What Was Your Rank?

[StogieC]

Army 11B 11M 18B, E5 - Now at Ft. Livingroom Florida

[oldvet53]

i was on the ssg.promotion list when i had a back injury and got out but i resect anyone who recived a honorable discharge. i have known men who landed at omaha beach on d day and were privaet's at discharge and were in the nam and were spc.4's or buck sgt's and have seen and don more than most in civelian life. i was a areo-scout crew cheif/gunner/navigator on oh-58 kiowa's for 10yrs. and n.b.c. the last 3yrs.

[DocV52]

Borthers and Sisters,

I want y'all to know I deeply regret for appearing to neglect this group. We had, which I may have mentioned before, damage to our houses in the Iowa flooding during Summer of 2008. By houses I mean we have a "main house," a one car garage (obviously not a house, and what's known as a "mother-in-law" house on our lot. A mother-in-law house for those of y'all who may call it something else is a small cottage type house once built as the original home as the settling family built their "dream house." It was also built as a guest house in more affluent neighborhoods (which back around the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries, this area called Czech Village was). And they were in fact cottages, usually one, no more than two, small bedrooms, a kitchen, bath, (usually a three-quarter bath or very small full bath) sometimes a sitting room and living room or just the living room. This one was built as the original house of the settling family so it has two bedrooms and a small living room with a slightly larger dining room between the living room and kitchen.

It was an ideal situation for my grandparents and great-grandparents when what the city fathers here called, "Urban Renewal," or "Let's tear down folks houses so we can build Section 8 apartment complexes, a community center that one day will be taken over by the gangs, and a city branch indoor pool that for around 15 years will be known for spreading various skin diseases as the minimum wage hired city employees either weren't smart enough or were too freakin' lazy to make sure the pool was clean, chemically balanced and lazy and uncaring about enforcing the health rules. (Half the time they never had a life guard on duty, allowed unsafe and lurid activities throughout the pool building, and had folks smoking, smuggling booze and dope in and a number of other things. They've since cleaned it up (sometime in the mid-90's as my family told me) at great expense and believe it or not, heavy protest from the neighborhood !!??

ANNN-yyyy-wwaayy !! we have been extremely busy working at the "littel house" as we call it. Now that we have the main house livable with a new roof, rehabbed bathroom downstairs (for my future surgery as I won't be able to climb stairs), the flood repairs finally completed (and not just so that we could move home from a stinking rental, but completed!). We are started on new plumbing, ripping out carpet (layer, after layer, after layer) minor , thank God, foundation repairs, (specifically just some face work and patching a couple holes in a corner area opening to the crawl space at the front to keep the animals out). We're remodeling that bath to a larger size, but leaving it three-quarters size, we have, we found as the carpet came up, several places where the flooring was weak, just plane bad, or at least suspicious enough to need replaced, and about six sheets of sheet rock in the walls and ceiling that were ruined due to a roof leak and damage from the flood.

So folks, with all this said, and me being disabled and about useless, a whole friggin' lot of it falls on my wife. Now. Before y'all go jumpin' to conclusions, (a) again, thank the Lord, He got a message through my thick Czechoslovakian (a.k.a. Bohemie) head and my wife and I bought flood insurance in Jan. of '08. Oddly flood insurance has to be in effect, it was either 30 or 45 days before it can be claimed on. And a third time, thank God, He got me to buy it in January (i.e. as early as possible). Laughably, our "Allstate" agent tried her darnedest to talk us out of it. "But you guys live in the 500 year flood plane at best. You're wasting your money. That part of Czech Village has never, ever flooded."

We had to actually argue with her and I had to quote the federal regulation to her from the flood insurance pamphlet, before she'd finally shut-up and sell us flood insurance.

Wonderfully, once the claim actually started through process, basically after an adjuster looked at the damage and loss we had, the entire process went surprisingly well. It was quick, about 7 days to two weeks from submission until we and/or contractors had payments!! Contractors were asked to submit bids to us, and directly to Allstate, and Allstate only asked for updates if the estimates changed between the times they were done and the time of completion. (If the furnace replacement went from $6,800 (actual money) say to $7,500, Allstate asked the company to "demonstrate why." The only thing Allstate balked at and refused was one contractor jacked his due to "labor costs." The insurance adjustor contacted the company, asked if the work was finished, he said, "No. Not yet." Allstate fired that crew. Paid them per the original contract "to date." Then brought in the second bidder and finished the work. Jamie, my wife, and I had no contractor headaches, no clean-up as the insurance brought in professionals, and the work got done. We're finishing the little house because we chose to focus on the main house rather than split work crews and potentially get neither house finished before winter.

Anyway, the "blog watchers" for Concealed Carry notified me it had been "a while" since my last post and suggest I post something, contact friends and so on. Well friends, this is currently the only group who regularly contacts me. So I just really felt I owed y'all an explanation and my apologies. I will try to do better and keep up with your postings to me in the future, and just know folks, I DO truly appreciate writing back and forth and passing ideas back and forth.

My greatest drawback is I'm the kind of man who you will always know my mind. I will always do my best to be kind with what I say. And I am aware some things just simply need not be said as they can cause just too much pain to another person. I call a spade, a spade. If you do not really want my opinion . . . please . . . PLEASE . . . do not ask it.

My ex-wife told people, "Frank is the guy who when I ask him, 'Does this dress make me look fat?' He'll tell me where, how, and have me weigh to see for myself." I'd never go that far, but I had told her, and I tell Jamie if the color's bad, it's too tight, or looks like a flour sac. And I'll tell a man if ". . . the tie is hideous or faggie . . ." I don't do "Metro-sexual" at all. I wear flannel shirts, t-shirts, jeans, boots (cowboy, harness, engineer, combat and hunting), I do wear dress shoes and dress cowboy boots, a black Stetson, or a cheap label black cowboy hat, a Indiana Jones style fedora and trucker caps. Especially Texas and vietnam Veteran caps. Although I'm disabled, I handicap fish and hunt, love animals and especially when they're next to fresh potatoes and gravy and oyster dressing. I also belong to PETA . . . no, not that PETA! I belong to People Eating Tastey Animals.

Anyway, y'all have a Merry Christmas, Happy and SAFE New Year. And remember too, Christ IS the reason. Not Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney, Sears, Macy's, or any other retailor.

Blessings,
Frank Vozenilek
a.k.a. DocV52

[williemartin]

After 26 years of fun around the world they told me it was time to move on. Ok, I moved to the other side of the base and I wear a tie (occasionally) to work. I still have a hand in the game, and get to help the "kids" as they take up the guidon.

Willie

[oldvet53]

great job, i know i miss all my old people!

[ADK10mm]

The first time I got out I was a BM2, the second time I got out I was BM2, hopefully when they finally throw me out I'll still be a Master Chief!

[wwkii]

spc e-4 us army 11-bravo

[thebrez1]

Retired MSGT (E-7) from Air National Guard. I was a full time Technician. Started in Transportation 4 in ANG then 4 in regular AF (lost a stripe in the transfer), then remainder in ANG as NCOIC of Aero Space Ground Equipment.

I have gone from Yes Sir Seargant to OK Mister

[thebrez1]

Unlike the service members in today’s environment, I, and many of you, never received so much as a thank you. So to all on this particular thread THANK YOU for your service. Not to take anything away from today's personnel, many of us KNEW that what we did was not popular, but it was the RIGHT thing to do. Many of those today also feel this way and I salute you, but it is somewhat easier when you understand the majority of the population of the U.S.A. stands behind you and you are in the public's thoughts and prayers, and thank God they do!

To all who serve or have served, regardless of your rank attained, you have my deepest and most sincere appreciation. You are all above average citizens and human beings. God bless the U.S.A. and God bless everyone!

Ok, I am starting to sound like Tiny Tim. I prefer to think of retirement from the "regulars" as a reassignment to the "Militia" :) Although I have lost some speed, I have more than compensated with intelligence and a steady aim :)

[NDshotokan]

US Army National Guard - SSG
Currently 14S (ADA)