Forum go'ers, post your story!

[desmo_2]

@Snargfargle made a post in a current thread:

where he mentioned the experiences of our posting members.  His post made me curious about our forum membership, and I would love to hear your life stories.  Opinions can often carry much more weight when you know the real world experiences that fuel them.

 In contrast, I have no real life credibility.

I was a so-so high school student who preferred chicks, friends, good times, beer and cars to academics.  But I managed to graduate, then joined the US Navy and served as an Avionics Technician (AT) working on P-3B Orions ('88-'94).

Once I acquired my DD-214 woobie blanket (aka - honorable discharge) I floundered as a security guard for a bit, then as a state corrections officer for 1.5 years (much suck, don't recommend).  During that tenure I applied for and was eventually accepted into the state highway patrol.  I worked the road for 27 years, during which I fulfilled extra duty assignments in SWAT for 9 years, motorcycle officer for 15 years, and riot control squad for 14 years (some of these years obviously overlapping).  I witnessed the infamous Ferguson riots first hand several times, where I learned "anniversary riots" are apparently an accepted thing.

I have now been retired for a grand total of 27 days.  Booya.

Edited February 28 by desmo_2

[Wolfswetpaws]

When "Baked Lays" potato-chips were a new product, I decided to see if I could bake normal potato-chips to remove excess oils and achieve similar results.

So, I bought some Ruffles ridged potato-chips. 
Then I piled some of them on a baking-pan intended for use in my Toaster Oven.
Next, I placed the pan of piled chips (the pile being about 2 to 2 & 1/2 inches high) into my Black & Decker brand-named Toaster Oven.
I closed the door and set the temperature for 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

I didn't "pre-heat" the oven, so the heating elements automatically went to full-power to bring the temperature up as quickly as possible.
Within a few minutes the top of the pile of potato-chips had caught fire.

Whoops.  Rut-roh!

The flames were exiting the top-rear of the oven by the time I'd noticed.

I donned an oven-mitt and opened the door of the Toaster Oven and removed the pan of burning chips.  The flames were now nearly a foot tall.

I decided against using a fire-extinguisher and instead brought the pan to my kitchen sink and doused the flames with water.

The smoke had filled my apartment and there was smoke residue staining the wall behind the Toaster-Oven.
At some point I remembered to turn-off the Toaster Oven.

Back in those days, our family and extended family had joined a website (I think it was Family.com or something) which served as an early form of a social-media site for those of us who were participating.
I decided to write-up my experience and publish it for our family to read (and learn what not to do, based upon my experience).

Later that year, my Godmother gifted me a "Microwave Potato-chip Maker" as a joke.  🙂 

[Frostbow]

56 minutes ago, desmo_2 said:

was a so-so high school student who preferred chicks, friends, good times, beer and cars to academics.

[Snargfargle]

8 hours ago, desmo_2 said:

 In contrast, I have no real life credibility.

On the contrary, I'd say that you have had an interesting career. I haven't done anything really special, I've mainly just "farted around" in life. Here's a list of what I've done, at least what I can remember.

Lawn Mowing, Farm Hand, General construction, TV repairman, Janitor, Preacher, Fur trapper, Cafeteria Worker, Army medic, Camp counselor, Carpenter, Roofer, EMT, Hospital Intensive-Care Technician, Firefighter-paramedic, Museum curator, Database programmer, Telecommunications business owner/director, Scuba diver (mostly I just swam around looking at the fishies but I also did some recovery work), Electrical motor repairman, Electronics technician, Field biologist, Apartment maintenance and night manager, Caregiver, Fish hatchery technician, Boating safety instructor, Instructor of Biology and Natural Resources Technology.

Now I'm just lazy. Mostly I read, watch movies, play WOWS, hunt and fish a bit, shoot at targets, garden, goof around in my shop, and do a lot of maintenance and lawn mowing in the summers. Last summer I painted my house and re-built my deck, this summer I either need to put my fence back up or tear it down.

[Itwastuesday]

ADD, academic failure, depression, kid, more academic failure and depression, divorce, odd jobs... Security, conveyor belt guy, construction, painting, assembly mechanic, document produktion... Now I work at a digitization project. Hobbies kendo and still video games obviously. 

[Admiral_Karasu]

I took a shortcut to laziness myself, eventually taking medical retirement as the best of a bunch of bad options. Prior to that, I had achieved academic failure, at least, something which could be called 'incomplete higher education', officially. In a sense I did 'graduate' from having a brain that was functional in selective areas only to having a brain that is dysfunctional across a wider spectrum. I'm also something you could think of as an analogue model in a digital world.

[palestreamer]

My only accomplishment is to somehow make it to my 36th wedding anniversary. In a fit of youthful craziness we got married on leap year day 1988, so this Thursday is our "ninth" anniversary.

Other than that an undistinguished career in printing and city bus driving. Now retired.

[Itwastuesday]

32 minutes ago, palestreamer said:

My only accomplishment is to somehow make it to my 36th wedding anniversary. In a fit of youthful craziness we got married on leap year day 1988, so this Thursday is our "ninth" anniversary.

It is a fine accomplishment. I'm planning to propose in a fit of middle-aged craziness, but haven't quite figured out the specifics. 

[I_cant_Swim_]

@palestreamer That's tomorrow, mate. Cool! So allow me to be the first to wish you a Happy Ninth!

[Ensign Cthulhu]

Histopathologist (Anatomical pathologist) with a particular interest in non-criminal autopsy pathology. Trained in Australia and then moved to Canada to follow my heart. 

Hobbies include reading (main interest is the BEF on the Western Front), informal target shooting and reloading, gaming (mostly but not exclusively WOWS), doing occasional things around the house with saws, drills and screwdrivers (some of my wife's garden beds are my creation), and being a sleeping pillow for an over-affectionate tabby. 

[Aethervox]

10 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

Australia and then moved to Canada

A 'down underer' to 'up here'? There are a few of you that do this, lol. Cheers. So you read about the BEF - is that because you had a relative in it? My english born grandfather (& a number of his brothers, tho, UK citizens) served in what is referred to as the new model army (think that was Kitchener's reforms).

[Ensign Cthulhu]

2 minutes ago, Aethervox said:

So you read about the BEF - is that because you had a relative in it?

There's a story for the telling here. In late 2001, I moved to a new town to take on a new training post, and since I'm a bookworm my first port of call was the local library. Up until that point, my understanding of the land war in WW1 was of a war of attrition which somehow eventually sputtered to a negotiated end, and my history teachers at school were not complimentary regarding the British.

In that library, I found John Terraine's To Win A War: 1918, the Year of Victory, which (among other things) detailed just how viciously the British Army had mauled the Germans in the last 100 days of the war. It was an eye-opener. So I kept on reading, checking sources, buying references that had been cited, etc. etc., and very quickly came to the realization that everything my teachers had taught me about World War 1 history was a lie, and probably a deliberate one. 

[Aethervox]

My short biographical story is I liked school but was an indifferent college/university attendee. My work went from some surveying (a grandfather's business) & sawmill experience to eight years on tugboats (BC coast) then onto twenty-seven years working on ferries (BC). Now retired some eight years. Married & divorced twice, two children. My hobbies have always been board games, some D&D (1e), some table top miniatures & models, forest hiking & last couple years - paddle boarding (to embrace my inner amphibian). &, ofc, addicted to WoWS (here I would prefer the pre-CV rework version). Cheers, to all you fellow 'Captains'.

[Admiral_Karasu]

@Aethervox You... liked school?

[Aethervox]

3 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

In that library, I found John Terraine's To Win A War: 1918, the Year of Victory

As a history aficionado myself, school sanctioned history leaves much to be desired. Yes, there are many excellent historians' books on WW1 (or any other historical subject). By late 1918, the German army was on the verge of collapse (for a number of reasons) so, I'm sure, as you say, things were brutal then. I'd say the whole war (WW1) was exceedingly brutal (nothing we've seen in modern times is even close). What were some of the WW1 terms? 'steel rain' , 'pink mist' (as only two examples). One of my grand-uncles in WW1 became mist - just a name on a memorial 'over there'.

[Aethervox]

2 minutes ago, Admiral_Karasu said:

@Aethervox You... liked school?

Yes, absolutely, until halfway thru grade 12, then I became disillusioned by how 'kindergartenish' even high school was, in some ways. I've always enjoyed & celebrated learning new things - maybe I'm an outlier but this is my nature :). My generation got the old 'british' style education here in Canada when 'latin' was still an offering in high school (only the 'brainiacs' took that, lol).

[Ensign Cthulhu]

Just now, Aethervox said:

nothing we've seen in modern times is even close

The Eastern Front in World War 2 was most likely worse, but none of the sensitive English poets or self-loathing historians cared much because they weren't the ones doing the dying. As Terraine never tired of pointing out, World War 1 was the first and only time that the British Army ever fought the main army of the enemy in large numbers. Up until that point, all their wars had been limited-liability affairs. 

3 minutes ago, Aethervox said:

By late 1918, the German army was on the verge of collapse (for a number of reasons)

Royal Navy blockade + influenza + having the living **** kicked out of them after their last desperate throw at going for the win failed, because they lost sight of their objectives and went for easy gains in territory that ultimately meant nothing. By the time that was over, they'd used up what was left of their best, fresh men (transferred from the east after Russia capitulated) and British industry was finally well developed enough to give the British Army what it had always needed; enough artillery (and ammunition for it) to run two major assaults in close succession, with no need to pause in between (and give the Germans time to regroup and prepare). 

1 minute ago, Aethervox said:

My generation got the old 'british' style education here in Canada when 'Latin' was still an offering in high school

Latin was one of my matriculation subjects (1988). It made medicine a lot easier, because I could surmise the functions of some of the muscles simply from their names and skip a lot of learning. It used to be compulsory for medical school, though it wasn't when I did it, but being of Italian extraction made it that much more culturally interesting because these were my ancestors. And it was much more objective than the garbage I would have had to serve up in English. 

[Aethervox]

5 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

enough artillery

My english born grandfather & one of his brothers were in the artillery branch - later in the Cdn army. Yep, artillery, the 'Queen of Battle' they say

[ArIskandir]

15 hours ago, desmo_2 said:

and I would love to hear your life stories. 

Since you ask... 

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Always suffered from the "smartest kid in class" syndrome coupled with being tall and strong I was in the rare position of being able to bully the bullies, I've always had a fascination for military and history themes and I'm sure I would have had a military career if I would had been born in a country with better military institutions and traditions (not the one that produced Chavez & Co.). At some point I seriously considered joining the Foreign French Legion but alas, life has its own plans. I was a father at 16, so had to double efforts to work and provide for my son and keep studying, managed to graduate as Mechanical Engineer (thanks public education system). Meanwhile in Venezuela... You read the news, you should know what happened (and still happens) and I proudly managed to get on the bad side of those guys (there's still a list with my name on it, you can check it online ;). 

By this point in history I had already married my wife (she's a mexican psychologist) so moving out from Venezuela was a no-brainer choice, even if it implied leaving it all behind. So there started an interesting journey that took us to Mexico, Colombia and back to Mexico working across multiple fields as Organic Agriculture and Electronic Security (which is my current occupation). I'm not yet 50 so there's still a lot of paths waiting to be explored and stories to be written (unless early death happens ofc).

Edited February 28 by ArIskandir

[Asym]

57 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

There's a story for the telling here. In late 2001, I moved to a new town to take on a new training post, and since I'm a bookworm my first port of call was the local library. Up until that point, my understanding of the land war in WW1 was of a war of attrition which somehow eventually sputtered to a negotiated end, and my history teachers at school were not complimentary regarding the British.

In that library, I found John Terraine's To Win A War: 1918, the Year of Victory, which (among other things) detailed just how viciously the British Army had mauled the Germans in the last 100 days of the war. It was an eye-opener. So I kept on reading, checking sources, buying references that had been cited, etc. etc., and very quickly came to the realization that everything my teachers had taught me about World War 1 history was a lie, and probably a deliberate one. 

Since you like WW1, you should visit the WW1 Museum in Kansas City....

I have several friends whom are historians and this ^^^^ is worth the visit...

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

Born in Canada to US parents working abroad (narrowly missed being born in Argentina but the Dirty War prevented my father from working there).

Grew up in Michigan, loved reading and naval history from childhood.

Got a BS in Chemical Engineering and then an MBA while living in my parents basement and working full time as a lab tech during the leadup to the big housing bubble crisis.

Worked at a startup company in the Washington DC area developing central nervous system affecting drugs (Oxtellar and Trokendi were my two launches) for five years getting paid in experience. Met and married my wife.

Moved to Nebraska to work for a larger company and get paid for my knowledge. Became an expert on technical transfer of pharmaceutical product manufacturing from one location to another. Also did R&D work on older already commercialized products. Had our first son. Started playing World of Warships through my brother who also plays.

I traveled a lot for work during this time, heading to Canada, Mexico, Panama, Switzerland, Egypt, etc. As my son grew older...looked to get into a less travel heavy position.

Moved to Pennsylvania in 2019 at company request. Laid off and then rehired by same company to different role in Virginia in 2020. Had second son during pandemic.

Currently working in Richmond Virginia doing R&D tasks for older and already commercial products.

Family and work are really keeping my gaming time low lately.

I play this game for fun, and try to keep that in mind.

[Asym]

Gosh, I am just a retired Tanker that liked High School and the Universities I have graduated from (4 times..)  I grew up surrounded by some extremely and scary educated people; to include my parents!!!  The street I lived on growing had the Dean of Mathematics and the Dean of Physics of a Major University as neighbors....  We had Bell Lab researchers and Doctors as well....  So....that made it really, extremely hard, not to take education seriously.... 

Many of us are composite people made of many parts...  Many stories.  Many places.  Many things....

Careers:  Army; Aviation and now, being a PITA when asked to help.  Hobbies:  Black Powder shooting;  Competitive shooting;  and, reloading for a lot of reasons as I try to find optimal solutions for historic calibers....  So many stories.

I grew up shooting BB guns and everything else that went boom !  And, to this day, in fact this weekend, is another black powder match to shoot at.  Hunting was always, always there.  A bazillion stories... 

Love living history and I have spent a lot of time in the Fur Trade and Buffalo hunting eras....

 

[Aethervox]

2 hours ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

The Eastern Front in World War 2 was most likely worse

Parts of it like Stalingrad, yes, but for sheer mindless slaughter, I would argue that the Western front, especially the earlier WW1 years, were far worse.

 

2 hours ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

first and only time that the British Army ever fought the main army of the enemy in large numbers. Up until that point, all their wars had been limited-liability affairs. 

Yes, mass conscription. The real problem for the British Army was their High Command began the war with tactics more suited to the Napoleonic era & a large number of early WW1 British Empire losses might (would) have been avoided if their tactics were more aligned with factoring in barbed wire, entrenched positions & machine guns, etc. 

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

With respect to world war 1, I was horrified to discover in a US Army War College assessment of the effectiveness of anti-gas training methods that the use rate of gas artillery shells in 1918 was one in three.

I used to think that gas attacks in world war 1 were relatively rare and special things...only to find out that everyone was basically using chemical weapons freely and often.

I suspect the reason many battles from that period aren't well known or studied has to do with security concerns over releasing full information to historians...since that is our last real experience with chemical warfare on a large scale.

[Admiral_Karasu]

44 minutes ago, Aethervox said:

Parts of it like Stalingrad, yes, but for sheer mindless slaughter, I would argue that the Western front, especially the earlier WW1 years, were far worse.

 

The eastern front was worse, of course, depending on which side you were on.