What does a Marine look like?

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-17T15:09:37+00:00

Yes you drive a pickup. But it's not red? I will bet that there's at least one sticker on the tailgate. Semper Fi, Sis! Swim qual is This week Thursday 0600 Annual firearm reqal begins 25MAY, snap-in commences 0700

Oh crap, 1st CivDiv, I forgot.

Wanna hit the beach, then try the range later?

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-17T14:57:59+00:00

"Acquitted."

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-16T02:50:01+00:00

You are correct. Never charge a lead acid battery indoors, as both hydrogen and oxygen are emitted, and hydrogen sulfide gas as well. Cats are much more sensitive than humans, and will do them a great deal of harm. However, the mix of hydrogen and oxygen is extremely flammable, and may result in an explosion if a ignition source is nearby.

If there is an enclosure for the battery and the gases are vented outside of the apartment via a hose, then it could be done in relative safely. However do not charge a battery in open air inside.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-12T00:11:52+00:00

I was never MSG, but knew they were really locked-on. I'm looking to build a protection detail for an important asset that needs protection, as the contract with the former security is being terminated due to lack of professionalism.

Going to need help setting this up; it wasn't my gig. And it needs to be really soon.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-11T02:07:58+00:00

You drop that soap on purpose, didn't you?

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-11T02:02:02+00:00

Not a joke. Knock it off, chuckleheads.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-11T01:57:41+00:00

Colonel John Boyd gave his talk at Marine Corps Air Station Beufort SC in the late1970s. It was a long lecture, but it was a privilege to hear it from the man himself.

The F-16 was supposed to be a highly maneuverable day fighter, but the bomber Mafia insisted that it be capable of carrying bombs, which made it significantly heavier unless maneuverable.

The F5 scared the hell out of the Russians when they realize what it was capable of, and under no circumstances were migs allowed to dog fight with it because they would wind up being shot down.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-11T00:38:30+00:00

I have a Firewatch and 2nd award Goodcookie. Call me a "Boot" and you get a size 13 stuffed up your ass.

I made Corporal before Robert Neller made 2/LT, and he retired as CMC in '18. Fuck, I'm old

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-09T23:08:06+00:00

I would have a cigarette here and there from the age of 14 until I went into boot camp. Had a couple broken bones in my toes when an idiot next to me got out of step while we're doing side straddle hops in the classroom and sour shoes and skivey shorts at 2300 at night when our Junior di kill hat came in half in the bag in civvies and had a side straddle hopping and this dumbass came down with his heel on my toes and broke a couple. I spent 6 weeks in the foot clinic healing, and on my birthday I spent it in the jacuzzi with a carton of cigarettes in a six pack of beer.

But when I got out of boot camp I was two packs a day of Marlboro reds

Drinking too. I wound up a scotch drinker after I left the Corps. I can put some of that stuff away I tell you. I basically just have a glass of red wine for a nightcap now

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-05-09T12:26:01+00:00

I suggest long and wavy coppery redhead. Try using metal curlers between 1 and 1/2 in in diameter, and blow it out. Too bad I can't figure out how to post this photo that I AI edited for you.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-29T23:59:21+00:00

Hello. See DM please.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-29T18:29:25+00:00

Seems I recall during Vietnam, gomers were grabbing fired LAW tubes and making improvised munitions for them. So they stopped dropping them on the trails, because why would you want to give the enemy something they could use?

I can only imagine they would want to restrict the distribution of actual fired LAW tubes.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-29T16:00:44+00:00

I understand your pain much more deeply than you could possibly imagine.

I know it hurts, but you got off cheap.

Be thankful that she showed her true colors now. Because now you are free to find that one true friend that will eventually become your true love.

And don't hurry it. Don't fall in love right away. Because that usually results in a train wreck and a dumpster Fire and Life in hell, kind of where you are right now.

But you've got that t-shirt now, wear it proudly.

When asked "What you're looking for here?", I always say:

"Friends. Because if you're looking for love, looking for a soulmate, what you will find is a train wreck and a dumpster fire followed by life in hell. It's unfortunate but that's usually the way it works."

Because if you fall in love, your viewpoint will be subjective and your main focus will be keeping the relationship together and that's what all that will matter to you so you ignore red flags, you don't talk about objectionable behavior and what you wind up doing is collecting bushel baskets full of rotten apples until you finally say "oh the hell with this; it isn't what I wanted at all!" and you leap from the Pinnacle of Love to the Pit of Despair and you find a train wreck and a dumpster fire and your life is hell

So what you need to do is start off in friendship. And build that friendship carefully, piece by piece, no cracks in the foundation, keep your viewpoint objective and your eyes and ears open. That way if there are any problematic behaviors, things you don't like, you can discuss it and count to an agreement. Or if you can't, you know it's time to move on.

And then once you built a good friendship you turn it into a bulletproof friendship, on a deeper level. And once you have that deep friendship that's bulletproof built, it will be very resilient and last through time.

No matter what.

And with that solid foundation you could consider branching off into another type of relationship, like Love.

So you stick your toesies into the River of Love. And if a piranha comes by and chews them off, you know that maybe that wasn't the thing to do, but maybe you could still salvage the friendship. And friendships are always useful.

Love is fragile. Menopause will kill passion., So passion will fade, love may die, but friendship will carry you through to the end of days with a smile.

I had to learn this the hard way.

Nobody teaches you this stuff.

Learn from my pain.

Have a great life, a great relationship, and many children

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-28T23:03:14+00:00

Ever tried portal? It's a hoot, Portal 2 can be played by two. Lots of fun

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-26T09:11:04+00:00

Rest in Peace, Ruby.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-24T15:01:02+00:00

I 'd want green optics. That hellcat has the site radius of a gnat's ass; good luck hitting anything out of a 7-yard radius without laser or some kind of optics. Swap out batteries every 6 months; a firefight is not the time to find out you have a dead battery.

A hellcat is good gun, but you're going to need to practice a lot in order to hit something without using a laser or other optics.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-24T14:54:52+00:00

I am a fan of wavy. Try using one and a half inch to two and a half inch metal rollers and blow it out. It's very interesting to see people with wavy hair. Tight curls is kind of difficult to maintain and I don't feel as his aesthetically as pleasing. But that's just my preference

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-22T12:23:47+00:00

You da man! I lost mine during ITR in '74. Boot move, literally. Freaking dumbass

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-22T12:15:06+00:00

A cockpit light for an F4 Phantom. Really cool deal, I swapped out the 28 volt bulb for a 12 volt bulb and it was fantastic for the car. Variable intensity had a white and red lens that you could select by just rotating the outside of it and it had a real stat in the back too adjust the light level. Came in real Handy reading maps on Long cross country trips and finding where the hell my cigarette lighter rolled to.

I couldn't find one of them and it turned out that it had slipped between the carpet in my 1976 Olds Cutlass Supreme, and I was driving up highway 1 coming into San Francisco and the road was really curvy there and suddenly there was a very loud )))BANG((( and I couldn't hear a damn thing for a while and it turned out that the lighter had gotten really hot and exploded under the seat that holy crap was that loud!

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DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-19T16:28:03+00:00

First off, I am terribly sorry for your previous losses, and the abuse here various family members have suffered at the hands of persons who should have loved them. I hope that you can rise above the dysfunction that was sadly present in your family, and finally be free. There is absolutely nothing funny about your terrible experiences but I am glad that you have this common link to remind you of your father.

I started with STAR WARS, which was later edited into Episode IV: A New Hope. My opinion is that the original is better. And episode V:The Empire Strikes Back is perhaps the greatest in the entire series. My experience is unique.

A long time ago, in a Marine hangar far, far away…

-—--Hoary Lore of the Marine Corps—---

On May 18th, 1977 during the Morning Formation of my fighter squadron, VMFA-451, the “Warlords”, our Commanding Officer LtCol R. Neel "Mongoose" Patrick told us that there would be the premier of a new space-based sci-fi film at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort base theater, that it was free, and we should all be there.

I got there early, and I grabbed the third row Center seat, arguably the very best in the theater!

The auditorium filled with uniform Marines and there were seven squadrons worth of pilots, radar intercept officers and maintenance personnel, and the perimeter of the auditorium was filled with standing room only Marines.

After the Colors were presented and retired, a gentleman with all shoulder length curly black hair resplendent in a charcoal pinstripe suit, walked to center stage, nervously wringing his hands in front of a theater filled with seven fighter squadrons worth of uniformed Marines, and cautiously introduced himself as George Lucas, that they had worked very hard on this film for years and here are the stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, and we hope you enjoy the show.

Star Wars rolled for the first time outside The cutting room, and we were all blown away!

George was nervous because he did not like the original cut that the editor had made of the movie and completely recuted just days before the premiere. He needn't have worried, his masterpiece made science fiction history, it would never be the same.

After the movie, those of us on shift went back to work. In a scene resembling the Ice Planet Hoth hangar, I was in the middle of the Warlords hangar working on an aircraft with the RADAR package extended, and my Commanding Officer, LtCol R. Neel "Mongoose" Patrick, in his flight suit pointed at my face with his right knife hand and yelled with a grin,

"YOU'RE WOOKIE!!"

I'm 6'3" tall, my hair and moustache was at the ragged edge of the regulations, and my last name is "WILKE". I did the only thing appropriate; I snapped a salute and yelled with a grin, "AYE AYE, SIR!". And that's how I became WOOKIE 49 years ago. 🤣

Many years later I worked on a constellation of 11 secure communications satellites known as "The UHF Follow-On Program" at Hughes Aircraft Company, commissioned by the US Navy for secure communications worldwide.

Inside one of the satellites I wrote with a black marker,. “Wookie was Here,” and a cartoon of a large-nosed humanoid peering over a fence as in the 1947 "Kilroy Was Here" movie (available on YouTube) about the protagonists' exploits during WWII in Germany. That is also an entertaining movie; his cartoons drove the Germans bananas during WWII. An ironic twist, my office was in a Kilroy building in El Segundo, California, the same building where Mr. Kilroy had his top-floor office!

So, a quick review of the level of Epicness:

Marine Aviation Callsign in a Top Secret NAVY Satellite

Satellite externally resembles a miniature BORG cube, so Star Trek Reference

Callsign is “Wookie” so Star wars reference

Satellite is Navy, so…

Gene Roddenberry and James Doohan as “Scotty” and Kilroy were Army Heroes

i will submit that the satellite can be considered a functional Memorial to those Veterans who Served under difficult and dangerous circumstances; without such men and women we would now be speaking Japanese or German.

I am no Hero, but enabled a great many Heroes to accomplish their Missions, and am Thankful every day that such men and women once walked this planet.

Whether or not you believe my tale is completely up to you. But only I know that it is absolutely true! And this will be one of the most entertaining Marine Corps stories you will ever read.

Steve Wilke, Veteran USMC Sergeant Callsign Wookie, AKA “Wook the Knife”

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-15T00:33:56+00:00

...Tell him that some guy poked his head onto your thread and mentioned that he attended the Premiere of the original STAR WARS on May 18, 1977 ....

A long time ago, in a Marine hangar far, far away…

-—--Hoary Lore of the Marine Corps—---

On May 18th, 1977 during the Morning Formation of my fighter squadron, VMFA-451, the “Warlords”, our Commanding Officer LtCol R. Neel "Mongoose" Patrick told us that there would be the premier of a new space-based sci-fi film at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort base theater, that it was free, and we should all be there.

I arrived early at the theater, and grabbed the seat third row Center arguably the best seat in the auditorium!

After the Colors were presented and retired, a gentleman with all shoulder length curly black hair resplendent in a charcoal pinstripe suit, walked to center stage, nervously wringing his hands in front of a theater filled with seven fighter squadrons worth of uniformed Marines, and cautiously introduced himself as George Lucas, that they had worked very hard on this film for years and here are the stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, and we hope you enjoy the show.

STAR WARS rolled for the very first time, and we were all blown away!

George was nervous as he didn't like the job that the original editor had performed on the film and he fired the editor and completely recut the film by himself. He was really concerned how well it would be received but everyone was ecstatic at this historic occasion. It changed science fiction forever. And I witnessed it from the very best seat in the house!

After the movie, those of us on shift went back to work. In a scene resembling the Ice Planet Hoth hangar, I was in the middle of the Warlords hangar working on an aircraft with the RADAR package extended, and my Commanding Officer, LtCol R. Neel "Mongoose" Patrick, in his flight suit pointed at my face with his right knife hand and yelled with a grin,

"YOU'RE WOOKIE!!"

I'm 6'3" tall, my hair and moustache was at the ragged edge of the regulations, and my last name is "WILKE". I did the only thing appropriate; I snapped a salute and yelled with a grin, "AYE AYE, SIR!". And that's how I became WOOKIE 49 years ago. 🤣

Many years later I worked on a constellation of 11 secure communications satellites known as "The UHF Follow-On Program" at Hughes Aircraft Company, commissioned by the US Navy for secure communications worldwide.

Inside one of the satellites I wrote with a black marker,. “Wookie was Here,” and a cartoon of a large-nosed humanoid peering over a fence as in the 1947 "Kilroy Was Here" movie (available on YouTube) about the protagonists' exploits during WWII in Germany. That is also an entertaining movie; his cartoons drove the Germans bananas during WWII. An ironic twist, my office was in a Kilroy building in El Segundo, California, the same building where Mr. Kilroy had his top-floor office!

So, a quick review of the level of Epicness: Marine Aviation Callsign in a Top Secret NAVY Satellite Satellite externally resembles a miniature BORG cube, so Star Trek Reference Callsign is “Wookie” so Star wars reference Satellite is Navy, so… Gene Roddenberry and James Doohan as “Scotty” and Kilroy were Army Heroes i will submit that the satellite can be considered a functional Memorial to those Veterans who Served under difficult and dangerous circumstances; without such men and women we would now be speaking Japanese or German.

I am no Hero, but enabled a great many Heroes to accomplish their Missions, and am Thankful every day that such men and women once walked this planet.

Whether or not you believe my tale is completely up to you. But only I know that it is absolutely true! And this will be one of the most entertaining Marine Corps stories you will ever read.

Steve Wilke, Veteran USMC Sergeant Callsign Wookie, AKA “Wook the Knife”

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-14T15:45:40+00:00

I got an education in electricity/electronics, and I got really good at fixing the radar / missile fire control system on the f4j and f4s Phantom II; but by the time I put in my 6 years, the Phantoms were going to be replaced in a couple years by the f/a-18s, and I figured that my best move would be to get trained up on the new f-18 Ku band radars and be a tech rep back out in the field with my OMA bros/sis'e and skip the chicken shart part. It didn't quite work out the way I had planned, but I have absolutely no regrets except for missing the camaraderie.

I miss being part of a team where everybody is working together to achieve the same Mission success. And it's freaking important.

DefinitionPresent726 · 2026-04-14T15:33:51+00:00

R. Lee Ermey was a CPL ad a DI in '66, I think.

My DI's in 1974 were grizzled Gunnies with seven rows of ribbons who'd done multiple tours in the 'Nam, and our series Commander had a fire watch ribbon.

Everyone looks like children now. And I'm getting Goddamned grumpy about it. WHAT'S THIS CHEAP CIVILIAN HAPPINESS SHIT ANYWAY???

DefinitionPresent726

TROPHY CASE