I might be able to dig up a picture.....I'll have to ask around....I don't own any pictures of me in uniform....somebody in my family does, though, I'm sure.

 

Cool

 

Ha ha ha. Paul, that's 9th ID, huh? F-in cool!

While we're showing pics:
Me & my ma, BCT graduation, Mar 88 -- cohort rocked!
Me taking a quick bath at Ft Hunter Liggett, I'm guessing 1990, during a training exercise with the Brits, Aussies, and Cannucks --that water was COLD!
My first 1SG, who's now CSM of USJFCOM, Mark Ripka, taken in Bagram, AFG 2004 --absolute hardest individual I've ever know. Of course, he's the same guy who put me in ADAD.

 

Hey your mom was hip even back in 1988. (ie the glasses. )

 

Don't tell her I said this. My mom was never hip.

 

Just curious pat, are they handing out stars for the CIB this time around? You've been to what? Three hostile places that can earn a CIB, right? Seems like they just stopped doing that after Vietnam.

 

Afghanistan don't count. CIB is for brigade & below. I worked in the G3 (CJ3) shop.

Kosovo, I don't know.

Panama, all I know is that though Op Just Cause was indeed granted a CIB (though real hostilities were more or less for about 30 days), some friends of mine participated in Desert Storm but weren't allowed to wear a star. I don't know why.

I deserve the CIB for Panama, but given my specific situation/job in Kosovo and Afghanistan, I wouldn't wear one even if I were authorized. I did get a Joint Service ARCOM for AFG, though.

 

Oh, okay. Just making sure.

Here are two pictures I posted here before:

Chest shot of me wearing a decoration (British jumpwings) that I earned without having my orders ever fully processed. We had the discussion here for some reason... I think we were talking about Kerry and phony veterans. I can't find the full picture of this one now but I was a SPC.


Me during a tailgate jump with Honduran paratroopers.


Roommate testing his new camera. That's his helmet, not mine.


One of few Blackhawk jumps. My roommate took this shot of me while he was in flight behind me


Shot of me and my mother taken just before my blue cord and ASR were put on by my grandfather during graduation day.


Picture in class A's as a PFC wearing my Gold Schützenschnur awarded by Fallschirmjäger Btl. 313


My final jump in division just before ETS.

 

You know I've always wanted to jump out the back of a plane like that.

 

OMFGH12Sa1tyzmomz11!!1!1!!one!1!!

 

You should take lessons.

 

Yeah, forget a bunch of static line with 80lbs on your thighs crap. Just seek out a skydiving club. You'll have to static jump 5 times, but after that it's like Superman.

 

Why not do HALO? What could be better than jumping out of plane and doing free fall. Probably jumping from 40,000 feet with full oxygen mask and floating across international borders to a combat zone with a silenced HK straped to your side. But that's just my opinion.

 

Bump

Yuma slots are pretty hard to come by unless you're in an SOF/SOC unit, are tabbed with time available to you in the future to attend such a course, or are in a detachment like scouts or lrsd/lrsu. But once you're in i've heard it's not a very difficult course if you're capable of fast learning, being able to pick-up on technique quickly, aren’t prone to getting overly nervous at such heights, and don’t get injured before mandatory jumps. Besides, BAC is mandatory before attending...

I say civilian freefall if you ever get the urge to jump out of a plane. Jumps in an airborne unit make you wish you were a 5 jump chump or still in BAC. The amount of weight they load on you can be insane. I'm willing to be that me as a gunner without an AB, and with me being a Javelin trained gunner, that I have carried around 200 additional pounds in harness for 10+ hours at a maximum (average being 120lbs). This includes the 240 itself, decent packing list, water, LBE with LBE packing list, ammo, and even the CLU if you can imagine. It's no fun at all outside of BAC. I don't miss the pre-jump one bit. The fact you're stuck in the harness with such weight is the #1 motivation to get out on the green light. Hollywood jumps are very rare occasion in division or batt too. Only times you'll get them are when you're a pay loss and wish to attend a weekend "fun jump."