"Further On Up the Road" - totally off AS subject!

[Chuck999]

Excuse the fact that this is totally unrelated to AS, but I'm sitting here listening to Bruce Springsteen sing "I'll Meet You Further On Up the Road" - from his new "The Rising" CD. Some great stuff. Most of the publicity about his new album says that all the stuff on it is mostly "non-confrontational". This particular song sounds to me like he's telling the Al-Quaida (or however the hell you spell it) fuckers we're coming for them. I mean:

"Where the road is dark, and the seed is sowed. Where the gun is cocked and the bullets cold - where the miles are marked in blood and gold - I'll meet you further on up the road"
and "Got on my dead man's suit, and my smiling skull ring - my lucky graveyard boots...and one sunny mornng I'll meet you further on up the road"

Is it just me, or does that sound almost like some kind of damn "battle hymm"? It helps if you listen to the music.
Sorry this is so off-topic, mods if you want to pull this one out I won'd get my feelings hurt! I'll tell you tho, if I was one of those Al Quaida cocksuckers and heard that song, I'd definitely get the idea that he's saying "boys, we're be coming to see you" - which of course we have at least started.

"RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!"

 

[bigkraut]

Rangers!

Hey, bro. Are you at Ft. Benning? I spent some time there. That's why I'm asking. Drive on!

 

[preist943]

ive never heard it but it sounds good i think ill check it out take care

 

[Chuck999]

Yeh, bigkraut, did my time at Benning (and north GA and the lovely senic swamps of Florida, etc). Jump school and Ranger School (a LONG time ago!). Been there done that. Proud of the fact that I got thru it and got my tab, but even if I could at my age, NEVER want to go thru anything like that again. I have no idea how the Seals and Delta guys survive their Q courses - I hear they're a hell of a lot harder than even Ranger School - boggles my mind. Sounds like you must also be an alumnus. You got it - "don't mean nothing, drive on!"

 

[bigkraut]

Yeah, bro, you and I chewed some of the same dirt. I did my Infantry OSUT and Jump School there. No Ranger School though. The closest I came to that was when we did our rappelling training there. I was 11-B. I was skinny then. Remember the cadence, "if you want to be infantry, you gotta be thin"? lol.

 

[Chuck999]

God yeah, I'm glad I went thru all that stuff back in my young and skinnier days. You do run your ass off. I think I ran as much during my 3 years in uncle sams Army as I have the rest of my life. Damn, I was in shape tho!

 

[freefaller21]

N/A

 

[Chuck999]

Why to go freefaller! My hat's off to anybody who survives SEAL school. Ranger School is one bad mofo, but I've heard SEAL training is a lot worse. Do you still jump? I do some "civvie" skydiving from time to time. Not a hell of a lot, but I get out to a DZ here outside of Atlanta each summer a few weekends and get some jumps in. Also went down to Guatamala a few years back with several other ex (and a couple of active duty) US military guys - mainly different special ops types - and went thru a one-week abbreviated jump school with them. They call their Airborne guys "Paracadistas" (might not have spelled that exactly right). This wasn't one of those deals where you just go and do a couple of jumps with them and then they pin their jump wings on you - it was about as hard (or harder!) than jump school at Benning was. Of course I was a good bit older too! They have some serious shit still going on down there with so-called left-wing (commie) "rebel" groups who are really mainly just drug dealers and kidnappers for ransom. The neat thing was they took us out on some partrols with them and we got into a little shit a couple of times. Probably just as well I'm too old for all that crap now - I'd probably be over in Afganistan getting my ass shot off!

 

[slide]

HUA and AHOY! (BUWHAHHAHA)

Well, with the Army and Navy representing on ProMuscle, I guess this Jarhead (still AD) should chime in as well. Just as ProMuscle is a "brotherhood (and sisterhood)," so are the Armed Forces. It's great to know there are a handful of individuals who have served hang out and contribute here! Take care!

---semper slide---

 

[freefaller21]

N/A

 

[Chuck999]

Hell, Slide, we're so open-minded we'll even let jarheads in here! Just kidding, "some of my best friends are Marines". Actually you guys are pretty good. I used to know a couple of Recon guys who were some seriously bad dudes. Anyway, good to see you. You're still in, huh? There are a lot of us I think who share the experience of having had a wonderful senic fun filled vacation for a few years at our dear old uncle sam's expense!

No freefaller21, never did get into any of that advanced stuff while in the Army. Just regular old Jump school at Benning. You did do some serious shit with the Military freefall school. I think probably the only guys who actually do much of that stuff in real life are the Delta guys or maybe some of the SEALS. Went thru the USPA "Accelerated Freefall" course a while back, so I've gone out the door in a lot of civie jumps at 12 - 14K a number of times. Actually in my old age here I got to admit I've actually gotten to where I really enjoy the ride under the canopy as much or more than the freefall. A lot of hardcore jumpers would call me a pussy, but damn it is fun. Just floating up there all by yourself, and with the squares these days you can practically fly the damn things.
HOOAH!

 

[Chuck999]

Damn, freefaller21, I forgot you WERE a SEAL. I guess that's why they sent you thru the advanced freefall school, huh? It must really be something to do a HAHO or HALO in a real life op. I hear they really don't do the HALO's that much anymore, but do do some HAHO's. I guess your still not that much of a radar target, or something. Of course we don't hear about a lot of the really serious stuff that goes on. From what you said, you may have done some. I've got a friend that retired from Delta (he was SF and then in Delta for the last 12-13 years). He literally can't talk about 3/4's of his time in. I'd love to be able to hear some of his stories but I don't press him because I know it would be his ass if he got caught telling tales out of school.

 

[bigkraut]

Ha! The closest thing I did to free fall was P.L.F. training! lol. H.A.L.O.? Not on your life. With my luck, big ben would've got stuck and I wouldn't have pulled until I was 15 feet under ground. Static line was all the Rambo I was capable of! lol. I always admired you spec ops guys who had/have the stones to do it, though. What kind of equipment are they using now? I remember the old t-10 and dash-1 chutes. The dash-1 was a bad mofo. I can't imagine they've improved much on that.

 

[Chuck999]

One thing I can say about my Delta buddy? - He does AS - has for years - tells me about 2/3's of the guys in Delta do them. He isn't really built like a real serious BB'r - looks more like an Olympic gymnist (sp?) but seriously strong, cut, lean and VERY tough dude. Wasn't surprised at all when he admitted it. I had already told him I had done a cycle or two "a few times long ago". Makes sense when you think about it. What about the Marines and SEALS freefaller and bigkraut? Back when I was in the Army I don't think hardly anybody except a few serious BB'rs had even heard of AS. (I told you guys I was OLD!)

 

[Chuck999]

Whoops - shit there goes my early-onset Alzheimers again. Slide's our resident Marine.

 

[bigkraut]

Back then (mid-80s), I doubt that it (gear use) occured to most of us. If for no other reason, we couldn't afford it with entry salaries of less than $400 a month! lol.

 

[freefaller21]

N/A

 

[bigkraut]

Good thinking. I tell all military guys to wait until their hitch is over to start cycling. U.C.M.J. penalties are no joke!

 

[Chuck999]

Yeh, freefaller, my Delta buddy is built kind of the way you describe. Not a BB'r per se, more like an athlete getting stronger and for more endurance. Rangers are the same deal - more "endurance machines" like you said. God damn we ran ALL the time - and some of the forced/timed marches were pure torture. I think the Delta guys get a little more leeway than most anybody else in the US military. Hell, I think you hardly ever see one who is less than E-7. Actually you hardly ever "see" one period. They all have to be Ranger and/or SF qualified first, just to go thru the "trial" phase to see if they'll let them in the course. When they're on active duty (as opposed to retired like my buddy) they won't even admit they're Delta - and they all have civie hair, etc. I agree with you and bigkraut, Probably not a good idea for a "regular" grunt type (like I was) to mess with AS while in.

 

[slide]

I know of less than a handful of people that do. Of course, I'm not saying there isn't more. The penalties can be pretty severe under the UCMJ, but you're not tested for AS in regular/surprise piss tests. The guys I do know (that do dabble) are pretty big guys, but take care of business and stay out of trouble. Fortunately, BK, salaries have gone up (albeit a little) since the Mid-80's.

Take care...

---slide---