# Member Biography/Profile thread



## Hunter368 (Apr 16, 2008)

What do you all think? Good idea or bad idea?

I know for myself there is a great many, very interesting people here I would like to know more about. Many have very interesting back grounds and histories that I would love to hear about. I would like to know their pasts and currently what they do for a living. 

Of course anyone who would not like to post their biography...thats fine. Or if they would not like to post some things about their past/current life thats fine (i.e. our own 007 agent Matt).

This would be a fun thread to help us all know each other better and understand each other better. After all many of our opinions are based on our past experiences. This thread would be much like our member mug shot thread. Perhaps the member's mug shot could be posted with his/her biography.

What do you think?

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## lesofprimus (Apr 16, 2008)

I like the mugshot and biography combo.... See how many actually put theirs up tho...

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## Hunter368 (Apr 16, 2008)

lesofprimus said:


> I like the mugshot and biography combo.... See how many actually put theirs up tho...



True.

Perhaps if one of the most colorful interesting leaders of this forum were to post his biography first......others would follow. Dan........  

You have a interesting past, share it with us (all the parts you can anyways).

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## Matt308 (Apr 16, 2008)

Lived in the following areas in chronological order...

Dublin, California south of the Oakland/Bay Area

Seattle (Renton) Washington

Birmingham Alabama

Covington Kentucky (south of Cincinnati)

Seattle Washington

Hate bigots. Love women.

Worked my way through school beginning age 10. MANY restaurants, hotels, freight wherehouses, United Parcel Service 25'-45' trailer driver, a telecommunication firm, Todd Ship Yards on Navy fast frigates and missile cruisers, BS in Electrical Engineering with minors in Physics/Software, Avionics slacker in an unnamed position.

Father of two boys. Both sports studs, stellar students and all around good guys.

Wife to die for. My soulmate.

Whose next...






I had my first real job at age 10. Had an uncle (actually a friend of my old man) who owned a lodge in the Napa Valley, California. I had done some odd job work for him on weekends when I lived in California with my dad and him painting apartments on the side. My dad being a manager for a major package airline and my uncle a prior Alameda County Sheriff. But now I lived in Seattle, Washington. My uncle lived north of Sonoma, along the Russian River. About 2 days drive away via car. A LONG Friggen Way for a 10yo.

For some damn reason, my parents thought that it would be a good thing for their 10yo to live with his uncle at the lodge business, being a dishwasher by day and an 18yo by night. Perhaps that second part was not what they had in mind. But then when I begged to come home after 45 days, you would have thought they would have come to get me... but that's another life lesson I suppose.

The owners lived above the lodge restaurant, which was my new home. They had a couple of small cabins they rented out and were building a house "on the ridge" above the lodge. The restaurant and bar area seated about 150 people, it had a live trout pond for customer fishing for meals, and a huge pool.

My 10yo job was wash dishes. Usually from about 1:00pm or so until about 10:30pm. They weren't open for breakfast except for Saturday and Sunday. It was a 7 day a week job. And business was REAL good. $1.65 an hour. Underage and underwage in 1976.

My coworkers were drunks and drug users. And well, so I too became same. Drinking more so after work. A common occurrence would be to get off work, wait until the owner went to bed and then sneak downstairs with his oldest son, make a few adult libations and grill up a steak. I was big man on campus.

I had a few regular jobs as a 10yo. First, was to help customers catch fish in the pond, feed the fish, and fillet all the live fish caught for the chef. Not bad and kinda exciting. Others included driving a 3.4ton Chevy utility truck up the winding single lane road to bring workers lunch or tools up the steep mountain side. There was also a bridge that crossed a small river that I was required to traverse. Not a paved and edged bridge, mind you, but a wooden bridge with tire lanes only. No sides. No middle. Just two 2 foot lanes to keep my 3/4ton drear axle dualies on. 10yo. WTF?

Three Finger Russ was a gent recently out of jail who was the prep help. He would show up at about 4:30am every morning. For reasons unbeknownst to me, he had no key to get into the restaurant and bar for his "duties". So aknocking upon my second story window he would proceed. How he got on the roof is beyond me. With my little bit of sleep... don't 10yo need more than 5 or 6 hours sleep?... I would be berated and verbally abused to open my window. No one else in the family would. Once letting him in, I would receive a mild beating by this 18yo three fingered thug. With my beating over, I could get a few more hours sleep. Ah bliss.

I was a chubby kid at 10yo. Those rare times that I was allowed out of the compound... I mean the lodge... we would go into town for mail and perhaps a takeout deli sandwich. I was not allowed to order for myself. Everyone was looking after my weight. Bless them. Good thing they got to order the sandwich they wanted and a choice of a dessert. I was so happy for them.

One day, we actually drove into Napa to visit the mall. It had been about two months since I was able to go to a hobby shop or the model dept in a store. I immediately went to Sears and the model section. Flush with lots of money from my incessant work, I spied a Hasegawa 1/72nd scale B-17G. My God it was beautiful. The detail work made my heart sing and I literally coveted the idea of owning this piece of art. My "aunt" did not want me to buy it, claiming that it was a waste of my money. All $6.50 of it. I remember the price to this day, as even a 10yo has a moment of being incredulous over a respected adults statement. It was only after a prolonged discussion, explanation and humiliation that my "aunt" relented and let me buy that model. I didn't make it while working in the lodge, I did not have my "tools". And upon my return home, I still did not make it. Too much of a bitter taste. I still own that unmade model. Its still in wrap.

Aaahh. His daughters. 18yo and 13yo. The 18yo worked as the maitre de, tall blond, big boobs, boy friend, always effing or planning to eff while drunk or stoned. And me, the 10yo, was always informed. Joy.

The 13yo. I was infatuated. She, 13 going on 21. Had nothing to do with me. I literally had no companionship.

Excitement, off to the local fair in Gurneville. Ofcourse I have to go with the 15yo son and my three fingered abuser. Oh well, before the cotton candy and ring toss, of course we must smoke pot and get stoned outta our minds. Off to the woods we go. Uh oh, here some two beat cops. Stare at the ground as they walk by, you are only 10. What a blast. 

Excitement, the hills are on fire. A huge forest fire arrives. You can literally stand in the parking lot looking at the enclosing hills and watch individual trees "whoosh" into flames. Embers are everywhere falling from the sky as small glowing coals. The local Gurneville Fire Dept shows up with a 2in water cannon. They stand watch over the lodge for two days. The put an 8"-10" sump into the swimming pool and occasionally shoot the water cannon on the roof of the lodge to keep the shingles wet. You can literally watch the water in this large pool go down as the cannon is operating. Way cool.

The owner makes sure that I understand if any of the Firemen want something to drink, to be sure and get it for them. I'm getting a little scared now, the fires are closer, the cannon is working often, and the owners are packing $hit into their cars for a quick bugout.

I ask the firemen if there is anything that I can get them to drink. They laugh at the portly 10yo and say "how 'bout a beer?". And they laughed. I went back to the lodge and brought 7 firement a six pack of Heineken. When my aunt and uncle found out, they chewed my @ss out for 15 minutes. Totally pissed off that I would waste beer on these lowlifes.

Epilogue -

Uncle and Aunt divorced and drunks. 18yo daughter divorced with multiple kids and caught up with a drug habit. 13yo daughter divorced twice with multiple kids. 15yo son blew his brains out. Me? Only thought about it.

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## Njaco (Apr 16, 2008)

Well......

Lived in South Jersey all my life except for one year in Aurora (Denver) Colorado.

High School Dropout (GED grad on first test with no studying)

Worked in various Animal Control agencies since 1977 - currently employed with the County since 1990.

Numerous other odd jobs as second and third income - construction, security guard, janitor (if there is anything to be said for a High School Diploma or College ed, thats it!!)

but

I have been to the Police Academy twice for Animal Cruelty Investigator and for MOI course to become an instructor for the cadets. Possibly my next line of work when I retire from chasing foo-foo dogs!

Played in numerous rock bands (including a Zep cover band) since 1976 to 1989 - made it a pretty good gig as I also played with some name bands, Cinderella and was with Bon Jovi during recordng of his second album in Philly)

Several hobbies - Model building, writing (books, etc., a few articles published in non-descript news rags), history buff and airplane buff, movie watching especially 'guy movies' and old B/W.

Love the Philadelphia Eagles Football team.

Married for 10 years until I turned 40 and she traded me for two 20 year olds. have 3 kids - two sons and a daughter (which I love and have every week!)

Now living with the love of my life since 2000 and it gets better every day!

and a recent pic taken last night by a friend of mine that fits with how I feel most times.  (here come the guffaws!!!)

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## Matt308 (Apr 16, 2008)

Nope. Just like I pictured you Njaco. Except without the publisher book party.


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## Matt308 (Apr 16, 2008)

Oh... and by the way the 60 dozen eggs crate makes the pic. Cheers!


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## Njaco (Apr 16, 2008)

When he emailed that to me today I wanted to kill him for taking it! But what the h*ll. I figgered you guys would get a chuckle out it, more than the Get Lucky thread!


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## lesofprimus (Apr 16, 2008)

OK Hunter.....

I grew up on Long Island, New York, born in 1966, grew up getting picked on because of my size (I was real tall), ended up becoming the neighborhood bully after beating up all the kids who forced me to start hitting a punching bag when I was 9.... Pinned kids down, spit on em, stole lunch money etc etc....

High School Jock, lettered in Hockey, Lacrosse and Football... All-State in Hockey and Lacrosse, Gold Medal in the Empire Games for Lacrosse....

I have 2 younger brothers, Scott and Glen, who are both married as well with kids... Scotts a doctor and Glan is an IT professional...

Earned a Lacrosse Scholarship to Syracuse University in New York, and threw it away with a 1/4 lb of weed and an unfortunate meeting with Campus Security... Tried a stint in the Minor Hockey Leagues.... All I did was fight and get penalties....

Met my ex-bitch in 86, got married in 86, brought my Son, Ryan, into the world in 87.... Born with a hockey stick in his hand... Coached him in hockey for 11 years, won numerous Championships, including his/our crowning achievement, the Mississippi High School Hockey Championship...

Joined the Navy in 1987 to be a SEAL, made it through BUDS first time up, Hell Week was a piece of cake... Assigned to SEAL Team 4, moved to Virginia Beach Virginia... Earned my Trident, shipped out to Panama, had loads of fun there....

Went all over the Globe for 8 years, shot lots of rounds.... U name a conflict or Operation from 89-96 and I was there, along with a "few" u'll here about in 15 more years or so, if they ever get de-classified....

Got out in 96 after Haiti ruined my career... Earned several medals and awards in my time, including the Purple Heart, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal for Valor, Joint Service Achievement Medal, 2 Navy Achievement Medals and a slew of others.... Total awards were 30, on 21 ribbons....

After the Navy, moved to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, got into the Telecommunications Installation Industry... Been doin it ever since.... Lost my mother to brest and lung cancer in 2002 after a long struggle, first the breast cancer, and then during her recovery, the lung cancer showed up... Got a real bad infection while in the hospital during all of this that almost killed her... After the chemo/radiation, she did well for some time, then the cancer came back into her lungs with a vengeance, and it killed her... Thanksgiving was my Moms favorite holiday, and we were all gathered up on Long Island to see her in the hospital, sort of a family reunion.... We took all our leftovers up to the hospital that afternoon and had Mom enjoy some with us... She looked real bad, a shell of herself... It was and still remains one of the hardest moments of my life for me to remain strong for her... She was and is a GREAT woman who had nothing but love in her heart for all she came in contact with... 

A day and a half later, she passed away.... We are all convinced she held on as long as she did in that fu*kin cell of a hospital room just to get us all together, to say goodbye....

Im crying right now thinking about it, I miss her.... Thats enough of this...

Moved to Tampa, Florida for 1.5 years in 1999 and the marriage fell apart.... After a rountine checkup for some discomfort, it was discovered that I had Stage 0 Colon Cnacer, but I was lucky, just plain lucky that it got noticed... After a brief operation/colonoscopy, they got me taken care of.... I didnt have to endure any chemo or radiation, and Ive been dealin with Ulcerative Colitis ever since, which I can tell u is one hellofa cu*t, with no cure known....

Moved back tyo Mississippi to stay with a friend Lloyd while my marriage disintigrated... My son Ryan decided that it was time he got unruley and became a punkass sh!t, trying ciggarettes and weed with his older cousin... I made the decision to be a part of his life again, made ammends with my cheating whore ex, and moved them back to Mississippi with me.... My son straightened up with this move, graduated High School and enrolled in College....

Hurricane Katrina hit the Southern Coast of Mississippi in 2005 and almost wiped us off the face of the earth.... Real bad time... I lost several close friends in that storm, and have never recovered from pulling the body of my friend from the debris of his destryed apartment complex.... 

I got divorced in 2007 after 15 horrible years outta 20... Typical cheatin whore gimmick.... I couldnt put up with her bi-polarism, with a splash of OCD, any longer... I made the scarifices I did for my Sons benefit, and it seems to have worked... He is a great almost 21 year old with a great girlfriend who loves him... Hopefully he's learned from his Dads mistakes...

Met my true soul mate, Becca, and her 2 boys, Max and Zane (7 5 yrs old) in July of last year... Moved them to Mississippi from Texas to start my new life with the woman I should have started with a loooong time ago... I like to think the trials and tests were to prove I was worthy of her....

My son Ryan works with me every day he can get his lazy carcass outta his bed....

OK, Im now officially over talking about myself.... I dont talk much about what I did, and theres good reason... Consider urselves blessed....

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## Thorlifter (Apr 16, 2008)

Ok, me next.

I was born a poor white child. Dad was ex Air Force, mom worked for the War Department (now Department of Defence). 

Moved around every time my dad got a promotion for Trailways bus company finally making it to Dallas in '77 when he became VP. I was a super tiny and skinny kid with a big mouth and even bigger friends. Everyone knew not to pick on me or they would answer for it.

Started playing basketball in '78 and got pretty good. Played against a few NBA guys in high school and afterwards, including Spud Webb and Ricky Pierce, and beat them. Played for North Texas State University in '86. 

Got married to a lovely VERY rich lady in '88 and she blessed me with two beautiful daughters, Victoria and Samantha, now 14 and 11. Victoria is my miracle baby. She was born 4 months premie and weighed only 24 ounces, but she's perfect now, except she has her mothers attitude!

Started lifting weights in '99 and my ex brother in law got me doing steroids. I now weigh 245 and I'm not so skinny and tiny anymore. 

Divorced in '02 because my lovely lady turned into a cheating whore. Almost committed suicide in '02 by trying to eat a bullet, but just before that big moment, I remembered my girls. "Live life for them." I told myself. See, always a reason to stick it out.

Got remarried to a sweetie in '04. She puts up with all my S**T and she still stays around because for some reason, she likes me.............alot. She's helped me through a bunch of rough times in our 4 years. I'm still learning to deal with blended family issues.

And, I like fish.

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## Screaming Eagle (Apr 17, 2008)

Well heres a quick one

I was born in Brisbane, Queensland and I am 1 of 3 triplets, and also a 3 time uncle

Lived in Gladstone, Queensland ever since.

Was a real little **** at school but that changed in about yr 6.

Went to high school, started playing basketball for fun, realised I love the game. (go the dallas mavericks!)

Entered GSESC (Gladstone Schools Engineering Skills Centre) last year, and was the first one out of my class to get an apprenticeship in the trade of boilermaking. (surprised my old teachers who thought I wouldn't make anything of myself!)

Been doing my trade ever since and loving it.

I'm also into cars and anything mechanical, fixing up and stuffing around with them either with friends or the old boy, like njaco, I'm a bit of a history buff, model making (either planes or model trains), my growing DVD collection, music and my punisher comics collection.


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## Hunter368 (Apr 17, 2008)

Nicely done guys. Maybe you guys could edit (or Dan) your posts and add your pictures to your Bio.

Nicely done guys.


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## Hunter368 (Apr 17, 2008)

I have read them all above this post and they are great. I am glad to see you guys open up and tell us about your life and feelings.

Dan I am impressed with how open you were, thanks. 

Thorlifter, hang in their man. You are wayyyyyy better then your ex, she never deserved you. Live for your kids.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Apr 17, 2008)

Okay well...

Was born and raised in Germany. My mother is German and my father is American. I lived about 20 years in Germany and about 8 in the United States. Did some college in the United States and the rest on military installations in Germany. I have been married for almost 5 years to wonderful German lady.

Joined the Army as a UH-60 Blackhawk repairer. Did my Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC and my AIT at Fort Eustis, VA. I was then stationed in Germany and quickly became a Crew Chief. I have over 1500 flight hours including 650 combat flight hours.

I got out of the Army a few years ago and currently live in Germany working for the US Army at the same Airfield that I used to fly out of.

I also have my FAA A&P Liscense and some flying experience (hope to have it finished this year). 

I am also currently working on another degree in Aviation Maint Management with a minor in Aviation Safety.

Hobbies:
3rd Reich Militaria Collecting
Flying
Fine Food and Wine
Good Beer
Fishing
Stamp Collecting
Coin Collecting
Traveling.

I have travelled all over the world to include USA, Canada, Mexico, Middle East, Carrabean, Just about all of Europe, parts of S. America, Africa and Asia.

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## Cota1992 (Apr 18, 2008)

Okay, grew up in San Deigo County, almost lost my kidneys at age 8, all I wanted to be growing up was John Wayne or Johnny and Roy, was close enough to the scene of PSA flight 182 to smell the burning bodies and jet fuel, Hated school but delt with it sort of, My Dad was my real hero this being the 70s and he was a trucker. In fact he's still my hero and until he lost his health could outwork anyone I have ever met.
When I was 12 my mother had a stroke right in front of me and spent the next 13 years in a nurning home waiting to die, which really screws you up as a kid and gives you all kinds of guilt.
I quit school at 16 to work, went back and got my GED at 18, owned my own business by the time I was 21 and lost it by the time I was 23. worked at the Salk Insitute when Jonas Salk was still alive as night secuirty supervisor. The weekend he died i spent sitting in his office to keep any momento seekers away. During the day I worked and lived on a small horse outfit in east county and helped break horses.
In 1999 my now wife and one stepchild moved to Wyoming where I bought my out outfit. I dayworked as a trucker myself and almost a year in a sawmill and hayed and cowboyed for other outfits onthe side.
In fall of 2000 I was hired by a large ranch working 130,000 acres 70 miles from the east gate of yellowstone and the proudest moment of my life was my first real paycheck as a working ranch cowboy. The next few years were hard work and shere bliss. In 2003 my body started breaking down on me and I could work as hard as I used to, My wife started cheating on me and that led to a divoirce and me losing about everything in the aftermath and living in town and working at a dairy (Which I did enjoy) and spending a long dark winter with a .45 in my lap alone everynight.
I met my wife in 2004 and I took a bus (53 hours each way) on a whim as I was unemployed at that time due to the econics and my health. fell in love at first site and She is my everything and anything and nothing short of a gift from God. I moved to DC as she had a great job, worked first as a Grave digger and then in office work before Hiring on to Nextel testing phones (No jokeing can you hear me now stuff in real life) worked that until the merger with sprint destroyed the department in late 2006. I then became and still am a part time church janitor. In the fall of 2005 my only brother and my best friend both passed away 2 weeks apart from each other and thats when this stress stuff started rearing it's ugly head.
Life since then has been from okay to a living hell and my lovely wife has been through more than she ever should have bee and has stood with me every inch of the way. I then also took a janitors job at my doctor's office and worked my way into the back office where it was very high stress, doing the work of three and trying to catch an office that had been neglected for almost half a year at the same time.
A few weeks back I had a small stroke and then at the end of the week another hospitization and today an ambulance ride due to a monster kidney stone, something I get every few months due to that surgery as a kid.
My brothers and my best friend's death brought back all the feelings t=of the PSA crash and I have been dignosed in the last month with PTSD for that and everything I repressed with my mother and the fact I never had learned to grieve. I have always resisted mental help because of the culture I grew up in but being 38 now and myabie dying of a heart attack by the time I'm 40 has me convinced to try and do something and coming from a family of stone drunks, drinking is out. I hope I don't sound like I'm pissing and moaning too much here but it is what it is.
My hobbies are muisc, movies, writing and poetry, retro pin ups and Bettie Page militart history WWII and Vietnam my whole life and Civil war being as where I live you would have heard the fire in 1864 and turning photos into paintings in photoshop as stress relife as I always wanted to be an artist but didn't have the telent.
If you want to see samples of these things my myspace pages has them and lost of photos of my lovely wife myspace.com/normandiecow

Art in DC


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## Njaco (Apr 18, 2008)

Wow, Cota, a real dude! Always wanted to do those cowboy stuff and ended up in animal control.

Glad to see you're still positive and hope your health gets better. You've got some friends on here!


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## chook (Apr 18, 2008)

Interesting putting details and pictures to names. Good idea. I still haven't got the photo bucket thing happening so can't post photos yet. My wife helped me with my avatar. 

Screaming Eagle you are my brother I think. I grew up in Brisbane too. Mt Cotton primary school and Villanova in Coorparoo for secondary. Been doing Boilermaking all my working life from construction steel to now owning my own business repairing earthmoving machinery on site in Sydney where I've been for 10 years now.

One 8yr old boy to my ex and twin girls still in hospital waiting to come home at the moment with my current. I'm thinking my hobby may suffer a bit for a little while at least.

Have a 78 HZ ute with a 5 litre and all the goodies, 2000 model 750 Ducati Monster and too love all things noisy and fast.

Been into anything WW2 since a kid and still have the dream of making every thing that existed from that time. I love building models cause to me they're real, not models, and the escape into fantasy and challenge of outdoing your last effort, learning from mistakes and experiments and the sense of achievement is alluring. I can easily unlock my display cabinet and waste half a day playing! Plus I regard myself as having intermittent patience and so am still often surprised I can do them.

I enjoy this site because it is full of people that I assume share some if not all of my passions too. If only I spent time here doing models instead I'd have more than my average of about 1 per year!


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## rochie (Apr 18, 2008)

deleted


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## Hunter368 (Apr 18, 2008)

Hunter368 Bio:

Born in Winnipeg moved around from there, where ever my Father’s job took us.

Lived in: Winnipeg, MB Brandon, MB The Pas, MB Flin Flon, MB Nipawan, SK
Creighton, SK Pontrilas, SK Winnipeg, MB again.

My Father was a incredible carpenter, among the best in Canada from what I have been told by sources. When I was 12 years old my Father started working up north on the DEW line for the next 10 years.

I was a teen hockey star, captain of my team for years, won medals, scoring titles. I eventually quit b/c my parents could not afford to pay for my hockey anymore. I am the youngest of three children (me and two older sisters).

We were a very very poor family growing up, at times my Mother only had dry bread to feeds us kids for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My parents were not very good with money, claimed bankruptcy three times in 20 years. At times my Dad earned allot of money on the DEW line but we were still poor b/c he wasted it.

Dad was an alcoholic, chain smoker, abusive to my Mother and sister. I remember falling a sleep many times listening to my Mother fall herself to sleep crying b/c of my Father. Once my Dad slammed my older sister’s head into the door over and over again b/c she lipped off to him. She was bleeding from her face and nose afterwards.

My Father was a different man before he worked on the DEW line and started drinking. He would take me fishing daily, coached my hockey teams, played games with me, etc. Then around my 12th birthday it changed, he worked on DEW line, became alcoholic. At times growing up in my teens I hated my Father b/c what he did to my mother, sister. I hated him b/c he was never there for me growing up, never at my games, never to talk to. I hated him with a passion for many years. Between ages 13-35 I hated him for all he had done to our family. Then he got cancer and doctors gave him 6 weeks to live.

I decided to visit him and be there for him in his dying days. I never forgiven him for all he had done, but I decided to be there in his final days. At that time I remember him, as I wanted to remember him, from my younger days. When he played with me, cared about me, cared for his family. His last days he was a shell of a man, he went from a 190lbs strong man to a 110lbs weak skeleton. After he died I was still mad at him, for dying before we could settle things between us. I was no kid anymore I was a man, I wanted to tell him what I really thought of him. But he died before I could do it, sitting here now I am getting mad at him again just thinking about. Of all the hell he put us through, I wanted to punch right in the face. But he died a thin weak man, he cheated me again.

I think of my father I think of 5 words: love, fear, hate, regret, guilt. I loved him as a child, loved him b/c he was my father. Feared what he became after he started drinking. Hated him for what he did to our family, which is still felt till this day, years after his death. I regret things could not of been different, we could have been a loving family. Till this day I at times feel guilt for not standing up to him as a teen, thinking that maybe I could of changed things if I would of stood up to him. At times I feel shame for not protecting my sister and mother from him when I was a teenager. Maybe he would of listened to his only son, maybe I could of changed him. I have considered suicide many times growing up, I still suffer at times from depression. Once as a 15 old child I walked in on mom trying to kill herself, I had to stop her.

All I ever wanted as a child was a father who was around all the time to look up to and respect, someone I could be proud of. Now I still hate him even after he is dead, but for some reason I also feel sorry for him. Not sure why. I wish things could have been different. I wish I had a father to be proud of, to talk to, for my children to love.

I married my grade 9 prom date and have had two children with her. I can’t say it has always been easy with her but she is a great person. I would never want to have children with anyone else. She is a great mother and person. I love her till the day I die. She has made me a better man and person.

Based off my experiences with my father, I do not drink a drop of alcohol. I have said this before, I want to be the opposite of everything my dad ever was. I want to grow old looking after and being there for my children and wife. I love them with my entire being.

I have several professional designations in logistics and I am a Professional Logistician. Been a manager for 17 years in business.

I love hockey, golf, mixed martial arts, reading, learning, history and gaming of all kinds. If I had one dream that could true about just myself, it would be to be a professional MMA fighter. But of course I am too old now for that but I love to watch and do it for fun.

Favorite hockey players: Scott Stevens, Cam Neely. Favorite MMA fighters: GSP, BJ Penn, Randy Couture.

My family has a bad history with cancer. Father, grand mother, mother in law have all died from cancer. Father in law has cancer, both sisters have had cancer. My mother has had many kinds of cancer. Her doctors say there is less then a hand full of women who have had the number of cancers my mom has had and lived. I hate cancer more then most people, I am sure you can understand.

I am a very healthy 180lbs 38-year-old man that looks forward to watching my kids grow up. I truly want to be there for my kids, their good times, their sad times and fun times.

Greatest fear would be not being there for my kids when they need me the most.

Sorry for my long boring post,

Hunter.


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## Njaco (Apr 18, 2008)

Not boring at all, Hunter. A lot of it I could have posted.


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## Hunter368 (Apr 18, 2008)

Njaco said:


> Not boring at all, Hunter. A lot of it I could have posted.



Thanks, I am not one to talk much about myself normally. Most times I am a very private person, but everyone else was sharing so I thought I would also. Some of those memories are very difficult and painful ones to think about, but it actually felt good to share with all you here who I consider friends.


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## Njaco (Apr 18, 2008)

Seems there is a lot in common with everyone here.

My father beat the 'L' out of me when young, in '80 he got divorced and it hit him hard and he turned to drink. I used to drink just to numb out his drinking. Pickled himself until early '90s when he almost killed himself with it. Came out of hospital with severe diabetes and only then was I able to really to connect with him. We did the airshows and model conventions and really got together. He died in 2004 from the diabetes (fragile diabetic they called him). Some people need a manual when they have children and he was one of them. Wasn't evil of heart but didn't understand about being a father. That is something I work hard at EVERY SINGLE DAY.

oh and all our ex's love to cheat. Love to have a Family Court Judge explain that discrepancy.


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## lesofprimus (Apr 18, 2008)

Nice to open up once in awhile Hunter.... As the saying goes, life is tough all over....

Have u had a physical lately to see if that nasty C-Bug is roamin around there??? The only reason I aint dead is a routine check up showed something, and it was caught at Stage 0....

Luck was with me...


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## Screaming Eagle (Apr 18, 2008)

chook said:


> Screaming Eagle you are my brother I think. I grew up in Brisbane too. Mt Cotton primary school and Villanova in Coorparoo for secondary. Been doing Boilermaking all my working life from construction steel to now owning my own business repairing earthmoving machinery on site in Sydney where I've been for 10 years now.



Cool I never had a brother!  Once I do my trade I hope to do another one as a diesel mechanic, and maybe on down the line become a professional welder.


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## Hunter368 (Apr 18, 2008)

lesofprimus said:


> Nice to open up once in awhile Hunter.... As the saying goes, life is tough all over....
> 
> Have u had a physical lately to see if that nasty C-Bug is roamin around there??? The only reason I aint dead is a routine check up showed something, and it was caught at Stage 0....
> 
> Luck was with me...



Yes I get checked every year, thank god my doctor has small hands and even smaller fingers.  

I had one scare, but it turned out to be nothing after several follow up checks. It did have me scared as hell for about 2 weeks, but I am fine.


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## Matt308 (Apr 18, 2008)

Cota. Take my word for it. Bouts of depression are cured by your looking into your girls eyes. You are not alone buddy.


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## Matt308 (Apr 18, 2008)

Hunter368 said:


> Sorry for my long boring post,
> 
> Hunter.




Christ, Hunter. With tears in my eyes I am sympathetic. And must admit that I experience similar feelings. Effing cancer. Intrusion of alcohol affecting my youth relationships, etc.

I did not expect that you guys would post such personal reflections and now feel ashamed that my post was so superficial and contrite. It appears that this thread is either cathartic for most, or a cry for companionship. This is a time that I wish that I did not have a history on this forum, for I feel a connection with all members in a some fascimile. And a real bond with others. I would rather logout and have no conscience.

And posts like yours Hunter truly are painful. I think it was Charles who said "establish a buddy list". Some may think that we Forum members are nothing more than avatars, text and BS. But from my perspective, not so. All of you are a little part of my life.


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## chook (Apr 19, 2008)

Yeh working on big machines does it for me Screamer and good money to be made too. Not many boilermakers around so I was extra happy to find one that shares other passions of mine too.

As for everyone else my story is not as interesting or sad so no need to mention it but I hope you all find what you need to get where you want to be and this site seems to be full of sympathetic souls which is amazing.


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## wilbur1 (Apr 19, 2008)

Matt308 said:


> Christ, Hunter. With tears in my eyes I am sympathetic. And must admit that I experience similar feelings. Effing cancer. Intrusion of alcohol affecting my youth relationships, etc.
> 
> I did not expect that you guys would post such personal reflections and now feel ashamed that my post was so superficial and contrite. It appears that this thread is either cathartic for most, or a cry for companionship. This is a time that I wish that I did not have a history on this forum, for I feel a connection with all members in a some fascimile. And a real bond with others. I would rather logout and have no conscience.
> 
> And posts like yours Hunter truly are painful. I think it was Charles who said "establish a buddy list". Some may think that we Forum members are nothing more than avatars, text and BS. But from my perspective, not so. All of you are a little part of my life.



Matt, I think you just said it for me, ive been wanting to put my 2 cents in since i saw this thread but after hunters i feel that it would be repetitive, i feel very proud to talk to you guys and do consider each and everyone my friend,....even lucky....sometimes, just kidden,this hits alittle close to home so i try to laugh when i can, only way i can deal with it


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## Graeme (Apr 19, 2008)

lesofprimus said:


> Have u had a physical lately?




Unfortunately, even then, the ‘bastards’ (some doctors) can get it wrong. 

I blame a small town doctor ultimately for my fathers death. My dad (who lived in another town) was seeing him regularly for bouts of what he diagnosed as “constipation”. Eventually it got so bad he had to be hospitalised. Working full-time night shift, it was difficult to get a clear picture of what was happening on the phone from staff at the hospital. He lingered there for a couple of weeks and I made trips to visit him but never got any satisfactory answers to my questions. Even talking on the phone to the ‘Doctor’ got me nowhere as he even admitted that he was “puzzled” and continued to feed him aperients and administer enemas.

Eventually my wife and I drove to the hospital, ‘took him’ away and presented him to an emergency department at a hospital in another town.

The diagnosis was bowel cancer, that had infiltrated through the bowel wall and was so large it totally occluded the rectum, hence the “constipation”.

An anterior resection of the bowel was performed, but the surgeon (who was also a bastard) confided in me that he could feel nodules in the liver and suspected metastases and wouldn’t recommend follow-up radiation therapy based on my dads age (which was only 70). I won’t bore you with the details but the ultimate outcome is obvious.

In 1999 I was working for a Gastroenterologist who owned and operated an Endoscopy day surgery. Mid-year I was coughing constantly and could taste blood. I eventually got to see an ENT surgeon (a bastard) who could find “nothing wrong” with my throat and was convinced that I didn’t know what blood tasted like! I remember arguing with him over what blood tasted like! Eventually he decided to refer me to a Respiratory physician.

Before I could see him I had an episode of ‘expectorating’ blood. So I thought ‘Phuck’em’ I’ll sort this out myself!

One evening after work, I sprayed some lignocaine into my mouth and passed a gastric endoscope through the epiglottis into the trachea and surprise, surprise, found a bleeding vocal cord polyp and snapped some photos.





I presented these to the ENT surgeon, who I must admit was very apologetic (for a bastard) and surgery (diathermy) was performed days later. 

My wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and is presently in remission after surgery, chemo and radiation therapy. I’ll never forget my wife asking the Radiotherapy Oncologist (a real BASTARD!) if she would still be able to fall pregnant after the radiation therapy, as we were considering a fourth child. 

He SNIGGERED and said “Good God no! after this, your ovaries will be fried”.

I have to stop. I’m just making myself angry. And I’m drinking.

I guess I’m just trying to say, *take care*, beware of bastards, and get yourself a fibre-optic endoscope!


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## lesofprimus (Apr 19, 2008)

Its real interesting to see what others from around the globe, others that I consider my Friends, have trialled themselves with.... 

I omitted several parts of my story, including my Mom getting cancer and dying, and my own bout with that prick colon cancer, so I am defiantly relating to what some of u guys are talkin about... I also have 2 younger brothers and 3 nephews and neices...

I will edit my post above to include these omissions...

OK, I edited my original post and included some more personal/indepth stuff....

Big difference in these 2 pics, huh guys???

What happened???


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## lesofprimus (Apr 19, 2008)

I went and added ur mugshot photos for each Bio.... If u didnt submit a pic, I added one for u, in humiliation....


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## parsifal (Apr 19, 2008)

Hi Guys

My name is Michael, I was born in 1959, in a place called Orange NSW Australia. i was the son of a farmer, and granndson to one of the original ANZACs, fought at Gallipoli, Palestine, including Beersheba. My grandad left me his war medals when he died, which I still have and cherish.

I was not real close to my Dad, but he brought me up, and taught me how to think, and question the world around me, and i am thankful for that. My dad was a difficult man, a needy man i guess. All of my brothers and sisters are bright....I have two sisters and a brother. My brother is an electronics engineer, has worked on everthing from the Harrier engine management systems to how to make Pokies suck more money out of the punters. My sisters are each a singer, and my other sister is a psychologist.

I had an intersting upbringing. Mum left my Dad when I was 7, and my brother and I spent most weekends on the farm, helping out. I learnt to ride, to gentle horses, i was driving trucks and tractors, and owned half a dozen guns by the time i was twelve. I learnt to shoot pretty well, but later, in my late twenties, I turned right away from hunting, and guns and all that stuff. I also learned how to fish with explosives, which was kinda cool i thought. At the other end of the scale, I was reading three books per week by the time I was ten. I grew to love knowledge, any knowledge, mostly to take on my Dad in the endless debates that we used to get into . Very young learning and knowledge became my escape for me 

I graduated in in 1977, senior high, having achieved tertiary entrance scores in the top 2% of the country. I cannot tell you if my dad would have helped me through Uni, but I was getting tired of the the control he wanted to excercise over me, i was always a restless soul, and loved two things, boats and planes. I decided to join the navy 

All this sounds like a dirge, but it wasnt. I had a blast as a young fella. I used to live about 45 miles from school, and was the only kid in the valley with a car. I used to keep the petrol up to it by running a school taxi service. It cost two bucks, flat fee, to flag me down and get in the car. if you were a cute girl, you got in for free, so long as you sat next to me, and i was allowed to put my arm around you. On weekends I used to sink wells for the local farmers, and use explosives to cut through any rocks I would find

I joined the navy in 1978, having spent some time in the Naval reserves before that. By the time I left for the navy my sport was boxing. I was young and fit, and strong, and dangerous. 

I graduated from the naval College in 1981, and spent a couple more yearswith the fleet having qualified for my second stripe (Lt). Whilst i was in college, I was introduced to what beacame my lifelong passion, wargaming. I have been doing that ever since, not as a full time living, but as serious hobby neverthe less.

I served on a number of ships, including the carrier melbourne. Whilst on the melbourne I realized that I really wanted to fly. But that was never to be. The nearest I got to a shooting war was in 1981, following the Russian invasion of afghanistan. We all thought there was going to be shooting back then. I was training to be a PWO by then (Principal Warfare officer) and got to see a lot of action in the ops room as a result. Later i went to staff college for about six month (or thereabouts) It was a bit scary (and exciting, to watch the live ammunition being loaded onto the carrier Before we sailed. It was a small but effective TG that sailed into the Arabian sea that year. Shooting would have started if Pakistan was attacked

The last trip i did with the navy was 1984. I volunteered to crew on the Antarctic supply ship, the Nella Dan. I wanted to see the Polar ice. already I had deployed to a lot of interesting places. New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Malaysia, just to name a few

I remember one of the best times was meeting in Singas with some New Zealanders, one or two Americans, and I think two Russinas. We had the best times teaching each other how to swear in various languages, and other stuff. It was about that time that i realized that politics keeps us apart, andthe stuff that I was being indoctrinated with in the navy was a bit off the mark in some respects. We all bleed and have the same worries and cares in many resapects. 

I never made it to Antarctica, I was wondering why I was losing so much weight. I ate like a horse and was constantly thirsty. halfway down to antardtica, I collapsed, in a coma. My old ship the melbourne apparently winched me to safety. All i know is i woke up in a hospital. A few days later i received the bad news, I would be discharged from the navy as medically unfit. It was pretty bad. My girlfriend, who became my first wife was pregnant, and I had no job. It got worse. A couple of months later I had a bad motocycle accident, and my wife decided it was all too much after the baby came along. So here I am, no job, a baby (by that stage about 8 months), and with injuries that might well make me permanently disabled (I had nearly torn my shoulder off, and had split my liver). I remember the medical staff saying on the night of my accident "we might lose this one" Kinda makes you really stop and think when that happens.

But I did survive. My second love was design, urban design, geography and things like that. I worked by day, my mom helped with the baby (for about two years), and I studied by night. I completed my second degree in two years (I could use a lot of the subjects from the first degree I had received in 1980). In 1987 I got my first job as a town planner. It had been a long dark time. I now also have a further degree in Environmental land management, which sort of explains why i no longer own a gun, and wont even touch one 

I am still a town planner today. In 2002 my son graduated, and all of a sudden I was single and unnattached again. I met a lady plying chess on the Internet, shes Russian, and beautiful, and she actually likes me. We got married in 04, have built a house. i am thinking of having another child. Tanya, my wife, is thirteen years my junior, so she really wants to have a child. I wouldnt mind one either, to be honest

Because i read so much, i have a lot of books. I mentioned my hobby, wargaming. Actually I am a wargame designer, working with a small group of friends, Our Group have helped to design a number of games, the most famous of which is World In Flames. These are the table based counter games, some of you may be familair with. they are not computer games. They require a lot of research, because they must be reasonably accurate if they are to have my name on it. they are better described as simulations rahter than games actually. My current project is a simulation of the entire war, covering the air, land, sea, political and industrial aspect of the war. The air system is based around "air points", ten plane units, which are not on the map as such. The points are grouped into air Gropups, which for kland based units is about 20 air point (200 a/c) Everyone who has seen it says it is easily the most accurate air combat system they have ever seen. But it still needs some work. It takes about 300 hours to play the whole thing from strart to finish, which is just too long


Anyway, here is my ugly scone, and my wife on the day we ewere married. 

BTW I call myself Parsifal, because that was to be my callsign if i had ever received my wings. i was always liked to see myself as the one of pure heart...yeah right.


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## Matt308 (Apr 19, 2008)

Les, I loved my pic. A too close to home.

Oh and I liked Adler's too.


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## Heinz (Apr 19, 2008)

Im fascinated by other people and these are some very moving and humbling biographies.


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## Hunter368 (Apr 19, 2008)

I have to say I did not fully intend this thread to totally turn into what is has turned into, but I am more then happy that it has.

I think we all see another side of each other and know more about each other then ever before. Thats a great thing.

Matt,

I totally agree with you. When I joined this site about 3 years ago it was just to take WW2 knowledge away from it. I was not here to give this site anything, just use it for my gain.

While I still take a great deal of knowledge from it almost everyday, I have gained much much more from it then I ever expected.

I now have a group of friends all across the world also, which is much more valuable to me then anything. Much of what I have said in my bio post I have never even told my closest friends in person, b/c I did not feel I could share that with them. Only my wife, and all of you now, know the whole truth about my life, childhood, trials tribulations.

I thank all of you for your posts and opening up.

Special thanks to Dan, for posting pics of members and your bio post.


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## Njaco (Apr 19, 2008)

the difference is the hat, Les.


  


Hunter, this was a Great idea!


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## Hunter368 (Apr 19, 2008)

Thanks but the idea was just that, just an idea. 

What makes it good is the content of the thread and everyone deserves credit for that, not just me.


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## lesofprimus (Apr 19, 2008)

Matt, I merged ur two posts together, but it put it up at the top....

****Please re-read Matt's Bio****


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## Matt308 (Apr 19, 2008)

Thanks, Les.


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## lesofprimus (Apr 19, 2008)

Very enlightening Matt, thanks for diggin back in that past man.... I already hate ur Aunt and Uncle.... What a couple of cun*s...


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## Matt308 (Apr 19, 2008)

Yeah...

I really understand the Stockholm Syndrome. If you have never experienced it, it is emotionally a dichotomy.


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## Freebird (Apr 20, 2008)

Wow this is some intense thread you started Hunter...

I was wondering where the "Devil of Rabaul" came from?
P.S. I'm from out west in "Lotus Land" but working out of Portage-la-Prairie right now. 

Anyways, I am about the same vintage as Les, but I'm afraid that's where the similarity ends... Compared to a Blackhawk crewchief Iraq vet, a Navy SEAL with 30 medals, An Aussie carrier PWO, I'm kinda embarassed to post my wimpy bio...

I grew up in Vancouver B.C., Dad is Canadian, Mum is British but born in India where grandfather was posted. {He was posted to Egypt Palestine during the war} That's Mums uncle on my siggy, I always felt both proud sad at his story, he didn't get a chance to get married before the war, he had no kids, no family to remember him when he was killed.

I can relate to your story Hunter Njaco, alcohol has been a drain on Dad for probably his whole life. I guess I can be thankful that he is a more or less a "happy drunk", he doen't usually yell and he never raised a hand against me or Mum because of drinking, just becomes disagreeable sometimes. But I think of how much he was capable of, he's very smart, could have been an engineer but ended up as a dentist because thats what Grandad wanted him too. {which he didn't really like}. He was a really skilled builder, he remodelled our house and built a 45' boat from the bare hull, including wiring, rigging, woodwork and did all the electronic installation. Too bad I didn't inherit his technical brain or skill with my hands....  

I was in scouts as a kid, I was hoping to go into the military when I got older {probably Navy} but a bad accident at school killed that option when I was 16. We were doing gymnastics, because the school was overcrowded we had to use the cafeteria, with the tables pushed away and a few mats put down. We were supposed to be building a pyramid, I was on the third level, the last guy was supposed to vault up and we would hold him in place as the 4th level {the "capstone" of the pyramid} but he took it too fast and crashed in knocking us all flying. I flew off and took a glancing hit on a cafeteria bench on my back. {the "one-piece" kind which is attached to the table} I then landed on my back on the hard floor and lay there.

I came to, I was completely freaked out, I couldn't feel *anything* below my neck, and couldn't move. It happened right before lunch, the bell rang and here were dozens of kids bursting in to see the gimp lying on the floor. The vice-pricipal came in, and came over and reached down "let me give you a hand up" {a real bright light there  } I told him "don't f**king touch me, call an ambulance" {I don't remember swearing, but they told me later I did  } I was in the hospital for 2 days, the feeling came back, they did some tests and they told me everything was OK. After a couple of weeks at home I went back to school but I was getting intense pain in my lower back. They did more tests, x-rays, radiography etc etc. 

Finally they told my mother {in private} that "it's all in his head", so I had too go see a shrink. {yes Graeme we have brilliant doctors in Canada too  }
They asked me to "tell me what is bothering you"? The f**king pain in my back you dip-s**t!!! The shrink reported I had an imaginary pain AND A BAD ATTITUDE. Anyways after a year of this nonsense I finally insisted that they re-do the tests, they found a severed ligament in between the vertabrae. {soft tissue, doesn't show up on x-rays} I had a spinal fusion done at 18, thankfully it worked and I'm 100% ok, but screwed up my GPA in my senior year. {and killed any chance of getting into the military}

I went to college for a few years, spent a couple of years sailing around the South Pacific on Dad's boat {Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hawaii, Fiji} and then came back to Canada, started working. I drive long distance, I'm thinking to go back to finish my degree and stay put somewhere, but I love travelling too much... I've been to every state except Alaska Maine.

I was also in Gulfport MS, 9 months after the hurricane, it freaked me out to see the damage there, I have some pics too. 2 story beachfront houses with the lower floor washed out, blocks blocks with no houses - only the front steps had the house number painted on it to show that a house had been there. The hurricane surge had "grooved" the beach and left 3 foot high "waves" in the sand, very weird... 

OK so sorry if this wandering down memory lane is going on WAAAAAY too long... Alex. {Canadian Hoser} 

I'll post my Hoser pic to save Les the trouble... {the one in the touque}


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## chook (Apr 20, 2008)

lesofprimus said:


> I went and added ur mugshot photos for each Bio.... If u didnt submit a pic, I added one for u, in humiliation....



Oh well that explains why my face seemed to be caved in all of a sudden and not look like me at all! I'm happy to share photos but can't get them from my iphoto library to this site yet. Recently upgraded from PC to macbook and lot to learn. I can only email photos so far


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## lesofprimus (Apr 20, 2008)

Chook, u can email me the pic and I can post it in both places if u would like me to...

[email protected]...

Interesting story Freebird/Alex.... U dont need medals or be a Vet to have an interesting background man... The fact that u went to 48 out of 50 States is quite an accomplishment.....

But doesnt/didnt all that driving bother ur back???


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## chook (Apr 20, 2008)

Thanks lesofprimus, photos sent now


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## lesofprimus (Apr 20, 2008)

OK, added ur pics Chook, in both places, ur Bio and the Mugshot Gallery....


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## Becca (Apr 20, 2008)

Njaco said:


> the difference is the hat, Les.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Uh..nope, Njaco..I'm thinking it was the HUGE fatty that you stumbled upon BEFORE the second pict..just sayin' 

Yes, Hunter...KUDOS!! very good thread!! I'm not brave enough to post..OR haven't narrowed it all down into something that 1)doesn't take 4 pages and 2) covers everything WITHOUT putting y'all to sleep..OR having any of you guys wondering if you MIGHT be my father. 

Has been wonderful to get to know you guys a little more intimately..(F'you Matt I don't feel like looking up the word...damn spelling Nazi) AND on the flip side..its a very healing excercise to put yourself out there..type out all of your past and see it. It helps! Me being ME, I read the histories and wish you forgiveness...for yourselves. 

OK..enough of me being a 'girl' ...I'll go and watch the military channel and redeem myself.


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## Njaco (Apr 20, 2008)

What, I don't look good in a camo shirt and hat?  

No fatty, That 2d pic is me just trying to keep up the "Get Lucky" thread!


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## Freebird (Apr 20, 2008)

lesofprimus said:


> Interesting story Freebird/Alex.... U dont need medals or be a Vet to have an interesting background man... The fact that u went to 48 out of 50 States is quite an accomplishment.....



Yeah, I wasn't planning to be doing it so long but its a real bonus to see the whole continent. 

+ I get to listen to all the talking heads on the satt. radio during the day, all the latest B.S. Today Barak Osama is crying because people think he's anti American for not wanting to wear a US flag pin. What the f**k does he think people will conclude from that?

Going down to Gulfport, Miss in the spring of '06 was a real eye-opener thats for sure. Some guys just sit around at a truckstop but I like to get around and explore when I'm there.



> But doesnt/didnt all that driving bother ur back???



It's actually not been a problem, they did a spinal fusion, they remove the disc in between the vertabrae stick them together, instead of the 2 ligaments {one was severed in accident}

After 2 years it's supposed to be as strong or better than original. The freaky part is the operation when they do the deed. Doc told me "if all goes well after 24 months you will be at 100% function", I asked him what would be *if it didn't go well *, he said if they nick the nerve during surgery you're in a wheelchair for life. 

*Holy crap!*

Reactions: Creative Creative:
1 | Like List reactions


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## wilbur1 (Apr 20, 2008)

That is pretty scary freebird! glad everything is ok though


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## ccheese (Apr 20, 2008)

I think this is a good idea, and I will contribute. I will just have to write it
up in another program and paste. Remember I have 74 years to cover.... or
should I do it in chapters ?

Charles


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## Matt308 (Apr 20, 2008)

"F'ing Spelling Nazi". I like it.


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## FLYBOYJ (Apr 20, 2008)

I was born on Staten Island in 1959. I was the youngest of 4 children (one brother and two sisters). I grew up in city run projects that catered to middle to lower income families. There was a ten to thirteen year age gap between my siblings and I so I was always “the baby” and very much doted over. My dad was an auto mechanic and worked very hard in providing for his family. Although a bit strict and overprotective, my parents were very loving.

I always had an attraction toward the military and anything mechanical. Planes, cars and submarines fascinated me – my brother introduced me to model building when I was 6 and I started on airplanes shortly thereafter. By the time I was 12 I knew I was going to do something that involved aviation. I also loved hockey and excelled in it. By the time I was a teenager I found myself playing in leagues with much older and bigger kids. I continued to play up until a few years ago.

At 17 my parents decided for a change and we moved to California. By this time all my other siblings were married and on their own. My dad was sick of the NY weather and in recent years he changed occupations and was working construction. Construction was feast or famine and there was a spell he was unemployed for a whole winter.

After completing high school I enrolled at a local community college that had an FAA Airframe and Powerplant program. I figured this was a good base for me to decide where I wanted to go in aviation. While in college I did a short stint in ROTC and entertained going into the army. By the time I graduated the cold war had sprung open and aerospace jobs were plentiful and pretty high paying. Eventually I wound up at Lockheed where I spent 10.5 years. I eventually wound up in Quality Assurance and spent 5 years in Canada as a QA field rep. Things were going well till the Cold war ended and me and another 9,000 workers from Lockheed were now unemployed. Luckily I always found employment quickly.

After several dead end relationships through out the 1980s I married in 1990 and thought things would be rosy forever after. My ex to my surprise had some issues with alcohol that eventually ended in our marriage in 1997 and her loosing custody of her son.

Through out the 90s employment was pretty tough. Although I managed to stay in aerospace, there was always the threat of lay-off or I was working for real @ssholes. In the late 1990s things stabilized a little and I also started to do side work at my local GA airport. It was at this time I decided to get my pilots license and I also went in the USNR.

In late 1997 I met a gal who I would eventually marry. Although a bit younger than me (13 years) she respected my dreams and desires and besides, her dad was also a pilot and it turned out we knew many of the same industry associates who spoke very highly of me.

Although my new wife and I were doing well financially, the post 9-11 era had me change jobs due to a lay off and I found myself in a company I worked previously and absolutely hated. My wife and I had discussed moving to Colorado and in the spring of 2003 we had enough and packed up stakes and left California. Since arriving here things have worked out real well for us. I eventually became a flight instructor, which served well as a part time gig. I still turn some wrenches on airplanes part time but now I pick and choose where and when. Full time I landed a great job at the US Air Force Academy. My wife works as an L&D nurse at a local hospital and we have a 2 year old and another getting ready to roll out of the hangar any day now. Although I cherish certain times in my past, I consider these times as the best years of my life.

I've been blessed in working in an industry I truly enjoy. I've had the opportunity to work on some pretty unique aircraft and also fly some neat stuff as well. I do hope I have my health in place for a number of years so I could press on and keep rolling.......


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## rochie (Apr 20, 2008)

opened up a bit more so i edited my bio, thanks for the mugshot les


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## Luis Miguel Almeida (Apr 22, 2008)

I was born in Montijo-Portugal in 7 April 1976, 4 months after my parents escaped from the civil war in Angola.

Finished high-school at the age 17.

went to Airforce paratroopers has a volunter at age 17 also, after a few month the paratroopers were tranfered to the army and i staid in the airforce and joined the airpolice, made the airpolice corporal school with grade of 99.75.
went to APC drivers course in the same year, and joined the instruction group to forme new airpoliceman and staid for one year.

did some missions of country, and aplied for CSAR team (RESCOM), after the coursemade sargeant school.
Left the air forceand i am now in Op reserve.

After the air force worked has a security guard for one year, worked in Ford Motor Company in NPMS for 2 years after that Joined the National Republican Guard and left because of a knee injury, now i work has a City municipal inspector.

I´m divorced ( left wife to be with another woman), no kids.

My hobbies are, aircraft modelling, off-road racing, Portuguese IPSC and long range rifle marksman, paintball, biker and rockclimber.
I´m also president of a sports club and director of the my city off-road club.

i think i didn´t forget anything.

Last poto in the air force:






My Harley:






my Land Rover:






my last photo:


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## Thorlifter (Apr 22, 2008)

Matt308 said:


> I think it was Charles who said "establish a buddy list". Some may think that we Forum members are nothing more than avatars, text and BS. But from my perspective, not so. All of you are a little part of my life.



Well said Matt.

Cota..... You hang in there buddy. You always remember, if you decide to do something silly, you just remember that sweet lady you have and that will give you TONS of strength to move mountains.

Hunter..... No doubt your a strong man. Thank you for starting this thread.

Les..... Thanks for serving the way you did! 

Everyone, PLEASE get on the buddy list. I have a couple guys that I have their contact info and they have mine. Its absolutely amazing what this thread has become.....it seems like it's theropy, ya know? A place to vent.

Thanks to EVERYONE who is sharing a part of their life.


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## Hunter368 (Apr 23, 2008)

Thanks Thorlifter.

and 

Thanks everyone who has added to this thread.


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## FLYBOYJ (Apr 23, 2008)

All, very good stuff. It's amazing how many of us had to deal with someone with an alcohol or substance abuse problem.

Dan - thanks for adding the mug shot.

Matt - well said - agree 100%


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## parsifal (Apr 23, 2008)

There are some really amazing stories here guys. You seem like a pretty good bunch of people. Its nice to put a story to a name as well


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## Njaco (Apr 23, 2008)

Luis, I'm envious of your Land Rover. I miss my 1969 LR '88'.


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## ccheese (Apr 24, 2008)

Part 1

Guess it’s my turn…. Well, let’s see. I was born in 1934, in Baltimore, Md. 
When I was born my mother was 31 and my father was 41. I had a sister, Shirley, who was born in 1930. My father died in Sept of 1935. If it matters, he died on Friday the 13th. During the war my mother was a burner/welder for Maryland Drydock Co. She re-married in 1939 to Domonic Maiale. He died in 1940. My mother married again in 1943, to Frank Waski. He was killed on D-Day 1944. She did it again in 1945 to John Wolf, who died in 1946. (Is there a pattern here ??) She didn’t remarry until 1951, to Patrick John Kavanagh, a merchant seaman. Of all my step fathers, he was the best. An Irishman with a whiskey tenor voice. He gave me my first taste of Irish whiskey. He died in 1991 of cancer. He was cremated and I had his ashes buried at sea.

My sister died by her own hand, of an overdose of pheno-barb in 1957. My 
sister had thirteen children that lived, and I know of four that died in infancy.
My sister was married to Anthony J. Dardozzi, a USMC SSGT who fought on
both Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal.

The years 1946 to 1951 were pure hell for me. Two females running my life for me…… in more ways than one. Both of them were alcoholics, and they would beat me one day and “have fun” with me the next. When I was in the 7th grade my mother got a brain-fart to send me to Catholic school. She did and they put me in the 8th grade. I didn’t have a clue what they were teaching and I failed the whole year. Then I went back to public school….. again in the 7th grade. I finally got tired of all this and quit school at the age of 16 in the 7th grade.

In 1950 and part of 1951 I sold newspapers on the corner, worked behind the
counter at Seechuck’s Drug Store, and stocked shelves for Acme Stores. BTW, I was making sixty cents per hour with Acme !

One day I got tired of all this, plus the goings on at home, so I went to a school teacher that I dearly loved, Miss Mary Ellen Nimmo. I asked her to be my mother for a day and sign my enlistment papers. She did and I enlisted in the Navy August 14, 1951. Now I was making $82.00 a month ! Great Lakes, Ill. here I come.

Sixteen weeks of boot camp, and came out number one in the company, which was an automatic promotion to Seaman (E-3). My boot camp company was # 699, and we were the last 16 week company. Beginning with Company 700 they were 12 week companies. 

Now, about here, dates, times and places seem to get fuzzy in my mind, so I won’t go into that kind of detail. I went to Radio Class A school, again coming out # 1 in the class and was promoted to Aviation Radioman AL3 
(E-4). Served in VC-62 at NAS Norfolk, in ComFairJax at NAS Jacksonville, somewhere in between went to Teletype Repair School at NavSta Norfolk and Crypto Repair School at NavShipYd, Norfolk. I came out number 1 at the TTY Repair School and number 2 in CRF. Somewhere in this time frame I did a short stint with VF-916 (Oceana, Va) and went aboard the Bon Hom Richard as air crew. We made one trip to Korea. The Navy did away with the Aviation Radioman rate, so I changed to Radioman, and in 1953 I was promoted to RM2 (E-5). 

Sometime in 1954 I got orders transferring me to the USAF under the exchange duty program and wound up with the 1950th AACS at Wheelus AFB in Tripoli, Libya. After about four months there, I was transferred to the 1503rd SAR Squadron still at Wheelus, but I got to do lots of flying. I was at Wheelus when I was aboard the C-47 that hit the mountain in Sicily. I returned back to the states November of 1955. 

[to be continued]

Charles


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## Thorlifter (Apr 24, 2008)

OMG Charles! I'm amazed by your story! It's not as good as the "Get Lucky" story, but still. Just kidding. I can't wait until the next segment.


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## ccheese (Apr 25, 2008)

[continued]

On December 17th, 1955 I married Edna Mae Spencer (she was 20, I was 21) in Baltimore, Maryland and shortly thereafter reported aboard the pre-commissioning detail for the USS Saratoga (CVA-60) at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. She was commissioned in April 1956 with Edna Mae and her parents standing on the flight deck watching the ceremony. 

My work being done here, I wound up being transferred to the 2nd US Army, at Brooklyn, NY on Armed Forces Police. While there I didn’t do a whole lot of AFP work, I was used to transport prisoners who had been tried at the Receiving Station in Brooklyn, and sentenced to prison terms. I spent a lot of time on trains going to Portsmouth, Va. and Portsmouth, NH. While on AFP detail in NYC, I got a Summary Courts Martial for putting a .45 round thru a sailor’s knee (from the back to the front) while he was running up the steps of Grand Central Station. He tried to make a break for it while I was escorting him to the brig at Portsmouth, NH. and I stopped him. I was acquitted, but found guilty of the second charge/specification of discharging a firearm in a public place. The CO of the APF detachment told me this was necessary so the local DA could not try me, and put me in jail. I was fined a month’s pay. Got an immediate transfer to NAS Cecil Field, Fla. While there in 1957 our son Charles Jr was born.

[As a side note, this official entry in my service record prevented me from making CPO [E-7]

In late 1956 I was promoted to RM1 (E-6). The time between 1957 and 1959 is also fuzzy. I was at NavRecSta Charleston in 1959, running the post office. Also in 1959 Edna Mae gave birth to a still-born child, a girl. We named her Sarah. The caretaker of Baltimore Cemetery gave us a half plot (because he couldn’t sell it) with the stipulation that we never put a marker on it. She was buried there.

Twenty five years later, when we got into genealogy, we found out that Sarah is buried between Charles Henry Cheeseman and Harriett P. Cheeseman….. my father’s parents ! These graves are in the old section of Baltimore Cemetery known as “potter’s field”

In 1960 I went aboard the USS Essex (CVS-9) at Quonset Point, R.I. Our daughter, Wanda Jean, was born March 1st , 1961. While on board Essex I did my famous walk off of the elevator, into the Carribbean. It was about this time I developed a stomach ulcer. Between (about) 1961 and 1966 I was in and out of so many hospitals, I lost count. I’d be ok for awhile then it would start up again. The year 1964 saw me at NavCommSta, Norfolk for shore duty. In 1966 I got orders to the US Naval Support Activity, Da Nang, Was there in a crypto repair support role, with occasional trips to the field. Then I got “loaned” to the ROK Army Capital (Yellow Tiger) Division at Chu Lai. This is where I got into alcohol, and it led me down the path to alcoholism. I stayed with these bastards til about April of 1967, when I got MedEvac’d to Da Nang, then to Tachikawa Air Base in Japan. 

Here I’m going to vent a little anger, and I’m not sure who it should be directed to. While I was in the hospital at Da Nang, I saw a whole lot of Army guys, Marines and even some Brit’s come in there wounded. Just about the time they woke up, there was a representative from their unit (Usually an XO or Platoon Leader) pinning a Purple Heart on this guy. I never saw anyone from my “unit” let alone the coveted Purple Heart.

[In Early 1971 I was called to the personnel office, and a YN3 handed me a package, with “This came for you in the mail”. It was my Purple Heart. No presentation, no ceremony, no nothing. And, from that day til I retired, I never got to wear it. However, in retrospect, maybe…. just maybe I was never ‘officially’ with that ROK unit.]

Anyhow, I took two rounds (7.62) in the stomach, probably from an AK-47.
(This is part of my official service record.) While they had me open, they removed most of my stomach, and with it the stomach ulcer.. Got back to Balboa Naval Hospital, San Diego, in July and was released back to active duty in August. 

My enlistment was up (I had sixteen years in) and wanted to come back to the east coast. I did re-enlist in San Diego, and they did send me to the east coast….. to Newport, R.I. to the USS Voge (DE-1047). About this time I developed a duodenal ulcer. (Must have been the booze) In an out of hospitals, again, transferred to the USS Koelsch (DE-1049), and finally transferred to NavHosp NorVa. Here, they promised me they were going to cure my ulcer. Johns Hopkins had a new treatment for ulcers. The object was to keep the stomach and first intestine dry at all times. So they put you to sleep… for ninety days !!!! They wake you up for two hours a week, to allow the brain to catch up. They feed you with an IV, and you have a tube up your weenie. And, it worked !! 

However, I understand that I was in on a pilot program, and it was deemed UN-successful !! Four were done at Portsmouth Naval hospital and all four were successful. I was released from the hospital in 1969, “fit for duty” and was sent to the Receiving Station, Norfolk, for further transfer to sea duty.

[to be continued]


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## wilbur1 (Apr 25, 2008)

Great stuff Charles my dad served on the bonnie dick in vietnam


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## Lucky13 (Apr 25, 2008)

to you fellas..!


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## Thorlifter (Apr 25, 2008)

They should make a movie about you Charles.


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## ccheese (Apr 25, 2008)

Thorlifter said:


> They should make a movie about you Charles.




As often as I got screwed.... it would be X-rated !

Charles


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## Marcel (Apr 25, 2008)

Ah, Charles, reading your story makes me more proud of the fact that you call me "Mon Ami"


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## ccheese (Apr 25, 2008)

Marcel:

You, and most of the folks on this forum, will always be my friends.

Charles


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## FLYBOYJ (Apr 25, 2008)

Charles, just read what you wrote so far - talk about ups and downs! Can't wait for part III.


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## lesofprimus (Apr 25, 2008)

Good stuff Charles.... Bummer on all the stomach ailments tho... Takin 2 rounds in the gut pretty much put u on that path anyways, the booze just helped it along...


> [As a side note, this official entry in my service record prevented me from making CPO [E-7]


That would definatly stop someone from makin Chief... There was one in my record about striking an Officer, which would have prevented me from the same thing... Dont matter why u did it, u did.... Same old Navy BS....

Dont know what to say to u about ur PH, forgot to duck, award.... All I can say is that Im happy as hell u survived and that ur children got to have ur influence in their lives.... Im damn proud to be allowed the honor to call u Shipmate....

And I mean that to my core man...


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## ccheese (Apr 25, 2008)

In 1969 I reported aboard the USS Conyngham (DDG-17) at Norfolk. Nothing spectacular occurred while I was aboard. 

However, after I got off of her, Conyngham suffered a severe fire on 8 May 1990, while conducting pre-deployment operations off the Virginia coast. A major fuel oil fire erupted from the ship's Forward Fire Room into the ship's superstructure, isolating the crew forward and aft. requiring an all-hands effort to extinguish it. During the mass conflagration, the Operations Officer (Lcdr A. Pope Gordon, Jr.) was killed and 18 other sailors were injured, some of them severely while putting out the uncontrollable fire. She has since been decommissioned and broken up for scrap.

I stayed on her til May 18, 1971, when I was piped over the side, with six sideboys, in a retirement ceremony. Gee….. Now I gotta go to work !!

Talk about being scared ? No job, no money coming in except for my Navy retirement. I pounded the pavement looking for a job. I applied to the Virgina Beach Police Dept. for employment as a police officer. Too short (minimum was 5’ 8”). Too light (minimum was 160 lbs). Finally, one day I was in Hilltop VW having our Beetle serviced and the Service Manager asked me if I wanted a job as a mechanic trainee. Wow ! A job ! I jumped all over it. Working (mostly) as a go-fer for $125.00 a week (before taxes).

[We had bought a 3 bed room house in Va. Beach in August of 1967 for $12,700.00, and our payments were $99.00 a month]

This job would ensure our house payments were met, and put some food on the table.

The year 1972 was a bad year. My father in law died, my sister died and I ran my left hand through the fan belt of an auto air conditioner. First on-the-job-injury in my new career. Broke three fingers of the left hand and the tip of the little finger exploded, Making that finger ¼ inch shorter. Time heals all wounds and it all got better. During the next 14 years I got to be a pretty good auto technician, and in the middle 80’s I was working for Castle Cars (a VW – Mazda dealer) when their warranty clerk up and quit. I was offered the job and took it (more money !). 

About 1991 Castle Cars was sold to Checkered Flag, Inc. and I was transferred to a new store. We sold BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Audi and Saab. My title changed to Warranty Administrator, I got my own office and a demo (a Toyota !). 

Another bad year was 1999. My mother died from pneumonia after breaking a hip in a fall. She would have been 96 in December of that year. We had buried the hatchet, so to speak, after my sister died, but the hate was still in me. I also got fired from my job. Times were getting hard in the auto industry, and I was excess weight. By now I was making $500.00 a week, plus commission, which ran about $1,500-1,700 a month. I heard the cashier took over my job and retained hers….. at $7.50 an hour !!

Went back to twisting a wrench, even took a job in Richmond, Va, commuting to Va. Beach on the week ends. Worked for a Buick dealer in Norfolk until 2005.

One day I got a phone call from the gal who had been warranty clerk at Castle Cars in the 80’s. She was now Service Manager at Hall Mazda. Was I interested in a Warranty Administrator position, working for her ? Is a pig’s butt pork ? Is the Pope Catholic ? I started working for her and the Hall organization (19 stores - 22 franchises) on 25 April 2005 and I’m still here.

Many things have occurred that I didn’t go into. Our daughter married a Suffolk police officer, had two girls, Jennifer and Sara. “Jeni” has a three year old girl, Kayla, and Sara has a 1 year old boy, Taylor. Charles Jr. (Chuck) is on his fouth wife and is living in Florence, SC. It looks like this marriage will work. He never had any children. Both of Edna Mae’s parents have died, plus her two brothers and a sister. My family is all gone, too.

We celebrated our fifty-second wedding anniversary last December. I was 74 in February and Edna Mae will be 73 this June 1st. We are both in good health, both are still working, and the future looks good.

Looking back through the years and reading this has made me realize just how fortunate I really am. I had a good navy carreer, I have a good wife, a good job and a whole bunch of people, all over the world, that I can call my friends.

I ask you…… what more do I need ?

Thanks for listening……

Charles


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## FLYBOYJ (Apr 25, 2008)

ccheese said:


> and a whole bunch of people, all over the world, that I can call my friends.
> 
> I ask you…… what more do I need ?
> 
> ...




Ditto my friend, ditto!


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## ToughOmbre (Apr 25, 2008)

Great story Charles. Glad I got to "meet" you on this forum my friend (and that goes for the rest of you guys (and gals) as well) .

I should put my bio up (sooner or later), but you're a tough act to follow Charles.

TO


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## ccheese (Apr 25, 2008)

ToughOmbre said:


> I should put my bio up (sooner or later), but you're a tough act to follow
> Charles



Quite often I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't even
tell you about all the jails in was in for being drunk. Or how I joined
AA in 1972 and have been dry since. 

Also, I just edited my "bio". I uploaded pic's of me and Edna Mae taken in 
December 1955 and in December 2005. Fifty years does make a
difference.

Charles


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## Njaco (Apr 25, 2008)

Charles, you just put a smile on a face that has been rather ugly lately. Great stuff! Of course those are two very unique ways of getting rid of an ulcer!


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## ccheese (Apr 25, 2008)

Njaco said:


> Of course those are two very unique ways of getting rid of an ulcer!



I definately do not recommend the first ! 

I kinda slept thru the second....

Charles


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## ccheese (Apr 25, 2008)

lesofprimus said:


> .... Im damn proud to be allowed the honor to call u Shipmate....
> 
> And I mean that to my core man...



Dan: Just saw this. Thanks for your kind words. Never did any black-ops,
stuff, except one time me and the ROK's had to clear an area for a bunch
of rangers/seals to set down. After they got down we were told to go 
out the same way we came in. Our presence was neither required or 
desired.

I never did anything special. Like I said, I was often in the wrong place
at the wrong time. I often think...... it could have been a hell of a lot
worse. It is I who should be honored to call you Shipmate. At least I
can talk about the crap I've seen and done.

Charles


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## Matt308 (Apr 25, 2008)

Thanks, Charles. You have given me another reason to be thankful.


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## Thorlifter (Apr 26, 2008)

ccheese said:


> I often think...... it could have been a hell of a lot
> worse.



No matter how bleak things get......it could ALWAYS get worse.

Your an amazing man Charles with a heck of a life story. God willing, there will be many, many, more years of stories to collect.


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## Matt308 (Apr 26, 2008)

Here, here...


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## Lucky13 (Apr 26, 2008)

All this makes me humble and damn proud to call you all my friends...


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## Wayne Little (Apr 26, 2008)

Thorlifter said:


> Your an amazing man Charles with a heck of a life story. God willing, there will be many, many, more years of stories to collect.





Lucky13 said:


> All this makes me humble and damn proud to call you all my friends...



Absolutely agree well said..!!


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## Njaco (Apr 26, 2008)

a hearty, rousing ditto!!


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## Catch22 (Apr 26, 2008)

Wow, I just read through these, and they are all very moving!


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## Marcel (Apr 26, 2008)

ccheese said:


> Marcel:
> 
> You, and most of the folks on this forum, will always be my friends.
> 
> Charles



Thanks, Charles!


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## Freebird (Apr 26, 2008)

Lucky13 said:


> All this makes me humble and damn proud to call you all my friends...



Hey Lucky we're waiting for your bio too, I'm curious, how did you end up in Scotland?


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## Njaco (Apr 26, 2008)

His family told him it was just another part of Sweden and he's been there ever since!


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## Lucky13 (Apr 26, 2008)

I my life has been a Sunday morning stroll in the park compared to some of the big boys here....


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## Catch22 (Apr 26, 2008)

Well, I may as well put one in myself. I may have to stop and finish it later.

I was born in January 1991 to a Police Officer and a now stay-at-home Mom in St. Albert, Alberta. I seemed a normal baby at first, but my parents noticed I couldn't really get over a cold, and as it turned out I have about 25% T-cell function and 0% B-cell fucntion (cells that fight infections for those who don't know). So along with that, I get plenty of sinus infections (some of them never even formed), though they seem to have backed off the last couple years, arthritis since I was little in my knee and elbow, a toe-walker (which has since been fixed, but it may have mucked up my toes) and PLENTY of bowel isses. The bowels had been great for a good 5 years, but just suddenly around Christmas time 06 I started just having to go a lot and such. Vomiting every now and then followed at around Spring Break last year, and then a feeding tube by May. Missed the last half of the 2nd semester last year due to it. I just can't seem to digest normal food. Lost a lot of weight and have been on it since. In December my bowel almost perforated, but that was avoided thank goodness.
To help with the lack of an immune system I have a wonder drug (well blood product) called IVIG, which helps replenish my cells that don't function. I get through it though, it's just a fact of life. People ask me how I do, but I've never really known anything else, so it's easy I guess.

As for school, I'm in Grade 12, 17, so a little young, but my parents started me early. Grades 3-9 I was in an excellerated program, and I was good at it, not one of the star students, but 80%s in everything. My crowning achievments were two Heritage Fair Projects (8, 9) in which my friend and I got 99% on one about 418 Sqd. and 95% on one about the First Special Service Force. Spent my time with pretty much the same group of people from 5-9, then all of them went to a different High School than I. I started off High School in AP, but I just can't seem to do as well as I did anymore (except in Social). About a month and a bit left of Grade School left, and I haven't enrolled in any post-secondary school, though I'd like to work for Electroic Arts. Single, though I hope to change that before grad.

My home life is great, I don't have any (major) issues with my parents, got a bratty younger brother  and now a great dog, Porsche, a German Shorthaired Pointer. My dad has moved around in the Edmonton Police Force, starting out in the normal Patrol, then going into tactical (SWAT), then into Drugs, then into Tactical again as a Seargant in charge of a squad. My mom knows my body more than I do, so she's my primary caregiver, and I'm extremely grateful for that.

My interests are hockey, World War II, model building and Xbox 360. I'm a Blues fan because of Paul Kariya and an Oilers fan because of my location, and my main area of interest in WWII is aviation, mainly Pacific actually, but I'm gaining more interest in the Luftwaffe as I go. I build models WAY too fast, and I play Halo 3 WAY too much.

I also hope to become fluent in German one day. Tried French, but no.

That's my somewhat disorganized bio.


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## Catch22 (Apr 26, 2008)

Gah! Double post, and I wasn't ready to post it.


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## Matt308 (Apr 26, 2008)

Don't even think about it, Catch. 

And hang in there buddy. One thing I have realized, is that for every thing I bitch about, there is always another who struggles with more afflicting condictions. Mental state is where its at. To hell with physical health. It's just a state of being.


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## Catch22 (Apr 26, 2008)

That's pretty much what I've learned over the years. It can be rough, I miss out on stuff, but I have great friends and family, and many more here now.

And in regards to your somebody's always worse off statement: That's also very true. I can walk, I can talk, I can think. My mind is unaffected, and I can still do a lot despite my issues.


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## ccheese (Apr 26, 2008)

Sounds to me like a young man who knows where he's going. I hope you
"overcome". You have a lifetime ahead of you, Catch, amd I'm sure you'll 
make the most of it. Keep plugging away, my friend.

Charles


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## Njaco (Apr 26, 2008)

If I only knew then what I know now!! catch, you've got a better outlook than I did at your age. Its an amazing ride we're all on!


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## Catch22 (Apr 26, 2008)

It certainly is Njaco, it certainly is. Thanks guys!


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## lesofprimus (Apr 27, 2008)

Interesting stuff Catch, thanks for posting....


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## Freebird (May 25, 2008)

Njaco said:


> If I only knew then what I know now!!


 If only we could remember half of what we knew back then Njaco!   

Good story Catch!

Ok who's next?


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## Crunch (Sep 20, 2008)

I'll have a crack... 

Born 11th October, 1983, in Perth, Western Australia. Dad was from England, Mum from Sri Lanka, so I'm got dad's fat hairy, and Mum's olive skin  Pretty normal childhood, parents were always good to us and each other. I know some people that have had really shitty childhoods, so I'm more than happy for the one I got.

Dad used to be a chef, Mum used to be a cake decorator, which she did from home while looking after us. A bloody good one too, had a large clientele around Perth and did many local celebs wedding cakes. I went to a private primary school and everyone was friends with everyone. Yeah, you'd drift in and out of friendships, but was with the same people for 8 years.

In 1994 Dad started working for a fuel company as the head of the food program (back in the day before service stations became super-markets), and he developed pretty much everything you take as normal these days, Pizza's, Hot food, 70 billion types of drinks in the fridge... But then at the end of 1995, Dad told us we were moving to Hobart! So up we went, left all our friends and family, and packed up and moved to the most boring city in the world (for a 13yo). It was there that I spent every weekend fishing or doing models. I really wish I got out and saw more with the family, because Tasmania is an AMAZING place, but at least now when I go down there I'll appreciate it. So much wilderness and history, it's mind blowing.

In 1998 we moved to Sydney, again leaving all our friends behind and starting over. Again with dad's work, but they soon scrapped the food service program, so he became an accounts manager. Mum didn't work in Hobart, and eventually found a job at IBM over here, which she's still at. I started falling behind in school, as the curriculum was different and I basically missed a whole year of school. So after year 10, I got an apprenticeship as a chef. Being only 14-15 at the time, I soon cracked it and only ended up doing a year of my apprenticeship. But, as so many do, I stayed in kitchens after that. I ended up in Pizza Hut and very quickly got into Management there. I tried a few other things in between, but never fell into anything permanently. Spent many nights out causing a ruckus, drinking, clubbing (even though I was underage!- It was much easier 5 years ago than it is now) 

Around 2001 I met Emma, which I'm still to work out if it was a good or bad thing... After only going out with her for 6 months, she told me she was pregnant  When you're 17 and she's 15, that's the LAST thing you want to hear!!!!!!!!!!!!! But hey, if you play the game..............

She had actually had Cancer a few years before I met her, so to begin with, she was only a 20% chance of getting pregnant and a 10% chance of more than once. So really, there was no choice in the matter. Her parents weren't too bad about it (they went through it with the other son, but thats a whole 'nother story!), but my Parents freaked out. I remember telling them, Mum went straight to bed, didn't say a thing, and dad and I sat up drinking and smoking all night. Dad doesn't even smoke and hardly drinks, but it was just one of those nights where we both clicked and were more open with each other than ever.

Emma lived an hour or so north of me, so somewhere in the next 7months and 3 weeks, I moved up there with her into her parents home. Then on the 3rd of may, 2002, I was holding Stephanie in my arms. Definitely the best moment of my life. No questions.

Still working at Pizza Hut (up the coast) we moved into our own place, making just enough to live off and not much else, but it taught me a few lessons. But things didn't work out as planned, and Emma and I started getting a bit rocky. Eventually, I moved out. We were both doing it pretty tough, but it all settled down eventually. We got back together a few times, but it was never the same, and by the time Steph was 3, it was all over for good.

Somehow I fell into Pest Control (Big change from kitchen work!), and I never thought I'd do it, but I've loved it. if you told me 5 years ago I'd be crawling under houses and into roofs all day, i would have laughed at you! But it's a good job, always learning something new and meeting people. Pretty much my own boss too, in that I don't have someone watching over me all the time.

After Emma and I broke up, she started seeing a guy (maybe before?) from our greater circle of friends. They moved in together pretty quickly and it started to get more and more difficult when we had to pick up Steph (I say we, as I was in another relationship - still am). One night dropping her back almost ended in fisty-cuffs with me and him, but it didn't. Then one morning when we went to pick Steph up, we get a phone call, it's Emma saying "You can't See Stephanie, we've moved to Western Australia. I freaked out, then the next day went to the courts and started the 'official' process....

Well that took 12 months, and it was probably the hardest 12 months I've ever had. In and out of court, difficult, limited phone contact (they always seemed to be in the middle of stuff when we rang, meaning Steph was very distracted), and worst of all, I didn't see her in that time. Ever had your heart torn out and stomped on?

But in the end, Emma was told to come back over... Her now Husband didn't want to, so they broke up too. Oh, and she's got another kid to him too. I lol @ her. 

Now that other relationship I mentioned is still going. Usual ups and downs, but mostly ups. Many many trying moments shared and we're very open about everything. She's even put up with my 4WD being in pieces for the last 12 months and my modelling stuff being spread all over the kitchen table! I joke and say that she came over one night and never left, which is true, but I guess if she didn't I probably would still be going out every weekend and being just like everyone else I know... Her and Steph get along awesomely and always have, and Steph's now at the age where she knows whats going on, and we've had conversations about why we don't live together and all that. She's a bright girl and as much as I don't want her to grow up, i can't wait to see where she goes in life!

But thats about it. I'm 25 next month, and didn't think I would have had that much to say... I might need to hire a typist to do my 50yo bio post  

On a side note, I've always been a bit of a fatty-boom-bah (bit of a family trait), but I've been using the last 12 months to change that, and at my peak, I'd lost 20-odd kilos. I've had a few things going on in the last few months, so I'm at about 15kg loss now I think...That's my other big thing in life.

So thats me, Andrew...

Pics;
1.Dad, Brother (Brendan), Stephanie, Me. (can you not tell we're family?) fortnight ago (Fathers day)

2.Old, fat me - almost 18 months ago

3.Me + Ashlee


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## Crunch (Sep 20, 2008)

Can I also just add that you'll never get such a long post from me again. EVER.


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## Airframes (Sep 20, 2008)

Nice one Crunch!
Takes a bit of guts to tell it how it is. Maybe I'll get around to posting my bit someday.
Terry.


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## Matt308 (Sep 20, 2008)

Well done Crunch.


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## Njaco (Sep 20, 2008)

Good job!


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## Clave (Sep 20, 2008)

Here's mine:

Nothing much happened, then I ended up here...


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## Matt308 (Sep 20, 2008)

Better than...

I had everything. And then I ended up here. 

So quitcher bitchin.


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## lesofprimus (Sep 21, 2008)

Crunch, interesting Bio man... I feel for u and what happened with ur daughter early on... Being in the Navy as I was, being overseas and spreading goodwill across the European and African continents, I missed out on alot of my son's early years, years that I would have liked to cherish...

But u can make those up... My son is now 21 and works with me everyday...

Thanks for posting and opening urself up...


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 21, 2008)

Sorry to hear about the hell you had to go through with the ex and your daughter.


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## seesul (Sep 21, 2008)

Catch22 said:


> That's pretty much what I've learned over the years. It can be rough, I miss out on stuff, but I have great friends and family, and many more here now.
> 
> And in regards to your somebody's always worse off statement: That's also very true. I can walk, I can talk, I can think. My mind is unaffected, and I can still do a lot despite my issues.



You got my respect, Catch!


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## seesul (Sep 21, 2008)

Crunch said:


> Can I also just add that you'll never get such a long post from me again. EVER.



Hey Crunch, pretty long, interesting and bit sad story from a guy born 10 years earlier than me...you got my full respect for opening your heart... I´m starting to realize how lucky I´m...so far...
Head up my friend and I keep my fingers crossed...I´m sure you´ll find a right girl one day, I´m sure...


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## Screaming Eagle (Sep 22, 2008)

catch and crunch:


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## 109ROAMING (Sep 22, 2008)

Man reading these really does make me think about how lucky I am

Quick one for me, well that's the plan

Born in 1992 have one older brother , plane fanatic , future pilot ,currently getting rather good at photography of planes(mostly)

3 younger sisters one age 14 one 3 and one just turned 5months so yeah abit of a gap

Dad was a pilot ,not miltary just did it for fun until one day he flew down to timaru with mum(before I was born) on the return leg he was caught in fog and ended up in a lagoon.The crash crushed 2 of my mothers vertabras(did I spell the right?) and took out my Dad's ankle(literally)

My dad was extremely lucky to live on to have me
Been to various airshows round NZ which sorta sucks now knowing that the best part of my life is over , which was in Wanaka 2006 when me my Dad and my brother were at the end of the run way and the Corsair buzzed us at about 20odd feet or so ,can't be to sure all I know was it was bloody low!and bloody cool!

and yeah currently in year 12 NCEA level 2 which sucks alot ,Has to be by far the my worse year of school both for fun and academicly ,Gona have to study a sh*t load to pass which believe it or not is actually looking possbile

last year of school ,hopefully end up as an aircraft engineer

hobbies are music,movies(war).modelling,skiing,travelling,driving everywhere and WW11 aviation

hope it wasn't to boring

Here's a pic of me in Wellington a couple of months ago


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## 109ROAMING (Sep 22, 2008)

> Originally posted by *Les'Bride*
> cry..to feel better



Very true saying

your life sounds like it has been very interesting

All the best 
-Daniel


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## Becca (Sep 22, 2008)

I'm sorry, Daniel...I was in the middle of posting hell!  

Awesome, stick with it!! I wish I had. Keep your eye on what you truly want and hopefullly that will keep you fueled to go all the way. Best of luck!! 

From pictures of NZ sent from my older brother and younger sister(they are both Kiwi, now) is a wonderful place..I know they both adore it.


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## seesul (Sep 22, 2008)

Les'Bride said:


> Lets see..I was born in May of 1970, in Victoria, Texas. My father was a Operator at a refinery(Dupont) and mom was a housewife, older brother Patrick that seemingly was happy being an only child till I showed up(mom caught him in my baby bed with a jar over his head about to slam it into mine....good times...) Dad always had another buisness on the side, we went from tire sales, to car lot, to liquor store and back to cars, then to customized vans. I have to say that I owe the fact that I can clean a vehicle till it shines like a diamond in a goats as* to him. Before 1977, I don't remember them having problems, much. I was daddy's little girl. 1st runner-up Little Miss Cuero in 1976, ballet, tap..all the normal little girl stuff.
> In 1977, they divorced and mom, Pat and I (begrudgeonly) moved back to SE Texas(where they grew up)Dad stayed in Victoria, of course..and met a woman in San Antonio named Georgie. She seemed great, at first...we loved her. Unfortunately, after the marriage, I happily got to move back with my daddy, and she turned. I don't know if it was resentment that dad wasn't the obvious cash-cow she'd thought or what..seemingly she decided that it was easier to take out her anger and rage on a 7 yr old than deal with dad...who had always drank(even had a bottle of Aqua Velva in College..true story) His drinking had gotten ALOT worse. Only saw him long enough to help him to bed at night, morning, whenever he stumbled in after a shift and the drinking his sorrow away. He never saw what was happening to me. Georgie did her best to beat the life out of me on a daily basis. I don't think there is much I havent been hit with. Kept me in the closet for a bit. Etc..I really can't get into all of it. Shes a sick woman. Ina nut-shell. In the interim she had gotten pregnant(oh Joy!) and had my little sister Cheryl. Pretty much came home and gave her to me. I had been enrolled in Catholic School in town and was either at school or taking care of my baby sister. The beating and torture continued till I was 12 y.o. and my older brother, who had been down to visit while I had gone to moms to visit suffered the brunt of an argument between dad and she and she decided to kick Pat in the nuts and call him a SOB instead of fighting with dad. (shes a class act, I tell ya! lol) Pat spilled his guts. I had made him swear NEVER to tell what was going on, she always told me that if anyone ever found out that she would killl dad and mom and Pat. Hell, I believed her! Well, dad (thank God) divorced her and went on to his next victim. Lady with 3 sons, WHOLE different story, all still on the F'ed up side. Don't want to go on about it all.
> Dad was married 6 times. I'll leave it at that.
> Momma had remarried to a great guy, that Pat and I adored they had my little brother and sister..he was and still is an EXCELLENT, dad. A bit smothering if you ask my little bro and sis. NOT so good in the hubby department. When it all came down at dads with the step-monster, I was then shipped to live with them...against my will, I was afraid for daddy...I felt that he needed me, there with him to help. It broke my heart. Kinda hard to explain that I really didn't mind the pain as long as he was going to be ok. Really sick. lol. Well, I was moved back and forth, between families(dad changing wives, etc) During 1984 I had decided that everyone would be alot better off if I wasn't in the picture. It seemed to me that I wasn't good enough..my grades were bad, I was tall and chubby and was getting all sorts attention because my female bits were coming in like gangbusters, even though I hated myself. So, I ate alot of pills. Just made myself extremely sick and tried to hide it from my dad and his wife, got up and went to school and threw-up on myself all day. BAD IDEA. It was a riotous, drunken, sick time...there are really too many stories to tell...I'll skip ahead. When my older brother Pat told mom what I had done she then took it upon herself to have me hospitalized, suprisingly. I was locked in the Radar Institute for eating disorders and diagnosed with Bulemia.(SUPRISE!!!!) I stayed there 6 wks and when I was released, mom, after coming to all the meetings, etc..realized that she was also bulemic. (Game the WHOLE family can play!! sorry.) I then went to go stay with my step-dad and help with my little brother and sister. Mom came home and continued her meetings even branched out to al-anon to help process the marriage to dad. I stayed int he 12-step program, even became an alateen sponsor, etc. UNFORTUNATELY being young and going to NA meetings(during treatment, they really don't seem to care WHAT 12 step meeting you go to, as long as you go) I met some really intresting folks. Started hanging out with them, going to high school, yadda, yadda..played Flute, then trumpet then tuba(quit giggling), marching band, etc. Got really good at photography in 7 and 8th grade and was kinda drafted into the school photographer job. Loved it, got burnt out my senior year, sadly. The beginning of my senior year I was locked up again, this time the diagnosis was Manic-depressant disorder..I was in the 'Womens institute" for 6 weeks. It was a great place, really they taught me alot about myself..helped me deal with the sh*t from childhood, etc. how do deal with the sickness through meditation and learning how to re-establish my chemical balance, i.e. forcing myself to bottom-out, cry..to feel better. Sound strange, but it works. *rambling...moving on*
> I quit high-school 3 months before graduation..to help mom, it seemed, she was in the process of divorcing my step-dad and had fallen into a really bad place. It seemed like a good idea at the time.  They decided to try it again, for my younger bro and sis, bought a huge house with pool, jacuzzi and began to set up a 'perfect' life for themselves. I wasn't figuring into the equation anymore. I was kicked out that June, moved to Beaumont with some drag-queens I'd met through a friend and the REAL adventure started. I got my GED that month. THEN proceeded to party REALLY hard. I don't think there was a drug I didn't do..was dealing LSD in mind-numbing quanities before I turned 21. WHOLE lot of stories there, of course. The friends that I had made into my family and I hit our own 'bottom' in a seedy motel room in Houston. My older brother, Pat, had taken it uopn himself to call all of our parents and let them know what was going on...I was THEN sent back to my dad's "I'll straighten that b*tch-up" reform camp. I pretty much strightened up and moved back to Houston, got an actual job as a receptionist for a jewelry designer. I quickly pointedout the inefficency in their operation pretaining to the buying of supplies and developed a "buyers" position. Decided to move with a friend of mine and try out San Francisco..built a repertory theatre company(out of nessessity for a friend) and began producing/assistant directing, decided after 2 years that I couldn't stand actors. Turned it over. My grandfather died, I moved back to Texas..momma needed me.



OMG, gotta say it again...I really didn´t know how lucky I am with my family and all the frieds around...
My respect to you Becca!!!


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## Becca (Sep 22, 2008)

Thank you, Roman..it has been a LONG, strange trip..to quote the Grateful Dead.  Hopefully i'll finish this..if I haven't bored you guys enough. 

NOW, you know why I was so late in posting on this thread..its a friggin novel!! EVEN leaving alot OUT!! lol


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## 109ROAMING (Sep 22, 2008)

> Originally posted by *Les'Bride*
> I'm sorry, Daniel...I was in the middle of posting hell!
> 
> Awesome, stick with it!! I wish I had. Keep your eye on what you truly want and hopefullly that will keep you fueled to go all the way. Best of luck!!
> ...



Your sorry? I'm the one who's sorry I didn't mean to post in between your posts

Best of luck with the rest of your story-I wasn't bored


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## Crunch (Sep 22, 2008)

It's not hard to keep going and going about something you know inside out hey? 

Great read, I find it fascinating hearing about other people's lives. Not in a stalker, sticky-beak way, but it's captivating.

Everyone has a story, it's just unfortunate that everyone can't find time to listen in this day and age.


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## RabidAlien (Sep 22, 2008)

So, you're telling me, that wasn't you I caught peering through my window, Crunch? 

My story's pretty basic, boring....typical ErrFarce brat, grew up on AirForce bases around Texas, in Guam, and finally down in Georgia. Never really stayed in one place long enough to make those life-long friends that come to be so helpful later on in life, and when we finally settled down (sorta) at Moody AFB in Georgia, I was already in the 6th grade, when all of those friendships have already been made/sealed. So, I was the outsider until I graduated HS. Had some friends, but never very many that I would associate with outside of one activity or other (church, school, BoyScouts, etc). Decided, in my own village-idiot sort of way, that I'd had enough of the Air Force (to this day, AF blue uniforms just look....bland.), so I paid attention to the Navy recruiter. Probably shouldn't have paid THAT much attention, because I found myself going to school for a year and a half to study nuclear engineering. Me...the kid who hated (and nearly flunked) every Math, Science, Chemistry, and Physics class I had to take. Through the liberal use of prayer, aspirin, and Mt. Dew, I managed to pass all of the courses, 3.2 average (which still surprises me), then had another Village Idiot moment when I listened to the stories our instructors would tell, and volunteered for submarine duty. 4.5 years of hell later, my enlistment was up, my blood-pressure was up, and I was fed-up with Bill Clinton, so I opted not to re-enlist. I was engaged at that point, moved to Washington State (was last stationed in Hawaii, but "cabin fever" had set in and I needed a change of locale), got a part time job with Office Depot and with a local camera shop. Loved the camera store, but my ex was still stationed in Hawaii, so I went full-time with OD and moved back to Hawaii. A year later, I'm finding out she's running around with another guy from her P-3 Orion squadron, and all of a sudden I'm a "WestPac Widow(er)". She wasn't interested in trying to work on the marriage, and even I can tell that a brick wall isn't going to move after beating my head against it for a month or two, so I moved back home to a little town outside of Austin, Texas, where my folks had moved right after I joined the Navy. Got an apartment, and just sorta drifted. Still slaving away for OD, taking lots of pictures, watching movies, and escaping online for two or three years. In one of my forays online, I managed to meet a young lady who was also taking photography courses (I was taking the New York Institute of Photography's distance-learning course that the time....managed to finish it, too!), who was living outside of Dallas. We eventually met....took a bunch of photos....and started dating. You can sure put some miles on a car when your girlfriend lives 3 hours away!!! Surprisingly enough, she said yes when I asked to marry her, and we tied the knot on Dec 6th, 2003. Heh. She was actually worried that I wouldn't be able to remember the date, since guys stereotypically can't remember anniversaries, until I pointed out that the very next day was Pearl Harbor Day....not a date I'm liable to forget.  She doesn't understand my fascination with old planes, and why I insist on keeping every book I buy (and why I prefer to buy them instead of checking them out of the library), but she puts up with me. We lost her Mom to cancer about a year after we were married, which REALLY tested our marriage, we lost her Dad a week from this past Saturday (13th) to a heart attack (we're doin....better than expected, based on last time), and gained a nephew that same afternoon. We're expecting our first, a little girl, in the first week of January, but hoping for the last week of December (insurance deductable is paid already, and there's a tax thing, too....). Life rattles on! But I've bored y'all enough. 

Next!!!


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## Njaco (Sep 22, 2008)

Great stuff, Rabid. Sorry for the losses and joyed for the additions.

And trying to explain the love of aircraft is not possible to the fairer sex. Its just not tangible to them.  My pre-wife understands I love them just not why. Its all good.


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## ScOoTeR1992 (Sep 23, 2008)

oh oh oh my turn...

well now lets see, i was born, raised and still resides in Mareeba, Queensland( my birthday is the 7th September you all remember that) i have a lovely girlfriend called cherry and we only been together for 2 weeks now and her parents like me so i'm all good, a pet dog called Karlie and she is roughly 5 years old and she is a English Springer Spaniel, nothing really much i went to school out in a small rural primary school developed some friends that i will travel to hell and back with other i wouldn't p*ss on if they were on fire, then after that i moved to the high school in town where I've been since grade 8, had my nasty accident in grade 9 where i tried TRIED to tackle a Nissan navara...the car sorta won, i received 2 broken legs well 1 broken leg (in three places all along the shin) and a broken ankle on my left side i was in hospital for roughly 2 months all up a wheelchair for 2 weeks on crouches for another 6 I think, made some even better friends after my accident. After my accident Ijoined the AAFC (Australian Air-Force Cadets) last year and so proud I did, I am really enjoying it now uhmmmm and that's it for now anyway. My friend got me sucked into listening Rammstein and after that the only sort of music I been listening to is all Heavy-Metal and all that sorta stuff. I really don't like saying this but I tried taking my own life last year by slitting my wrist cause my life was going downhill at that stage because I was getting picked on so much at school and all the other stuff. My pictures arent really good pictures cause my camera is kinda cr*ppy so sorry about the quality and here is the person that has been terrorizing the forum ever since he had joined (and it killed me inside to wear my hat like that)


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## 109ROAMING (Sep 23, 2008)

Hang in there man! , life can be a real bitch sometimes , I think everyone sometime in their life considers going down that road - music certainly helps the negativity...you look like you've got quite a DVD collection!


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## ScOoTeR1992 (Sep 23, 2008)

yeah music has helped me A LOT and i have a few dvd's there mostly war and doco's


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## Njaco (Sep 23, 2008)

Scooter, I think we've all been through that turnstile but I'm glad you found us. Hang in there! You got world-wide friends now!!!

and the pic. You should see mine in the Members Pic thread. At least you look human. Me, well......


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## Becca (Sep 23, 2008)

yup, I'll agree just hang in there...remember what goes up must come down, AND vice versa. As for idiot-a*ses that you have to deal with at school, there are 2 ways to think about it..either you can take the peaceful route, breathe deeply and remind yourself that we are all fighting our own insecurities and battles OR take the non-tree hugger stance and think F*ck EM! and go your merry way.  Pain builds character.


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## RabidAlien (Sep 23, 2008)

Ditto the above, Scooter! You're among friends now. (just watch out for Lucky)


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## Njaco (Sep 23, 2008)

> As for idiot-a*ses that you have to deal with at school, there are 2 ways to think about it..either you can take the peaceful route, breathe deeply and remind yourself that we are all fighting our own insecurities and battles OR take the non-tree hugger stance and think F*ck EM! and go your merry way.



reminds me of a story:

In school I had one b*stard that would bug the crap out of me all the time. Big bully, cut classes, had the best chicks, yada, yada. Flash forward to a couple months ago. I'm in court with a couple cases, handling some pretrial plea bargains and he walks up all, "Hey, wow, Chris, how ya doing" with a look on his face like he was impressed. He looked terrible, gut so big he couldn't see his belt buckle, more craters in his face than the moon and looking at jail time for like the 4th or 5th time. I was nice, said hey, and was smiling inside! Loved it. Payback is a b*tch!!!


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## Thorlifter (Sep 23, 2008)

Good stories RA and Scooter. I'm sure reading the others bio's that you see we all have had severe up's and down's.

Ya'll just hang in there and if you ever need to vent, just let us know.


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## RabidAlien (Sep 23, 2008)

Heh. What's life without a few ups and downs? Nobody ever promised that it'd be easy. Anyone out here who reads their Bible might recongnize (and I'm going to badly paraphrase...possibly mangle...) the verse that says "there is no temptation/trial that will come upon you that is not common to Man". Meaning, basically, that someone somewhere has "been there, done that". When you get to that point, and have experienced the lows, its now your turn to help someone else get through a similar situation. The names and fine details may vary, but the overall situations are the same. And if nothing else, I've got two shoulders to cry on, ears to vent to.


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## Matt308 (Sep 23, 2008)

Scooter don't ever let the bastards get you down. Everyone gets picked on. Believe it. What is great about highschool is getting out. But don't think for a second that you won't run into these same people at work, the gym, grocery store or church. The difference is that now you can have the confidence that if they lay an ever lovin' friggin' finger on you, you can sue their @ss off.

Life is bigger than these people's IQ. More people are extremely nice than like those doofus'. Take it from me, the supreme solopsist. Karma is real. They will get their due. It comes true EVERY time. You just may not be around to see it.


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## Screaming Eagle (Sep 24, 2008)

wow very interesting stories guys (and girl ). Hang in there scott, you will make it through just fine, and it looks like your not the only DVD enthusiast here! Last time I bothered to check my DVD collection owes me upwards of 3000 bux!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 24, 2008)

Hey Scooter, do not let those assholes in High School get to you like that. They are not worth the dirt you walk on. Just ignore them, you are better than them.

I am glad you did not succeed in your suicide attempt my friend. As with everyone here, they have a place in this forum. We are all one happy cyber family.


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## ScOoTeR1992 (Sep 24, 2008)

thanks guys this forums has actually help me a lot and i got a little story this is the only case where I actually lashed out anyway, one morning before school i was playing handball and one of those kids started teasing me about my face all the names you could think of he called me I walked away and he followed I turned around told him to f-off he wouldn't he kept calling me names so I turned around and put him into a headlock and I wouldn't let go except I had all my friends yelling in my ear so i finally did he was out cold and I went on as a normal school day, got home nothing happened, went to school the next day got called to the office thinking I was going to get expelled or somethin I was sacred sh*tless got there and all i got was a warning but i have never done it again anyway


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## Thorlifter (Sep 24, 2008)

I hear Vince McMahon and the WWE is always looking for talent!!!!!


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## Njaco (Sep 24, 2008)

Not saying it was a good way to handle it but.......Way to Go!


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## RabidAlien (Sep 24, 2008)

Sometimes you just have to turn around and stand up for yourself. Nothing wrong with that. God didn't create us to be defenseless little critters! Now, if you started making a habit of doing that, that's another story. I can't fault the way you handled it, though.


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## Matt308 (Sep 25, 2008)

WWE? How about MMA?


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## Becca (Sep 25, 2008)

Sometimes that is the only way to get a point across. Nothin' wrong with kickin' a little as#. 

Best to place the anger where it originated, at least it wasn't supressed. Thats healthy!


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## Bucksnort101 (Sep 25, 2008)

Yep, I firmly believe that some people in this world need to get a serious a$$ thrashing and this guy sounds like he was the perfect candidate for one. I wish I had stood up to a few bullies in my younger years as you did. I'd like to meet my high school tormentors now that I'm a lot more sure of myself, a whole lot less introverted, and have much larger muscles that I did back then


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## Matt308 (Sep 25, 2008)

I wasn't tortured in highschool. I was in middleschool. But I'd still like to meet those mental midgets.

On better thought. No I wouldn't. What am I saying.


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## Airframes (Sep 25, 2008)

Hey Scooter, I agree with everything the guys ( and girl!) have said. And you did the right thing at the right time!
Like most of us, I've seen my fair share of s**t in my time, but I have a saying that always seems to help. Perhaps you can adopt it.
"It's mind over matter." "I don't mind, and they don't matter!"
Keep your chin up mate, you seem do be doing well so far.
Terry.


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## Watanbe (Oct 28, 2008)

I thought I would give you my bio. Before I get started Scooter mate, I hate the fact that people get bullied in school. It truly is unfair. While I didn't get harassed in school, so probably don't entirely understand, iI have had mates in your situation. If you need anyone to talk to, you can add me on msn and I'm sure many of the forum members are the same. 

Anyway my bio.

My name is Anthony Butler I was born in a country town on Nov 1st 1989. My Dad is a VERY VERY hard working country doctor and my mum has had a few jobs in her time. Both my parents came from nothing and have worked hard to give me a very easy childhood, certainly in comparison to some of you. I moved to Adelaide (decent sized city) when I was 12 years old and I live there now. I started at the local public school for my primary education (junior) then I moved to an all boys private school to finish my schooling. Was a bit daunting at the start for a boy who grew up in the country, but I quickly adjusted and ended up having a great time and made some good mates. 

I am a sports nut and have tried just about any sport you can name. My favourite sport is Aussie Rules football. I became pretty good at footy and generally played at the higher levels available to me, i.e juniors at state level clubs. I always knew I wasn't going to go far with my sport...so I now just play socially for my University club, which is an absolute riot. I don't think I've ever had so much fun in my life. My other passion in live besides WW2 history, is cars, especially Japanese Imports. My car a 1993 Toyota Soarer TT is my most prized posession and I love it. 

I'm currently studying Law and Commerce at Adelaide University although I find it very very boring and difficult. As a result im planning on swapping to studying Law and Arts with the aim of becoming a history teacher further down the track. I have a very active social life and love nothing more than hitting the town with my good mates. and my friends are important to me and I have a large group of close mates who id do almost anything for. 

I think that basically covers it!


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## Njaco (Oct 29, 2008)

If this world needs anything, its good teachers. Good luck, Tony!


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## Catch22 (Oct 29, 2008)

Good luck!


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## Watanbe (Oct 29, 2008)

the way I am heading at the moment, I need it.


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## Airframes (Oct 29, 2008)

Keep at it mate, you'll get there.


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## Watanbe (Oct 29, 2008)

well im not leaving uni until I have a degree


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## 109ROAMING (Oct 29, 2008)

Nice ,thats the attitude!


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## RabidAlien (Oct 30, 2008)

You go, Tony!


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## Watanbe (Oct 31, 2008)

Thanks guys!


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## Sweb (Mar 12, 2009)

There's some movie scripts in these posts. I wonder if any producers ever happen across boards like this.

I was born in 1955 the second of 5 kids and first son. Tough being the first son. Expectations run high from the father. That much I tempered when my son was born. My Pop was a career Air Force pilot and mother was a check out clerk he met at Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS, in 1951. After a stint in Korea flying RF-51s he came back and they got married. 

I worn born in Landstuhl, W. Germany (then) near Sembach AB where my pop was stationed flying RF-80s. Left there when I was 15 months old and went to Sumpter, SC. There 15 months and on the Wichita, KS. There for 15 months and on to Portsmouth, NH. There for 3 years and on to Biloxi, MS. There for 3 years and on to Westerville, OH. There for 1.5 years and on to Huntington Beach, CA. There for 3 years and on to Schaumburg, IL. 3 years later I joined the Air Force and became a crew chief on KC-135A tankers. Stayed 3 years, 10 months, 18 days and a wake up. Got out early under Palace Chase and went back to Schaumburg, IL. Stayed there 1 year and moved with the company I worked for to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I had to transfer into the Navy to finish my reserve commitment but by that time my military bearing had all but rusted. Fortunately the Navy reserve detachment in Coral Gable let me slip into inactive reserve to finish my time because of my active duty time being longer than their minimum 1st term requirements. I couldn't tell you anything about the Navy except their Honorable Discharge certificate beats the hell out of the Air Force's. Stayed with the company almost 4 years and quit go to school to get my BS in aviation maintenance management from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. In 85 rejoined the world and became a technician performing overhauls of commercial aircraft parts at a company in Miami, FL. Stayed there for 4 years and started my own company doing the same thing. The events of 911 blew that all to hell so in May, 2003 I surrendered my FAA Repair Station certificate to the FAA, sold my company assets and went to work doing the same thing in Shelbyville, KY, as a general manager of a company there. Left that in 3/2006 and joined another company doing the same thing (yet again) for a company in Orlando, FL, as their chief airworthiness inspector, among other things. 

In my life there has been a lot of drama, ups, downs and expanses of extreme boredom. I got married at 30 years old and we waited 8 years before we had kids. We lived like rock stars. We were both open water divers and really enjoyed ourselves for those first 8 years. I now have 2 boys (15 and 10) and rather than brag on them I'll just say I don't deserve them. But, their mother does. Married 24 years and happy. 

I enjoy the career I've chosen. My avocations include dabbling in fine art (oil on canvas), playing acoustic guitar, airplane modeling (both plastic and radio control scale), and making small holes in paper targets with a Springfield Model 1911 Mil-Spec. I have flown a lot in my life privately and with with my Pop and my brother, who is soon to be a retired Air Traffic Controller, but to be honest it just doesn't do anything for me. I actually went through flight training and certification but the only time it ever meant anything to me was when I dropped medical supplies to m.a.s.h. units and similar field units in various unheard of skirmishes in the armpits of the world. After a couple sabbaticals to do that a lucky AK round in my ass woke me to the reality of playing hero and I quit. Otherwise, I've admitted to myself flying isn't for me. As far as the glamor of everything aviation I never got that. Raised by a career military and then 2nd career civilian pilot one gets a pretty clear idea where to put the glamor. Romance with it? That'll never die.


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## Matt308 (Mar 12, 2009)

Cathartic. And and a great story. Thanks for sharing. Hope you stick around and get to know us more intimately. For the most part, we are a good bunch. Me excluded.

Thankyou for your service.


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## RabidAlien (Mar 12, 2009)

Heaven forbid we ever argue with a moderator. 

Welcome aboard, Sweb!


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## Sweb (Mar 12, 2009)

Matt308 said:


> Cathartic. And and a great story. Thanks for sharing. Hope you stick around and get to know us more intimately. For the most part, we are a good bunch. Me excluded.
> 
> Thankyou for your service.



Never exclude yourself. Just don't volunteer for anything. There's a difference. And, thanks back atcha.



RabidAlien said:


> Heaven forbid we ever argue with a moderator.
> 
> Welcome aboard, Sweb!



Thanks.


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## Njaco (Mar 13, 2009)

and with that Rabid is banned. 

Sweb, understand about the romance part. Never went into the AF, never learned to fly, but I love looking up at a prop job overhead and smiling. Welcome!


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## renrich (Mar 16, 2009)

This is a good idea. Am enjoying reading about all. Kind of a cross section. Here goes me. Born in Dallas in 1935, right in the middle of the Depression and the Dust Bowl. My parents both were off of farms in South Texas. My father's father did not get married until he was 45 and had eleven children that lived. He was in the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers in 1882. His father and another of my grandfathers served in the Armies of the Confederacy. My great grandfather's(on my father's side) brother fought at the San Jacinto. My mother and my father had six brothers that served in WW2. My father lost his job in Dallas when I was only a year old and my mother was fixing to take me and head back to her parent's farm when the Katy RR called him and put him back on at $105 per month.
I got my first job and a SS# in around 1946-47 working Saturdays as a soda jerk, floor sweeper and prescription deliverer on my bicycle for the sum of $3 for a day. Funny, talking about torture. I went to Boy Scout Camp in about 1947 as a tenderfoot and the older boys did something which I only have a hazy memory of which was vaguely sexual but also ran us around in the bushes,naked, where I got poison ivy on 50% of the body. I promised myself that I would come back and haunt them when I grew up. We moved to San Antonio in 1948 and In 1952 as a senior I was starting on the football team of one of the most powerful 4A schools in Texas and we played the team from Dallas which would have been my school if we had stayed in Dallas. I suppose the guys who worked me over were probably gone by then but I got a lot of satisfaction when we beat their butts.
I was fortunate to get a couple of offers to go to college on an athletic scholarship, one at Texas Tech, but really wanted to go to Annapolis but flunked the physical. I was color blind. Wound up playing a couple of years on scholarship and then transferred to SMU to try to get a degree and quit playing football. I was small but also slow.
During college I worked in the oil patch every summer. One summer in West Texas, I worked in a gang supporting Red Adair putting out an oil well fire near Sheffield, Texas. Worked offshore off the coast of La. and the last two summers out of Midland I was making about $2 per hour in the oil patch but had a night job at a honky tonk between Midland and Odessa as a floor bouncer making $5 a night. That was an interesting sociology study.
Finally graduated with a BS in Geology(crowded a four year course into six years) in 1959 and got married. We had UMT then so I talked to the Navy about going to OCS and because of my degree and my color blindness, they would put me in Naval Intelligence. There was a three year active duty obligation so in my infinite wisdom I chose to join the Texas Army Nat Guard and go to 6 months active duty with a 6 year obligation in the Guard. Went to basic at Fort Knox and then to Fort Sam Houston. I had volunteered for the medics as I knew they would send me to San Antonio where I had good friends. Got out after six months and no jobs domestically for geologists as oil was $3 a barrel and there was no drilling in the US. Took a job with YMCA teaching swimming, scuba, survival aquatics and running a football camp.
1961 came around, the Berlin Wall went up and two National Guard divisions were called up. One was the 49th Armored and I got to go to Fort Polk for a year. Was a Spec 4 and made $138 per month. When I got out, I took a job as a cub superintendent building project houses. I thought I would like to be a homebuilder and I was making $50 per week. Those houses were 900 SF and sold for $9000. By 1964, I was making $112.50 per week and a $25 per month car allowance and was running four projects in South Dallas. I was at one of those projects the day that Kennedy was shot.
I took a leave of absence in 1964 to build a spec house and a duplex on my own. I never went back. The first year in business I made $1400 but the second year I made $5000 and the third, $9100 and I was in tall cotton. I was building houses and doing some land development and doing good until 1973 when my wife decided she wanted to move to Colorado. She took half the money and our two daughters and moved to the mountains and married a rancher. Like to have broken my heart when she took those two girls. I found me a new woman(in Dallas they were plentiful) and married again and set out to start doing good again.
Was in tall cotton again until the recession of the late 80s came along. Once again with my infinite wisdom I got a divorce(my idea this time) in the middle of the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Almost every bank and S&L went under in Texas and of the 1600 builders in the DFW area, only 600 were left. My former wife got the mine and I got the shaft and after 30 years as a builder and developer in Dallas, I pulled stakes and went to live with one of my daughters in Colorado, dead broke.
Got a job working for a ski resort in real estate development and began to do pretty good again. Learned about operating a ski resort(know I don't want to own one) and met a lot of great people all over the Western US and Canada. Left there in 2002 and went to the Texas Hill Country to build some houses at a golf resort. Busted my ass again and moved back to the mountains to get cool.
When I was growing up, we had no air conditioning, no TV, no FM radio and not much money. I finally got my first car when I was a junior in college. Paid $495 for a 1950 Buick that had 60000 miles on it and was plumb wore out. When I got out of college I had borrowed money from a student aid fund(that money I earned in the oil patch always seemed to not last a year) and paid it back at $17.50 a month. Also had a job at SMU during the school year with the intramural sports department. Put in about 25-30 hours per week and made $50 a month. Later, after making some money, I bought a third interest in a 172 and learned to fly(not well) One of my partners in the 172 was later killed in his Beech Travelair, right after I finished building he and his wife a big house. I used to love hunting and did a lot of handloading. Did my share of fishing and took up golf when I was 35. I now live in Durango, have a job as a real estate broker with all outgo and no income and am still trying to find a golf swing. Looking back, I had wanted to be a football coach and had always loved the Navy but I was looking for big money so I became a builder developer. Sometimes think a career in the Navy or as a football coach(there are still football coaches coaching at age 73) might have been a better choice.
What I would say now to you young folks who might read this is life is not a sprint for most of us but a marathon. Figure out what your dream is and follow it. Your instincts are usually pretty good guides. Always do the right thing and you won't look back with any regrets. I discovered the secret of financial success long term, no matter how much money you make. Always spend less than you make and never, never, get a divorce. I always managed to avoid taking that advice.


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## rochie (Mar 16, 2009)

great stories guy's


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## lesofprimus (Mar 16, 2009)

Great stuff Rich, thanks for sharing...


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## 109ROAMING (Mar 16, 2009)

Bloody interesting stories guys

Thanks for sharing


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## Marcel (Mar 17, 2009)

Here's to you Rich  Thanks for the story.


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## renrich (Mar 17, 2009)

Charles, just reviewed your bio and you and your wife make a darned handsome couple. That photo and the early one remind me of some movies I have seen. This thread, which I just discovered, makes me even more glad I found this forum. Whoever started this forum and sustained it, my hat is off to you.


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## renrich (Mar 19, 2009)

Sweb, just reread your story and good for you and your family and you write well. Ever consider doing it for money?


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## BikerBabe (Jun 1, 2009)

Born in 1966 as no. 3 out of 4 kids (- four different fathers? Man, the old lady must've been bored..._and _lively! *broad grin*) and adopted by a danish couple (- bless them, they didn't know what they got!  ), and raised in an everyday, normal, average family.
That is, until I arrived. Then peace was over. 

Had a fairly normal and definitely happy childhood for a tomboy - the usual stuff, in and out of the ER at the hospital whenever I had been a little too active, playing with the boys, making tree houses at the local swamp area which was our playground, collecting Action Man dolls and Lego instead of *vomit.mp3* Barbie dolls, and hanging out at the local airfield, ogling the Cessnas and the Piper Cubs - and the Goodyear blimp, whenever that arrived.
Also spent time writing down the plane markings instead of the local car license plates, together with the other kids on the road.

Oh yeah, and I started doing a bit of model building when I was still at school - our local youth school had an offer - a model building class, and my best buddy was going, så off we went and built ourselves some F-16's, Bf-109's, Spitfires and so on.
Later, I took up the model stuff again when I started collecting models of BMW motorcycles, and here I am. 

Hit rock bottom in '93, when I experienced a lot of nasty stuff, of which the death of both my grandmother and my uncle a few months apart was just the light end of things.
Got help - boyfriend kicked a certain part of my anatomy until I finally asked for help and got it - promptly.
I now live a normal life with no problems whatsoever, except that I _hate _getting up early (- I've _always _hated that!), and I react badly to stress.

I've always liked sports - badminton, handball, soccer, Taek-Won Do, horseback riding, and I am currently trying to stay in a decent shape by swimming and riding my bicycle to and from work.
Has got no boyfriend, no kids, no job - but I'm working on getting hold of at least the last mentioned subject.
First things first, y'know. Has never been married, as I've usually lost patience w. boyfriend (- or him with me) before we even got to that part in the relationship. 
Oh, and having kids now? No thanks, that's too late. 
Anyway, I'd rather have a motorcycle. 

Spent some years working at the Danish Police and Crime Museum in Copenhagen, and later applied for and got an education as security guard.
I figured the money and the working hours as a security guard was better than with the police. It was. 
Got a job as museum guard at Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen, but had to quit after a few months, due to some nasty knee problems. 
Damn! i liked the place, I liked my co-workers, I even liked my _boss_!  

Went to and from doctors and hospitals who all examined, x-rayed, scanned and wrangled with my stupid knee, and I finally got the verdict: Arthritis and hypermobility (- very bendy joints).
Okay - avoid walking a lot and standing a lot, was the message - oh, and excercise your knee. Alrighty then. That's what I'm doing.

Lately I spent 6 months as a truck driver's assistant or whatever it's called; the driver (- chronical hereditary kidney disease) and I was bringing out all kinds of construction stuff for your ordinary everyday house owner - boards, bags of cement, loft beams, drain piping, roof tiles, the lot. 
I guess our boss figured, that if he put two semi-hadicapped people together, we'd make one useful person. He was right.  
We helped each other out, and that worked just fine.
Then recession hit, 8 people were "let go" - and now I'm unemployed again, but I "work" at a...what do you call those shops where you can buy used clothes and such?
Anyway, it's part of the local job training program, and at the same time I'm on the lookout for a part time job, where my knee won't be a hindrance.

Am working on making a photo exhibit of my own photos - motorcycle themed, of course.
I also enjoy reading, writing, drawing, painting, photography, motorcycles, WW2 history, fishing, model building, fly tying, and my friends and I get together at least twice a month for our "Luftwaffe"-dinners - no, we're not nazis, but "Luftwaffe" basically covers the description of the effect of the dinners on our stomachs... *giggle*...and we're all more or less interested in history.
And now and then I am going on motorcycle trips with my friends, bless them.

So that's me - or some of my personal history. *curtsies*
Pic'll come up later, once I figure how to get it from my mobile phone to my 'pooter without the aid of a ¤%# expensive Sony Ericsson cable thingy!

Reactions: Like Like:
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## Airframes (Jun 2, 2009)

Thanks for the background, and glad to hear you're trying to get over the mobility problem. Hope you're able to find a job soon, especially one you'll like.
Take care.


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## Thorlifter (Jun 2, 2009)

Thank you for sharing. 1966 was a great year as that is the year I was born also! Also glad to hear you got your life together. I'm sure a job will come soon for you!


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## RabidAlien (Jun 2, 2009)

Welcome aboard (sorry, I'm a little slow...welcome 65 posts ago!)! I think everyone here can attest that, at one (or more) point in life, life just sux. The true test of character is how we handle it....whether we actually do something about that "boyfriend kicked a certain part of my anatomy" (which you did) or just curl up and hope the big bad monster goes away on its own (usually doesn't). Job, no job, mobility, no mobility...you're back taking control of your life! My hat's off to ya (pretend I'm wearing one at the moment...), and again, welcome to the boards!


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## Hunter368 (Jun 3, 2009)

Good posts guys. glad to see this thread is still going strong.


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## sabrina (Jun 3, 2009)

Born to a well-to-do family in beautiful and historical South Pasadena, CA. Homeschooled, I lived a quiet, isolated childhood where my world was books, writing--I was writing poems about love, death, life even at five years old--and my imagination games in our lush, tropical acres. At eleven, my engineer/scientist father moved us to Colorado after his retirement where I suddenly had 40 more acres to explore and play on. 

When I was 12, we happened to drive by an airport and I got a surge of adrenaline and curiousity. Upon reaching home, I slipped away with the telephone and a phone book and began dialing local airport--a couple of them thinking it was a prank call. After dozens of beseeching letters, my father took me to my first flying lesson. The FBO manager got out a pile of seat cushions and I wound up using three of them to even see over the yoke. Impressed by how I handled the C-172, my instructor put his hands near the yoke and told me to try landing. "My hands will be right here." On my first lesson, I landed the plane by looking out the side as it was the only way I could see the ground at my then height of 5'1. 

Enraptured but unable to come up with proper money, I flew once a month and it became the passion of my life alongside writing. By fifteen I was a professional writer and although I never had the patience to properly research or market them, had written eight novels from the age of eight to sixteen. I began to incorporate aviation and soon picked up jobs in various aviation mags. 

At the age of nineteen, I heard of someone I vaguely knew who was driving to Alaska. I mentioned that I would love to go there someday, and two short days later, I had the task of breaking the news to my mother that I had decided to drive to Alaska. Riding in the passenger seat of what was little more than a stranger, it took days to reach our destination of Anchorage through camping in the car away from the mosquito hordes, staying at an odd bed and breakfast that had locks on the outside of the bedroom doors, and countless miles through bumpy roads and dense forest. 

I was invited to stay in the bush by a couple I met in Anchorage, and I spent an amazing two weeks in a cabin, bathing in the lake and sleeping under moquito nets in the attic. Returning to Anchorage, the person I had driven up with suddenly decided to return to the states, and I was left to fend for myself. Working several jobs and still managing to turn food money into flying money, I lost twenty-five pounds but gained about the same amount in flight time. Renting a small restored Luscombe, I performed spins and fell in love with aerobatics. When I returned to Colorado in the autumn, I planned my next move--Arizona.

I fell in love with a man, and lost him to death. Grief-stricken for the longest month I hope I'll ever live, I became my own private investigator when I realized something was amiss and discovered that he had faked his death...apparently a fake from the start. I decided it was time to cut short my stay in Colorado, and I left my beloved home to pursue my world of aviation in the deserts of AZ.

Here I am now--still writing, and planning to start up flight training again in the fall. In my twenties and already having experienced a myriad of adventures, near-death experiences, passion, ambition, and emotions, I love life more than ever, and nothing will ever take that away. As my signature states, "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."


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## RabidAlien (Jun 3, 2009)

Welcome aboard, Sabrina! An avid reader all my life, I've scribbled a few things here and there, but never really had the guts to progress further along the "professional" route than a few rejection notices. Still do it occasionally, just for fun...write, that is, not get rejected.


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## Njaco (Jun 3, 2009)

I tried and actually submitted a thing or two but went nowhere. But a fake death!! Wow!


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## Hunter368 (Jun 4, 2009)

sabrina said:


> Born to a well-to-do family in beautiful and historical South Pasadena, CA. Homeschooled, I lived a quiet, isolated childhood where my world was books, writing--I was writing poems about love, death, life even at five years old--and my imagination games in our lush, tropical acres. At eleven, my engineer/scientist father moved us to Colorado after his retirement where I suddenly had 40 more acres to explore and play on.
> 
> When I was 12, we happened to drive by an airport and I got a surge of adrenaline and curiousity. Upon reaching home, I slipped away with the telephone and a phone book and began dialing local airport--a couple of them thinking it was a prank call. After dozens of beseeching letters, my father took me to my first flying lesson. The FBO manager got out a pile of seat cushions and I wound up using three of them to even see over the yoke. Impressed by how I handled the C-172, my instructor put his hands near the yoke and told me to try landing. "My hands will be right here." On my first lesson, I landed the plane by looking out the side as it was the only way I could see the ground at my then height of 5'1.
> 
> ...



Sabrina,

I don't think we have actually met before you must be some what new here. Nice to meet you. If you have not read this thread from start to finish already I would encourage to do it. You will learn a lot about your fellow members, including myself. Nice to meet you. 

What type of books do you write?


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## sabrina (Jun 4, 2009)

Hunter,

I joined in early May and was in the "introduction" thread. And yes, I have read all the biographies or else I wouldn't have posted my own. 

I am currently writing a column for Atlantic Flyer, and I've freelanced feature articles on aerospace, history, and travel documenting some of my experiences. I'm working on my first major fiction project for publication, and enjoy aerobatics as well as virtually every other aspect of aviation. 

I noticed in your profile that your hobbies enjoy martial arts--details? While I am new to the art--purple belt in Tang Soo Do, soon to be involved in jiu jitsu--it was love at first sight and also enjoy my gun and knife collection, as well as archery. 

Thanks for the welcome--


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## Hunter368 (Jun 5, 2009)

sabrina said:


> Hunter,
> 
> I joined in early May and was in the "introduction" thread. And yes, I have read all the biographies or else I wouldn't have posted my own.
> 
> ...



I started out in a style of traditional martial arts called Goju-ryu karate. It was a in close style of combat with lots of hand strikes and low kicks. I did that for a numbers of years. Then I went into MMA training, learning boxing, wrestling, jj. I did that just for fun for couple more years. If I won the lottery I would train 5 days a week. But for now I have no time, with kids and work. I still love it, watch MMA whenever I can and read about it.


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## B-17engineer (Sep 24, 2009)

Ok.... So I guess I'll have a shot at this.

I was born October 1st, 1995 in St. Barnabus Hospital. I have lived in New Jersey all my life. I live in a very peaceful area, with a lot of friends as of now and do pretty good in school if I say so myself. My dad is a Police Officer in Millburn, New Jersey. Right outside of Newark and is generally busy with work. My mom is a teacher. 

Anyways I am a bit of a clutz, in first grade, I was playing tag in the house and my arm went through a glass door cutting my arm terribly. I had to get 38 stitches and haven't regained full use of my right arm. I'm about 80 percent there . I went to the principals office in 1st grade for biting a kid, because we were playing house and I was suppose to be the 'baby'

Moving on to middle school (where I am now.) In 6th grade I was playing around at a friends house on his tredmill and I slipped fell and ended up getting 12 stitches in my leg. That's how I spent my Christmas. I have done very well in my History classes getting straight A's on American History. I have to brothers. I am the middle child.

That's it as of now.


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## beaupower32 (Dec 7, 2009)

Well, guess its my turn.

I was born on July 2, 1981. I have a older sister (4 years older) and a younger brother (10 years younger). I lived in Louisiana in a small town named Haynesville. It had a big population of less than a 1000 people, but I really enjoyed the small town. I did nothing but hunt, fish, and play football. 

At the grand age of 19 I enlisted into the Air Force. After bootcamp I went to tech school and learned I would be working on the F-16 Fighting Falcon. My first base was Edwards AFB in California. I have a great time there. I did many TDY's to different bases, and a few TDY's to some strip clubs. 

I met my lovely wife (on the internet as a matter of fact) in 2006. We had our frist date at Olive Garden. She came all dressed up and beautiful looking, I showed up on my motorcycle wearing shorts and sleveless shirt. After 5 months I got orders to Charleston, South Carolina and I left my wife behind to work Security (dealing with all the top secret documents) for the F-117 program out of Palmdale, California. Flying back a few times to visit her, she proceded to send me a text message saying she was pregnant. In August of 2007 we got married, and in November of that year, our beautiful daughter LexiAnn was born. It has been a great time ever sence then, and I enjoy it every day. In April of 2009, I had lower back sugery to repair some disk and cartlidge I had damaged. In October of this year, I was awoken at 3:30 in the morning to find out that my wife was pregnant with #2. We find out in January what sex it will be.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 7, 2009)

That's awesome BP, congrats! Having kids are aweome!


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## Njaco (Dec 7, 2009)

Cool Beau!! A man has to have his brood!!!


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## FLYBOYJ (Dec 8, 2009)

Hey Beau - did you meet your wife in California?


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## beaupower32 (Dec 8, 2009)

FLYBOYJ said:


> Hey Beau - did you meet your wife in California?



Yes I did. When I was living in Palmdale. She lived there too, and we met at the olive garden by the mall.


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## Aussie1001 (Dec 9, 2009)

Hmm, well can't say I have anything near as interesting or as long, but try I will for it is late and I have little to do.

Born in July 1992 on our farm in South East Queensland and have grown up on the place as well, nothing really remarkable has happened in my life so far as yet and at the moment I have just graduated from high school and had schoolies and the afterparties. Currently I am awaiting response from the universities I have applied to join. I plan to do a course in Engineering and then specialize in Mechanical. My ultimate ambition is to work in the automotive industry designing car engines and other such systems.

I first became interested in WW2 from my father who is a gun and ammunition collector, this led to me being exposed to the shooting community and I am an active shooter who enjoys nothing more than a Sunday morning of plugging clay targets. In the future I plan to become more committed to the sport as I have been told by professionals in the sport that I have some talent for it, although it will require more than my current input  

I have a huge interest in Modern history as a whole with particular interest on both WW2 and of the effects of imperialism on modern society. I find this site a great source to future my personal knowledge of all things WW2 and to have a place to wind down and take some time out.

Sorry for being a bore, there was not really a lot to write about and I fear that as a result of taking advanced english classes in high school I tend to bullshit a bit, like i'm doing now.
Cheers,
Michael.


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## Marcel (Dec 10, 2009)

Hi Aussie, welcome back!


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## RabidAlien (Dec 10, 2009)

Welcome aboard, guys, and thanks for the stories!


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Mar 6, 2010)

Well, mine as not being nearly as exciting or dramatic, but I thinks it's time I made one. 

My name is Austin Sullivan. I was born July 31, 1990 in Connecticut. My parents, Brian and Holly, were, and are still very good parents. I'm very glad for the way they raised us. They were strict, but fair, and taught me the differences of right and wrong. I have a twin brother (Ferdinand Foch), we have a typical brotherly relationship(hate the guy one day, cool with him the next). 

I've lived my whole life in the same town in CT. Not to big, small, really rural where I live, wouldn't have it any other way. Was a bit of a hellion growing up, caused some scenes in kindergarten and elementary schools. The parents though, put a stop to that. I was quite the introvert, and wasn't very social during my pre teen years. Though to be frank, I was complimented by fellow classmates being polite during school, pretty much my biggest strong point. As far as academics are concerned, I was strong in English and history, but weak in math and gym. I have been picked becuase of my introvetness, plus the fact that I am overweight(not obese though, couldn't see myself that big). I took it for the most part, but flipped out a few times. One instance was a fellow team mate on the freshman basketball team made fun of me for asinine reasons( kept pushing it till I slugged him a few times going to a game, strangely I get along with him now). 

I graduate high school in summer of 2008, started college fall of the same. My major is Digital Media, little bit of a pain(had some rough spots), but overall I like designing websites, flash, etc. Haven't reached my goal yet(making Dean's list) but good grades overall, even getting B's in my math classes when all I got were D's and C's in High School. 

I'm still a bit of an introvert, but I've really opened up. Made quite a few friends both back home and up here at college. Still single though. 

The only job that I worked at constatnly was a stock clerk at a local grocery store back home, started working there when I was 16, and worked on my winter and summer breaks. 

I have pretty close relation with my dad's parents. My grandmother worked with computers, and got her BA after retirement. My grandfather was a beat cop in Hartford during the 60's, worked his way up to chief of police in the 80's. I did have close relations with my mothers parents, but we(my family) had a falling out a few years ago, I won't go into details. We've exchanged letters a few times, and talked once on the phone, but I haven't seen them in years. My parents gave me a very good upbringing. My mother is a teacher at the school system back home, my father a regional bank manager in Massachusetts. 

I've been interested in WWII since I was a kid(can't remember why). I've got quite a collection of books(though my brother overall has the most, needs a lot of bookshelves). Thought I knew all there was to the war before I got onto this site, boy was I wrong!. Not very athletic, but I have played baseball, basketball, swimming, and skiing. Skiing is perhaps the sport I love best, thanks to my dad. 

I've been fortunate to be able to go overseas quite a few times, been to England and France with the family, Italy for a school trip after graduation, been to canada three times, and currently going to Russia this summer. 

Sorry for the long post, but I've been toying with the idea of contributing to this thread.

Here's a recent photo of my family prior to flying on nine oh nine. If you can't tell, I'm the guy on the left with the red sox hoodie.

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## Njaco (Mar 7, 2010)

Ain't long at all vassilli! Good stuff!


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks Njaco.


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## RabidAlien (Mar 7, 2010)

Just about the right length, bro!  I'm envious of both your 909 ride and trips to Europe!


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks Rabid, just out of curiousity, where did you have your port of calls, if any?


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## RabidAlien (Mar 7, 2010)

Asia, Australia, West Coast US. I was stationed out of San Diego California, and Pearl Harbor.


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Mar 8, 2010)

Cool!


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## KMeyrick (Mar 11, 2010)

OK- I guess it's time for me to post my story. 

Born March 20, 1970. I was a "Welcome home from Nam!" baby. Born in Westfield, MA. 

I am not only an army brat, but a 4th generation military brat. Dad was a captain in the Army. His father was in the Coast Guard, his father was in the army too. My grandmother was a nurse in the Navy, so was a great aunt. My maternal grandfather was Army too and was stationed on an island in WW2 by himself to report movement and sniper the enemy. After the war he went on to work for Bell Labs and ended up designing parts of NORAD in Cheyenne mountain. 

Oldest of 3. My sister is 1 yr younger, brother is 5 years younger. He went into the AirForce ended up Special Police guarding nucs. Spent time in Saudi in 1st Gulf War.

After college my dad became a DEA agent so we moved a lot. 7 houses by the time I was 13. 2 more before I graduated HS. 

I lived in Massachusetts most of the time- Springfield, East Longmeadow, S. Boston, Nahant, Ahmerst... In 8th grade we moved to Florida and dad worked in Miami. the summer before 11th grade, we moved to Switzerland where I went to the International School of Berne. Great time. Still keep in touch with everyone.

Graduated from Berne, and went to college in New Hampshire. Franklin Pierce University. Graduated in 3 years. Got married to a Marine Security Guard I met in Switzerland. Moved to Las Vegas to teach. Been here ever since. I teach 4th grade now. Love it.

I have 2 children. Andrew is in 9th grade and Cassandra is in 6th. Cas is a competitive gymnast (9 years now) and Andrew is into soccer now (he used to compete gymnastics too). Andrew rocks on the violin and Cas has begun to learn the cello.

My WW2- interest (besides my 2 grandfathers and my grandma... and a whole slew of family members)..... my Great Uncle is 1st Lt. Russell W. Meyrick. He was a bombadier in the Army Air Corp in WW2. It is his memorial service that Seesul organizes in Rudice CZ each year. 

Russell was shot down on August 25, 1944. He was one of 2 to perish from his plane. The amazing citizens of Rudice, convinced the Germans to let them bury Russell and the other crew member in their cemetary- thus saving them from the mass grave the rest of the squadron were buried in. Each year they hold a service to remember and pay tribute, even though both men were moved to France after the war. Russell was moved to Mass. in the 50's/60's. Not sure about the other young man.

My father, myself and my 2 children went for the 65th anniversary this past August. Great (emotional experience)

Oh- funny note.... my grandfather tried to go Army in WW2 they wouldn't take him. It took us years to find out the truth (which he still won't admit!!!Birth certificates and math don't lie though! ) He was turned away by Army, Navy and Marines. He said it was flat feet, or eye sight, or he could pass this or that.... it was really because his brother (Russell) had just been killed, he was the only male son left... AND he was under age without parental consent. The coast guard was the only one who bought his lies!!!!

So that's why I'm here. I found Seesul while researching Russell, and have stayed. ((Oh, and before they get mad... also met Rochie and AirFrames as well!! )) great times!

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## vikingBerserker (Mar 12, 2010)

Very cool! Teaching 4th grade does qualify you as having seen combat


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Mar 12, 2010)

Very cool biography KM!


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## conkerking (Mar 13, 2010)

Sorry I haven't seen this thread earlier!

Born Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, 17th January 1969. Moved to nearby Bradford at an early age and consider it my home town (still a Bradford City fan but don't see them as often as I would like).

Dad a printer by trade but technology put paid to that, he made a decent living, eventually, in financial consultancy. Mum an auxiliary nurse. Three younger sisters. Oldest now married and living in France with husband and two kids, middle one gets married in July, youngest has just come out.

Slightly schizophrenic childhood, grew up on one of Bradford's less salubrious council estates, Buttershaw, but being a bit bright at an early age earned a bursary i.e. financial assistance to go a to public school, which (for the benefit of our American friends) is a private school, i.e. fee-paying and attended by kids from much more privileged backgrounds. Sadly a bit of an underachiever through school, capable but lazy. Left school at 17 with A levels, no intention of going to University (didn't want to burden parents financially) and not much idea what I wanted to do. Fortunately landed a job as a trainee export salesman. Picked up a degree in textile technology along the way. Climbed the tree over the years and now sales director of a hotel furnishing company. Fair bit of graft but also a bit of luck along the way, I would say. Have travelled a lot with the job, Europe and Middle East mainly, States occasionally. Don't do as much overseas travel as I once did, thankfully, but still keep my hand in.

Learnt to speak French, German and Italian as part of the job. Lived in Italy for a bit.

Most of 20s a bit of train crash, don't go there, hit my stride around 28 when I met my beloved, Julie. East Midlands girl and I have lived here for 13 years or so now. Two wonderful kids, Niamh, 11 and Jack, 9. Animal crazy household - we have three horses, three dogs, two cats, two rabbits and a couple of fish.

Got into modelling only recently, when I turned 40 missus bought me a Revell Spitfire Vb for a laugh, I built it and got hooked. She calls it my mid life crisis. Spent a while churning out Spitfires but now specialising in 1/72 FAA planes. Have developed a wider interest in aviation as a result. Other interests music of all kinds, playing the guitar, occasional round of golf and riding my mountain bike, also supporting the wife and kids with their equestrian activities.

This is me with the family on holiday in Sydney couple of weeks ago






Cheers, nice to know you all.

Tony

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## Njaco (Mar 13, 2010)

Great stories guys!!!


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Mar 13, 2010)

Good bio Conker!


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## Timothy (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm Tim..but usually go by Timmy..I have a twin sister..Sometimes people call me Tiny Tim because i'm not a very big guy (About 5'5" 130lbs) My birthday is tomorrow on Veteran's Day. I will turn 29. Nothing too exciting about my life, I'm unemployed and still searching and figuring out what to do with my life. I'm into art and web design and like to periodically mess around on Photoshop and Illustrator. Also sometimes play video games on my PS3.


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## Njaco (Nov 10, 2010)

Welcome Tim. Any back story on the Corsair and pilot?


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## Matt308 (Nov 10, 2010)

Yeah... hell of a siggy!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 11, 2010)

Timothy, thanks for the background info of yourself, but I am going to have to ask you to downsize that siggy. We have some rules here on how large a signature can be. Please read the Siggy Rules on this page:

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/announcements/signature-rules-14344.html


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## Timothy (Nov 13, 2010)

Yeah I figured it was too big i'll make a new sig later on..here's the full size version..if you take a close look, it's me wearing a pilot's uniform..and I chose to put a corsair into it because it was always one my favorite war birds in WWII aside from the Hellcat..then I and incorporated a war-torn look to it in photoshop. I've always been very artistic since a child and now I do that digitally also. There was about 15 different layers I merged into that photo. I think it came out great.


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## Njaco (Nov 13, 2010)

We may have a new siggy master!


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## bromhead (Dec 19, 2012)

Rather new here,,N dallas by way of chicago,,miami,,pacific theater,,volunteer viet,,ret AT and t,,lifelong enthusiast,,,multiple failed marrages,,relaitionships,,I mourn Carrol shelby,,Col Bob jones and Gonville bromhead among others,,


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## N4521U (Dec 19, 2012)

Never seen this thread..... will put sumthin together.


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## Matt308 (Dec 19, 2012)

Nice post bromhead. Very nice. And welcome my friend.


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## Njaco (Dec 19, 2012)

Welcome Bromhead! Rourke's Drift fan myself and have a personal love of the Ford Mustang so.......understand about Shelby.


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## Rustybugs (Dec 23, 2012)

a


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## Njaco (Dec 23, 2012)

Hail Rusty! Come on in - I got a place here by the fire for ya. Show me yer latest plastic thingamajig. Lucky, bring an extra pint of grog!


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## Airframes (Dec 23, 2012)

Make that an extra gallon, I'm coming too - and I'll bring some extra logs for the fire.


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## Wayne Little (Dec 24, 2012)

Rustybugs said:


> Now that I have found this place and see that I am among fellow crazy types with warped sense of humor.



Just because we all have our own padded cells doesn't mean we're crazy.....does it???


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## meatloaf109 (Dec 24, 2012)

Better get two gallons, I'm on my way!
Wayne, the whole world is crazy except me and thee, and sometimes me wonders about thee...


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## Wayne Little (Dec 26, 2012)

meatloaf109 said:


> Wayne, the whole world is crazy except me and thee, and sometimes me wonders about thee...



....be afraid....be very afraid...


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## A4K (Dec 27, 2012)

Don't include me with the crazies. 9 out of the 10 voices in my head say I'm fine, so majority rules! 

Great to have yas along guys, save a place by the fire for me too! (I'll bring the marshmallows!)


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## Marcel (Dec 27, 2012)

Not crazy at all, having thousants of posts on a forum like this and not living a a real life 

BTW, still not doing a biography here. My life is not worth mentioning. Still enjoy reading yours, though.


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## Readie (Apr 23, 2013)

Oi...I have a certificate to tell everyone I'm as sane as the next man...


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## vikingBerserker (Apr 23, 2013)




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## meatloaf109 (Apr 23, 2013)

Readie said:


> Oi...I have a certificate to tell everyone I'm as sane as the next man...


Right, mate. You just keep telling yourself that.


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## N4521U (Apr 24, 2013)

Could there be some reason I have been refused one of these certificates?????
Now be honest!

Could I expect less????


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## Readie (Apr 24, 2013)

N4521U said:


> Could there be some reason I have been refused one of these certificates?????
> Now be honest!
> 
> Could I expect less????



Probably moving to Australia meant that you excluded yourself Bill.
But, it would be rude to assume that everyone moving to the land down under is mad...

On the other hand, I may be considered mad for not moving to Australia.

Ummmm.....


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## N4521U (Apr 24, 2013)

Not if you like good sausage!


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## Readie (Apr 25, 2013)

I do. Pork and apple is my favourite.
Ok, so we are sane Bill.
What about the others?


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## gumbyk (May 26, 2013)

Readie said:


> Oi...I have a certificate to tell everyone I'm as sane as the next man...



Its just a pity that the next man is Jan....


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## Readie (Jun 10, 2013)




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## Lucky13 (Jun 10, 2013)

Bacon!


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## Matt308 (Jun 10, 2013)

Oh no...


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 10, 2013)




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## HotelAlpha200 (Jun 10, 2013)

Hi, 


I am HotelAlpha200, but you can call me Hotel if you like. I am a Spanish guy that lives in the US. I am very interested in WWII and aviation from that era and beyond. Anything from 1930's till recent I like!  

My family has been involved in the Aviation field a long time and I have Spanish Air Force relatives, etc. and I like to know more about their liking and the time zone they were in history. 

I play and mod Il-2 Sturmovik (I am a novice modder) and I am known in the Il-2 community and I am very active. 


Very nice to be here, I look forward to meeting new friends and knowing more about my interests. 


Best, 

Hotel


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 10, 2013)

Welcome aboard Hotel!


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## Matt308 (Jun 12, 2013)

Welcome!


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## Soldier (Sep 2, 2013)

BIO:
I was born in Olathe Kansas. I lived there from birth to about 8 and then moved to Topeka, Kansas. 8 years later, I moved back to Olathe. I have two older brothers. One is in the U.S. Air Force. The other works for a Natural Gas Company. 
I graduated from Olathe North High School in 1996 and Joined the US Army. I went to basic training at Ft. Leonardwood, Mo and attended Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Ft. Lee, VA. When I received my orders for my permanent duty station, it was accompanied by N.A.T.O orders. I flew to Germany and two weeks later I found myself in Bosnia refueling Apache Helicopters. Being 18 and the first time away from home besides basic and AIT was bad enough, but being in a Hazardous Fire Zone and not knowing any of my fellow soldiers sucked. During the deployment I decided to get a tattoo while on Pass in Budapest Hungary. I can tell you for sure that alcohol and tattoos do not go together well. THey tend to make you bleed a lot. After living in a tent for 8 months I redeployed back to Germany. The rest of the time in Germany was a blast. Since I had learned how to speak German in high school, getting around was easy for me and I did a lot of traveling around the country. 
In 1999, I received orders transferring me back to the US and assigning me of all places, Ft. Riley, Kansas. This time I was refueling the M1A1 Abrams Tank. In 2000, I was again deployed to a Hazardous Duty Zone, in Kuwait. I was in the desert when the USS Cole was bombed and spent about a week traveling and conducting operations to the Iraq border and taking soldiers to the Air strip to get flown to Quatar to guard the embassy. 
In 2001, I got out of Active Duty and went into the Army Reserve in Kansas City, Kansas driving 5,000 gal fuel trucks (rolling RPG target) . I drove a fuel truck for a while and then was hired as Law Enforcement Officer in 2002. I was activated in 2003 with the Army Reserve and went to Ft. Leonardwood in Preparation to go to Iraq, however our mission was cancelled and I returned to my job until 2004 when I was activated again and sent to St. Louis, MO in preparation to deploy to Iraq. I was deployed with a unit in a position I was never trained. I received about 3 days of training before deploying ( all classroom work). When I arrived in Kuwait to stage for Iraq I was sent as part of the Advanced Party to get me as much OJT as possible. I was stationed at Al Taqquedum Air Base in Iraq. That is near Fallujah and Ramadi. I conducted approximately 35 combat patrols as convoy security and survived two encounters with Improvised explosive devices and mortar attacks. I redeployed in 2005 and returned to work until I ended my military carreer at the rank of Staff Sergeant in 2007. I received the Meritorius Service Medal, 2 Army Commendation Medals, 3 Army Achievement Medals, 3 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals and a handful of other medals to include the Meritorius Unit Citation as a member of my unit. 
But enough about me, 

Soldier


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## ARTESH (Aug 27, 2017)

i said my military biography in other topic ...

but, it`s myself bio:

Born on Dec 18, 1994 in Tehran.

Went to Army Language School at Horr Sq. from 5 years old for 7 years.

Primary School in Tehran and Fifth Class in Qeshm Island.

Got my Diploma in International Tour Leading and Management.

Served in Army ...

Done Several Translations for Army ...

Self Employed by Tehran and Nearby Towns/Cities Tour Manager for Iranians and foriegeners.

and now ... 

i`m here.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 27, 2017)

WelcoMe!

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## ARTESH (Aug 27, 2017)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> WelcoMe!


Thank you Sir.


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## fubar57 (Aug 27, 2017)

Welcome to the forum Artesh

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## Thorlifter (Aug 28, 2017)

Welcome to the forum Artesh.

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## Marcel (Aug 28, 2017)

ARTESH said:


> i said my military biography in other topic ...
> 
> but, it`s myself bio:
> 
> ...


Salaam Artesh. Nice to have someone from Iran joining.

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## Gnomey (Aug 28, 2017)

Welcome.

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## Wayne Little (Sep 1, 2017)

Welcome mate..!

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## Airframes (Sep 1, 2017)

Welcome from England.

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## vikingBerserker (Sep 1, 2017)

Welcome aboard!


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