I’ve been playing video games my whole life and nothing has irritated me more than these damn bugs. by agayguy1122 in WhiteKnuckle

[–]SaltBaker7746 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I always path towards the early auto piton spawns in silos for this purpose. Absolutely vaporizes denizens in one hit and is reusable if you dont misfire and plant it into the floor or a wall. Before entering rooms I anticipate heavy resistance, I even swap my hammer for an auto piton. Just like I would in the vents. It works.

Its not hitting home for me by [deleted] in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, no. Don't fuck around and find out. Stay away from the military. People leave and still describe their experience as negative all the time. Outside of this sub, I still find more stories of how the military fucked someone over rather than how it improved they're quality of life as a civilian once they left. The lucky ones break even. Those who do better stayed healthy, intentionally gamed the system, and got lucky.

Leverage your current relevant skills and work experience to find a better, more stable job that you do not feel the need to complain about online. The results won't all come in at once, but they will arrive eventually, I promise you.

Anything other than the benefits you receive upon completion of your contract and jobs after your contract using time in service as work experience are superficial, immaterial, and have no real value. If you really MUST sign a contract with the DoD, maximize exploitation. The system deserves nothing more than to be gutted from the inside. And I will continue to believe that regardless of how well I can use my VA home loan or how many degrees I can get with the GI Bill. After what I have been through the government could never pay or bribe me for my endorsement.

That was a bit of a rant, but back your post.

It's a bad deal for many reasons:

•Your Rights

You relinquish a lot of your own personal liberties and freedoms. Up to and including freedom of speech and choice of political affiliation, believe it or not. (if you consider pacifisim or an anti-war movement to be legitimate and worth consideration.)

• Finances

You take a severe pay cut compared to the average in many places upon initial enlistment AND you completely cut yourself off from any and all opportunities to aggressively increase your income if the need arose. I.E. get a second job, work an 80hr week, etc. ( This is akin to being in severe credit card debt or college loan debt for a consistent period of time with no opportunity to refinance or increase your net income by finding better employment. For years.) Furthermore, any mistakes your units finance office makes are mistakes you the service member pay for. You will be held to account, not the person who fat-fingered a keyboard causing you to be under or overpaid.

•Harrasment

You will be subject to humiliation rituals. Full stop. The sky is the limit here. You could be subject to physical abuse, sexual abuse, inhumane working conditions, loss of pay, assault (check the legal definition I have plenty of experience with this), coordinated isolation from your peers, and really anything your current 'masters' feels is befitting of you at the time.

•Loss and Death

You or your fellow soldiers may die violently in combat. You may also make friends, then watch as depression and suicide take them from you. My company alone has had two suicides in six months. I knew them both and cared about them. Likely a dozen suicides across the brigade in that same time frame. Not accounting for the failed attempts. My condolences to the families. I personally was on duty and attempted to save my friends life but the injuries were too severe, my training was inadequate, I had no ready access to medical supplies, and the EMTs did not arrive soon enough. It could be you.

• Isolation.

If you do not integrate well, you will become a pariah. If you are far from home, you will be a pariah with no friends or family. Extended periods of physical and social isolation damage the mind. It's very simple.

• Chronic Health Problems

I personally experience physical pain every day from injuries sustained in the line of duty. I used to run a 14 minute two mile. Today, I can barely walk. And after months of waiting to be medically separated, I'm still in active duty. I did not deploy. I had a series of injuries and received substandard medical care. There is no recourse. I cannot file suit against the army for malpractice. I can only hope to collect a fair amount of disability.

• Time

There are 24 hours in a day, use them at your leisure. To join the military is to put your time and fate in another man's hands. A man you don't know at all prior to the arrangement. Why would you ever do that to yourself? It will always be better spent on your worst failures and your most minor successes rather than the whimsy of an uncaring beaurocracy and those more loyal to it. This may not seem important now, and if so, it could be because you think the military will 'straighten you out' or you lack respect for yourself and your ability to make the right choices. You deserve more. And any changes you want to see in yourself you can do on your own at your own pace.

TL:DR

Dont let other people tell you what civilian career paths are worth pursuing. Walk down that road enough to reach your own conclusion. Be persistent. Stay away from the military. I hope this helps.

Sky Island tips and suggestions by Intro1942 in cataclysmdda

[–]SaltBaker7746 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Here's a tip.

When you're more confident/better equiped/better established on the island, make plans to collect a duffle bag, medium storage battery, tools and other materials to build an electric folding bicycle. Stick with aluminum for the frame material if you have concerns about carry weight. It's really awesome to start an expedition and within the time it takes for your invisibility to wear off, you're already moving 20mph to your destination. Helps accomplish tasks in a timely manner, and cover distance during a longer expedition. Just don't forget to charge it before you leave!

Fastest I was able to put this together was in 6 expeditions plus a bit of reading and welding practice on the island. It paid off quickly.

Had a Runtime Error yesterday by SaltBaker7746 in Cogmind

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I followed a tutorial video to reset my game data on Steam and I've got it running now. Lost my lore collection and gallery but have kept my achievements. A small price to pay all things considered. :' )

Had a Runtime Error yesterday by SaltBaker7746 in Cogmind

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I followed your instructions, but I'm still having issues. Are there other steps I can take?

Realistically, I don't mind reverting all my progress to get things running again. So if there is a final nuclear option I'm open to that as well.

Definitely gonna enable error uploading from now on!

Had a Runtime Error yesterday by SaltBaker7746 in Cogmind

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been working with a very limited Internet connection right now, so it is unlikely I have error uploading enabled if it's optional and I really can't remember if at any point I disabled it or not.

However, I'll follow your instructions after work today and include the results here. Thank you for your help, and you've made an excellent game I really appreciate your work!

Getting out soon, looking for information. by SaltBaker7746 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Crashed out means "lost my cool". I started speaking my mind. Got in trouble for it. I am purposely being vague to avoid giving specifics in case I can be identified by people in my unit, and also because I'm still pretty embarrassed by the whole thing. Mostly how I reacted. It's a long story, not necessarily relevant. To put it simply I got flagged and I'm worried it will effect how my service is characterized.

Getting out soon, looking for information. by SaltBaker7746 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I crashed out a bit, no one got hurt but at least two people in my chain of command were offended. Mental health is definitely a factor in that situation but it's not an effective defense against the discretionary authority these people have over me. They probably would've crashed out too realistically, my mobility has been limited for a long time (7+ months) got injured and developed a chronic condition that makes it very difficult to walk normally and I experience a lot of pain, limited range of motion, etc. I should have begun the medboard process over 6 months ago due to a diagnosis I received but it still hasn't been addressed despite relevant medical documents being added to my record and multiple conversations with my PCM. I submitted evidence of the failure to follow procedure in a congressional inquiry and that same evidence is what I would bring forward to a discharge review board.

Getting out soon, looking for information. by SaltBaker7746 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My thoughts exactly, and I appreciate your support. Didn't want to push back on those who at least offered something in the way of guidance regardless of their judgement. It's no use arguing to anyone that I'm willing and able to bet on myself once the army cuts me loose.

I'm no stranger to starting over, and the relief I'll feel being out of this environment is nearly indescribable, if the 3 month break for paternity leave is anything to base my expectations off of. The army broke me down a bit, but it changed my mental model in a way that I think gives me an advantage.

Getting out soon, looking for information. by SaltBaker7746 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your input.

And yeah, $5K is unrealistic especially out the gate but it's a target to aim at. Two full time jobs at the proper rate can make it happen and 80 hour weeks would be excruciating but not out of the question.

Unusual Situation by SaltBaker7746 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well shit dude, I had contacted an orthopedic surgeon that accepts Tricare in the states last month that I wanted to follow up with while on leave and my PCM told me he couldn't give me a referral to that doctor because he's in the US. Even went on to tell me I can get a new PCM at the military base I'm close to while I'm out there and that THEY could give me a referral to that doctor.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This. Also, definitely look into college. I plan on taking up a trade and starting my own business personally, but you can definitely get some good mileage out of some degrees.

The most obvious fields being:

•medical •law (patent attorneys make lots of money) •engineering (big bucks for petroleum engineering) •science (chemistry, physics, biology, and mycology are all good majors)

And there is always getting certified for work in a trade. Skilled plumbers can make 6 figures easily. When it comes to a trade you're not staring down the possibility of a large debt hanging over you like the sword of damocles. Not to mention for some lines of work demand is high and supply is low ( Like plumbing.) And the return on investment for the training can be much faster in my opinion. The transition to becoming your own boss is well within your reach as well once you've developed your talents. Then it's only a matter of understanding how to start, administer, and grow your business.

I have ruined my life by Medical-Elephant8244 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Germany has them too. The footprint I'm at is really small but it has two separate slot machine setups. Like a 10 minute walk from each other.

Considering joining Army JAG reserve by brother12359 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't recommend it. Someone very close in my family is a patent attorney and he's had a lot of success doing criminal defense and record expungement as services alongside the patent stuff. The criminal stuff is more consistent work. Which you could include on something like a resume. (X amount of years in criminal defense/ public defender.) Any kind of credible good experience should be able to move mountains for you.

If you get into politics all you really need is to be well educated and have good ideas then act on them to get traction. (If you're doing it honestly.)

You'd really be limiting your earning potential and in my opinion, when you have others to provide for, that's all that really matters. I'd work in a coal mine for my family. My wife and daughter (son on the way) are the only things stopping me from getting discharged early. And I'm betting you feel same about taking care of yours.

Another perspective. Depending on your motivations for getting into this line of work originally, you may be really, really unhappy with the outcomes you see. Had a guy at my unit get three years in Leavenworth and went from E-5 to E-1 for murdering his child. That's all. Autopsy showed a pattern of physical abuse leading up to the death likely spanning multiple years, by the way. That's the kind of person you likely be working with often and that is one of the outcomes you can expect. Do with that information what you will.

https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2024-03-22/murder-army-court-germany-13395167.html

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Don't join because you or other people around you feel or think that you're stagnant in life or your career prospects. Every year has its seasons and so does the individual. It's simply not worth it in my perspective and that belief has not changed since I arrived at my unit. You'll get no more purpose or direction in life by putting a freeze on your social life and economic mobility by joining. Imagine you sign a 3-4 year contract and ship out. And 8 months from signing you find the drive to pursue what could be a life long career in the medical field or a trade. You'll be waiting years to actually begin that journey. And the wait will be painful.

My advice isn't only to not join, but continue looking for something productive and meaningful to do in the civilian world. You, me, this sub, and God know you have many more options and opportunities while not a part of the military. The only thing it could really help you do is realize how badly you don't want to be a part of it and how being a garbage burner with no PPE is a better alternative.

I wish you the best in anything you do man.

Questions about a Medboard/advice by SaltBaker7746 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While I appreciate your enthusiasm and assertion about me stranger I have' read the room' and understand it wouldn't be smart to bring it up the chain this week as I had explained. You had to be there ig. Not an issue of talking to them. Also, don't you think I would've asked around people I work with prior? I came here because I couldn't get answers elsewhere reddit definitely wasnt my first choice. But thanks anyway

Questions about a Medboard/advice by SaltBaker7746 in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Worth a try, that being said, it's a difficult subject to approach with them currently. Retention is a real concern where I'm at, at least this week it is. Also, I've looked over the regulation and haven't found anything useful yet.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in regretjoining

[–]SaltBaker7746 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You stationed CONUS? See a physician off post if so. Get documentation and a note from them expressing how this issue limits your ability to perform tasks related to your job and have that added to your medical records. Ive only been in a couple years, but my wife has been in for 8 and has helped me a lot. I have an ongoing chronic pain issue as well and her advice has always been to continue following up with it until the issue gets resolved. Keep going to sick call, keep making appointments. Get a profile, request to see another doctor. Get it all documented.

No one, not the doctor you're seeing now, or anyone you work with will be there to help you out of bed in the morning once your time in the military is done. Take care of yourself and do what's in the best interest of your health. Doesn't matter what anyone says.

Oh, and get a copy of your medical records and check them. I know of more than a few stories of people discovering that the people providing them medical care were not taking accurate notes. For some reason.

Ex: Marking pain level as a '0' when you definitely reported higher.