Trooper Day!

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

There are a lot of these guys in the service, too.



While I was an MP, I had to deal with a lot of them.

Comments

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

As with police in general, along with soldiers,
it's a curious thing that the state needs its bruisers and killers.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

It would be nice if there were no need for police or soldiers. However, humans being human, you need them.

Someone has to be the strong arm to enforce the rules.

Are they all noble souls for the goodness and light? Of course not.

You have to balance totalitarian vs. anarchy.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's not the anarchy that's the problem, but the nihilism. Properly done, anarchy is just fine.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

Operative words: "Properly done".

There are a lot of thoughts, governments, and the like that look great of paper. But humans will always cock it up. I am not being cynical. I am being practical.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

For small groups, anarchy works. I've seen it. A bit cumbersome, but workable.

[goumindong.livejournal.com]

No. Besides the fact that anarchy cannot be properly done, anarchy "properly done" would lead to murder and death and violence and pollution.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

No, again. I've seen anarchy properly done. It works in small groups quite well. None of the downsides on which you insist.

Larger groups? Not so much, or is at least too unwieldy for an attempt.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

The problem is that there are a lot of governments that look great on paper, but once you try to put them in practice, it does not work out quite the way expected.

And just like you said - they may work in small subsets, but on a mass scale, it won't work.

[spamwarrior.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere that theives in peacetime are the best soldiers in times of war, and vice versa. I'm not sure which is more destructive.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

I wish this was not true, but some of the best thieves I knew were my fellow Military Police.

Send a thief to catch a thief, I guess.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Not just MP's. Ordinary coppers too.

The trick is to only have museum-grade stuff lying around, they get scared the insurance companies will come after them...or at least the clever ones do.

Ye gods, an honest copper: you probably didn't have the easiest time of it...and honest or not, corps loyalty means some stuff just has to get overlooked.

Mind you, when push came to shove, even the most kleptomaniac of them would have guarded your back.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

Yeah, honesty was difficult. It was one of the (many) reasons I was not much liked in my last unit. However, when i said something, most people took it on faith I was not lying. I may be *wrong* but I was not lying.

Is true about having your back...but only against outsiders. I had more than a few knives in my back...oddly enough, most of them from my platoon sergeant. I did have a few proper brothers in arms, and I still talk to one of them.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

I once trashed a base Burger King and had to evade capture from the MP's. It was my greatest success as a soldier. Few people can comprehend the crushing boredom of military service - I spent more time practicing janitorial skills than the electronic warfare systems repair I was trained in.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

Chair born ranger, chair horn ranger, where gave you been?

Been to the fridge and back again!

I was pretty good with a buffer m'self.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

In basic I held the buffer cable while the other guy buffed so it wouldn't scrape the freshly buffed floor...

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

I was an E4 and still doing that.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

You were a poor wielder of the Sham Shield, my friend.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

was a Full Bird Private.

Or, as one of my exes called me, Special Lips McKown.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

I also lacked the mind-mouth filter, luckily I had no higher aspirations and was medboarded anyway.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

I had a problem with my speech, too - I refused to dumb myself down. I had an E5 tell me when I was an E3 that if i wanted to get along better with my squad, I needed to quit using such big words.

I know he was trying to help me. I know he was trying to make my life easier.

So, when I asked instead of bringing myself down, should others try to raise themselves to be better?

Did not go over too well.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

People didn't like it when I was a smartass, so I tried being a dumbass for a while, but they liked that even less so I switched back.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Hurry up and wait!

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Also, I must say, trashing a Burger King is some high school prank shit. Once my buddies stole one of those cardboard cut-outs of people--I think it was Shaq, or some athlete-celeb of the time--from a burger king. Then we went and listened to his "band" in his friends basement.

They were competent enough to do cover songs of good bands, so it wasn't all bad.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

To be fair, I was barely out of high school. And drunk off my ass from German beer.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

"bier"

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Bitte.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

ein, bitte

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

"Another bier? What's wrong with the first one?"

[goumindong.livejournal.com]

Only had one litre

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

You've got a big thirst. I have a few Irish rellies with the same characteristic.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

I was at a bar in Germany once (well, several bars, several times; you know what I mean), and while I was there they finished off the three liter bottle of vodka with the automagic dispenser attached for portioning out shots. I was drunk enough that thought it would be cool to have an empty three liter bottle of vodka with an upside down "WODKA" label on it, so I asked the bartendress if I could have it.

She thought about it for a moment and apparently decided "sure, why not?" and gave it to me when I left the bar. So I've left the bar, I'm walking down the cobblestone street with my new two foot tall wodka bottle under my arm like a guidon, and I hear somebody running behind me. This jackass runs past me and slaps the wodka bottle out of my arm and onto the street, shattering it into a thousand little pieces, and then they're gone.

And that is my wodka bottle story.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Nonsense, putting on the uniform means you are moral and virtuous in all possible regards and saying one bad thing about the troops is high treason.

Cause, ya know, magic or something.

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

...or something.

[jom-art.livejournal.com]

and nothing about rape every 5 minutes.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, a huge percentage of ex-military men become policemen nowadays--partially out of a desire to continue to practice what they've been trained to do--which is shoot. I'm convinced that this is why there's a higher incidence of police shootings--especially fatal ones--today than there ever has been. I don't know about others, but I personally am afraid of the police, and so is my adult son. We didn't fear the police in the past.

What happened to that program Bill Clinton put into effect, that was supposed to encourage people from other walks of life to join the police? Did it just never go anywhere?

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

There are many reasons for military to go cop. Some more noble than others.

I do not fear the police. Granted, being white, male and over 40 may have something to do with it. Not being an asshat who goes and provokes them may be another reason. (I am not trying to imply that you or your son would)

What happened to that program Bill Clinton put into effect, that was supposed to encourage people from other walks of life to join the police
This would be a great idea. It should also be used for politicians.

[catlin.livejournal.com]

The police turn down people who test to high on the IQ tests.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Citing [the idea of, don't know if they had numbers to support the idea of] high turnover of high IQ people who got bored with doing something every once in a while and lots and lots of waiting around doing nothing.

But yes, it is a problem. Any culture that rejects those with "too much" intelligence may wind up with a few problems.

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

Wow, quite a lot of US veterans.
Mind if I ask some stupid questions?
For example - is it true that at every US military base there is a range where every off-shift enlisted and officer can go and shoot targets as much as they want completely for free from all kinds of military issue individual weapons?

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

No, every base does not have ranges like that. Many do, but not all of them.

They are not unsupervised, but you provide your own weapon, targets and ammo. You are NOT allowed military grade weapons.

There are places like Dragonman's (https://www.dragonmans.com/) that are class III compliant and have fully automatic weapons you can rent and use.

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

So, the forces do not provide weapons and ammo for these ranges? Because what I heard is that its basically the same as normal small-arms training range but for off-duty personnel and for free.

And also - what does "military grade" weapon means in small-arms context in US? Aren't the Glock 17 issued by USArmy and the one you can by in a gunshop the same?

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

Nope. if you are using your personal weapon at an 'unsanctioned' range (meaning on your time) then they are not paying for it.

I would have LOVED to get a personal weapon and had them pay for ammo and targets, but I didn't and they won't. Emphasis on 'personal'.

Now, on military arms ranges, they pay for everything.

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

"on military arms ranges, they pay for everything."
OK, and can you use them in the after-hours out of your own free will? (I don't know what's the proper english term for free-time for armed forces personnel on active duty)

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

"on military arms ranges, they pay for everything."
OK, and can you use them in the after-hours out of your own free will? (I don't know what's the proper english term for free-time for armed forces personnel on active duty)

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

You are doing fine. Ask away.

No, you may not use the ranges om your own time. Too many reason to go into, but mostly because these things are tightly controlled. You do not was to be somewhere where if someone is not careful, you can be shot at! If you get hurt, you are many miles away from help, and no one knows. Just a few there for you.

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

OK ^)
First of all - thank you for your answers.
Another one - is it true that in US anyone who gets a decoration has to actually pay for its material and manufacture?

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

If you are talking about an award, decoration, medal, then no, you do not. (Unless you lose it, then you have to go to an Army surplus store to get another - most at between $3 to $15 depending on the award.)

Now, if you are talking about a house decoration for a holiday then yes, you have to pay for that stuff yourself. ;-)

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

No, I meant medals and other such things like badges etc.
How come they are between $3 and $15? Aren't they made from precious metals and gems?

[mckavian.livejournal.com]

Sorry, did not see the second half of the statement - Military grade is a fuzzy line anymore. Fully automatic is obviously military. MK19, M203, things like these are military grade.

I used a Beretta 9mm on duty, the same one you can buy in a gun shop.