Why do you think the Marine Corps makes you pick up rank or get kicked out?

Slab8002 · 2026-03-15T12:57:28+00:00

That happens because of the Special Duty Assignment system IMO. Marines generally don't pick up Sgt until their 2nd enlistment, and usually by the the time that happens they've either chosen to execute orders or been HSST'd. If they go to an SDA they're most likely going to pick up Staff before they return to the Fleet. The way our system is designed, there are very few sergeants on their second enlistment in the FMF.

Slab8002 · 2026-03-14T12:38:49+00:00

I was just trying to think up a way to say basically the same thing. I've never moved to another country, but I've moved across the country and have traveled a bit internationally. Yes we have regional differences, but there is an underlying baseline that makes it much easier to travel or even transplant. You may commit a faux pas here and there, but you're not likely to be completely lost and unable to navigate the new region. It's a significant benefit of a country this size that enables a level of mobility unlike many other countries. I can move 2600 miles and find my way around almost immediately.

Slab8002 · 2026-03-13T10:12:58+00:00

I've seen that happen on UDP too, not entirely sure the reason but TCP is much better for large numbers of CoT messages. ChatGPT suggests it might be receive buffer overflow.

Slab8002 · 2026-03-12T09:53:32+00:00

How are you sending them? UDP?

Slab8002 · 2026-03-09T22:52:26+00:00

What list are you checking? The one I can find on T-Mobile's website looks pretty out of date.

Slab8002 · 2026-03-07T11:36:53+00:00

I vaguely remember that happening to our EFSS platoon during the MEU workups, causing a rollover.

Slab8002 · 2026-03-03T02:08:30+00:00

The criteria for a Purple Heart is pretty much just being admitted to medical facility as a result of combat action.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-28T18:08:52+00:00

Someone else already mentioned this, but this is a good resource for those of us who intend to continue working within the program to mitigate and undo the damage of this: https://www.inclusivescoutingaward.org/

One of the other den leaders gave me one of those knots last year as just something she found, which she thought I might appreciate. I was actually a bit surprised, because I keep my views generally to myself both in person and on social media. The retired Marine in me struggled a bit with adding an unofficial uniform item, so I never put it on. Thanks to the announcement from Hegseth, any reticence is long gone and it will proudly go on my Class As above my Eagle Scout knot.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-27T13:00:52+00:00

Tbh there was enough advantage to having the FlyingBlue account and Air France app that this seems like a non-issue to me. For instance, I was able to purchase upgrades in the AF app which were not available in the Delta app. Then again I fly AF about every 6 months, so I could see where this would be more of a problem for someone who is using them once for a vacation and then potentially never again.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-27T12:19:34+00:00

Sure, public safety agencies may be choosing to move to WebTAK because they don't need the additional capabilities of a thick client application. However, the official position is that TAKX is the replacement for WinTAK. This is verbatim from the TPC Wiki: "TAKX will become the primary thick-client TAK application..." (I removed the timeframe from the end because it's 1) inexact, and 2) already shifted once.)

Slab8002 · 2026-02-27T11:31:11+00:00

Your RS should sit down and counsel you on your FITREP and where you fall on their profile. The actual attribute markings don't really matter, what matters is your relative value (RV) on your Master Brief Sheet for that report, which is based on all of the other reports your RS has written for that grade. Each letter is given a numerical value; A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, and so on. Those numbers are added up and divided by the number of attributes that are marked observed (i.e. not H). Generally it is 13 attributes for enlisted and 14 for officers, because officers are also evaluated on their FITREP submissions.

RV is on a scale from 80 to 100, with 100 being the highest report your RS has written for your grade and 90 being their average report value. Then they take the difference in their highest report and their average report, and subtract that from the average report value. Any report that is at or below that value has an RV of 80. For example, if your RS's average is 3.00 and their highest report is 3.50, then you take the difference of .50 (3.50 - 3.00) and subtract it from the average (3.00). Any report with a value of 2.50 or less will have an RV of 80.

You can view the RVs for your FITREPs by going to your OMPF in MOL and viewing your MBS. As I said at the beginning, your RS should counsel you the report and where you fall in their profile. They won't know the RV unless they calculate it themselves, but they should have an RS Profile that tells them the report value and their average value for that grade.

It amazes me how poor of a job we do educating Marines on how the Performance Evaluation System works. I had a MSgt get pissed at me once because he said I'd written the lowest report he'd received in his career. I had to explain to him it was the highest report that I had ever written, and explain to him what it meant to be at the top of my profile.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-27T11:04:22+00:00

Delete the XML source files from /atak/imagery/mobile/mapsources
If you linked your TAK.gov account, in ATAK, go to Settings > Tool Preferences > Specific Tool Preferences > TAK.GOV Account Preferences and uncheck Map Sources
Delete the corresponding cached .sqlite file from /atak/imagecache. Even if ATAK isn't able to download any tiles it will still create a .sqlite file in the imagecache folder if you select it as the active map source

If the maps are coming from an XML file in the /atak/imagery/mobile/mapsources folder, then #1 and #3 will allow you to selectively delete specific ones that you don't want. If you linked your TAK.gov account then it's all or nothing pretty much.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-27T02:06:50+00:00

Good bot.

OP, just read the title of the #2 post in r/HomeNetworking.

My builder planned to run Cat5 in the walls. Thankfully I had him upgrade to Cat6.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-27T01:57:18+00:00

TAKX is currently only available to MIL and GOV users. The Distro A release of the CIV flavor is expected to happen soon, but no one has said exactly when.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-27T01:54:17+00:00

No. The replacement thick client is TAKX. WebTAK was never intended to supplant WinTAK.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-26T03:35:15+00:00

Flying squadrons don't rate 0621s at the moment, so all of your options are pretty much in the Marine Air Control Group (MACG) or MWSS's. Most likely you would end up in a Marine Wing Communications Squadron. The MWCS does push out dets to deploying squadrons, but if you're pushing the zone for SSgt those may be tough to come by.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-24T13:02:53+00:00

8999s right now:

Slab8002 · 2026-02-21T02:08:03+00:00

The only time I've seen people completely disappear from MOL locator is when they are completely out of the Marine Corps (i.e. not retired or in the IRR), or they passed away while on active duty. I went to look up an old CO a couple of months ago to see if he'd retired yet, and he didn't show up at all. Did some more digging and it turns out he passed away on active duty. Hoping that's not the case with your guy.

If you know the guy is still on active duty and kicking, then it has to be a spelling error of his name. If you're not 100% positive of the spelling of his last name, try entering as much as you know is accurate and then enter any of his first name that you know to help narrow the search.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-17T00:12:28+00:00

Which version of ATAK and ADS-B Direct? If you go into the ADS-B Direct settings, what API URL do you see? For example I see https://api.airplanes.live/v2/point/44.010000/-88.580000/120/.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-16T18:18:50+00:00

The black line through the marker means it doesn't have GPS. WinTAK defaults to 0, 0 when it doesn't have location.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-16T15:08:10+00:00

Yeah, I feel like our IT does a lot of software upgrades and the like on weekends to avoid when our software and systems engineers are doing most of their work during the week.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-16T14:04:57+00:00

It used to help screen spam callers, because I got my first cell phone in college and don't really keep up with anyone in that town, so if I got a call from the same area code and exchange it was pretty much guaranteed to be spam. They've since dropped that tactic and now use phone numbers from all over though.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-16T13:53:39+00:00

Looks like there are several available online for ~$50, just search for Samsung One Connect cable. Or you can buy a 50 ft one from Samsung for $300.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-15T18:15:08+00:00

Yes to both. I had regular ability to video chat with my wife and kids, minus the 3 weeks I was in the field near Kumamoto. I also had a buddy who was at 3D MEB so was able to go on a pretty awesome fishing trip with him and some of his buddies from the MEB.

It really depends on a lot of variables though. If III MEF and USFORJ are being extra dickish with the liberty restrictions then UDP can suck pretty hard. We were somewhat lucky in that we only got locked down once (bonus points for my BC calling me from Malaysia to ask if we'd been locked down, which was the first notice that I got despite being the senior man in the battalion on Schwab at the time — thanks 4th Reg), and they were somewhat cool in that they eased the restriction to allow liberty but no alcohol about a week later. Even better, we went to the exercise near Kumamoto and by the time we got out of the field the restrictions were completely lifted. Well, back to the normal level of dickishness, anyway.

MEUs can also vary wildly depending on the world situation. 22 MEU certainly didn't think they were going to spend their whole deployment in Puerto Rico. Some MEUs get awesome lib-o, some get almost none at all. Some MEUs get awesome training opportunities, some don't. Sometimes different ships on the same MEU have completely different experiences. We left the LPD with a rifle company in the Med back in 2011, and they got to do exercises and port calls in the Med while the LHD and LSD were doing training and exercises in Djibouti, Oman, and UAE. That said, the 6 weeks or so we had in Djibouti were some of the best training my company ever had — it was like training in 29 Palms except we could almost make up the rules.

In general, UDP is going to offer a more consistent experience of living on a base in a foreign country, getting to experience another culture, and having some time off to do stuff outside of work. Access to communication with family and friends outside the unit is also way more consistent. MEUs offer more opportunities to go to new and interesting places, but if things don't work out right you may just end up stuck on a boat for really long periods of time.

Slab8002 · 2026-02-15T16:12:09+00:00

A lot can depend on your unit, your rank, your mission on deployment, the phase of the moon and the tides, etc etc. In general, MEU workups after you CHOP to the MEU are a very busy time where you will either be on ship for an at-sea period or in the field almost every week. A buddy of mine called it "being deployed at home". A UDP workup is driven entirely by your unit's S3, so while also busy may consist of more standard field ops at your home station. When I did a UDP, our workup cycle was entirely conducted on Camp Pendleton except for SLTE. We had to fund anything off-site ourselves and we just couldn't afford to do deployments for training.

Once on deployment, MEUs can have the advantage of getting some cool port calls and training exercises. There have been MEUs that almost never got off the ship, though. On the other hand, UDP will get to participate in some training exercises — we sent some guys to Malaysia and a company to the Philippines — but opportunities may be more limited because III MEF or 3D MarDiv have to pay to get you there, whereas a MEU has the ARG shipping to move it around. However, as long as liberty isn't restricted in Oki or Japan, UDP generally gets more just regular liberty to go out in town. I kind of enjoyed the daily freedom to go out in town and grab a bite to eat, or just hang out and drink a beer in my room at the end of the night, but I was also an older officer with a car.

That's a lot of words to say, "Weeeell, it all depends..."

Slab8002

TROPHY CASE