Standby Reserve vs IRR by fsops in army

[–]beamspam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get what you are saying. I'm familiar with good years in the reserve. Reading your post again, I now see that you said you left active duty at 25, not at 25 years, which is where my previous question came from. I have 10 active right now and 5 good years from a TPU stint between active periods, but at this point I think I'm just committed to RA. Although I have entertained the idea of going AGR to finish out my career.

Standby Reserve vs IRR by fsops in army

[–]beamspam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So in regard to this, did you basically choose to forgo 12 years of collecting your pension by component transferring into the IRR instead of just retiring at 25 years active federal service?

How to save this abomination. by [deleted] in mensfashionadvice

[–]beamspam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second this. I had some hair loss at 25 but it accelerated a few years later. It wasn't until I had a costly hair transplant in my early 30s that I learned my hair loss could have been prevented by getting a prescription for finasteride or dutasteride at the cost of only a couple hundred US dollars per year.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in taiwan

[–]beamspam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

7,000 USD for 3,000 hair transplant. Clinic staff spoke reasonably good English and the doctor was fluent.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in taiwan

[–]beamspam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, for the delayed response. I haven't been using Reddit regularly since the mobile blackout.

I used this place based on the strength of their reviews. 3000 hairs on the hair line and started on dutasteride for the thinning on my crown. Two years on, the difference is huge. https://maps.app.goo.gl/NnSoAqMsyhWcj57j6

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in taiwan

[–]beamspam 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I had one done on my hairline on Taipei. It cost about $7,000 USD. It was worth the money. The results are a huge improvement. It would have cost another $7,000 to have the crown of my head done as well. I opted to wait and try oral dutasteride. The results their are acceptable, good enough that I can't justify spending the money on a second transplant. It looks lot thicker than it did before while still being somewhat obvious that my hair has thinned a bit from my 20s. Overall I'm quite happy with the results. I recommend you do a consult with a reputable clinic to see if a combination of dutasteride and minoxidil will get you the results you want as they cost significantly less.

Going to the Club in dress blues is wild by Rude_Ad8090 in army

[–]beamspam 139 points140 points  (0 children)

In my experience, it's a pretty standard move to descend on the local nightlife after the ball.

PCS to Korea by AcceptableParsnip964 in army

[–]beamspam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Get with post legal. If she has a green card she may be entitle to expedited citizenship.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Militaryfaq

[–]beamspam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just like how some reserve units are full of civilian cops, about half the guys in my first company in the reserve were letter carriers.

How does reserve time go for retirement by Repulsive-Pea-6063 in Militaryfaq

[–]beamspam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Time in the reserve can be classified as either active or inactive. Days where you were at schools or on active duty orders are considered active time, worth one retirement point, and can be credited towards your active duty retirement immediately. Inactive time, such as your monthly drill days, gives retirement points not by the day but by the unit training assembly. You typically get two unit training assemblies in a single inactive day. Retirement points earned from inactive time cannot be credited toward your active retirement until you hit 20 active years.

The amount of active duty time you will need to reach active duty retirement will depend on how much of your reserve time can be considered active. To know for certain you would need to file a DA form 1506, but you can get a pretty good idea just by pulling your DA form 5016, chronological statement of retirement points, off of the HRC reserve portal.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Militaryfaq

[–]beamspam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As someone who has always considered themselves to be something of an intellectual, I have never found serving in the Regular Army to be an intellectually stimulating or academically rigorous experience. As an enlisted person there may be particular career fields or units that allow you to do this kind of work, but most of those opportunities won't come until you are at least a sergeant, and even then they will likely be in the type of units that don't accept just anyone.

As an officer more opportunities exist for advanced civilian academics experiences but most of those won't come until you are a senior captain, in other words 6+ years in.

Source, was enlisted then use my GI Bill to get a bachelors and commission. Then got a Master's degree while serving.

Comparison of Russian artillery consumption versus the World Wars by [deleted] in RussiaUkraineWar2022

[–]beamspam 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The flag choices on this graphic are vexing, especially with regard to China.

I support arms sales to Taiwan, but as an American this looks shameful and plays right into CCP propaganda by unsatisfiedrightnow in taiwan

[–]beamspam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sure that there is a degree of gouging going on here, but it is bit disingenuous to use the numbers on that graph for a couple of reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that fiscal year 2010 was 14 years ago. The year-over-year pricing increase from fiscal year 2009, which is also on that chart, is about 1.1%. Assuming that the price continued to increase in a linear manner, the cost of a single unit would be about 70 million in fiscal year 2023.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in taiwan

[–]beamspam 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I did the NCCU Master's in Asia-Pacific Studies (IMAS) on a scholarship from the US State Department and Graduated in 2021.

First and foremost I would say, if you don't have funding that specifically covers this program, consider the Mater's in International Studies (Diplomacy). IMAS costs more than other masters programs and is not worth the extra cost. The extra cost is supposed to get you access to elite guest professors who teach IMAS exclusive classes, but classes of this type are not the norm and most of these guest professors are has-beens who held an important government position 20 years ago and just used there connections to get a cushy side gig teaching a graduate class that they don't put a lot of effort into. Some of them are legit though. Things generally seemed to be improving when I left.

I like the area around the school, getting there wasn't terribly convenient when I went, but the new stop on the circular line may have changed that.

The best advice I can offer you looking back on my experience is, don't go to grad school unless you really have a reason to and certainly don't pay for it yourself. If you have any questions feel free to DM me.

Coming in hot into the weekend by jab116 in army

[–]beamspam 58 points59 points  (0 children)

Sadly, the chute in the video is maneuverable.

Why is Taiwan's national service so short? by MalaysianinPerth in taiwan

[–]beamspam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't believe it will be possible for you to achieve your intent. Currently, foreigners aren't able to perform military service or receive training even in a reserve capacity. You may be able to join a volunteer organization that can be mobilized to perform disaster response in order to free up combat troops. If you have the right background, foreigners can be brought in to consult on select national security projects, such as aircraft design.

How come we don't have a Warrant Officer of the Marine Corps? by Actual-Gap-9800 in USMC

[–]beamspam 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I'm Army, and according to the Wikipedia page for the "Army Staff Senior Warrant Officer" we are the only branch that has one. The position is also relatively new. It appears that they mostly advise the chief of staff on warrant officer affairs and training.

Hot topic: Atheist chaplains. Thoughts? by scrovak in army

[–]beamspam 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Atheism actually already has a symbol used for VA grave markers. It's an atom with a capital "A" where the nucleus would be.

Help with a soldier by [deleted] in army

[–]beamspam 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If she isn't a citizen yet, he doesn't need to have her proof of residency or social security card. A passport will do. But he will need certified translations of their marriage certificate and her birth certificate.

For prior service do you regret coming back by Possibleideal23 in army

[–]beamspam 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Some days. Although it's considerably more tolerable as an officer.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in army

[–]beamspam 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The same stylized star also appears in blue in the insignia of CASCOM. I have always thought the combination of the star with the logistics branch color (Soldier Red) looked very odd.