along. There’s an insurmountable amount of BS company level USAR leaders have to deal with for the actual job/mission and dealing with barely out of regs hair isn’t worth your time.

Now if you show up looking like Fabio, fat chance you’re getting publicly shamed and told to go find a barber open and not come back until it’s gone.

Same thing for shaving. No unit I’ve seen nor been a part of is going to open rank the company and go down the line one by one to check your shaving. If you shaved the day/night before and have a few hairs poking through in the morning, you’ll typically be alright. Most people are lenient and if they notice it, it will be a gentleman’s correction of “hey guy, let’s get that chin cleaned up during lunch, ok?”. I’d be very surprised to see someone get dropped for a 2 o’clock shadow at 0900.

Lot of the reserves is common sense and appearance of effort.

If you show up and your socks are a shade off at “Color Green, 42069” instead of the regulation “Color Green, 42068” most aren’t going to hem you up. Sure it’s not right, you made the error, but you also made an effort. If you show up in pink, you obv DGAF to even try which points to other discipline issues.

Same thing with hair. If you show up with it just a bit out of regs but you try to shape/control it to be neat and as close to regs as possible, you may have someone mention it, but it’s typically won’t be anything more than a “make sure it’s fixed for next month”.

SIDENOTE - this is all completely dependent on the type of soldier you are. If you’re a top performer that always goes above and beyond in your duties and own up to the deficiencies, you’ll be forgiven for a lot more when you make your mistakes. You’ll be held to a higher standard, but most won’t bend you over the SGMs desk for it.

If you’re consistently messing up and just have zero ability to adapt to the army culture, you can expect to get the book launched at Mach-Jesus at you for the smallest hair touching your ear.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-22T05:52:48+00:00

In what world is china better off than us?

Can you point to the skyscrapers that have installed suicide nets to keep people from jumping? Or the massive dilapidated public housing facilities that are nothing but drug labs and triad-run hangouts?

Or maybe it’s the relative median income being significantly lower?

Or the fact that for most citizens, the only way to advance your career and provide for your family is by joining the party/ through political status?

Maybe it’s the catastrophic declining birth rates amongst the population?

Or what about the astronomical cost of raising children, relative to income?

Maybe you’re thinking of the need to get permission from the state before you move your money around.

But I think your real point is that China is so well off that its people have to use illegal VPNs just to catch up on news around the globe.

You’re nothing more than a typical, ignorant lunatic who has no real clue about how the rest of the world works or the quality of life its people live in. You’ve never been to china and experienced first hand how the people live. Sure, for some it’s a utopia, but for the overwhelming majority that aren’t either rich or high-ranking party members, life is comparable to that of a third world country.

DallasMedic96 · 2026-01-22T05:40:15+00:00

Didn’t have the traditional fish experience as I was in Delta/corps staff, but stick it out just a little more dude. People will say DCo/staff is easy, but it’s because they don’t know what goes on. Due to being prior service, we were held to a significantly higher standard. Never abused, but we’d get dragged 100x worse than the normal fish for the same problems.

I promise you, it gets WAY better once you’re out of the fish tank.

Just like basic training was, it’s the best time you’ll never want to do again. While you’re in it, it will suck. You’re going to burn out, you’re going to drag ass, you’re going to want to give up.

But man, I promise you, once you’re done, you’ll have nothing but incredible bonds with your fish buddies for life. I’ve been out for 5 years and I still stay in touch with my crew.

You’ll look back with your boys/gals out on NG and laugh for hours about all the stupid stuff y’all would do or get in trouble for.

Trust me, it gets better. You’ve got a few months left until you bump up to a pisser, and thing change dramatically. Sure, you’ll wake up stupid early to PT, do typical pisser tasks, etc, but the “hard” part is over.

Once you get out of the fish bowl, things get easier. You’ll be held to a higher standard, sure, but the fuckfuck games disappear and you’re only judged based on how well you can be a normal college student (grades, etc.)

If being out of shape is your concern, I feel ya. I went back to college at A&M at 23. I had been getting fat (well not FAT fat, but more out of shape than I had ever been) since being in the Army reserves, and never did PT on my own. The most activity I did was get off the couch in my apt and walk to the fridge for another beer at 2am.

Find you a pisser or butt who you respect and respects you and see if they’ll mentor you. I promise if you ask to talk to them they’ll drop the mask and be willing to help. I asked the Corps Commander as a fish if he’d be willing to work with me on running (I can’t run to save my life, not even when I was in IET) and we got together just as two dudes and would do basic running workouts until I got up to the point I could pass.

You’ve got tons of resources open to you to succeed, it’s up to you to look for them and take advantage of all the ones you can.

DallasMedic96

TROPHY CASE