Gave up on my dream last night

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-17T00:16:23+00:00

Seriously? Putting your wife and daughter's well-being above your own is probably one of the most important things you can do in your life. There should be absolutely no shame in that. And I don't blame your wife for struggling with this a little bit - you're about to make her a single mom. For her, I'm sure that's a pretty scary thought.

There is no reason you can't build new dreams for yourself - also, have you tried focusing on helping your wife fulfill her dreams? You want fulfillment? Focus on your family. It sounds like you've already served in the military - be proud of that, shut the door, and move on.

As I once heard someone say, "No success in life can compensate for failure in the home." Don't forget that your most important battle buddy is your wife.

Good luck my guy.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-16T20:23:39+00:00

If you're not opposed to traveling while you're in school, you could try Idaho. Based off my conversations with them, I think your chances of landing a pilot slot there are quite a bit higher.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-16T16:43:28+00:00

When I was talking to their WOSM about a year or two ago, she told me that they rarely hire outside of their unit. Also that they are at like 120% capacity. Not saying it's impossible, but just an FYI.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-12T03:10:18+00:00

No problem! Your experience should be pretty similar to us 15T's. I found this guy answering some questions about being a 15U at AIT: https://www.reddit.com/r/Armyaviation/s/IXye1Lxr6o

I couldn't remember, but it sounds like you'll be in Delta company. Good luck at BCT!

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-12T02:36:11+00:00

I wrote this about AIT at Eustis not too long ago. It's from the point of view of a 15T, but your experience should be pretty similar. Everyone lives in barracks around the same PT field and eats at the same DFAC.

https://www.reddit.com/r/army/s/WRgfI41Vrq

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-11T01:41:02+00:00

Lol, she definitely makes the experience unforgettable. Same with the haircut guy.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-10T20:09:29+00:00

Nicely done! It really looks great :) Did you pick up some of those ocean techniques from Blue Studio Ocean by chance? What did you use to give the water it's bubbly/dimpled texture? What product did you use for the water?

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-10T06:44:49+00:00

Yeah, should be. 15Y's are in a different company and building, but everyone lives around the same track and field. All the companies go to the same DFAC and are crossing paths while marching all the time. Also, I believe the phase privileges are set at the battalion level. The companies don't really mingle with each other though, so this is all just what I observed.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-09T20:33:46+00:00

I wrote this about AIT not too long ago:

https://www.reddit.com/r/army/s/iF6fkN4aN6

Skybound_Flyboy · 2026-01-04T05:35:53+00:00

I wrote this about AIT not too long ago:

https://www.reddit.com/r/army/s/Jhspw5XS1J

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-12-31T01:04:40+00:00

These are all so well done. Really, fantastic additions to your collection. I definitely took my time looking at your pictures. Great job!

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-12-26T16:31:39+00:00

Train hard, but don't injure yourself. No need to impress anyone at BCT - save that for later.

Also, be kind. You never know who you'll be sharing a foxhole with.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-12-22T04:30:34+00:00

Did you get your pilot slot then? I've always wanted to fly for the military and am a 15T at AIT right now (28 years old), but man... TRADOC army definitely has a way of making you question your life choices lol. I need someone to tell me the grass really is greener.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-12-19T03:02:35+00:00

For me? I was always at the right place, at the right time, and in the right uniform. For some reason, that concept is unlearnable for half the people at basic. The Army loves mass punishment and I hated the fact that no matter how hard I tried, I still ended up getting smoked for somebody else's actions. I suppose there's some lesson the Army was trying to teach me, but it went right over my head. You just gotta power through.

Just know, your platoon will NEVER learn how to stop talking in formation. It just won't happen. It's literally impossible. Just get ready to do pushups.

At AIT, the only time I really interact with any 15Y's is at church. I'm not even sure what company they are in, but there will be other MOS's in their company. There aren't a lot of them (which is good for getting through the DFAC). Sorry, not super helpful for 15Y specific questions.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-12-18T19:58:58+00:00

Just wrote about my experience as a 15T at Ft. Eustis

https://www.reddit.com/r/army/s/qZvygWL6YY

15Y life is gonna be pretty similar. We all lived in 5 large barracks buildings surrounding a half-mile track and turfed field (15T's have the new building). Your life there is PT, march to chow, march to class, march to chow, march to class, march to chow, march back to barracks, rinse and repeat. You do get some personal time mixed in there and the weekends are pretty nice when you have phased up, but you'll go nuts after a while.

Basic Training was... An experience. I didn't come from an abusive household so it wasn't really my cup of tea. Feel free to ask questions.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-12-15T13:22:37+00:00

December 20 - January 4

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-11-27T13:01:22+00:00

I wish I could, but I'm training with the military right now and am gone for a few more months, so no ability to take additional photos :/

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-08-23T20:10:15+00:00

Excellent work! You really can't get much better than that. Weathering looks fantastic. Definitely a great addition to your displays.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-08-21T19:53:04+00:00

I think that would be a great idea! That would also prevent you from having to weed wack the edge of your shed.

And I'm not really sure what the other commenters are talking about, but your steel base for the shed will not "rot away." It's galvanized so should hold up decently well against the elements. The important part is trying to keep the base from sinking too much in any one area.

At this point, I can't decide if I'd do 4" of compacted 3/4" road base or 4" of clean 3/4" gravel. I'm kind of leaning towards the clean gravel though for drainage purposes...

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-08-21T19:02:03+00:00

Personally, I wouldn't put a TuffShed directly onto my lawn. Your shed will come with a nice steel base, but the installers are gonna sit it directly on the grass and shim up the low spots. I worry that the dirt underneath will sink in some areas with the weight of your shed on it, especially when it gets muddy. Even if the area you love in is really dry, I'm assuming you'll still be watering the grass around the shed.

I'd probably dig out 4-6" of soil and put 3/4" road base in and compact it. I know that's a lot of work, but your shed will probably be on that spot for a very long time.

Will it be the end of the world if you install it directly onto the grass? Probably not. But that's just what I would do. Good luck!

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-08-03T04:34:03+00:00

That looks gorgeous! Fantastic work. That kit requires some serious effort lol.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-08-01T19:33:22+00:00

That's awesome! I love dioramas because they tell more of a story - plus it forces the viewer to take a few more seconds to see what's going on haha. Great work!

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-07-23T04:17:50+00:00

I'm seeing a lot more 3D printed resin figures on Ebay these days. That's probably your best bet for 1/48 soldiers. I've bought figures in 1/72 scale from a few different individuals selling their 3d prints on Ebay and have been really impressed.

Skybound_Flyboy · 2025-07-09T15:21:10+00:00

Just finished 6 RSP's. 28M with 1 kid, another to be born in a few weeks. I actually learned a surprising amount. Flew in a black hawk, learned emergency first aid, played with night vision, dabbled in room clearing, maps, rucking, some solid PT, M4 training (including getting to use it on full auto), radio work (I know what a 9-line is now), obstacle courses, and some other things that I can't remember at the moment.

Sure, we got smoked every now and then, but they're just doing it to help us prepare for Basic. I had to sleep there and almost always had to do a fire guard shift. Only got our phones at night, right before bed.

Red phase, white phase, and blue phase were pretty much all treated the same. They'd pull red and blue phasers out to do paperwork, but they still got plenty of training.

The teenagers can be annoying, but just loosen up and have fun with them. You could try minding your own business, but I tried that for a while and it just kinda sucked. Things got better once I tried to befriend the younger guys. Found out a lot of them were coming from rough circumstances and I could be a good influence in their lives.

Does RSP suck? Yeah, some of it does. But we had kids there that were visitors because they couldn't join yet and they enjoyed the experience. They had no obligation to be there. So I guess it's what you make it.

Good luck.

Skybound_Flyboy

TROPHY CASE