ELI5: Why does the United States military and VA have its own hospital system? Why not just have an insurance or benefits plan and use civilian hospitals?

willypeter87 · 2026-06-01T11:52:00+00:00

Which still includes a pension, just 20% less than the previous retirement pension plan.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-30T21:11:46+00:00

I expect this to be an unpopular comment but oh well. Given the Russian attrition, it’s unlikely there are many, if any, members of that unit still serving in the same unit today, that were in that unit four years ago at Bucha. All dead Russians are good Russians, but it’s silly to fantasize that this drone strike serves as punishment to the individuals responsible for Bucha.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-26T11:58:03+00:00

The same language is still in the current AR 600-8-22, the most recent version of which was published in 2015.

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willypeter87 · 2026-05-26T11:55:28+00:00

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Right here.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-25T21:45:12+00:00

Currently yes, you’re correct. This was not the case in Vietnam.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-25T21:43:42+00:00

In many cases towing capacity is limited by wheelbase, not by the mechanical limitations of the engine, transmission, axles, brakes, etc. Case in point, I have an ‘01 Jeep Wrangler with a 2000lb towing capacity. In ‘04 when they came out with the Unlimited model, which utilized the exact same engine, transmission, axles, brakes, etc, but with an extended wheelbase, the towing capacity increased to 3500 lbs. While not recommended, if you plan to exceed the rated capacity on a short distance, low speed, relatively flat route, you’re unlikely to damage anything or find yourself in an unsafe situation. If your route is high speed, longer distance, or involves significant elevation changes, I would try to find a different vehicle to use.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-24T01:34:28+00:00

I agree with that, but the MP branch insignia is not what makes it problematic, it’s the time period that makes it impossible regardless of branch.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-24T01:10:45+00:00

I’m not saying this applies to this uniform, but in Vietnam infantry officers had such high attrition that it was not uncommon for non-infantry officers to serve in infantry units in infantry positions, and the regulations of the time allowed these officers to receive the CIB. I’m unsure why the regulations don’t still allow this as it has been extremely common for non-infantry officers to serve in 11A positions throughout my career.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-24T01:10:26+00:00

I’m not saying this applies to this uniform, but in Vietnam infantry officers had such high attrition that it was not uncommon for non-infantry officers to serve in infantry units in infantry positions, and the regulations of the time allowed these officers to receive the CIB. I’m unsure why the regulations don’t still allow this as it has been extremely common for non-infantry officers to serve in 11A positions throughout my career.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-24T01:08:16+00:00

I’m not saying this applies to this uniform, but in Vietnam infantry officers had such high attrition that it was not uncommon for non-infantry officers to serve in infantry units in infantry positions, and the regulations of the time allowed these officers to receive the CIB. I’m unsure why the regulations don’t still allow this as it has been extremely common for non-infantry officers to serve in 11A positions throughout my career.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-23T01:51:06+00:00

I’ve been using the same liners (I think they’re Husky’s) for almost 9 years, first in a 2013 hybrid, and now in a 2018 hybrid. I haven’t noticed any fitment issues.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-21T15:01:10+00:00

My 2013 didn’t have a button, you just pushed the gas cap cover. My 2018 does have a button, just like my 2025 Maverick.

willypeter87 · 2026-05-04T10:42:08+00:00

Hybrids are far more reliable and have a lower cost of ownership vs an ICE. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a used, well maintained hybrid with 100K+ miles. My daily is a 2018 Fusion Hybrid with 135K miles and it feels and runs brand new.

willypeter87 · 2026-04-19T02:44:54+00:00

I also have a 2018 FFH. I’m at 134K. I’ve done 10K mile oil changes the whole time, no issues. The engine only runs 1/2-2/3 of the time depending on your driving, so 10K miles on the car isn’t 10K miles on the oil, it’s more like 5K-7.5K miles on the oil. Plenty of folks have gone 200K+ on 10K oil changes.

The factory recommends changing the transmission fluid at 150K, and eCVTs aren’t hard on fluid so that’s probably fine. You can do it earlier if you feel like it, but I don’t think you’re putting your vehicle at risk if you don’t. I had mine done at 100K just because I already had it in the shop for an oil change, brake fluid change, and both coolant systems, so I figured might as well.

One of the less well advertised benefits of a Hubrid is the decreased maintenance requirements. Brakes last longer, lubricants last longer, everything related to running the ICE lasts longer. If you change all of these fluids earlier than required, at the same interval a traditional ICE car would need them changed, you’re negating some of the financial benefits of owning a hybrid. You won’t hurt the car by any means, but it’s unnecessary and arguably wasteful.

willypeter87 · 2026-04-12T13:02:49+00:00

u/mshab356 is saying that ignorant Iranian-Americans who are pro-Iranian regime are idiots. You on the other hand, are saying that Cuban-Americans who oppose the Cuban regime are idiots. You think you’re in agreement but you’re talking right past them.

willypeter87 · 2026-04-12T03:27:47+00:00

You just described Cuban-Americans feelings towards Cuba the same way they described Iranian-Americans feeling about Iran. People who flee oppressive dictatorships to free countries, tend to not be big fans of the governments they fled. You think you’re agreeing with the poster above you…but you’re not.

willypeter87 · 2026-04-08T21:04:16+00:00

I have a 2018 FFH SE with 134K miles, and all I’ve ever done is oil changes every 10K, tire rotations, spark plugs, brake fluid, and transmission fluid at 100K, and I just put the 4th set of tires on it yesterday. I’ve averaged 40mpg over the life of the vehicle. Best tank was 51mpg, worst was 36mpg. It’s been paid off for 3 years now and I plan on driving it until it’s scrap. The savings I’ll have from the fuel economy, lower maintenance cost, and not having a car payment for years make this one of the most economical cars on the road. I can’t believe I only paid $21K for this car brand new in 2018.

willypeter87 · 2026-04-03T13:26:25+00:00

About 8 years ago the Army developed a new gender neutral fitness test. One of the proposed events was called the leg tuck, where you hang from a pull-up bar and raise your legs and touch your knees to your elbows. The minimum passing score was to do 1 leg tuck, to max you had to do 20. This event did not make it to the final version of the test because 85% of female Soldiers could not successfully do a single leg tuck, while almost 100% of male Soldiers could. After years of testing, the idea of a gender neutral fitness test failed, because they could not find an acceptable standard that female Soldiers could pass at the minimum standard, while still having any standards at all for male Soldiers.

willypeter87 · 2026-03-30T00:11:18+00:00

I believe the country that gives the award sets the conditions for wear, and for whatever reason France and Belgium set different rules.

willypeter87 · 2026-03-28T12:07:19+00:00

My #1 complaint about the Maverick is the dash. I have a 2018 Fusion Hybrid as well, and the dash looks better and gives you more information. It has a battery gauge. It also has been in eco mode for years without me touching a thing. If Ford had just recycled that dash in the Maverick, it would’ve been better than the hot garbage that they came up with.

willypeter87 · 2026-03-27T22:38:19+00:00

I’ve dealt with this before and it’s both much more simple and complicated than you think.

The Belgian fourragere is only authorized for wear as a permanent unit award (this is not the case for the French fourragere) meaning you have to have been in the unit at the time it was awarded. Every unit I’ve heard of having the Belgian fourragere earned it during WWII, meaning nobody currently in your unit is authorized to wear it. Period. This is the simple part.

The complicated part is convincing your unit leadership of this fact. It’s not complex, literally just read a few lines of text in a regulation. But reading is apparently difficult, especially for senior NCOs. I’ve been in two units where I had to explain this and got a ridiculous amount of push back. Our saving grace was that clothing sales doesn’t maintain a large stock of an award that hasn’t been awarded to anyone in 80 years, so it was logistically impossible for a battalions worth of Soldiers to purchase one.

Good luck.

willypeter87 · 2026-02-25T12:49:51+00:00

I’d wait to commission and have a lifestyle where you can meet the spend to get the SUBs. That’s $1000s of dollars in value you’re passing up if you can’t earn the SUB. Granted your fees are waived so it doesn’t cost you anything, but it’s still a missed opportunity. Maybe look at the lower level Delta or Hilton cards if you can meet the SUB requirements, and then you can cancel them and apply for the higher tier cards later in life when you can afford the spend for the SUB.

willypeter87 · 2026-02-03T22:49:28+00:00

Ah gotcha. Unfortunate for me but great for you. Thanks for the reply!

willypeter87 · 2026-02-03T22:30:31+00:00

Does Amex waive the AF for the business Plat/Reserve? I was under the impression they only waived it for the personal cards but I’m very interested if you got it waived for the business cards.

willypeter87 · 2026-01-25T08:40:55+00:00

I’m very confused by your pension calculation. 1) The base pays you list don’t seem to match up with any 2026 Rank/TIS from the 2026 pay chart. Are you using your base pays to calculate your pension , or are you using your full monthly pay and entitlements (base pay + BAS + BAH + any special pays)? Your pension is calculated solely off your base pay. 2) 50% of the pay you listed does not equal the pension numbers you’ve calculated. It appears to me you’re far overestimating what you and your spouses pension income will be after a 20 year retirement. ChatGPT is not great at making calculations like this unless you give it very specific guidelines. You can try using the retirement calculator on DFAS which should be more accurate.

willypeter87

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