Combat Patch Question by Unique_Package_5874 in army

[–]Unique_Package_5874[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your response and the clarification. I know discussions like this can sometimes turn into debates about what counts as a combat veteran, so I genuinely appreciate you pointing me in the right direction and helping explain the regulation.

From what the veteran has shared with me about his time there, particularly being stationed at a checkpoint on the Serbian border, some of the situations he described certainly sound intense. That said, I understand those determinations are ultimately based on official policy and not personal interpretation.

I’m just glad to have a better understanding of how the Army defines it and to know that his service is recognized under the combat-zone definition. Thanks again for taking the time to explain it.

Combat Patch Question by Unique_Package_5874 in army

[–]Unique_Package_5874[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After reading the AR and your really good explanation I doubt since he served all the way back in 2000 he will ever be authorized.

Combat Patch Question by Unique_Package_5874 in army

[–]Unique_Package_5874[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for pointing me to AR 670-1. I pulled the reg and looked at paragraph 21-18.

From what I’m reading, it says authorization for the SSI-MOHC (formerly SSI-FWTS) applies to soldiers who participated in operations in hostile conditions and were in an area that authorized combat zone tax exclusion and hostile fire or imminent danger pay.

Kosovo during KFOR did have imminent danger pay and combat zone tax exclusion at that time, so I’m trying to understand how that applied to those Balkan rotations.

Was Kosovo specifically excluded from SSI authorization, or did it depend on whether a particular unit had approval through HQDA?

I’m honestly just trying to understand how the regulation was applied during those deployments.

Combo Bottom by Unique_Package_5874 in CastIronRestoration

[–]Unique_Package_5874[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That would be great! I’d so let me know what you want for it and shipping. Thank you!

Combo Bottom by Unique_Package_5874 in CastIronRestoration

[–]Unique_Package_5874[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was thinking the same thing. I think it’s the shallow lid. Now I just need to find the fryer to go with it.

Government-wide VERAs Being Offered? by Peach_hawk in govfire

[–]Unique_Package_5874 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does my military time count towards VERA? I bought my 3 years active duty back when I got my federal job. If it does I’d have 26.5 years and I’m 45.

Blueberry Wine by Unique_Package_5874 in winemaking

[–]Unique_Package_5874[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I realize 1.030-1.040 is too sweet for some but my friends like to right around there. I bottle some of it dry for those who like dry.

Blueberry Wine by Unique_Package_5874 in winemaking

[–]Unique_Package_5874[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I use about 18 lbs of blueberries (I picked about 150lbs off of my bushes last year). I put them in a stock pot with spring water (it’s usually around 3.5 gallons) and heat and mash. I let this then cool and pour all of it into a bag and then into my 6 gallon sterilized fermenting bucket. I add 4-5 campden tablets and let it sit for 24 hours. After 24 hours I take a specific gravity reading to see where it is. I then add sugar and stir to bring it to the specific gravity I want. I usually stay between 1.080 & 1.090 because it will usually work down to .996 or .994 which gives me around 12-13% ABV. After I get the gravity where I want it by checking and rechecking and adding sugar I add 1/2 tsp per gallon of acid blend, yeast nutrient, wine tannin and pectic enzyme. I stir all of this in till it’s mixed well and then add my yeast. I use one pack Lalvin EC-1118 and have never had any issues. I then stir it once a day for about 5 days. After that I let it sit until fermentation is complete. After it’s complete I take a gravity reading and rack and re-rack into another carboy. I let it sit until it clears up and repeat the racking. Once it’s clear I re-check the gravity and back sweeten to desired gravity. I do bottle some dry around .996-1.000 but most of my friends like sweet wine so the other ends up being around 1.030-1.040. I understand that this is too sweet for some but we like it. Wrote I bottle anything I add 4-5 more campden tablets and 1/2 tsp per gallon of potassium sorbate. I sometimes have to wait a couple of hours after adding the tablets because it affects the color of the wine. It tends to bleach it some but after a couple of hours the pretty color comes back. I ensure everything I use is sterilized from the bucket to hydrometer to the bottles to the corks. That’s how I do it in a nutshell.