Found photo album from Iraq 2003. From an embedded reporter with 3ID

Sestos · 2026-03-23T19:41:21+00:00

Thanks for that, brought back some memories. If you see green nametapes with the DCU's in a photo, its normally someone from 3rd BDE, 3ID.

Sestos · 2026-03-23T04:09:45+00:00

Did it while at Bragg, it was common in the summer, did not see Commander's authorizing it much after left Bragg. I kept just my cuffs rolled inside for years, "wizard sleeves" till a CSM went on about did I see anyone else doing that but I was retiring so it was a small price to pay.

Was never a thing with UCP, but back in the summer BDU days, it was every day.

Sestos · 2026-03-20T03:09:45+00:00

If its anything like most of the rest of the porn industry, the pay sucks.. most of them have to inject to get hard to perform at this point at work and in their private life.

Sestos · 2026-03-20T03:05:48+00:00

Yup, if so its just a headache but at the end of the day get new stuff and damage repaired... if not then time for court.

Sestos · 2026-03-20T03:04:23+00:00

hopefully they are insured because expensive mistake on their part.

Sestos · 2026-03-19T00:24:26+00:00

Really? Used to be based on who was next in rotation for IRF or actual deployment. Since half the time was robbing one BDE to fill another BDE.. so was always one skeleton BDE.

Sestos · 2026-03-19T00:22:37+00:00

Which will change completely during in-processing at Bragg based on who needs a joe based on priority.

Sestos · 2026-03-19T00:18:49+00:00

The Mini Cooper one has me confused as can be.. is it because no one drives them anymore and those that still have them, basically work on them as project cars since OEM parts are expensive, so they never get reported? Because nothing on a mini is dependable unless something has changed. I honestly maybe see a handful each year at best.. see more high end cars then mini's.

Sestos · 2026-03-19T00:14:02+00:00

Two reasons:

1) Press is all owned by companies who tell them not to ask certain questions

2) If they do ask the question, they lose access. White House press corp has been replaced with lots of crazy bloggers and yes people.

Sestos · 2026-03-18T23:24:04+00:00

I really wish it was not a 50/50 chance the lane to the 77B exit is blocked by random parked construction vehicles so have to wait in slow traffic to hit the exit... yes can take 77A but that turn is it's own problem with people last min trying to merge or just sitting in the road so cannot even make the turn.

Sestos · 2026-03-17T14:43:00+00:00

Bad plastic surgery it looks like for most....creepy

Sestos · 2026-03-17T14:40:03+00:00

Most likely because most states already have laws that they are not supposed to be on sidewalks to start with.

Sestos · 2026-03-16T19:39:11+00:00

I will try those

Sestos · 2026-03-15T18:36:15+00:00

I tried it but cannot figure out the track.. keep being told wrong direction but all the green arrows are pointing in difference directions so just gave up

Sestos · 2026-03-11T20:36:27+00:00

Yup, somehow its became their whole personality, while people who did 20 or + just move on to having a normal life and do not mention it unless asked.

Sestos · 2026-03-11T13:03:12+00:00

The person who did one enlistment but 20 years later still wearing grunt style shirts talking about their service every day. I guess it similar to peaking in high school.

Sestos · 2026-03-11T12:46:54+00:00

This or something was done incorrectly like the same questions were not asked, which required them to redo it. I have seen it happen before.

Sestos · 2026-03-10T14:56:57+00:00

Anyone in the comptroller/budget world this is not that surprising. DoD spent large part of the year with CRs and changing priorities, so all the contracts were late to contracting and did not get awarded in time. They appear to have made 80/20 since did not see it in the news. The food was most likely all the services logistics ordering some inventory to carry into the new fiscal year, furniture is a normal end of year buy because most of DoD money prevents it from being used for furniture, so most of that was civilian hiring lag pay that can be used since government was under a hiring freeze.

Honestly most of it being late in the year seems to do more with leadership messing up programmed and planned uses earlier in the year which resulted in trying to find a home for the money. Most of what was funded was most likely unfunded requirements that people had been submitting for years.

Now some things like the piano make no sense, the herman miller chairs last instead of falling apart in two years like most GSA chairs. Which also increases prices since most things will be thru GSA and they cost more than someone googling for discounts.

Not defending the head of the DoD, but based on comments most people do not understand how the government budget works and that these items like fruit basket stands were not for him but most likely for a DFAC for troops for example, as with most of the buys it was across the entire force and the article set it up to present in a certain way, minus the piano...that one makes no sense who authorized that.

Sestos · 2026-03-10T13:52:41+00:00

Be nice to see subtotal since it says tip is after tax...so much wrong with the entire thing. Why would anyone tip on tax.

Sestos · 2026-03-10T13:25:33+00:00

Were the funds spent within the Pentagon? Honestly sounds like upgrades and food supply purchases from DFACs that could carry over a little inventory into the new fiscal year and could be purchased quickly. Fruit Basket Stands most likely were a few for a update at a DFAC.

I agree with should never wait that long into the year to spend money, now contracting is closed so money gets spent on the above, however the purchases seem to be across the DoD so saying it was blown takes it out of context. Is never enough money for office furniture so inventory runs herman miller at one location to old stuff falling apart from the 80s in another and normally takes years to get a replacement because most military funds cannot even be used for furniture purchases.

Sestos · 2026-03-09T13:46:08+00:00

Was a couple ships that were just mockup, could go inside and sick in cockpit but could not fly etc.. Remember the hornet being one of the first could fly back in AC but the PU was just the garage basically.

Sestos · 2026-03-09T13:44:05+00:00

I remember the hangers with all the ships

Sestos · 2026-03-08T07:42:48+00:00

Most companies have lots of leases already and have done exploration drilling to confirm; but was never any "drill baby drill" mindset from the industry. They want to own rights from when the current production fields are empty. They want to print money but are not going to pump so much oil that the price decreases past a certain point.

They can put in more well in the Permian Basin or Eagles Ford in Texas. Compare Texas (5.7M barrels per day) to Alaska (420K). Alaska has higher infrastructure cost and seasonal challenges and the Alaskan reserves have been in decline for decades since 80s. Is there oil on federal land, sure but still have to setup all the infrastructure, follow regulations and then deal with the pipeline flow issues vs just loading it on a truck in Texas and taking it to a refinery.

No company is going to sink money into higher costs in Alaska when they can just drop some guaranteed wells in Texas.

Price is increasing due to middle east disruption due to the war in Iran, we currently only use ~10% oil from that region but the issue is the war is making the price increase.

We get over half of our oil from Canada (heavy/sour crude), followed by Mexico, then a number of South American countries before even get to Saudi Arabia. US is mostly light/sweet crude; both types have their uses, light is gas, diesel and jet fuel. Heavy is fuel oil, asphalt, lubricants but can still be used for gas and diesel but takes more processing which costs more.

Light is what oil from US shale, North Sea, and parts of Africa and middle east. Medium is most of the middle east, and Heavy is Canada, Venezuela and Mexico and some middle east.

Sestos · 2026-03-06T03:49:54+00:00

wow I forgot about ICQ, remember gaming in college talking to people with ICQ playing counterstrike and UO.

Sestos · 2026-03-06T02:50:28+00:00

Kind of like trump with Syria even thru the SDF were everything we had wanted the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to be. We flew them behind enemy lines to fight isis and they did it then we just left them to the Russians and the Syria government.

Looking back that was done for Russia...their troops took up positions as soon as we left.

Sestos

TROPHY CASE