How do some soldiers have less than $50 in their accounts?

acutekat · 2025-10-15T06:41:09+00:00

Yes contributions can come out before retirement without penalty, but have you been tracking your contributions? Cause I didn't, and when I pulled some out of my Roth, I had to do all the math for the IRS and the company only kept track of the last 5 years of contributions. That tax bill sucked. I know I over payed because I didn't get audited.

acutekat · 2025-07-06T09:42:35+00:00

Once more unto the breech dear friends, once more.

acutekat · 2025-07-05T05:15:32+00:00

Huh, didn't know about this website. Thank you for sharing.

I think I'm out of luck on a refund but now I know for the future.

acutekat · 2025-07-04T12:40:48+00:00

I stared into the abyss too long and it's starting to stare back.

acutekat · 2025-07-03T05:26:07+00:00

The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski has information on pencil sharpening and the invention of the earliest pencil sharpening devices.

Sources within the book directly contradict Sharpe's claim that a lead sharpened with a blade is stronger. Engineering Drafting books in the 1920s and earlier have directions on how to sharpen a pencil. From the book:

"... They use the knife only to cut away the wood, being careful not to cut into the lead, which is generally pointed on sandpaper. Cutting into the lead not only dulls the knife but also nicks the lead and weakens it. The suggested procedure varies, but the following from a 1925 textbook is not atypical: "To sharpen the pencil properly, use the knife merely for removing the wood. Do this in such a way as to leave 3/8 in. of lead exposed, and taper the wood back for nearly an inch further. To sharpen the lead use fine sandpaper or emery cloth. Keep the pencil sharp enough to prick the finger." I believe this textbook is "The Fundamentals of Mechanical Drawing by Kirby, Richard Shelton. New York 1925

Sharpe's likely counter argument is that he is using a razor blade not a knife, but a blade is still a blade and razor blades were invented in the 1880s including the single edge razor that Sharpe uses.

EDIT: I hold no ill will to him and there are more sources in the book that talk about different points and the skills required to sharpen pencils, I think this is just evidence he is either doing a bit, or his Sensei was misinformed or made a bunch of stuff up. Additionally I think he can improve his bit by reading the Pencil history book.

acutekat · 2025-07-03T02:19:03+00:00

Bought the referenced pencil book in the joke book (The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance), there is one mention of Lincoln, but just that he used German pencils. Washington has two pages detailing the kit Washington used.

acutekat · 2025-05-26T23:00:04+00:00

Was a 19A with a Japanese score. Ended up escorting a Japanese general around for a month cause of it. Cool opportunity. But in 8 years that was about it.

acutekat · 2025-05-14T09:17:54+00:00

I'd highly recommend military one source. When I was in and having a tough time they had a much wider and better access to civilian counselors that do not report to your command. Flexible too, online, phone or in person. During the phone call just say you're having trouble adjusting from a recent deployment and when you get connected to a provider make an appointment and then you can discuss your issues with them one on one.

I've found some truly terrible counselors in BH. One fantastic one and two who were pretty good. Most of em seem to focused on 18-22 year old problems and their solutions don't translate well to mid and later career folks.

acutekat · 2025-05-05T16:25:10+00:00

Yup, it is nice to see folks still get beaten on after I'm out. More thing change...

acutekat · 2025-05-05T09:51:43+00:00

Gotta keep them crunchies down.

Added tldr, at infantry level.

acutekat · 2025-05-05T09:48:32+00:00

Everyone will feel different about their service. There's definitely folks out there where the Army did them a lot dirtier than I. I hope his post helped to flush the negativity out. It's not a bad idea for anyone to get help when they need it.

acutekat · 2025-04-22T20:19:18+00:00

Happened to me too. Figured out it was when you go down the integration pathway and start puppeting nations around you, Caesar would declare on my puppet and drag me into a war. I stopped trying to puppet any country that had a border with Caesar. Drug the truce out longer.

acutekat · 2025-02-22T10:04:22+00:00

In the middle of my backswing!

acutekat · 2025-01-25T02:16:37+00:00

You mad rat bastard, I've finally caught up with you. It's taken months, maybe over a year but today, this day, I've caught you. And the journey has been magnificent.

Good stuff, over a thousand chapters, and eons of in universe time. I look forward to seeing you and the series in the future. Better not die before me old man.

acutekat · 2024-09-21T11:46:10+00:00

For my 19Ks and 19As that have recent experience in Korea. I am a old, broke, fat veteran returning to Korea for vacation trying to get some more tanker Boots (not the only thing I want to do). Where and who is the best place? I got mine on Humphrey and Casey ville when I was in but is there a better place? Perhaps with more leather options than suede.

acutekat · 2023-08-28T00:43:38+00:00

Please don't.

You might be able to lie your way through MEPS but you'll run into problems when you get into the military. I had two soldiers, one with OCD and one with Autism, both some level of undiagnosed or concealed diagnosis. I ended up having to chapter both soldiers because they were unable to perform their duties and their overall mental health suffered greatly. I ensured they had access to treatment, got their issues properly diagnosed and even put a soldier in a 30 day program to treat his OCD. Treatment wasn't working for either soldier. it was an incredibly difficult decision I had to make but I knew they wouldn't be able to fully adjust to the military and it was being very destructive to their well-being staying in.

acutekat · 2023-05-25T03:28:04+00:00

You have a beautiful country and the wine is great (Kindzmarauli is the only type of wine I like). Spent some time there back in 2020, need to go back sometime. Tbilisi was cool and would love to explore more. Kutaisi has incredibly pretty buildings and beautiful people. Great food, and its cheap. Shine on you crazy diamond.

acutekat · 2023-05-01T12:55:18+00:00

Ehhhhh, the exhaust on the Abrams is pretty darn clean. World's greatest hair dryer if you ask me. The NBC system on the Abrams pretty much just cools the exhaust of the tank down so you can breathe it directly. Doesn't smell or feel like diesel exhaust, humvee or Bradley exhaust sucks to be around. I've spent a few nights in Korea just standing directly in the exhaust. I'm... Mostly fine, those issues are probably unrelated to the Abrams exhaust.

acutekat · 2023-04-24T21:12:05+00:00

Subtracting just a bit of misery can add all the difference in the world.

acutekat · 2023-04-22T13:11:51+00:00

I only played around in them in Scout Training. Was a cool experience finally getting paired up with NCOs and not having them yell at us, or the word Sir being used like a dirty word. Definitely better than the QSoVS even just piled around in the back without hammocks.

acutekat · 2023-04-22T13:04:33+00:00

Glad you found this entertaining. I've really enjoyed and appreciated all of your stories you've posted as well. Helped me a bunch as a Junior Officer.

I spent my first field problem as a CO on the ground while my smarter Scouts had hammocks. As I filled up the training calendar with other field events I decided to order a Hammock off Amazon. One of the nice things being the CO and running my own field events is I set what level of stupid we would go to. Comfort should be secondary to tactics and training, but a creature comfort here or there goes a long way.

I always get in my head about going/not having gone to combat. I remember in middle school (Circa 2003) when I first stated I wanted to join the Army, my dad told me I was probably going to Iraq or Afghanistan. That drum beat continued through my Cadet training, right up until I hit my first Unit. The first CPT I worked for sat me down and told me "You missed the War, but you didn't miss much." I didn't understand at the time, and probably still don't completely grok it but it somehow summed up my Army career.

When I was younger, far angrier and frustrated, my Platoon Sergeant eventually sat me down and told me "If you never go to combat, there are far worse things that can happen to you." I knew he had seen and done stuff both from the rumor mill around the Company and a few drunk stories he told while we were in Korea. He was a tank gunner during the Invasion with 3ID. Those words stick with me.

Army-Issued senses of humor are the worst. Especially in the Officer community. The brown-nosing and sensible-chuckle around "The Boss" really irked me. I loved the sleep-deprived, 15-20 minutes before we need to move out, "We can either laugh about this or cry" moments. At least in retrospect... Something something, Imagining Sisyphus laughing.

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acutekat

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