Testing Chat Thread

[Darksi4190]

My mom's got something called a Cardio-glide that's sort of like an exercise bike. I use that sometimes. Honestly, I wish I had enough time and money to get a gym membership, but I'm stuck to whatever I can do around the house.

Hey, It's gonna get cold around here soon, do any of you guys know a good endurance exercise that I can replace walking/running with since I don't want to freeze my ass off?

[Zod]

Get a jump-rope?

[artemas]

I don't want to freeze my ass off?

Maybe you aren't cut out for for the infantry

[Aaron]

Snow shoing

[RogueIce]

matt, the last time i took the asvab, i didn't know how to check the oil in my car and still got a 99

and let dave be a cautionary tale, get any promises IN WRITING

if his contract had promised him a bonus they wouldn't have been able to pull that shit, but he likely took his recruiter (a liar, remember) at his word

Way to be a fucking idiot who can't read, jackass. Also overgeneralizing about how all recruiters are liars. GG boss.

I take it you missed this part:

Funny story that I think i've mentioned before, when Dave enlisted, he was promised a bonus, but then the regs changed so they couldn't give it to him. They actually offered him a sort of "get out of the army free" card, but he decided to finish basic anyways.

It was in his contract to get that bonus (as they tend to be) and when something happened and they could no longer give it to him, they gave the option to leave because hey, they couldn't fulfill their end of the contract. His friend chose to stay in regardless. So maybe try to actually read and understand the whole post next time?

Also definately tell about the heart murmur if you go to MEPS, even if they don't ask you directly about it. Because if something happens to you and they do a medical check and discover your condition and that you didn't tell them, that's on you. They generally do a "and is there anything else you think you should tell us" to give you the chance even if it's not a question on the paperwork. Though I'd be surprised if they don't directly ask about any heart conditions because that's a fairly obvious thing.

[Aaron]

Recruiters are liars dude, its their job.

Its where all the used car salesmen end up.

[Losonti Tokash]

i generalized recruiters as liars primarily because they are

ps if his friend did have it in his contract and went ahead anyway without trying for something else then he's kinda dumb and still a cautionary tale

[Darksi4190]

Ok. Issue with the latter. My heart condition was a congenital defect repaired before I was even a year old, and I don't know if I have the doctor's records of it anymore. According to this I need to bring some sort of record of it. Do you think a more recent cardiologist's report will do?

Oh, also, I don't have the doctor's records from when I was originally diagnosed with ADHD. I'm still seeing a neurologist right now, and can probably get something from her though.

I guess what i'm asking is do I need to request this stuff from the hospitals I went to before I go in to see the recruiter?

[Losonti Tokash]

no, he'll tell you what you need to get him and generally how when you meet with him

[RyanThunder]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that having ADHD is basically a career destroyer in the military. They won't want to trust you with much more than digging latrines and stuff in that vein.

[RogueIce]

ps if his friend did have it in his contract and went ahead anyway without trying for something else then he's kinda dumb and still a cautionary tale

Maybe he just really wanted to do whatever job he signed up for and didn't care that much about the money? *shrug*

Ok. Issue with the latter. My heart condition was a congenital defect repaired before I was even a year old, and I don't know if I have the doctor's records of it anymore. According to this I need to bring some sort of record of it. Do you think a more recent cardiologist's report will do?

Oh, also, I don't have the doctor's records from when I was originally diagnosed with ADHD. I'm still seeing a neurologist right now, and can probably get something from her though.

I guess what i'm asking is do I need to request this stuff from the hospitals I went to before I go in to see the recruiter?

You don't need to and Los is right about talking to the recruiter, tell him/her about all this and see what they say you need to do.

Lack of records isn't an issue. I know someone it happened to and all they needed was to get a notarized letter basically stating that the records couldn't really be obtained (in this case it was an individual practice where the doctor retired years before so it was doubtful the record could be found) and that was good enough.

Again though, discuss it with your recruiter because they've got the up-to-date info (what I mentioned took place three years ago or so) and are obviously better sources for info than Internet people.

Oh, and one thing about the records and getting them early. I would say in your situation don't bother, but when it comes time to do your physical and all that (if you get that far) it might not hurt to do so before you go to MEPS, just because sometimes it can take awhile for hospitals and the like to process that information and give it to you.

All that said...you're starting your senior year of high school now, correct? If that's the case it won't hurt to go talk to a recruiter and you can get this information well ahead of time. Don't even worry so much about not being in shape; odds are fairly decent that they run a DEP program and they'd probably let you work out with them (or find another way to help you get in shape) if you want, without having to sign on the dotted line.

The only caveat that I'd give to that is to make sure you're at least reasonably sure you want to do this before you start asking them to help you get in shape, as this is obviously taking time out of their lives and jobs to help you and it'd be kind of rude to make them waste it if you're still very much on the fence about enlisting. Just going in to discuss things with them is no big deal as that's their job, it's if they're going beyond that to help you work out and such that you should consider more carefully.

[Aaron]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that having ADHD is basically a career destroyer in the military. They won't want to trust you with much more than digging latrines and stuff in that vein.

That's hilarious and wrong. I had ADHD when I enlisted but I had learned to deal with it by 19. Your hyper, not I'M A JUGGALO WOOP WOOP.

[RyanThunder]

Yeah I know, I have it too, it's not that big a deal. But that's the Canadian military, are you sure the americans are so sensible?

[Aaron]

No idea.

[Phantasee]

the americans are more enlightened than the elitist canadians when it comes to military matters

did you know the usaf will pay for your laser eye surgery and let you become a pilot

while the rcaf says '20/20 from birth or gtfo'?

no i'm not bitter i didn't get to become a fighter pilot

i'm bitter i didn't become a fighter pilot that went on to pilot the space shuttle

[Losonti Tokash]

the laser eye surgery thing is dependent on a few things, dunno what they are though

but if you get picked to be a pilot they've got you for ten years so might as well invest in you

[Zod]

you won't necessarily be a fighter pilot

they've got more things that need flying than fighters

[RyanThunder]

did you know the usaf will pay for your laser eye surgery and let you become a pilot

I did not know that.

while the rcaf says '20/20 from birth or gtfo'?

I did know that.

[Phantasee]

you won't necessarily be a fighter pilot

they've got more things that need flying than fighters

with my ego they wouldn't have been able to put me anywhere else

[Zod]

Also, I really can't emphasize this enough. If you're trying to take a picture of a distant object in the background, for fuck's sake please don't use your camera's flash. It won't actually illuminate anything beyond a certain point, so it's going to be useless and not actually do anything for your picture.

[Darksi4190]

*Snip*

Senior year of high school?

Fuck no man. I'm 25

[RogueIce]

*Snip*

Senior year of high school?

Fuck no man. I'm 25

Oh, my bad. I got you confused with someone else.

[Darksi4190]

That's not like too old or something is it? I think Dave was 26 when he enlisted. The Marine Corps web site says they don't take anyone older than 28, but I can't find anything about age requirements for the Army.

Anyways, Talked to Jake (again, this is my cousin Carly's husband.) and he suggested I try out for the Air force or the Navy, and that he wishes he'd done that instead of the army. Does anyone here have experience in either of those? I feel like the only thing I'd want to do in the Air Force or the Navy is be a pilot, and i'm pretty sure I am to old to start training for that. In addition to lacking the requisite math aptitude.

[RogueIce]

Nah, 25 isn't too old at all.

If you join the Navy, we all know there's only one worthwhile thing to do:



Everything else doesn't really matter.

[Darksi4190]

Context, for those of us who have no idea what the hell that is?