|
Was Arabic as well..in fact I was an instructor at Goodfellow from 1987-1992...you probably took the course on Sentinal Bright I designed ;)Goodfellow...shivers. I was a 98C but a bunch of Golfs from my language class went through school when you were teaching. Was the G course language-specific?
Very much so.
For that matter, where the heck were the G classes? "Secret Square"? Seems like I hardly ever saw any of the Gs when I was there.
M
Yeah, they kept us pretty busy.
|
Was Arabic as well..in fact I was an instructor at Goodfellow from 1987-1992...you probably took the course on Sentinal Bright I designed ;)Goodfellow...shivers. I was a 98C but a bunch of Golfs from my language class went through school when you were teaching. Was the G course language-specific? For that matter, where the heck were the G classes? "Secret Square"? Seems like I hardly ever saw any of the Gs when I was there.
M
yep it was language specific. had to learn how to listen to the bad guys talk on the radio yanno as well as how many spoons were in the mess kit battalion.....and yeppers. secret square.
Was Arabic as well..in fact I was an instructor at Goodfellow from 1987-1992...you probably took the course on Sentinal Bright I designed ;)
98C training at Goodfellow ’93 if I remember correctly. I just missed you.
Scary lot of Army Intel folks on here...but there always were a lot of gamers in my units. I didn't play much of anything while I was in except some epic Axis and Allies action on CQ once. There was one drunken D&D session at somebody's place in Monterey but I don't recall what happened ;)
M
|
|
Never served - tried in AF and Navy - but asthma kept me from going through MEPS.
My father served 20 in AF - chief mechanic on the C-141s at Travis AFB - served during Viet Nam retired in 89. My aunt - who is the one who taught me to play D&D was 20 years Navy - was on the Nimitz in the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm. Retired 96. My grandfather was 4 years Navy served in WWII.
In my gaming circle over the past 2 years: (I live near Travis AFB, CA - so that should explain things: Glen, who was AF who just retired last year after 20 years served, and moved to Oregon. Chase, who is AF (air traffic control) just moved to Guam last year. Kevin who's term ended last year - his wife is still active duty as a boom operator, they moved to Texas last year - now at Beale AFB, Bob active duty AF 14 years at Travis as radar system tech, Jeff plays, his wife is active duty as a nurse - she just got temporary duty for her last three years (of 20) in Texas - but he stayed here In CAL as they have home here and still plays, and we just added Brian - 13 years AF - mechanic on the C-17.
so you can see we have had a lot of military guys in our games over the past two years (I only go back two years because I just moved back to this area 2 and a half years ago and had to rebuild my gaming circle).
To each of you on here who have helped serve and protect our country, I give a major salute and heartfelt thank you.
Robert
Active Army 11B from 1878 to 1983/98G from 1983-1992. CAL NG from 1992-1998 in Signal.
so 14 and 6 ;)
Hold on, 1878?
A bit of a threadjack here: My family's got something of a military tradition.
Up until Afghanistan, my family hadn't missed an American war since 1754.
Our link to World War I is tenuous; it's on my dad's side. My grandfather served in the Irish Guards. Same regiment as Rudyard Kipling's son [not sure if he was in the same battalion or company].
My dad served in Vietnam [3 tours!]. My mom's dad served in Korea and WW2 [USS Yorktown].
I've got a great uncle on the Arizona [yes, THAT Arizona].
Beyond that, I'm not certain. Grandma was the geneologist [sp?] of the family.
My wife's father was a colonel in the People's Liberation Army.
Fort Ord?
Nah. Though they lived near the Del Monte Area.
We were all at DLI and NPGS and, at the time, Ft. Ord still housed the 7th ID (Light). There wasn't much interaction - can't say I ever even met anyone from the 7th while I was there.
It was unfortunate but Ft. Ord got a pretty bad rep with a lot of the merchants in Monterey. Most wouldn't take a check from a military person until they found out you were from DLI or NPGS. And, as a guy, it's kind of hard to hide you're in the military :) No one ever suspected, or questioned, my girlfriend of course.
M
BTW: The PLA? Wow.
|
A bit of a threadjack here: My family's got something of a military tradition.
Up until Afghanistan, my family hadn't missed an American war since 1754.
Our link to World War I is tenuous; it's on my dad's side. My grandfather served in the Irish Guards. Same regiment as Rudyard Kipling's son [not sure if he was in the same battalion or company].
My dad served in Vietnam [3 tours!]. My mom's dad served in Korea and WW2 [USS Yorktown].
I've got a great uncle on the Arizona [yes, THAT Arizona].
Beyond that, I'm not certain. Grandma was the geneologist [sp?] of the family.
Similar family tradition, although I do have a cousin-in-law who is fighting in Afghanistan. The other tradition for my family is that until the Spanish-American war, a member of my family also fought on the opposite side of every American war.
Arabic. 96-98. 2/2/2. I haven't lost it all, but 'struggling' would be a generous term to describe me reading book in Arabic (even with the dictionary).Chinese Mandarin. 88-89. 2+/2+/2. Amazingly I haven't lost it all. I've been struggling through the Harry Potter series (with a dictionary, believe me) off and on for a while now.... at language school (DLI) ...What language?
Hand up for 98G Arabic 95-96 DLI 2/2/2. Have just enough of the language left to be dangerous. Funny thing was they got me almost through all the training and then declined my security clearance, so then I went to train as a 46Q journalist at DINFOS at Ft. Meade, MD. Then they sent me to Ft. Bliss, TX for the remainder of my five-year tour (which due to all the training was only three years at that point). I had thought I got the shaft until my Arabic language battle buddies told me what their job was like at Fort Gordon. Then I didn't mind working on the post newspaper at all :P.
DLIFLC at Presidio of Monterrey (across the bay and up the hill)Fort Ord?There was one drunken D&D session at somebody's place in Monterey but I don't recall what happened ;)
M
They used to do a big Vampire LARP down in Monterey every weekend in the mid nineties too. That was a big draw for the language nerds who gamed. Went once, but it just didn't click for me. Kinda like my attempts at getting into the whole SCA thing ...
|
|
Hand up for 98G Arabic 95-96 DLI 2/2/2. Have just enough of the language left to be dangerous. Funny thing was they got me almost through all the training and then declined my security clearance, so then I went to train as a 46Q journalist at DINFOS at Ft. Meade, MD. Then they sent me to Ft. Bliss, TX for the remainder of my five-year tour (which due to all the training was only three years at that point). I had thought I got the shaft until my Arabic language battle buddies told me what their job was like at Fort Gordon. Then I didn't mind working on the post newspaper at all :P.Arabic. 96-98. 2/2/2. I haven't lost it all, but 'struggling' would be a generous term to describe me reading book in Arabic (even with the dictionary).Chinese Mandarin. 88-89. 2+/2+/2. Amazingly I haven't lost it all. I've been struggling through the Harry Potter series (with a dictionary, believe me) off and on for a while now.... at language school (DLI) ...What language?
Wow, just missed you. Who was your Platoon Sergeant?
I did my first stint at Ft. Campbell (2 years).
Spent almost two years as a civilian, followed by one year of involuntary recall at Ft. Meade (with 1 week at Sill for inprocessing to active duty and 2 weeks at Goodlfellow for retrain).
|
|
They used to do a big Vampire LARP down in Monterey every weekend in the mid nineties too. That was a big draw for the language nerds who gamed. Went once, but it just didn't click for me. Kinda like my attempts at getting into the whole SCA thing ...DLIFLC at Presidio of Monterrey (across the bay and up the hill)Fort Ord?There was one drunken D&D session at somebody's place in Monterey but I don't recall what happened ;)
M
Yeah, I heard about that, though I never participated.
My understanding was that it was still going strong when I left at the beginning of 98.
Wow, just missed you. Who was your Platoon Sergeant?
I did my first stint at Ft. Campbell (2 years).
Spent almost two years as a civilian, followed by one year of involuntary recall at Ft. Meade (with 1 week at Sill for inprocessing to active duty and 2 weeks at Goodlfellow for retrain).
Sgt. Shouse. Great guy. Got me into DINFOS when my clearance got ate up. Yeah I was only at Meade for the ten weeks of Journalism school (In contrast to the 63 WEEKS in Monterey...oy). I was a Delta Duck there. I think it was Bravo Co. did Arabic too, no?
Yeah, I heard about that, though I never participated.My understanding was that it was still going strong when I left at the beginning of 98.
One funny memory was seeing my roomie, who happened to a big LARP gamer, dressed up as a Malkavian in a very Clockwork Orange-inspired getup to go downtown to Monterey. I had no idea at the time what the frack a Malkavian was, but it looked certainly bizarre.
Ex-US Army Medical Corps; 9 years active duty, 4 years reserve; resigned commission in 2000.
Ft. Meade? Nothing to see there. Move along. No photos please.
Ft. Meade? Nothing to see there. Move along. No photos please.
Always amazed me that the military in its infinite wisdom put DINFOS, their journalist training school right next to the NSA spook building. So you had all these green AIT troopies from five different service branches running about with cameras and scratch pads desperately trying to interview someone for their next homework assignment and a lot of MI folks desperate not to talk about anything. LOL good times, good times.
Actually, we practiced feeding false intel to the newsies. I mean…I can neither confirm nor deny what you said.
LOL. I love the MI secret silliness. The folks in and around Schofield were always asking us with wonder what went on in that hole in the pineapple field up the road.
Even the MPs that guarded us had all kinds of interesting concepts - one night at chow I overheard a couple of newbie MPs talking about how our badges were actually radiation detectors. I talked to a couple of 11Bs one time about their theory that we were really a submarine construction/repair facility - in the middle of the frikkin' island? Their theory? Lava tubes.
Another conversation with some guys from Schofield (during the annual Division run I think) had them asking us when we did PT...because they never saw us actually doing it. We told them we did it in the tunnel. They were amazed. Where do you run? Around the pool, of course. I'm pretty sure they believed it.
M
The hole with the huge parking lot and two, giant satellite dishes across the street? Yeah, no idea what that is for. We were always amazed anyone would not know what was going on. If you are going to build a secret facility beneath a pineapple field to hide it, don’t put a huge parking lot right next to it with not a building within a two mile radius.
Seriously, the parking lot was almost the size of Disneyland's.
"There sure are a lot of workers at that pineapple field."
You must have had the dumb MPs. We use to tease ours all the time that you can not spell wimp without an MP. Until one shot back that you can not spell it without an MI either.
You must have had the dumb MPs. We use to tease ours all the time that you can not spell wimp without an MP. Until one shot back that you can not spell it without an MI either.
Well, they *were* fresh out of AIT. The MPs there were generally pretty cool...though they did love them some security drama when they could get it. One day a friend was leaving and didn't realize she had carried an audio tape into work in her purse and they found it on the way out. Hoo. I thought they were going to draw weapons.
M
I had a lot of fun carrying G.U.R.P.S. Espionage in and out of NSA.
|
|
The best I ever saw was a friend of mine in admin had a copy of T.S./S.I. and stamped every page with the official Top Secret stamp. He got picked for a spot search and they found it in his trunk. It took several hours and half a dozen phone calls to convince the SPs that he wasn't spying for anyone.
Active Duty Air Force: 8 years and some change
CT Air Nat'l Guard: 11 years this coming August; the end of my enlistment is Sept 11, 2010 when I'll retire with my 20.
Navy, Surface Warfare Officer, active duty 1987-95 (didn't game while I was on active duty, though) and Gulf War vet.
Naval Reserve, '95-'03.
The best I ever saw was a friend of mine in admin had a copy of T.S./S.I. and stamped every page with the official Top Secret stamp. He got picked for a spot search and they found it in his trunk. It took several hours and half a dozen phone calls to convince the SPs that he wasn't spying for anyone.
Wasn't there some big deal in the late 80s about Steve Jackson Games rules add-in for GURPS based on hacking/hacker culture? SJG got raided by the Feds didn't they?
Army 31U 'Telecommunications/Air Assault' (1993-2000)
•3 years Active Duty (Ft. Campbell, KY)
•4 years National Guard
I miss the Rec Centers and $7.00, 5 minute buzz cuts! Damn haircut costs $15.00 and takes 20+ minutes now!
|
|
The best I ever saw was a friend of mine in admin had a copy of T.S./S.I. and stamped every page with the official Top Secret stamp. He got picked for a spot search and they found it in his trunk. It took several hours and half a dozen phone calls to convince the SPs that he wasn't spying for anyone.Wasn't there some big deal in the late 80s about Steve Jackson Games rules add-in for GURPS based on hacking/hacker culture? SJG got raided by the Feds didn't they?
That would be GURPS Cyberpunk. It has a big notation on the front that reads "This book was seized by the U.S. Secret Service."
|
Contributor
|
Navy, Surface Warfare Officer, active duty 1987-95 (didn't game while I was on active duty, though) and Gulf War vet.
Naval Reserve, '95-'03.
Funny. You were leaving active duty just as I was coming in. I know what you mean about not gaming while you're in. I'm in my 6th sea duty tour, which is also my 4th sea duty tour in a row. (That's 10 years of sea duty out of 14 years in.)
I managed to get into a really good group while I was at NPS in Monterey, but the only way I can stay active now (RPG-wise, that is) is play-by-post.
Air Force, enlisted, from 2000 to the present. Did 2 years in Idaho, 1 year in Korea, 4 years in Okinawa, and now at Beale. I'm trying to go back overseas, but I might be here for quite a while...
AF enlisted, 1996-present (planning on 20 years, seven to go). Have not been to Iraq, but have been to Turkey (Northern Watch, before 9/11), Afghanistan, and Qatar ("they also serve, etc.").
Just a shout out to my fellow Airmen and those in other branches: YOU GUYS/GALS ARE GREAT! It's an honor and a privilege to serve with you.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
8 years active Army, 3 years Texas National Guard. You are welcome, Veector.
US Army here. One tour.
Which unit for both? I was stationed at Ft. Hood, and a lot of the NG units there during the summer were from the 49th AD. Did you do your weekend drills at Mabry?
I was a 52D, Power Generator Mechanic, cross-trained in the "63" chain of disciplines (Wheeled and Tracked Vehicle mechanics).
Started out in the 5th Mech. Infantry (Ft. Polk) and finished with the 2nd AD at Hood. Got out before 2AD was decommissioned.
2A6X4, Aircraft Fuel Systems Repair.
We have two guys in the RAN (Royal Australian Navy)one with a busted knee so he has been assigned to shore duty the other a clearance diver now reserve while he goes back to UNI.
Both have served in the Gulf.
We also have a full time reservist who is in the Sydney University Regiment – occasionally known as sewer.
Sturmvogel, Dragonchess, what are your specialities?
3C0X1 at the moment. With the migration to the 3D career fields this year, that will change.
Air Force enlisted in '04. In my experience a good number of military like to game. Must be the escape from reality part of it.
Having been to college before joining the military (two areas with higher than average concentrations of gamers), I think it's more that both attract bright, mentally flexible people. The frat boy/ivory tower and dumb grunt/warmonger stereotypes are way off base in my experience.
The military members I've gamed with, in general, also have a greater appreciation of the tactics and teamwork aspect of RPGs. Not that that's surprising, considering how important those traits are to the military.
I would like to say Thank You to all of you that have/ and still are serving. I am not in the military my father's side plenty of ex-service members. My father was in the navy spent some time on CVN-69 the eisenhower (hope I spelled that right)and he finally stationed at the base near Fallon, NV, my uncle was army airborne(I think he said he was a paratrooper), My aunt was army MI, My grandfather on my father's side air force, and If I remember right I had a great uncle that actually survived the Batton March in WWII (sorry I am a horrible speller). I have a cousin in the Texas Air Gaurd right now. I wish I could join but 1)my weight is a issue 2) I think I'm knocked kneed. All I can say is that I took the pre-asvab when my buddy an 11B was back on leave and I scored an 86 on it, the recruiter was almost drooling, when he saw the score.
(former) US Army 12B here
Not in the military, though I am a military brat (Air Force, to be precise). Thanks to all of you who served and are still serving. :)
*hugs, cookies*