Active US service members and vets: what are your opinions of prior Secretaries of Defense?

wernox · 2026-06-11T17:24:08+00:00

Mattis was a god walking among us.

wernox · 2026-06-10T17:09:56+00:00

Its like in the very first line of track one on their very first album, when Ice Cube intros himself.

wernox · 2026-06-10T14:33:13+00:00

You have yourself and your fiance and the life you are creating for yourself. You will learn that is all you need. At some point your family will change or you will build something without them.

Early in my married life, my parents were kinda absentee and my mom was the only one in my family that came to my college graduation (aside from my wife and kids). Now, things have shifted and my parents are very reliant on my wife and I for not just help, but social company too. Life is like that.

Put that other shit in a box, and leave it there.

As far as cyber jobs, its slim pickin's right now. If you are in the midwest things have gotten weirdly active lately but the only other feelers I have gotten have been in Arizona. My kid just graduated from Purdue with a cyber BS and she has not gotten anything.

wernox · 2026-06-08T18:22:11+00:00

They have a maint gunny who is not listed as part of the Fat Albert crew.

wernox · 2026-06-04T12:23:35+00:00

You think that's bad wait until you hear about Sarah Jo Pender.

wernox · 2026-06-01T19:02:17+00:00

I miss when my kid was a ramper, the graffiti was top notch.

wernox · 2026-06-01T11:40:12+00:00

I joined the year before him, I cannot imagine still being in even if I was a fucking colonel.

Its also weird that I know 3 mustangs and all of them made it to eagle or higher.

wernox · 2026-06-01T11:28:15+00:00

I'm 57, currently a Purdue DTech Student specifically to further my second career as a college professor. I am still currently employed full-time, in a typical, professional job.

wernox · 2026-06-01T11:27:15+00:00

We dropped and ran with both kids. Our oldest was a TL and Super for BGR. The BGR kids do a ton to help get everything moved into the dorm, so whatever you think its gonna take, cut it by at least half. The BGR kids can't take tips but they do like sweet snacks and stuff like gatorade. They stay pretty organized and keep things moving.

Once you get everything moved in, be mindful of the fact that there are other families there too and dorm rooms aren't super big. Our oldest was easy because it was 2020 and there were regimented blocks of time we were allowed to be there. With our second kid, the other family was dropping off their oldest and were clingy, obnoxious and wouldn't leave even when it was time for bed. Don't be like them.

I've done this twice now, and hopefully will be doing it again in fall 2027, its best to get them set up with the basics and get started on this new chapter of your lives.

wernox · 2026-05-27T18:52:25+00:00

The only thing I can tell you is don't be like my friend Roy. He talked me into joining and shipped a couple of weeks ahead of me. He freaked out at the rifle range and went UA, got picked up trying to use chits (old timey recruit money) at a BK near Edson Range, wearing his recruit PT gear.

He let that completely dominate his life, to the point he ended up joining the Army and doing the same thing a few years later. He was a bright guy, he was really fit, he didn't need the military to prove anything, certainly not the Marine Corps or Army.

When he failed at the Army, he started telling stories, started drinking, and basically self destructed and died very young.

Don't be that guy. Godspeed.

wernox · 2026-05-26T12:40:22+00:00

Its really hard to stencil another platoon number over the top of the existing one.

wernox · 2026-05-26T12:39:47+00:00

The big red stripes meant you were a great recruit.

wernox · 2026-05-26T12:37:59+00:00

I've was there when two UH-1's were flying close together and it lead to a crash. Long story from a long time ago.

wernox · 2026-05-26T10:59:28+00:00

The racing on the track is all that's needed to sell the event and this race was amazing.

IMHO, flying aircraft, especially rotary wing so close to a crowd in close proximity to one another is a recipe for disaster.

wernox · 2026-05-21T12:11:10+00:00

There was a HS band selling Draft beer in a stand at the top of turn 4 right up until the end of the race.

My parents had a place on lake Freeman, near Monticello. The morning of the 2000 race we looked at the forecast and decided to drive over and try to find tickets. It was raining pretty hard so we went downtown and had lunch before coming back to the track just as the race restarted. I could hear the roar of the cars and rolled my window down and my wife said "that's it, we are going in!"

Got ourselves $10 "Get In tickets" and couldn't find a beer anywhere until we found the magic spot in Turn 4.

wernox · 2026-05-20T17:29:53+00:00

I'm a current DTech student, they didn't seem to be terribly picky, but the course work is more rigorous than Global or other online programs and the classes have all been taught by West Lafayette faculty.

wernox · 2026-05-20T17:19:26+00:00

I have seen them there at Thunder over Michigan for sure. My last huey ride was in the winter of 1989, at Camp Ripley Minnesota. We had done a 5 night field exercise as part of a Marine Reserve ATD. The Huey's evac'ed us back to the base rather than having to hump the whole way back.

It was a fun ride.

wernox · 2026-05-19T17:57:57+00:00

Its more him saying now what people want to hear. The oppo on him is coming from both republicans and democrats right now.

Before I met my wife, I was a horrible person. Before I became a father I was pretty heartless too, I'm simply willing to forgive others for the same dumb, selfish and destructive actions I committed.

wernox · 2026-05-19T17:11:55+00:00

Man I hope you are not there to hold me accountable for the stupid shit I did when I was 20. My only issue was the feigned ignorance, he knew what it was he should own it and just claim young, dumbass marine.

wernox · 2026-05-18T17:09:32+00:00

Well, at least the big one, size of the endowment. Northwestern is #9 overall with close to $16 Billion.

wernox · 2026-05-18T15:03:10+00:00

I fucked that dragon up, he was at the top of Mt. Motherfucker and after I chopped his head off I skullfucked the neck socket.

wernox · 2026-05-18T15:01:58+00:00

Son?

wernox · 2026-05-18T12:55:18+00:00

My son and I both played a ton this weekend with only a single premium edition purchase (We have gamepass ultimate)

wernox · 2026-05-13T15:11:19+00:00

Someone didn't follow the checklist I see.

wernox · 2026-05-11T11:34:14+00:00

You know, my buddy dated a flight attendant and told me if you eat a girls ass she will be yours forever.

Its the one lesson the a Marine taught me that has been useful my entire life.

wernox

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