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DoggyDaddy

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Posts posted by DoggyDaddy


  1. I assume you got college credits and put on your resume of having work experience as Bathroom Attendant

    & Custodial Engineer :rolleyes: .

    - ALLOWED TO SLEEP ON THE JOB -

    In regards to jobs with benefits, I was assigned to a Casualty Affairs Branch for over 2.5 yrs. Three of us,

    all E-5, took turns working 24 hours on and 48 hours off. When we wanted more than 2 days off we traded

    duty and worked 1 day on, 1 day off, 1 day on and 3 days off. I never found the need to take ordinary

    leave and soon my leave balance was always max'ed at 60 days on Oct 1 FY. So then I was always

    required to take/use 30 days sometime during the coming year. The workday started at 0730 and at 1630

    hrs we locked ourselves in the building and manned the telephone on-call. At 0645 we awoke, made a pot

    of coffee, cleaned the area, brief the incoming Sgt and closed out our log sheet. We were allowed to

    sleep once all assigned work was caught up and when not being disturbed by HQDA or working on a phone

    notification of a military death or scheduling funeral honors. When all was done and peaceful, the boots and

    shirt came off and I would get some zzz's. Not finding a chair and desk comfortable on the body and

    believing that one should be given the tools to do their job, I found an unsecured steel army bunk,

    mattress and blanket. Another SGT brought in a 12" tv and radio w/alarm clock. Bed and all was hidden

    behind a metal partition during the day. Justification for the bed was that mil and civilian women had a

    couch to lie down on in the ladies room if needed, but the men had nothing. (Sex discrimination). So when

    things were slow we kept busy reading, watching television, talking on another phone, doing leatherwork or

    military correspondence courses. Being on shift duty exempted us from all details including company PT.

    When I had duty on a Saturday or Sunday, I would bring my uniform in on a hanger and report in in PJ's.

    If my wife was working on Saturday, I would have my baby daughter with me. If the weather was nice,

    I placed her play pen on the grass and sat on the steps with the door open and listened for the phone.

    Because we were alone nights and weekends, we always brought our lunch, drinks, or had delivery from

    friends, family and pizza parlors. During that assignment I completed hundreds of hours of correspondence

    courses that enabled be to interpret and use Army Regulations to my advantage and push the envelope.

    For me it was not saving or calling in favors, but knowing the jobs of peers and superiors, and keeping a

    record of what they did or did not do, which permitted me to protect myself, to persuade them to agree

    and come around to my way of thinking.


  2. Didn't they bother to freeze milk or catch fresh fish :rolleyes:

    - ARRIVING IN KOREA-

    When I received orders for Teagu Korea I was excited. I flew out on my 19th birthday. Teagu

    was a major city on the coast near the southern tip and there was an air base there. After a

    10 hour flight in dress uniform, a box lunch and a 2 hour bus ride the bus stopped and everyone

    got out with their duffles. There was a second bus there and this Sgt shouts out "when you hear

    your name grab your gear and get on the other bus" I asked a Cpl where that bus was going and

    he said DMZ 2d Div. Memories of the movie "Frozen Chosin' and snow quickly came to mind. My

    german last name was called out and & looked around thinking that maybe I had a unknown cousin

    in the army too. Then my name again and last 4 were yelled out again. I quickly showed the Sgt

    my orders and said he made a mistake and he quickly replied "you've been diverted". When I

    asked what diverted meant, he said "Get your *** on that bus before I plant my boot in it". So the

    Army introduced a new word to my vocabulary. I ended up at the Turtle Farm (Replacement

    Detachment) where all incoming process thru. It was a compound within a compound with guard

    towers manned by ROK solders. After my in-processing, my status changed to Cadre assigned to

    the Repo Depot. I was given a badge, a bunk in a divided quonset hut with a diesel burning heater.

    The first thing I did was hire a house boy to keep the stove running, polish my footwear, make my

    bed up, and do my laundry. The morning were cold so I had the house boy also take care of the

    cold metal building (2 man office) I worked in. He kept it clean and toasty, with a kettle of water

    on the stove with tea, sugar and instant chocolate near by.

    In the little mess hall the Cadre ate in a separate room with our own waiter. On Sundays, Cadre

    ate steak and eggs with pancakes, bacon and sausage. The replacements always waited and

    walked thru a line for their usual breakfast minus the steak.

    Never could train the wife to be as efficient and obey orders like the house boys I had.

    One bright bonus that snowy winter was being entertained by Bob Hope and the USO.


  3. I noticed the Marey Heater Corp is based in Puerto Rico.

    The have been in business for over 40 years but I am unable to find Underwrite Labs (UL) or

    Met Lab Certification for Product Safety. If it has it, great, if not, then if their was ever an

    accident or fire the insurance company could hold up their payment.


  4. - CAMPING OUT IN GERMANY -

    I was introduced to C Rations during basic training. Sometimes we were issued them

    for lunch so we could continue training without having to return to the company area.

    When in Germany, the entire unit went on a 5 day 3 night training exercise in the month of

    November. I was always one to ask questions and push the envelope when I could.

    When the training NCO came by for my signature to pay for MREs for the exercise,

    I asked my Cmdr if I could bring my own rations. Surprisingly he said yes. That morning

    I filled my pack with sodas, trail mix, sandwiches, extra water, and some fruit for the days

    adventure. After a long bus ride we had a nice 4 hour hike in the woods with compass and

    terrain map. We were one of the first squads to reach base in the middle of the forest.

    I had my Hunting license and was accustomed to the forest and reading maps.

    It reminded me of camping at a state park. We set up a GP (general purpose) Medium Tent

    and two diesel oil heaters. My cot was located next to the stove. I grabbed my duffle bag

    and heavy footlocker that I loaded that morning from a duce and a half (truck). The camp

    mess area consisted of an area with pots of hot water for MREs, and water to wash. I saw

    better kitchen areas and camps set up by Boy Scouts.

    Oh yeah, know the difference between the Army and the Boy Scouts - the scouts have adult leaders.

    My heavy footlocker was packed like a boy scout kitchen box. While everyone was enjoying

    their freeze dried and dehydrated MRE's (Meals Read to Eat - Meals Rejected by Ethiopians -

    Meals Rejected by the Enemy) some sergeants started smelling my Chicken Chow Mein

    coming from the tent. Not too much was said until everyone was having milk and cereal for

    breakfast and I started frying bacon, eggs and potatoes on the stove with a small pot of real coffee.

    I was about as popular as the guy Sefton in the movie Stalag 17. Also in my foot locker was

    canned ham, chicken, candy, cookies, binoculars, battery hand warmers, and folding camp stool.

    It was a nice vacation from the wife and kids.

    When it comes to camping, I spent only one night on the ground while in the Army, and that was

    in basic. When it comes to the total nights I spent in the field, well' I can count them all on one hand.

    I did all my camping with the Boy Scouts as an Asst Scout Master.


  5. They look like fun to wash. :rolleyes: Before I would even consider sticking those ugly things on

    my coach if they were free, I would want to test drive two identical RVs, one with the Air Tabs

    and one without to see if there is a significant difference in handling.

    The Air Tabs

    shows a computer animation of how it works and mentions wind tunnel

    test were done.

    IF SO, then show me a video of a wind tunnel test using smoke.


  6. I enjoy your sea stories. My Dad was WWII Navy and the Navy recruiters refused me because of my

    traffic tickets (speeding). I told them I did not want to drive the darn boat, Only ride on it. So I went

    Army.

    - My K.P experience. -

    In basic training the evening before I had KP, I would put a cold beer in my pocket and make

    my way to the head the mess hall. When I left, the head cook securing from supper and preparing

    for the next days meals would go to the head and cool off with the cold Bud I left. This ritual repeated a

    number of times throughout the evening. The next day I was the last of the detail to show up for KP.

    I was not assigned; server, DRO (Dining room orderly) who cleaned floors, tables, etc., Dish washer,

    or scrubbing Pot & Pans. I was given the task of emptying trash and garbage, waiting for and unloading

    deliveries, hosing off the loading area behind the mess hall and any tasks given by the head cook.

    Sitting outside in the August sun with the ocean breeze (Monterey CA) waiting on deliveries was relaxing.

    I joined the military to see the world. When assigned stateside, 4 out of 5 times I was less than 60 miles

    from home and that includes basic, Advanced training, and leadership schools. Having my car during

    training made traveling to see my girl and family convenient. How that happened is another story.


  7. I had GEICO Ins 30 years ago when in Germany. Back then it was called Government Employees Insurance Company. It was one of two companies that the military could use to insure their cars to drive in Europe.

    I never had a claim with them, but they gouged the military big time with their prices. :rolleyes:

    It was not until recently that they would insure an RV alone - they wanted a car or home, too. From the REVIEWS and CUSTOMER FEEDBACK I have read, their claims sure have angered a lot of people. Makes me wonder how many just bit the bullet.


  8. Any animal on the lap of the driver or moving about on the dashboard can be a dangerous distraction. But a pet on the dashboard can also get seriously burned and dehydrated from the sun's rays intensified by the glass windshield.

    These driving habits are dangerous for all, including on coming traffic ... and that is why LEOs give citations for operating a motor vehicle with distractions.


  9. The more one camps in a year the greater the odds of possibly having problems.

    The odds increase more if one does not camp at the same place twice.

    If a person is full timing, then the odds for something to go wrong really increase.

    Because I plan to go full time, I will be investing in a surge protector in the future.

    As another stated earlier, it is a form of insurance, as cameras are a form of

    accident insurance. It is just a simple matter of "Do you feel lucky - Punk?


  10. There are those that have pets that behave better than many children.

    I see them running loose thru others camp area, yelling and screaming

    in the early morning and late at nite when people are trying to sleep,

    they throw rocks and leave trash along the road way and in others camps,

    they play with water faucets, use the facility bathrooms, showers and

    laundry areas as playgrounds, and I have seen some food fights which

    draws insects and animals to the area later.

    People just need to police after the pets and children.

    For those who feel persecuted about their dogs, they can always try

    staying at Dog Friendly RV Parks and Campgrounds.

    to relieve their stress.


  11. Before I did any work on my fathers DP, I sprayed some soap on the warm engine

    and washed her down with a pressure wand along with the undercarriage.

    Removing the dirt helped with cooling and kept me a little cleaner.

    The air filter on my father's Elite, 3208 Cat, was the easiest part to reach but an

    expensive throwaway part. To make it more user friendly for my father and a

    time saver, I installed a K&N air filter. Because K&N did not have the part or

    specs of the filter, I had to mail them the paper filter and they returned a new

    K&N within a week.


  12. This

    has a message I hope travels around the world faster than a lie. Do you think this PSA would be effective on US television? Do you think everyone will get the message? Pun intended :rolleyes:

    Defensive driving is a necessity and can not be done with distractions. CA is one state that requires "hands free" cell phones while driving. :)


  13. Some additional places to stay for free or low cost are the parking lots and RV Parking w/hook-ups

    located at clubs and fraternal organizations that you belong to such as the VFW, American Legion, Lions, Moose, and BPOE (Elks).

    In addition if you have a military ID Card (Active, Reserve, Dependent,Retired, 100% DAV, or DoD) you will find Military Campgrounds very nice. Their prices at the fuel pump are lower and the MWR Travel Office offers discount tickets to places in the area.


  14. Including Glass coverage on my RV insurance was a must have for me at $15 a year

    and a $125 deductible. Just 4 months later on a trip to Oregon a crack appeared from

    the edge of the molding. There was no visible chip or star.

    A new one piece windshield cost over $3K. Glass coverage is nice.


  15. Joe,

    When you say that "FMCA found you the best coverage" what do you mean?

    What did they do for you and how did you request it?

    Thanks! Valerie

    FMCA has a motorhome insurance program offered by various RV insurance specialists.

    I started with a phone call 1-800-543-3622 to FMCA Mbrship Dept. FMCA hooked me up with

    an insurance specialist and discussed what I wanted in coverage, and they did the research of numerous

    RV carriers and came back to me with a quote.

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