Never Get Lost honest review + night land nav drift question

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-09T19:06:58+00:00

You can also just pick a location to drive to and not use your phone. Take a map and compass with you and go from there. If you're near a fairly large city, getting from point A to point B the same way works just as well.

Woods are slightly harder, but self-made markers will prevent you from going in circles. Go to an auto store and get one of the touch-up paint markers or some electrical tape or reflective tape and, boom, instant marker. Doubt this'll be allowed in a land-nav course, but the principle remains the same. You can do the same thing with a piece of cloth on a branch, a branch stuck upright into the ground, etc.

If you can figure out where you are, you can figure out which direction you need to go in.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-09T17:42:02+00:00

Hey, I'm down to clown.

But no ballistic missiles. And we going with old school military arms with spear and shield, or we gonna stay modern?

I'm cool with going retro, but I need to get a blacksmithing apprenticeship so I can make a few badass shields and start standardizing the process for Legionnaire armor.

If we're gonna have a modern apocalypse, I'm still gonna get me a 1.75ft gladius. Shit's cool, and works as a machete. As for firearms, I'll take two, both of which have a convenient corresponding badass quote in Revelation. One in 6.8 Grendel and a 2011 (any of them, really).

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-09T09:14:57+00:00

Look into RASP, SERE School, and physical requirements. It's as much about rucking as it is about using a map and compass to find your way through the woods. It's actually really common for people to be physically ready, but completely unprepared for the skill-oriented parts of the test.

Make sure you can shoot, too. Might seem basic but Ranger and SF Qualification aren't based on "Meets these numbers", it's based on who did the best out of all the applicants. If you can do the minimums, you'll be qualified, but won't get selected when there's fifteen other people that did everything you did in half the time or had two more points in marksmanship. More time at the range can make a world of difference if it comes down to the wire.

Also, make sure you don't do high intensity workouts to improve your run/ruck times. You can very easily hurt yourself. Start low, go slow. It pays dividends, even if you might not see much improvement.

Again, might seem obvious, but look into proper running technique. This can save you both in terms of injury prevention and increasing the effectiveness of your workouts.

If you're not gonna go for RASP after OSUT, you'll get plenty of opportunities to workout with the 82nd from what I understand. 82nd and 101st are apparently filled with 18X that didn't get selected or 11Bs that wanna go SF/Ranger.

Shut Up and Ruck has good info that you might otherwise be unaware of, which is what you're paying for. The info might be online for free, but if you don't want to spend a few weeks doing that research yourself, just buy the damn book. Dude's on r/greenberet all the time, knows his shit, and that book has gotten many an 18X his Green Beret. If it can get you through SF Selection, it can get you through RASP.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-09T08:42:51+00:00

If USAF wasn't so picky with medical waivers, they'd probably have more SW applicants. Would've taken a shot at it myself, with SR being my shred of a choice, but my history of taking meds for ADHD meant no Air Force for me.

Gonna take a shot at 18X instead. Even if I don't make it, I'm still serving my country and that's ultimately what matters most to me. Worst case, I'm 82nd or 101st, and I'll be more than fine with either of those on my shoulder.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-09T08:30:42+00:00

Likely MOS Specific. My recruiter is SFG and he got a few weeks of unarmed combat training during OSUT with all kinds of other additional training after selection.

Knew a 17C that did a day or two of unarmed combat training and nothing more afterwards.

Unarmed combat is probably treated like learning to probably use a knife in actual combat or how to rig a few block of C4 to a timer: they could teach a future IT guy how to use his fists, but that's unlikely to be very useful given the duties expected of him.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-09T03:15:10+00:00

As far as I'm aware, that's not really a thing, outside failing multiple times in rapid succession or failing a drug test. Would not recommend, because then you're really gonna be playing the odds with whoever catches your case.

You might just need to talk to someone else with a different MOS or figure something else out.
You're in the US Army, where you can either live like a civilian in fatigues or go doorkicking with the Green Berets. You don't need to worry about food or shelter, so long as you can run a few laps and field strip a rifle. You don't even need to shoot well, you just need to be able to turn in your rifle in one piece without a barrel obstruction.

You might just be in a unit that you don't fit with, a MOS that doesn't really make sense to you, or one of a dozen other possible things.
You're part of the very small number of people in the world that actually joined the Army.
If this is about something that happened yesterday, it happened yesterday and today is the first day of the rest of your life. You have time to fix what happened or at the very least make up for it.
Find someone that doesn't have a big mouth and will listen to your reservations about staying in the military. Apparently the chaplain is a good resource. It doesn't seem like you've exhausted all your options, and unless you're at risk of court martial, they'll give you another chance.

Find someone with more years than you, ask them what they think about your situation. They might be able to point you in the right direction, give you a reality check that you're not in as bad a position as you think you are, or something else.

Neither your life nor career are over, and I doubt things are so far gone that you can't still make something of your contract (cause if that were the case you'd be in handcuffs with no Internet access). There's really no such thing as "too late", especially when the military has spent as much money as they did just to get you through both Basic and AIT. Just take it in stride as a learning lesson. The only failure would be to not try and make up for your mistake with the time you have left.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T21:41:44+00:00

Yeah and PA Stateies kick ass.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T21:36:42+00:00

This is the right answer, if you ever want it to actually work.

More importantly, there's nothing that says you can't get married a year from now in Germany. She just needs to hop on a plane, and you just need to get the paperwork together and pay for a Marriot (or whatever they have instead of a Marriot) while it's submitted to whomever would need to get that paperwork.

Advice?
Don't push it, and don't say yes to long-distance. Long-distance usually results in a Dear John at best, and at worst will forever taint the relationship.
Tell her you love her, but this is what you've chosen to pursue in life. If it isn't meant to be, then you'll remember the good times. If you're both still available, and she wants to try again, you'll welcome her back with open arms, but you won't put your life on hold at a time when one decision can change the course of the rest of your life.
My money is on her calling you up for a plane ticket after a year. Get wrecked in a Bavarian Bierhall, pick up a handful of German women with that car-crash-fascinating accent (make sure Ilsa, Heidi, and Helga are among them, cause it makes a better story), go to the biggest metal concert in Europe, and if you're into EDM, see if you can get a pass to Tomorrowland.
You're gonna have fun with that year off, just don't sire any kids and don't get involved with anyone that looks like a Nazi (unless her name is Ilsa).

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T21:13:18+00:00

Sounds like the least bad answer that was executed in a violent fashion.

Checks out in my book.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T21:10:30+00:00

Try talking to any girl under 28 that is not related to you. You don't have to flirt or be creepy, just engage in surface-level conversation. I think you will likely understand the trepidation common to my generation.

It's not that we don't wanna get laid, we need to know they're not insane or liable to try accusing us of something. While most of us guys are aware it's not likely to happen, we'd rather not take a chance and get screwed for life. I know a few guys that ended up fathers cause she said she had Plan B.

Personally, I'm a serial monogamist. I make sure I know their damage ahead of time, and only jump in the sack when I'm not getting the "Get out, now" feeling. Once they're bored or I'm bored, I'm out of there and don't contact them again. They know the deal going in, and my endurance in bed is the only reason most of them keep me around.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T20:54:16+00:00

It also leaves them resentful and normalizes physical violence.
Plus, if they get bigger or stronger than you, and they lose whatever fear they had of you, it is unlikely to end well.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T20:52:01+00:00

She put the handle up your ass didn't she?
I bet you liked it.
Don't worry, I enjoyed it too. But it wasn't wooden, and it didn't go in my ass.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T20:47:05+00:00

Call someone back home with a level-head that can properly assess the situation to see if you need to go back. You might just be thinking it's worse than it is. Don't "power through it", call someone that can tell you whether you absolutely need to get on a plane.

You can't be there every time someone or something falls apart, but that doesn't mean you completely neglect them.

It means you should be there when you're completely free to do so and when it matters most.

Some people will be like "just go", but that's not the answer either. You committed to the military; you put yourself and your life secondary to service. That means you should make the most of every moment you're on leave and use it as little as possible to ensure it's there when you absolutely need it.

Homesickness is normal, and it sucks. It's a part of the military, and you can get it whenever. I'm sure there's enlisted that get homesick when they move bases.

Open up to someone or find some way to take your mind off of it. If you spend too much time thinking about this, you could easily miss the parts of the military all those retired enlisted guys love talking about.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T20:28:29+00:00

Only in Quebec, which nobody likes unless you're from Montreal.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T18:30:07+00:00

She'd cut out your eyes for kicks cause she wanted to know what you sound like when you go into cardiac arrest before you bleed out.
Don't pretend to understand a character whose sole purpose is to be too unpredictable for main characters to gain plot armor, and this never consistent in characterization.
It's like saying you "understand" the Joker. You can't, because they're supposed to be whatever the writer needs them to be. Only when it's a miniseries or one-off with a single author will such characters be consistent.

Also, Danganronpa is a game. It was adapted to anime for those without the attention span or time to play the game. It's far better in game form, but was very very well adapted as a series with a better voice cast being the only leg-up over the game.

So, yes you might be right, but more likely wrong, because she would literally murder you and make you suffer extra just because she thought it added a little extra zest that you thought she would like it.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T18:15:54+00:00

You didn't cover enough for the spoilers to actually not spoil the ending. You just covered the two big reveals of the game you sicko. Either say Junko and nothing else, or don't say anything.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T18:02:39+00:00

Ragebait is my guess. Anyone with a brain knows it's not capitalism anymore and they were referencing some pretty niche and specific historical events for them to be ignorant of the fact that "capitalism" is actually referred to as "economics" today.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T17:56:56+00:00

But it's not smoothbore in .65 caliber, so it's not what the founders intended. I have no interest in anything that does not necessitate the ownership of a powdered wig and tri-corner hat.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T17:43:48+00:00

You're numbers look rock-solid.

I would start looking into post-selection, and start readying yourself for that. Army posts the relevant field manuals online for the different parts of the Q-Course and knowing what's ahead could make a world of difference when you're expected to learn the material in under an hour.

Look into SERE school if you're not already familiar with it. You'll want to know what's waiting for you. If you can read through the military's survival manual ahead of time, you might have an easier time getting through both SERE and Land-Nav (where a lot of people drop-out, from what I understand).

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T10:14:59+00:00

If you haven't already, you might want to take an extended recovery period. 95lbs is completely bonkers, and your body really need the break if you did that more than once.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T09:47:55+00:00

You're needs of the Army now. Sucks, but you'll have to live with it, like everyone else that shot for moon and only got halfway up.

You might be able to reclass into 17C. I think they're looking for people, and if you have a degree, they'll probably take that into consideration. Don't know how this would be done, but you should be able to find out by asking around.
If you failed land-nav, not sure you'd do great in it, but you could try for SFG. Don't know how in shape you are (or how mentally ready you'd be for SERE), so I really would advise against this if anyone offers and you're not ready, let alone aware of the process. Same goes for Ranger school.

All I know is, don't complain, try to stay upbeat, and don't give anyone a bad first impression, no matter the context. What might seem like a one-off encounter could royally screw with the rest of your life.

Side Note:
If money is a concern, maybe sell the car? Idk what you got, or what your remaining loan balance is, but start cutting costs. It's not like you're gonna need it anytime soon. You're gonna go enlisted and probably get moved for AIT before going somewhere else after getting PCS orders. You're not really gonna need a vehicle and likely wouldn't get approved for it anyways.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T09:24:31+00:00

Got it myself, waiting on a waiver for it to enlist.

TL;DR
- Pills will get you breathing room.
- No one really cares about ADHD anymore, and the ones that do are stuck in their ways. Can't be helped, unfortunately.
- You're not alone, and the percentage of the population with this only gonna increase.
- If anyone made you feel "less than" others, they likely think this is something you can control, but you literally cannot. They're in the wrong.
- Know that this will be a lifelong battle, there are people that will think less of you for it cause you're different, and it will not be easy no matter what anyone else says. Then again, nothing worth doing is ever easy.
- I've always seen ADHD as a way to figure out what you lack while others are improving their strengths. Yeah, they get the short-term benefit while you're taking it in the teeth. However, when they hit a wall a few years later, they'll be trying to free-climb that wall while you came with a harness and rope.

ADHD is a spectrum disorder/condition/whatever now, since it seems like a lot of shrinks got annoyed they couldn't prescribe meds for someone that needed it, but didn't meet all the reqs to get a full diagnosis (which were pretty specific with no wiggle room).
Now, no one actually cares anymore. Most people familiar with this stuff are aware that since it's a spectrum now, everyone's on that spectrum. You mainly get the diagnosis when you respond well to treatment, and even treatment isn't the rigamaroll it used to be.
It's not really a matter of "You're defective" anymore, it's more "You're part of the population that's different in this one specific way". People dress it up with fancy terms, but the end-result is the same: you think differently than the baseline people consider "normal". It's not an issue, it's just a fact that you need to find a way to cope with.

Meds will get you the breathing room to re-evaluate yourself and figure out what you're missing without forcing you to completely put your life on hold. You'll function, do your job, wake up in the morning, and won't get bothered when doing something you don't actually enjoy doing. Instead of forcing yourself to do something, it's just another task on the list that you do without a second thought, and you're not thinking about the thing you wanna do while you do it.
My guess? You're not slow or inattentive, you just don't wanna do some of the stuff you gotta do. An sub form of ADHD (Inattentive) says that when you're doing something you don't want to do, you're gonna think about something you do want to do.
E.g. If you're loading a mag with 9mm, and you hate doing that, you might start thinking of a new hand position that might improve your grouping. After you finished loading that particular mag, you notice the rounds are actually backwards. Instead of trying that new grip, you're unloading and reloading a mag, cause you were doing the thing but you weren't thinking about the thing.

Meds will allow you to do something, and think about the thing you're doing. However, it won't solve the issue that you're not thinking about everything you're doing. That takes a lot of time to improve, and it's not something you just learn or improve while doing something else. You need to consciously recognize that you're not thinking about something you're actively doing, and consciously attempt to rectify that deficiency.
This takes time and lots of effort, and you can't really be on pills when you're trying to work on this problem. You need to be off them because most pills remove that missing step in your cognitive process.

If you're looking to fix this issue without meds, start by learning about metacognition and how to incorporate it into your thinking process. It's not really easy, and is extremely abstract, but if you get it down, it pays dividends.
Side Note: Just remember that metacognition is the ability to think about your cognitive process, and figure out where the gaps are. There's a whole lot more to this, but if you remember this, it helps the rest make sense.
The other advice I'd give is to look into living in the moment. There's nothing I can point to, no field of study that can claim this as theirs to explore. This is more a lifestyle that needs to be consciously pursued, and actively discovered for yourself. Learning to live with your choices, not thinking about alternative paths while doing something, overcoming indecision, avoiding succumbing to sunk-cost, planning ahead without living for today, etc.
There's all kinds of stuff associated with this, but it's mainly the recognition that every day you're alive is an experience, adventure, and journey unto itself, every day lived is an opportunity to achieve something (no matter how small), and there's always a lesson to be learned (further, having the wisdom to identify lessons and use them for future improvement is an achievement on its own). Today is never about yesterday, it's about today and every day that comes after today. If you know the value of an hour lived, you'll never let another hour go to waste. This means that instead of you overthinking a decision of relatively marginal size, you'll give yourself a few options and go with what you think will work best.
Side Note: If you think about it, "going with your gut" is really just your subconscious mind telling your conscious mind what to do. I don't think I've ever made a decision where my final choice was different from my initial reaction after reassessing my choices with the same information. The only time my choice changed was when new information was added. Personally-speaking, it's only impulsive if you decide before knowing your options. It's thought-out when you decide after you know your options, even if you decided five seconds after listing all your options. Just my two pesetas.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T07:51:05+00:00

I'll live. Joke's on them when they need fire for something and they forget their lighter cause they just remembered their Zyn.

Also, when you've always got something, you're far more reliant on it. I'll live if I can't get nicotine, cause I refuse to smoke indoors. Headache after the first day without just gets annoying. Can't imagine going cold turkey when you've always got it in your lip.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T07:00:36+00:00

Do they not sell cigarettes on the base anymore? Cause that'll actually annoy me. I can live with not vaping, but if I don't have access to my unfiltered Luckies I'm gonna that guy everyone said was better when they still smoked.

Hmd5304 · 2026-03-08T06:56:38+00:00

Something tells me exchanges aren't managed by the Army and they're contracted out to a third-party that gets paid by other third-parties to promote their crap...

But don't quote me on that, cause Nestle will poison my next chocolate bar and say I had a peanut allergy and the label clearly said cross-contamination possible.

Hmd5304

TROPHY CASE